Dukane to Be 'Integrated' With Florida Company; 150 St. Charles Jobs Could Be Affected

One of St. Charles’ longstanding companies and larger employers, Dukane Seacom, will be integrated into the operations of a Sarasota, Fla.-based sister company, Radiant Power Corp.

Both companies are owned by HEICO, a Miami, Fla.-based aerospace firm that Radiant Power Corp. said acquired Dukane Seacom in 2009. The integration is expected to affect 34 employees in St. Charles, some of whom Radiant Power Corp. said will be invited to move with the business to Sarasota. It was unclear late Wednesday how the move will affect other Dukane Seacom employees, who St. Charles officials believe number about 150.

Dukane was founded in St. Charles in 1922, and it has grown to become "a diversified global manufacturer and marketer of advanced technology products," according to its website.

Radiant Power Corp. posted a release about the integration move on Monday. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune posted a story that evening about the change, in which it reported that Radiant Power Corp. already is in the process of integrating another HEICO acquisition, Moritz Aerospace Inc. of Hatfield, Pa., into the Sarasota operation.

Dukane Seacom’s integration into Radiant Power Corp. is expected to be complete by the end of this year, the company said.

The integration makes sense, according to the explanation Radiant Power Corp. President Anish Patel offered to the Herald-Tribune: “The integration of the Dukane Seacom business into Radiant Power will expand Radiant Power’s sensors and instruments product offerings.”

He told the newspaper the two companies already have many common customers and and that the integration will benefit its assembly processes.

According to Radiant Power Corp.’s website, it produces aerospace products ranging from emergency power supplies to power distribution and control systems to cockpit instrumentation to data acquisition units.

Dukane Seacom is a leading world manufacturer of underwater acoustic beacons used in the aviation and marine industries. Dukane Seacom beacons are installed on commercial aircraft around the world, as well as on military aircraft. The beacons also have maritime and specialty underwater applications, Radiant Power Corp. said in its release.

The beacons and related acoustic equipment made by Dukane Seacom have been used in an array of applications. The company’s website lists them as including surveys, tankers, pipe pigs, mammals, torpedoes, submarines, smart bombs, artillery shells, cruise missiles, chlorine barges, satellite boosters, acoustic arrays, underwater mines, radioactive containers, rockets used for Mars and Jupiter missions, and solid fuel booster on the NASA space shuttle launch vehicles.