XCOM Says "Production Issues" In Australia Spurred Decision

Australian avionics manufacturer XCOM Avionics announced recently the company has signed a "Joint Manufacturing Agreement" with Narco Avionics, under which the latter with manufacture and support the XCOM 2 1/4" COM Transceiver.

The agreement was signed October 9 by XCOM President and CEO Michael Coates, and Alan Hanks, CEO and President of Narco Avionics, Inc. All manufacturing and support operations will be conducted from Narco's manufacturing plant in Fort Washington, PA by regular Narco Avionics Employees and will be supported by XCOM engineering and technical support Personnel.

"Since the radios inception the XCOM has been built in Australia with a large majority (approximately 90%) of our product being shipped internationally with most of this going to the USA," XCOM representatives told ANN. "Production issues in Australia have forced us to look for another manufacturer, we tried several manufacturers in Australia but none of these could offer reliable and quality production which basically meant we had a fantastic product that was being let down by poor manufacturing which was out of our control.

"The best way around this is to find a manufacturer who is already familiar with avionics and has the ability to manufacture correctly to TSO standards, will stand behind their work and most importantly take pride in what they are doing... For this reason we have entered into a cooperation with Narco Avionics who are the world's longest standing avionics business."

Company personnel add the new partnership "gives XCOM the complete confidence that our product will be manufactured and tested beyond the standards which are required for efficient and continuous, long-term , durable operations. It really means we can stand behind our product with more confidence than ever before and it also gives Narco exposure to the LSA, experimental and Ultralight market which is rapidly expanding."

US customers will also benefit from improved access to repair and upgrade options for their XCOM radios, according to the company.

"...And it also means that the price to our US customers will come down because most of the parts that are used in the XCOM radio are actually sourced from the USA, then sent to Australia (which costs a lot of money in freight) produced into the radio and then shipped back to the USA (which costs a lot of money in freight) overall our customers will find a number of improvements which include better customer service because they are not geographically isolated on the other side of the world, delivery and repair times will be quicker and the price of the radio will come down."

FMI: www.xcomavionics.com, www.narco-avionics.com/