Sunshine Through the Rain

We here at the blog have been a little remiss in updating this little thing (oops! sorry!). It’s been a whirlwind of activity here especially with the year slowly winding down. Here’s what we’ve been up to for end of Q3-beginning of Q4.

(1) IDEX ASA-IONICS Agreement

At the end of Q3 we inked a licensing agreement with IDEX ASA providing us the rights to manufacture and sell fingerprint sensor products based on IDEX’s patented SmartFinger technology.

You can check out our blog feature here
And the more comprehensive press release here

(2) Typhoon Ketsana/Ondoy

Massive flooding

The Philippines experienced the worst rainfall and flooding in recorded history when Typhoon Ketsana/Ondoy swept through the country late September. The typhoon dumped more than a month’s worth of rain in just 12 hours, swamping entire towns, setting off landslides and leaving neighborhoods in the capital with destroyed houses, overturned vehicles and roads covered in mud and debris. Over 430,000 people were affected by this calamity. To make matters worse, 4 other typhoons have come and gone since then hampering relief efforts.

We at Ionics organized our own outreach program in an attempt to help out one of the hardest hit areas in the south (near our factories). With the help of management and volunteers, we were able to put together food packages for over 1600 whole families (not individuals).  Just doing what we can to help those devastated by this catastrophic event.

Some pictures:

Ionics staff putting together relief packages

Ionics staff handing out relief goods

IDEX ASA and Ionics EMS Inc. Enter Into Strategic License Agreement.

One of the things we meant to update you on earlier is our exciting licensing agreement with IDEX ASA to manufacture their fingerprint sensor products. As the world gets smaller and technology becomes even more accessible over time, security threats tend to become more prevalent. These products are the answer to the growing demand for increased identity-security measures.

The strategic IP licensing agreement provides Ionics rights to manufacture and sell fingerprint sensor products based on IDEX’ patented SmartFinger technology. The Agreement entails transfer of IDEX’ sensor products to Ionics’ manufacturing plant enabling the partners to serve the high volume markets. Ionics possesses manufacturing expertise, supply-chain management skills and customer channels and is thus perfectly suited to advance the award-winning SmartFinger technology to cost-effective, high quality, high-volume production.

A little background on IDEX ASA — it is a Norwegian firm specializing in fingerprint imaging and recognition technology. It won the Frost & Sullivan “2009 Global Swipe Sensor Product Differentiation Innovation of the Year Award.”

As you can probably guess, we are thrilled about this agreement and are looking forward to a fruitful and successful partnership.

For more information on IDEX, Ionics and this agreement please visit: http://www.ionics-ems.com/idex_ionics.html

Ionics Plug Computer

Ionics Plug Computer

Cool. Compact. Compelling.

These 3 words epitomize this year’s hottest item proudly manufactured by Ionics EMS, Inc.

Personal computing has evolved from the desktop to laptop and now, the plugtop. The Plug Computer is a new and innovative device for end-users to secure, manage and share digital content seamlessly, conveniently and efficiently.

This small, powerful, fist-sized computer plugs into the wall socket and can run network-based services that normally require a dedicated PC. The plug uses low power and utilizes only a small fraction of the energy consumed by an always-on desktop computer or laptop, at a fraction of the cost.

It’s hard to believe that something so small and cutting edge can be so complete. We’re talking full feature memory capacities- 512Mb of DDR2 and 512MB of NAND flash, running at up to 1.2Ghz on Marvell’s 88F6281 ARM processor.

What else? It uses 5 watts under normal operations (compare this to 25-100 watts for dedicated PC), has one USB2.0 port with overload protection, a GigaLAN port that supports 1000 Base-T, 100 Base-T, and 10 Base-T and last but not least, a shielded RJ-25 connector with built-in LEDs.

Best of all, the size is so compact you can plug two of these devices side by side or form a plug farm on an extension cord without worrying about blocking the adjacent socket space. Yes, it’s that small. Have the freedom to use as many Plug Computers as needed without worrying about wasted space.

In addition, a software service can be bundled together with a plug computer and can be targeted at different market segments. Everyday consumers can use the plug for media sharing and backup services.

The “next” big thing is officially here, and it’s brought to you by Ionics EMS, Inc.

Development kits are available at the end of July. They come in white, black or the customizable color of your choice, and are available in US, EU and UK models.

Check out http://www.ionics-ems.com/plugcomputer.html for more information and drop us a note at sales@ionics-ems.com for orders and/or inquiries.

Midyear Makeover

Official Home Page 2009

We here at Ionics EMS believe in constant improvements. Whenever we see an opportunity to make something better, we seize it and do our best to blow everyone away.

After seemingly endless rounds of drafts and edits, our perfectionist marketing IT, and web design crews have finally unveiled a fresh new look for the official Ionics website.

Bathed in bold hues of deep blue we wanted the site to show the world the qualities of Ionics that our customers (and suppliers) have come to love. Sleek, serious, strong and sexy- Ionics means business and is up for any challenge you throw our way.

We are so proud of  and passionate over what we’ve accomplished during our 35 years of service.  We hope our hot, new website truly reflects and personifies all that we’ve achieved and more.

Tell us what you think!