The Beginning
Dr. John E. PippinEMS Technologies was founded in 1968 in Atlanta by technology visionary Dr. John E. Pippin (1928 – 2007), former vice president of Research at Scientific-Atlanta. The Company was one of the first firms to move into Gwinnett’s Technology Park. From its earliest days, EMS focused on developing technologies for advanced wireless communications. Staffed by eight employees at its founding, EMS (then called Electromagnetic Sciences) was noted for its technical expertise and entrepreneurial spirit – and where companies turned to solve ‘impossible’ microwave problems.
“We were an entrepreneurial company from day one,” recalled Pippin in an EMS videotape marking the company’s 30th anniversary. “The main reason we were successful was our people.”
The Seventies
In the early 1970s, EMS pioneered the use of ferrite technology in space applications. As its technology base grew, EMS became an important supplier to the U.S. Defense Department, especially in space communications. A major milestone came in 1976 when EMS built the beam-forming network for the Defense Satellite Communications System (DSCS) satellite. This network provided the electrical steering for the DSCS satellite – the first electronically steerable antenna flown in space. The system ensured secure communication transmissions among U.S. military and country leaders.
From Milstar in 1992 to Advanced EHF almost a decade later, EMS through its core Defense & Space division is the undisputed leader in space-qualified anti-jam technology. Its anti-jam Beam Forming Networks are now deployed on all major U.S. military satellites that provide secure communications. EMS Defense & Space won the first commercial anti-jam system order in 2007, reflecting the growing importance of satellites as the key broadband infrastructure of developing regions of the world.
The Eighties
Beginning in the early 1980s, EMS applied its wireless expertise to the world of standard commercial products. In 1983, EMS subsidiary LXE Inc. went public as the first company to use wireless data products in logistics handling, and as such, was the first to take wireless data collection into the warehouse. EMS’s wireless logistics computing business offered wireless data communications solutions for materials handling and other logistics applications, and these wireless products quickly became a major revenue source.
The Nineties
In 1993, EMS acquired Ottawa-based CAL Corporation, now the core of its SATCOM division. EMS SATCOM’s market-leading aeronautical antennas for high-speed, satellite-based data communications continue to set the industry standard in the avionics market. In late 2001, EMS SATCOM sold its first Inmarsat-based high-speed data system to General Tommy Franks. Other U.S. military organizations followed suit, giving leaders the ability to see and respond in real time to battlefield operations. The military continues to be one of the biggest users of SATCOM’s communications system. EMS SATCOM also is a pioneer in the Search and Rescue (SAR) field. As of 2005, all the founding members of the SAR satellite-aided tracking system, Cospas-Sarsat, were using EMS SAR equipment – systems that have saved tens-of-thousands of lives. In 2007, EMS SATCOM’s engineering capabilities were further enhanced with the acquisition of Australia’s D’Space, a pioneer in developing Inmarsat's BGAN satellite radio protocols.
The Oughts
In 2008, EMS’s growth-through-acquisition strategy included four strategic transactions -- Akerstroms Trux, Northern Europe’s vehicle mount computing leader, now part of LXE; and three connectivity and tracking businesses: Sky Connect, a leader in Iridium-based tracking and voice systems for general aviation; Formation, a provider of airborne wireless network products that enable in-flight connectivity; and Satamatics, a global Inmarsat satellite machine-to-machine services provider. These investments strengthen EMS’s global leadership in connectivity and asset tracking, continuing a strategy to become a more comprehensive solutions provider.
Today
Today’s EMS, with more than 1,200 employees in major engineering and manufacturing facilities in Atlanta, Moorestown, N.J., and Ottawa, combines a broad base of wireless and space technologies with proven expertise in standard products.
