() is a world leader in communication network infastructure products and services designed for wireless, wireline, cable, broadcast, and enterprise networks around the world. ADC sells a variety of communication network equipment and services. These include, but are not limited to:
- such as service packs and network solutions.
- featuring ethernet access products.
- including '''Pro Patch™''' Audio and Video Patching
- Copper and Fiber cable.
- communication components including digital signal cross connects.
- Ethernet , and data connectivity power-over-ethernet solutions.
- ,'''OmniReach''' solutions.
- Wireless , solutions and '''ClearGain''' solutions.
In
1935 – the height of the great depression – a young engineer by the name of Ralph Allison founded in the basement of his south
Minneapolis home, inventing ADC's very first product, the audiometer, an electronic device designed to test hearing.
Two years later, fellow engineer Walt Lehnert joined Allison, and together they diversified the company's product line to include amplifiers and transformers for the broadcast industry. By
1942 , the company had designed a sophisticated audio system for the University of Minnesota, and the resulting
Jacks ,
Plugs ,
Patch Cords and jackfields became the cornerstones for ADC's later entry into telecommunications.
In
1949 , ADC sold its audiometer product line and Ralph Allison left ADC to form a new company in California. ADC diversified and focused its efforts in the area of
Transformers and filters for power lines, military electronics, telephone jacks and plugs. And in
1961 , ADC merged with Magnetic Controls Company, a manufacturer of power supplies and
Magnetic Amplifiers with strong ties to the U.S. space program. The resulting company, ADC Magnetic Controls, had a decade of mixed success. Although transformer sales boomed during the
1960s , other new product initiatives failed to materialize. Perhaps the most significant product innovation during this period was the bantam jack, a miniaturized component that eventually became the standard for telephone circuit access and patching. Building on its growing sales of jacks and plugs in the early
1970s , ADC introduced prewired, connectorized jackfields, wired assemblies and test equipment for telephone operating companies. By
1974 the company was on solid ground, and by
1976 , ADC had become the largest independent supplier of test boards in the United States.
ADC's growing presence as a supplier to the telecommunications industry was significantly enhanced in
1983 , when AT&T was ordered to deregulate by the federal government. By establishing the seven regional Bell operating companies (RBOCs) as independent entities, the U.S. market for telecommunications expanded by 90 percent. No longer forced to purchase their equipment from the Western Electric Division of AT&T, the RBOCs began to look for suppliers like ADC that had a reputation for quality and innovation in the marketplace. Over time, the RBOCs would become ADC's key customer base.
Today, ADC is a world leader in communication network infrastructure products and services designed for wireless, wireline cable, broadcast, and enterprise networks around the world. The company operates in every region of the world. (Americas, EMEA and APAC) and generates three-fourths of its sales from broadband infrastructure equipment designed for public and private networks. Its products (central office/outside plant copper and fiber connectivity equipment and wireless coverage and capacity gear) help connect all kinds of voice, data and video communication signals and enable the quick deployment of new services to consumers and businesses. ADC also provides Professional Services, planning, deploying and maintaining network equipment in wireless and wired networks. ADC's key customers range from every Regional Bell Operating Company (RBOC) to local independent operators, wireless service providers, cable TV operators,
Fortune 1000 enterprises, and municipalities deploying their own FTTX -Fiber To The Premise networks. The company also sells to distributors and other equipment makers. Customers include
Verizon ,
BellSouth ,
Sprint/Nextel ,
Graybar Electric , and
Time Warner Cable .
The company has its corporate headquarters in
Minneapolis, MN .
Robert E. Switz is the current President and
CEO .
Other senior executives include:
Michael Day -
Chief Technical Officer
Gokul Hemmady -
Chief Financial Officer
In 1996, ADCT merged with ITS(Information Transmission Systems) and has since sold it off.
With the acquisition of the
KRONE Group in
2004 , ADC now offers global copper- and fiber-based connectivity solutions and cabling products used in public access and enterprise networks and provides global scale and expanded products and services to better serve customers anywhere in the world. In FY2005, ADC acquired both Fiber Optic Network Solutions for its FTTX solutions and OpenCell for its wireless coverage and capacity offerings.
