The newest, most innovative security and aerospace technology is being created and marketed by a company headquartered in Covington.
The Sept. 11 attacks brought worldwide attention to the need for new detection technologies. Since the fall of 2001, Valley Forge Composite Technologies has been developing advanced counter-terrorism scanning equipment. The company's website features a Glossary of Terms including "gamma rays" and "photonuclear," but you don’t need a science degree to understand Valley Forge's innovative products.
"THOR - which is just now coming to fruition, is an advanced form of screening for airline bags and cargo containers. Gamma radiation provides a chemical analysis of baggage contents, including the ratio of carbon and nitrogen to identify explosives," according to Lou Brothers, President and CEO of Valley Forge. Brothers plans to have THOR on the market sometime in 2010.
Valley Forge will also distribute the ODIN, a next-generation people screening device. Brothers described ODIN as a vast improvement on traditional X-ray screening. "If they have contraband, you're going to see it - even if it's in a body cavity. ODIN has the best resolution out there," Brothers said.
The company's momentum wheel sales total 9.5 million this year.
"Our wheels have technical advantages for aerospace and ground-based energy storage systems. They’re very energy efficient - special ball bearings mean they generate almost no friction."
Brothers co-founded Valley Forge with Vice President Larry Wilhide in 1996. The company started out making satellite control systems, and won the NASA Directors' Award in 1998. Their Board of Directors includes engineers and physicists with extensive international experience. Brothers has used this "dream team" to forge valuable partnerships with labs in the United States and Russia. Brothers feels fortunate to have funding from the Department of Energy and the National Nuclear Securities Administration.
These relationships make Valley Forge poised for growth that impacts the Cincinnati region and beyond. Brothers anticipates hiring in 2010, especially professionals with engineering and scientific expertise. A facility for constructing security technology is scheduled to open in greater Cincinnati within the next year.
Writer: Elena Stevenson
Source: Lou Brothers, President and CEO, Valley Forge Composite Technologies
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