[TNham] Ten, ten, ten and ten for four-decades-old Ten-Tec Inc.

[Greg Williams]

Ten, ten, ten and ten for four-decades-old Ten-Tec Inc.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=19121513&BRD=1211&PAG=461&dept_id=169689&rfi=6

By STAN VOIT
Editor

SEVIERVILLE - At one time that industrial park across from Sevier County 
High School was alive with manufacturing plants, cranking out product 
for shipping around the world.

It's not that way today. But one staple of the industrial park remains. 
Ten-Tec Inc. heads into 2008 celebrating 40 years of making equipment 
for the amateur and commercial radio operator. It's one of the few 
manufacturing plants remaining in Sevier County.

Behind the tan brick walls of the building that faces the high school, 
more than 70 employees work to make short-wave radios and component 
parts, and while some steps in the process are automated, much remains 
done by hand. That attention to detail has kept Ten-Tec in business 
despite pressure from foreign makers of similar products.

"Our primary customer is the amateur radio operator," Jack Burchfield, 
president of Ten-Tec and an employee for all 40 years, said. "We also 
supply receivers that are used by commercial and government users."

Some of Ten-Tec's products are used by branches of the U.S. government 
for ... well, let's just say secretive work. Burchfield, operations 
manager Jim Wharton and vice president Gary Barbour understandably don't 
feel comfortable talking about that side of their business too much, but 
imagine radio transmitters, U.S. government and secrecy and you get as 
much of the picture as you need to know.

Mostly, though, Ten-Tec makes the radios and related equipment used by 
amateur radio operators.

Ten-Tec was founded by the late Al Kahn, an amateur radio enthusiast 
himself. Kahn sold his Michigan company, Electro-Voice, and moved south, 
looking for something new to do. He figured out that by combining his 
own passion for radio with the need to make quality parts for those who 
have the same hobby, he could come up with products both needed and 
marketable. He bought the land on what is now Dolly Parton Parkway and 
put up the building that has since been expanded twice to accommodate 
the growth of the business.

Electro-Voice, by the way, got its name from legendary Notre Dame 
football coach Knute Rockne, who wanted an voice-amplifying system so he 
could stand on a tower and shout instructions to his team during 
practice. The microphone and other Electro-Voice equipment later were 
used by troops in Word War II. The company is still in business.

Kahn, who died in 2005 at the age of 98, would be impressed with how 
Ten-Tec has evolved. Forty years ago the prevailing method of 
manufacturing the parts was solid state and transistors. Today's it all 
computerized.

"It's software-driven today," Barbour said. "It's a much better product."

Maybe it is, but there are Ten-Tec owners around the world who are still 
using equipment they bought 30 or more years ago. The company repairs 
every piece of equipment it has ever sold, so it still maintains parts 
to fix those solid-state transmitters from decades ago - and the people 
trained to repair them.

"When we started," Burchfield said, "we were the only ones making 
transceivers. Today we have competition from the Japanese."
Burchfield came to Sevierville in 1968 after working with Kahn for 10 
years. Burchfield had left Kahn's company and was working in New Jersey 
when his former boss called and told him about the plans for the 
Sevierville plant.

"I came down then as an engineer," Burchfield said. "I've been here ever 
since."

While some U.S. manufacturing has gone away due to foreign competition, 
Ten-Tec has remained.

"We don't go head to head with the most popular items," Barbour said. 
"We go for niches. We focus on high performance."

Between 10 percent and 20 percent of the company's business is with 
government.

"We're one of the two companies left making amateur radio equipment in 
the United States," Wharton said.

Ten-Tec continues to do it all, from product development, research and 
manufacturing. It does buy some of the parts used to make the equipment, 
but mostly it's all made and done in house.

"We do everything here," Barbour said. "From manufacturing to 
demonstration to distribution. We outsource some stuff like 
circuitboards, but many, many things are done here."

Ten-Tec also has a retail store where consumers can buy equipment as 
well as how-to manuals for getting into the amateur radio game. It is 
the only radio-related activity that still requires a Federal 
Communications Commission license, and Ten-Tec sells the study guides 
for helping persons learn the material and pass the test.

Wharton and Barbour figure there have been more than 1,000 people 
employed at Ten-Tec over the last 40 years.
"Most of our jobs pay well above minimum wage," Barbour said. "We do 
have some skill jobs, such as electrical technicians and electronics 
engineers."

Some of the employees have been with Ten-tec almost from the beginning - 
like Elizabeth Castle, who adds components to circuitboards.

"It's a good-paying job and I really enjoy it," she said. "I wouldn't 
have stayed here for so long if I didn't enjoy it,"
Each piece of equipment leaving Ten-Tec is tested to be sure it's 
working. Many of the transceivers are made to order, containing features 
requested by an individual customer. But it all must pass muster with 
one of four trained technicians who test the equipment all put together 
before it leaves Sevierville. Most companies that mass-produce 
electronics test only selected models.
"I think it helps us do business and stay in business that we do this," 
Barbour said.

Ten-Tec maintains a repair division to fix everything it sells.

Barbour, Burchfield and Wharton are all amateur radio operators, as are 
roughly 20 percent of the employees. Each September Ten-Tec hosts a "ham 
fest," drawing thousands of amateur radio operators from around the 
country who see new products, sell each other equipment and tour the 
plant to see the latest items for sale. Ten-Tec does not charge anyone 
to be part of it, unlike similar ham fests around the country.

Ten-Tec equipment is expensive. Amplifiers sell for as much as $4,300. 
You can buy a receiver for as little as $359 or as much as $4,295. 
Transceivers run from as low as $2,195 to as much as $4,295. It's an 
expensive pastime.

"Ham radio is still a relatively stable hobby," Barbour said. "It hasn't 
grown much, but it hasn't declined either."

Today there is the Internet, cell phones and other more inexpensive ways 
to communicate with people around the world. Ten-Tec has seen more 
retirees get into the game, seeing it as a good way to spend time, make 
new friends and have some fun.

Barbour and Burchfield feel good about the future of the company and its 
place in Sevierville, although Burchfield does have concerns.
"There are not enough highly technical people coming out of our 
schools," he said. "Generally we have to import them. And transportation 
is tough. We have trucks come in here from all around, and they find it 
tough to get here at the appointed time. But you run into that everywhere."

svoit at rhemountainpress.com

-- 
Greg Williams
K4HSM
k4hsm at knology.net

http://www.twiar.org
http://www.etskywarn.net