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Southern
Electrical Equipment Company (SEECO) was
founded in 1920 as a supplier to the electrical utility industry.
The company was originally organized and managed by several individuals
who had held key engineering and procurement positions with Duke Power, an
investor-owned electrical utility based in the Carolinas. Frequently
challenged and sometimes frustrated by the difficulty in locating and
procuring electrical products that met their utility specifications, these
individuals determined to start their own company and supply the very
items they had been looking for. Out of that desire to design and
manufacture a better product, SEECO was born.
The product focus of the company was initially directed
toward substation applications. In these early years, SEECO
developed a complete line of hook-stick disconnect switches and mechanical
connectors; the company also fabricated specialized copper bus bar
assemblies, and designed and manufactured substation packages.
Located in Charlotte, N.C., the company's geographical
market was originally in the southeast United States, and included
regional investor-owned utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and
municipal systems. In this time period (1920's, 1930's, and 1940's),
many rural areas in the southeast were still without electric power or
were served by newly developed cooperative and municipal systems.
Due to its' geographic location, products, and engineering capabilities,
SEECO was a major supplier of substation apparatus to many of the newly
developed electrical systems in rural North and South Carolina, northern
Georgia, eastern Tennessee, and southern Virginia. From the 1920's
through the 1960's, SEECO was also heavily represented in the
electrification of the southern textile industry; many industrial
substations erected or expanded in those years were SEECO "projects."
A Major Acquisition
In 1980, SEECO acquired the
transmission and substation
switch product lines of the A.B. Chance Company. Included in this
acquisition were the commercially popular one-way, two-way, and three-way
phase-over-phase GOABS® which are used in transmission switching
applications, and the MONORUPTR® vacuum interrupter which adds full
load-break capabilities to air-break switches.
The acquisition of an
established and respected line of group operated switches, with an
existing nationwide customer base, was a major turning point for the
company. By virtue of this acquisition, SEECO was transformed from a
supplier with a regional (southeastern U.S.) market focus to a
manufacturer with both national and international customers.
Within 3-5 years of the acquisition, the company was recording sales in
virtually all 50 states, Canada, Central America, Southeast Asia, and the
Middle East.
The new product lines also
necessitated major changes in the manufacturing capabilities of the
company. At acquisition, SEECO took receipt of ten trailers of
equipment, tooling, and fixturing, all of which required inspection and
repair or reconditioning for active manufacturing service. New
manufacturing personnel were hired and trained for 6 months prior to
shipment of the first complete switch. Major expansions to our
foundry, machining, and fabrication departments occurred soon
thereafter.
Product Development Drives Growth
In response to industry initiatives in automation, SEECO made the decision
in 1995 to develop new products that would complement and support the
automation of group operated switches. Particular emphasis was
placed on products that would facilitate the rapid identification and
isolation of faults, and restoration of service.
The first major new product was
introduced in 1996, a family of
motor operators for switching applications in distribution,
substation, and transmission. Product configurations include motor
operators for both torsional and reciprocating switch operation.
In 2000, the company began production of our next major new
product, SEECO SENSE® line post sensors (monitoring insulators) for
monitoring and reporting line status and condition. Line post sensors
replace conventional oil-filled CT and PT devices in relaying
applications. They are ultra-light weight and utilize no oil or SF6 as a
dielectric, making them an environmentally preferred alternative to
traditional oil-filled instrument transformers. When used in conjunction
with group operated switches and SEECO motor operators, they provide
advanced capabilities for remote line sectionalizing, including fault
isolation. The product design employs next generation technology and is
patented.
In 2004, SEECO developed local logic devices for use with our SEECO
SENSE® line post sensors and motor operators. These devices provide
local processing of
the current and voltage outputs of the line post sensors and enable
independent automatic sectionalizing of switches, allowing restoration of
service to un-faulted sections of a line within seconds of the initial
operation of station breakers.
In 2008, SEECO successfully tested and began commercial production
on our new 3000 amp family of live parts and vacuum interrupter devices.
Switch and interrupter current ratings are now available in 600, 1200,
2000 and 3000 amp.
Also, in 2008, SEECO developed, manufactured and installed our first 230
kV phase-over-phase GOABS® switch. Additional 230 kV
phase-over-phase switches were manufactured and shipped in 2009 and 2010.
In 2009 and 2010, SEECO began expansion of our vacuum interrupter product
line to allow retro-fit to other brands of group operated switches, such
as Pascor Atlantic, USCO and Royal. Retro-fit kits are
available in both single and
multi bottle interrupter configurations for
center Vee and vertical break switches. Retro-fit kits for
other brands are currently under development.
Also, in 2009, SEECO introduced
a
remote
I/O device that allows for RF and optical fiber communication between
devices. This can be used in both substation and transmission
applications and provides a convenient means for communication of status and relay control without the time and expense of traditional
trenching and multi wire cabling.
In 2010, SEECO acquired the
vertical break product line of the Johnson Switch Company. This
rugged, reliable switch design is an excellent complement to our existing
lineup of group operated switches. The voltage range is 15-345 kV
with current ratings of 600, 1200, 2000 and 3000 amp. Customers can
now receive a properly integrated pairing of vertical break switch, single
or multi bottle interrupter and motor operator from a single manufacturer
with the assurance that all devices will operate properly together.
These new products and SEECO's commitment to new product development have
been favorably received by the industry. As a result, SEECO has
experienced significant sales growth and industry recognition. More new products are scheduled
for introduction in 2010 and 2011 and we invite you to visit our website
periodically to view information when it is updated.
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