INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: Proengin Inc.
Sid Sidebotham
Sales Manager
Proengin Inc.
Sid Sidebotham was schooled in England and joined the Royal Navy in 1985, where he obtained a marine engineering degree and volunteered for submarine service. After serving on several nuclear submarines, he was honorably discharged in 1993. He moved to the United States and in 1995 managed a rigid inflatable boat outlet that specialized in custom building military, state and local law enforcement RIBs. In 2001, he became the sales manager for Proengin Inc.
Q: Can you give MMT a little background on Proengin?
A: Proengin was established in France in 1972. Its aims were prospective, engineering and industrialization of devices associating various technologies that demand high quality and competences. The multidisciplinary skills of Proengin’s research department have allowed us to design and produce very sophisticated equipment such as immersion sensors and leak detectors for nuclear submarines; electrical generators, transductors and telemeters for ammunitions; chemical, electrolytic, absorption- operating or reforming hydrogen generators; nuclear flash simulators; chemical and biological detectors; wind generators— commercialized under EODYN trademark, created in 1979—and furling and reefing systems—commercialized under Profurl trademark, created in 1983. Proengin was established in the USA in 1986 thanks to its subsidiary, Proengin Inc. The company is located in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and began its activities by selling products under the Profurl name. In 2000, Proengin Inc. dedicated itself to the distribution of Proengin’s chemical and biological detectors and established a dealer network throughout the United States. Proengin Inc. has a full-service workshop to support the maintenance of Proengin products and maintains a full inventory of various detectors and spares on hand. Proengin exports more than 40 percent of its production into more than 60 countries worldwide. The company is a member of the GIE NBC in France and of the NBC industry group in the USA.
Q: What do you consider to be your core product?
A: Although Proengin began by designing and manufacturing many different kinds of products we now dedicate ourselves to the design and production of chemical and biological detectors utilizing flame spectroscopy as the means of detection, including in our MAB bio detector. We have products from handheld portable detectors through vehicle, ship and even a building system—although we are probably best known for our AP2C.
Q: Speaking of the AP2C, it is one of your bestknown products. What makes it stand out in the marketplace?
A: If we look at the AP2C, possibly one of our most well-known detectors, I think any of our end users, both military and domestic, would be quick to point our Proengin’s simplicity of use, reliability and lack of end-user maintenance requirements. Couple that with a broad detection base including many items not seen by other detectors and that’s what makes us stand out from the crowd.
Q: How long have you been doing business with the military and what is your market position?
A: We were the new guys on the block at least on this side of the Atlantic when we started—and many are unaware of our long standing in the European community—but a solid product and quality distributors have gained us market share to the point where I would feel comfortable calling ourselves a market leader. The military is a notoriously hard nut to crack. However, due mostly to the performance of our AP2C we have gained a following, especially in the more specialized units.
Q: What has highlighted your recent business relationships with the military?
A: Outfitting some USSOCOM units and Tech Escort were definitely highlights and for 2007 we have our sights set on CBIRF and hope to conduct trials in the near future. We also have some testing underway with third parties for DoD customers which when successful will add to our military sales.
Q: What does the future hold for Proengin and the military side of its business?
A: We are introducing several new products such as our AP4C which increases the detection range of the AP2C by adding TICs [toxic industrial chemicals] and TIMs [toxic industrial materials] to the detection capabilities. This satisfies the current trend towards TIC and TIM detection as the main focus, a trend which we feel is justified with TICs and TIMs being more abundant and easier to improvise an attack with. Although, I must point out that the AP4C is not a replacement for the AP2C due to sensitivity differences, and the AP2C will still be with us for a long time especially in a decontamination role. We are also conducting several tests on the MAB bio-detector, which when complete will increase customer acceptance of this product. Both products are a unique fit for emerging needs and will inevitably be in high demand in 2007.Proengin Inc. ♦