Avionics News December 2021 - 33

As with all of Shadin Avionics' AIS-based solutions,
these COTS products are configurable, certified up to
DO-178 DAL A, and qualified to DO-160. All of which,
according to Nelson, are additional differentiators for the
Shadin Avionics units.
" The thing about our AIS products is they can, in
fact, be flight certified, which is not the case with
many in-house produced integration solutions, " he said.
" We already have a large base and a number of FAA
certifications - STCs, TSOs, and PMAs. So, in most
cases, when we do a configuration/software change, we
can get a minor change through the FAA.
" Saying we have FAA-certified, configurable data
converters available on the shelf really perks people's ears
up. That puts us in a unique and valuable position. "
Shadin Avionics' AIS and avionics shops
While everything on the product side has been
humming along quite well, Nelson
admits that in order to concentrate
resources on said products, the
company has lapsed its advertising
and outreach efforts.
" People keep asking us where we
are and if we're ok, " he said. " The
very good news is we are fine and here to help avionics
installers, MROs and other customers with solving their
integration issues. Many of these uses are first-of-theirkind
needs. Technicians and engineers don't know what
they want until they need it.
" If they're in the process of planning a project that
will integrate dissimilar avionics or systems, all they
have to do is contact us to find out how our AIS can
meet their needs. We have a large library of modular
technologies, and we are able to quickly configure
those components to provide a quick and cost-effective
solution. "
Another thing Nelson stressed is that while AIS is at
A bright future built on a proven past
According to Nelson, although the company has been rather
quiet on the marketing and promotions sides, things have been
going quite well.
" We had a record year in 2019, partly due to ADS-B, but
other projects also, " he said. " If it weren't for the pandemic,
2020 would have been even better. That slowed us a bit, but
the overall momentum has remained strong.
" 2019 wasn't only a record revenue and profit year for us,
we also celebrated moving into our new technology facility in
Eden Prairie, Minnesota. It's just 7 miles down the road from
our previous facility. The area has been very good to us. It's
a beautiful technology center that's built for our current and
future needs. "
While on top of the changes, Nelson also shared the news
that Shadin Avionics was acquired by Gardner Standard, a
private equity group.
" They have a number of diversified companies in their
portfolio now, " he said. " Not specifically
aerospace and defense like us, but that is the
direction they want to move forward into. We
are actually their third aerospace company. "
Nelson also said that while Shadin Avionics
had gone " radio silent " with its marketing in
the past, that's all changing. It's spearheading
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the forefront of Shadin Avionics' new product efforts,
it still maintains its active Part 145 repair station. The
company is ready, willing and able to take in any Shadin
product a customer has and repair it. If needed, it also
has a stock of fully-refurbished Shadin units available
for quick, cost-effective delivery.
" The bottom line is we want avionics shops, MROs
and even OEMs to put Shadin Avionics at the top of
their thinking when they are facing a system integration
problem they just can't solve, " he said. " I'd say 80% of
the time, these seemingly difficult issues can be quickly
and cost-effectively addressed with one of our currently
available units. "
the aggressive re-introduction with a brand-new website at
shadin.com.
" We've always had a bit of a challenge in telling people
how our AIS products can work to solve their problems, "
Nelson said. " Many times, they just don't know what they
need until they start the project and discover an issue with
that integration. Historically, most of our sales contacts start
at our website, so we spent a lot of time focusing on making
information available.
" The new website is going to enable us to do a much better
job of explaining all of the products and capabilities we offer.
When they are working on an airplane and have an integration
issue, they can just search Data Converter or System Controller
or whatever their particular need may be. "
Nelson stressed that while the new website is a great tool,
the company hasn't lost sight of the need for technicians in the
field to talk to live people. So, like before, when anyone calls
the Shadin Avionics sales line, they're going to talk to an experienced
avionics technician who is extremely knowledgeable
about aircraft, avionics and the company's array of products.
" Customer support has always been a key to our ongoing
success, " Nelson added. " Meeting our customers' needs has
always been a priority, and we are committed to that now more
than ever. " q
To learn more about Shadin Avionics, visit shadin.com.
avionics news * december 2021 33
http://shadin.com http://shadin.com
Avionics News December 2021

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