Located in a Midwestern town of 2,700 people, American Products is a U.S. manufacturer of telecommunications enclosures that stands poised to take advantage of the nation’s focus on American made and sourced building products.
Working out of a facility in Strafford, Missouri, the company, then named Champion, started building metal enclosures in 1989 using a single Cincinnati 150-ton punch press. After a short stint as a subsidiary of Corning, the company–while still maintaining the same staff– was renamed American Products.
Today, American Products remains in Strafford but boasts an expanded production capacity with 10 presses, state-of-the-art laser cutting capabilities, automated and hand welding, as well as in house powder coat paint line. American Products is a leader in branded products for telecommunication and electrical distribution, as well as advanced contract manufacturing capabilities for Fortune 100 companies.
Protecting Critical Equipment
American Products enclosures protect telecom and communications equipment from the ravages of changing weather, temperature, moisture and other hazards. The enclosures include shelters, huts, single and multi-bay cabinets and accessory products, such as the H-Frame for storing fiber.
The enclosures are suitable for a variety of equipment, such as large shelters at the bottom of cell towers, battery storage and fiber distribution hubs for several types of deployments, e.g., fiber to the home, fiber to the premises, fiber to the node and fiber to the curb. In fact, one of the largest internet providers relies on American Products enclosures to house its edge data centers next to major metropolitan areas.
“We serve both the wireless and wireline realms,” Kurt Myrick, Marketing Engineer, American Products, explained. “Fiber customers need our active and passive cabinets and underground bunkers, and wireless carriers need our shelters at their tower sites.”
Build America, Buy America
American Products, as the name might imply, prides itself on being an American manufacturer. It sources as much of the materials possible from American companies. Manufacturing everything in the U.S. is important to qualify for the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program, which has a Build America, Buy America (BABA) requirement.
The Build America, Buy America Act, enacted as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in 2021, requires the majority of iron, steel, manufactured products and construction materials used in federally funded projects for infrastructure be produced in the U.S.
“One of the things that differentiates us from several of our competitors is that we engineer, design and manufacture everything in America,” said Peter Pudner, American Products Vice President of Sales. “We can qualify for essentially anything they need to ensure is BABA compliant.”
Under One Roof
American Products also conducts all of its engineering, heavy manufacturing and paint line integration at its Strafford headquarters. This gives it an advantage over companies that have separate design and manufacturing facilities, which could lead to a disconnect in the process.
“We are always looking for continuous improvement opportunities,” Pudner said. “Sometimes just having the engineers in the same plant, reviewing products as they’re being integrated or manufactured, is when we come up with our best ideas and pinpoint areas for improvement.”
Conclusion
The enclosure market has benefited from activity on the wireline and wireless sides of the telecom industry. Enclosures saw a surge in sales in 2019 due to an increase in remote work caused by the pandemic and a broadband expansion paid for by the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund (RDOF), where the FCC allocated $20.4 billion to increase affordable broadband in unserved rural markets.
The year 2022 saw a torrent of activity as carriers built out their mid-band 5G spectrum. While wireless slowed down in 2023, fiber deployments hit an all-time high and American Products achieved record revenue.
The enclosure manufacturing industry is currently gearing up for another surge in late 2024 to early 2025, according to Myrick, as the BEAD grants spur broadband deployment throughout the states. American Products expects more demand.
“We’re poised for growth. Within telecom, wireless or fiber to the home, we’re looking to expand our product offering as well,” Myrick said.
American Products distributors include: Anixter, Core Telecom, Graybar, Irby, KGP, Netceed (Formerly Walker and Associates), Power & Tel, Sonepar, and Wesco.
Visit American Products at IWCE Expo at booth #429 March 27 – 28 in Orlando, FL.
For more information, go to https://amprod.us or email [email protected].
By J. Sharpe Smith, Inside Towers Technology Editor
Reader Interactions