Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 5, 1993 TAG: 9308050036
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: PAT BROWN STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The black box, they say, is a computer networking device that can hook up more systems faster than any other on the market.
The EAS 8000 and its reception among the 40,000 computer industry representatives at the Interop 93 exhibition could mean substantial growth for the fiber-optic communications company, said Selby Wellman, FiberCom's vice president for marketing and sales.
The networking devices will sell for $20,000 each, Wellman said. If successful, FiberCom would realize $8 million to $l0 million in sales in the first year, with growth projected at $l00 million over the next five years.
Wellman said success of the new product would mean expansion of the Roanoke operations, specifically the engineering, manufacturing and marketing divisions. Sales of similar but less sophisticated connecting devices topped the $1 billion mark last year.
The sleek black box was created to connect computer systems. There already are products on the market that make such connections, Wellman said, but none that can boast the speed or capacity of EAS 8000.
"To our knowledge, no one in the industry has ever attempted to put all the existing systems through one device," he said.
Wellman said competitors' networking products weigh from 70 to 200 pounds, while the EAS 8000 weighs 20 pounds and is just over 5 inches high.
"Because we have such a breakthrough in design," said Wellman, "there's not another product that does the whole job like ours."
He said the success of the new product would firmly establish FiberCom in the worldwide commercial market.
by CNB