About Gec Plessey | Zarlink Semiconductors

Overview

For over 30 years, Zarlink has delivered semiconductor solutions that drive the capabilities of voice, enterprise, broadband and wireless communications. Customers include Cisco, Alcatel-Lucent, Nortel, Huawei, ZTE, Given Imaging, Cochlear, Nokia Siemens Networks and Ericsson.

Communication Products

Carriers and service providers are transitioning from a circuit-switched to a packet-based infrastructure. Zarlink's expertise in timing and synchronization, voice technologies for residential, access and enterprise equipment, packet processing, TDM (time-division multiplex) switching, and voice processing helps navigate the complexities of converging networks.

Medical Products

Customers rely on Zarlink's ultra low-power design skills and system knowledge for healthcare products, including cardiac pacemakers and hearing aids. Zarlink's combined ultra-low power and RF (radio frequency) design know-how is enabling a wide range of advanced healthcare products, including the world's first swallowable camera capsule and wirelessly enabled implanted medical devices supporting new monitoring, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.

Optical Products

Zarlink's market-proven expertise is helping to drive a range of new optical interconnect products that deliver significant weight, flexibility and reach advantages while reducing installation time and layout concerns. This includes ZLynx active optical cables for data center and computer cluster interconnect, and optical converter modules for video surveillance systems. Zarlink's homegrown multi-channel physical medium dependent integrated circuits and state-of-the-art array photonics technology is at the heart of integrated optical module and transceiver solutions that provide equipment manufacturers with board space and power savings. 

Research and Development

Zarlink holds a strong portfolio of intellectual property, numbering about 2,100 patents and pending applications in key technologies such as voice and packet processing, optical, RF, and digital design. In Fiscal 2008, R&D spending was US$47.5 million, or 26% of revenue.

Operations

Zarlink sells products to 3,000 customers in more than 100 countries. It has R&D centers in Ottawa (Canada); San Diego, Phoenix, Austin and Reading (U.S.A.); Jarfalla (Sweden); and Caldicot and Plymouth (UK). Zarlink operates fabrication centers in Caldicot and Jarfalla. 

Leading Products

 

Timing and synchronization; Voice interface products for voice-over-packet applications; ultra low-power ICs for healthcare; active optical cables for data center interconnect.

New Product Thrusts

Synchronous Ethernet timing chips; voice interface products for voice-over-IP and voice-over-cable deployments; integrated optical products for data center and video surveillance system interconnect; ultra-low power wireless devices for medical telemetry. low-power RF devices for medical telemetry.

About West Coast Engineering

For over 23 years, West Coast Engineering (WCE) has been supplying electronics to OEMs, CEMs and distributors worldwide. Located in Hawthorne California, near the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), West Coast Engineering has established itself as a premier independent distributor specializing in providing electronic components for the military, aeronautical, medical, automotive and commercial manufacturing industries. Buchanan | Tyco Electronics is one of the hundreds of manufacturers that WCE carries on its linecard.

WCE has the techology and resources to handle any size transaction, no matter how big or small.

Quick Facts

• Founded: 1984
• Headquarters: Hawthorne, CA
• Other Locations: Futain, Shenzhen ▪ China PRC ▪ Brazil

West Coast Engineering is committed to providing the highest quality service to customers with its large diverse inventory stocked in its ISO9001:2000 and ESD compliant 70,000 sq. ft. warehouse. Year after year, West Coast Engineering has been considered a top independent distributor because of its principled reputation built on longstanding relationships with a dedicated customer base.

WCE's strategies differ from any other independent distributors. Listed below are some of the added measures that WCE takes to make sure that OEMs, CEMs and distributors have peace of mind when placing orders for electornic components, selling excess inventory, forming strategic alliances, and purchasing RoHS or
non-RoHS parts.