January 10, 2020 by Donna De Vico, Sales & Marketing Director, Zero Surge Inc.

Today is inventory day at Zero Surge Inc. Our Operations and Production teams are busy counting and recording the hundreds of different components that go into manufacturing our products. Taking inventory is a crucial step in ensuring the success of a manufacturing company. Any interruption in production, whether it be surge related downtime or from a shortage of parts, can be devastating. I thought this would also be a good time take inventory of Zero Surge’s growth over the last decade and share some thoughts about the future.

In the last decade, a major event took place at Zero Surge – the passing of the reigns in 2014 from its founder, J. Rudy Harford, to its current owner and president, Jim Minadeo. For several years Rudy had been seeking someone who could take the foundation of what he built and grow it to its full potential. He found that person in Jim, a local engineer with an extensive business background. We have taken many steps forward as a company, some of which are highlighted below.

Reaching out on a local and state level was instrumental to Zero Surge’s growth. While our solutions are used by many Fortune 500 companies, local businesses and organizations had no idea we existed. To rectify this, we joined the Hunterdon County Chamber of Commerce and got more involved in our local community. We also became a sponsor and board members of HackHunterdon, an initiative to bring Hunterdon County’s technology community together and spark locally grown innovation. More recently, the HackHunterdon Radio Podcast was launched and hosted by Jim Minadeo to feature local innovators and talk about current and past innovations. We also joined the New Jersey Manufacturing Extension Program (NJMEP) which has enabled us to receive and provide support for manufacturing in the State of New Jersey. Another great organization, the New Jersey and Business and Industry Association, has enabled Zero Surge to get in front of legislators to advocate for business needs.

To continue to educate and attract new customers, Zero Surge:

• implemented a new, responsive website for mobile and desktop viewing

• launched an online factory store where customers can buy direct

• produced a series of short, 2-minute videos highlighting our technology, applications, and products

• upgraded power-quality measurement tools that are used in Quality Control and a new Dranetz Power Quality instrument for R&D work

• provided presentations to targeted groups like electrical contractors, IT managers, and facilities managers

In response to customer needs, Zero Surge developed several new products in the last five years. For Wendy’s International, we designed our FF1-100W-120B which protects (5) 20A branch circuits, providing hard wired protection for the restaurants’ point of sale systems, digital menu boards, and drive-thru equipment. This model has gained popularity in other applications too, where 5 dedicated lines to sensitive electronics are utilized. We also introduced a 5 Amp DIN-rail mount product, the FF2-5W-120-DIN, to address the need for fully enclosed DIN mount surge protection. It is housed in a magnetic shielded steel enclosure with a 4-way directional mounting adapter and an exterior resettable circuit breaker. The most recent addition to our line is the 6R15W- 4USB plug-in model. It has a high-grade 4-port Hubbell USB power supply that delivers a total of 5A for maximum charging power in addition to 6 AC outlets. Charging smart phones through this unit as opposed to a computer’s USB port prevents the transmission of any viruses into the computer. This policy has been adopted as protocol for many of our business customers.

Electronics continue to infiltrate our daily lives. Following are a few applications we come across daily:

• Point of sale systems (POS) allowing for quick and easy retail check-out

• Kiosks that are facilitating order taking and information dissemination

• Digital displays regularly used for informational and entertainment purposes

• Gaming consoles and computer systems that have become more sophisticated

• Internet of Things where electronics can be accessed and controlled remotely

• Business Computer Systems that support comprehensive accounting, material requirements planning (MRP), and customer relationship management (CRM) software

• Life safety equipment protection due to the recent changes in the National Electric Code

What do all these applications have in common? Zero Surge products have flawlessly increased the reliability and longevity of the protected electronics and saved companies and individuals thousands of dollars.

In March of 2019, Zero Surge celebrated its 30-year anniversary and 30 years of no surge damage to protected electronics, no fires, and no product recalls. While there have been changes and advancements over the years, there are some things that have not and will not change. We will continue to manufacture in the USA using US sourced components from US vendors. We will continue to triple test our products to insure high-performance and reliability. We will continue to work with our partners to support their efforts in incorporating our solution into their business models. We will continue to offer expert customer service and technical support to those who contact us.

As we look forward to the future, we expect to see more growth in manufacturing as companies onshore their production. As labor costs increase, the cost of automation is in reach of even small manufacturers. These applications will require Zero Surge’s superior surge protection to realize their full potential. We are looking forward to working with companies and individuals on how best to utilize our solution. Here’s to the next decade!

If you have any applications questions or need assistance, please feel free to reach out to me at ddevico@ZeroSurge.com.