Orban Ramps Up Production to Meet Demand
April 06 2007 - 9:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Workdays Longer, Saturday Shift Added TEMPE, Ariz., April 6
/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Circuit Research Labs, Inc. (OTC:CRLI)
(BULLETIN BOARD: CRLI) , parent company of CRL Systems, Inc. dba
Orban, in response to a surge of demand from broadcasters and other
customers, has increased production of its audio processors and
other professional electronics to reduce order backlog and to speed
up deliveries to customers. Beginning mid-March, the company's
production staff began working an additional two hours daily and a
Saturday assembly shift was added to the work week. Both changes
will remain in effect until production can satisfy demand quickly,
which is estimated to be by mid-May. The company has a large
backlog of orders totaling approximately $3.0 million dollars, a
result of strong bookings and delays brought on by production
down-time caused by the company's moving its corporate offices and
manufacturing from San Leandro, California to Tempe, Arizona.
Additionally, production has been impacted by difficulty in
procuring components that comply with the EU "reduction of hazard
substances" (RoHS) directive. This requires that electrical and
electronic equipment placed on the EU market after July 1, 2006
contain restricted levels of lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent
chromium, and brominated flame retardants. "Our management and
sales units are indebted to our production staff. Everyone agreed
enthusiastically to the changes," said C. Jayson "Jay" Brentlinger,
Chairman, President and CEO of CRLI. "We are very fortunate to have
such a dedicated group of employees." The work schedule changes
also apply to the company's final test department, a team that
thoroughly tests each product to ensure quality. The high demand
for the company's products results from the marketplace's
enthusiastic acceptance of new Orban processing products like
Optimod 6300 (a "three-in-one" processor for STL protection,
digital radio/netcast processing, and talent headphone processing),
Optimod-AM 9400 (featuring independent stereo processing for analog
AM and digital radio), and Optimod-FM 8500 (Orban's flagship FM
processor and the next step beyond Optimod-FM 8400). The 8500
builds on the proven, competitive sound of the 8400 while adding
features that make it the ideal choice for FM stations
simultaneously transmitting iBiquity's HD Radio(R), Eureka 147
(DAB), or a netcast. Orban designed all of the 8500's circuitry
using the latest components and built in enough DSP power to
support future improvements like those in the 8500's upcoming
Version 2.0 software. In 2006, the company consolidated its Orban
and CRL production units into a new 36,000 square foot corporate
headquarters and manufacturing plant in Tempe, Arizona. Previously,
Orban products were manufactured in San Leandro, in the San
Francisco Bay Area's Silicon Valley. The research and development
staff, lead by industry icon Bob Orban, remains in San Leandro.
Circuit Research Labs, Inc. and its subsidiaries is a worldwide
leader in audio processing for broadcasting and the Internet. Orban
leads the industry in the design and manufacture of audio
processors for radio, television and Internet broadcasting. Its
websites are http://www.orban.com/ and http://www.crlsystems.com/.
Circuit Research Labs, Inc. Forward-Looking Statements This news
release may contain "forward-looking" statements within the meaning
of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Management's anticipation of future events is based upon
assumptions regarding levels of competition, research and
development results, raw material markets, the markets in which the
company operates, and stability of the regulatory environment. Any
of these assumptions could prove inaccurate; and therefore, there
can be no assurance that the forward-looking information will prove
to be accurate. About Circuit Research Labs, Inc. Circuit Research
Labs, Inc. is a manufacturer of high-quality digital and analog
audio processing, transmission encoding, and noise reduction
equipment. Circuit Research Labs, Inc. is in the market for radio,
TV and Internet audio processing. As technology evolves, Circuit
Research Labs continues to innovate with state-of-the-art audio
processing products for DAB, DTV and streaming media. The Company
purchased Orban(R) in May of 2000. Orban was founded in 1970 by Bob
Orban, who is the world's foremost expert in transmission audio
processing for broadcast. Orban leads the industry in the design
and manufacture of audio processors for radio, television and
Internet broadcasting. Recognized for its standard-setting
Optimod(R) digital audio processors and the Opticodec(R) codecs,
the Orban name has become synonymous with reliable, high
performance products. Today, its versatile audio processing
equipment and codecs are the products of choice in fast-paced
production environments worldwide. For more information contact
David Rusch at phone +1 (480) 403-8300, fax +1 (480) 403-8301 or
e-mail: . Information is also available at http://www.orban.com/ ,
http://www.crlsystems.com/ and http://www.orban-europe.com/.
DATASOURCE: Circuit Research Labs, Inc. CONTACT: David Rusch of
Circuit Research Labs, Inc., +1-480-403-8322, Web site:
http://www.crlsystems.com/
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