By Jay Jason Bartlett
This is another article in Security.World’s Company Grows series.

When you get a positive surge out of what you are doing and the business you are in, challenges can be much easier to deal with. Looking back over the years of the dot com boom, the convergence of analog and IP, and the sexiness of video analytics, sometimes businesses based on the basics can grow into something very special as well.

We recently caught up with Rich Mitchell, Technical Sales Director at DITEK Surge Protection and chatted about their company’s growth over the past 30 years. Mitchell has been with DITEK for 28 of those years and has seen the company become a very strong player in power protection.

Mitchell started our conversation this way. “I would say it is more about what hasn’t changed over those years. DITEK is a family business, and there is a real sense that the owners truly care about each and every one of us. Our employees are our greatest asset, they continually provide insightful and meaningful opportunities for improvement. We have been a leader in the surge protection industry for 30 years and we design and manufacture reliable, durable products right here in the USA.”

We asked him what he attributed the company’s success over all these years that brought DITEK to the position it is today? “Our people have been the key to our success. Our employees understand that the customer’s needs are paramount and strive to exceed all expectations,” Mitchell declared. “All DITEK employees are empowered to fully participate in the quality functions of all manufacturing processes and understand it is their responsibility to manufacture products as an extension of our customer.”

Mitchell went on to say, “We are dedicated to hiring and retaining the right people to continuously improve business processes. We make every effort to provide the necessary resources for employees to be successful in response to market changes without ever losing sight of providing exceptional service to our customers.”

DITEK CEO, Robert McIntyre, started DITEK as a small distributor of surge protectors in a small rented warehouse space in 1988. A year later, DITEK began manufacturing their own products. Back then, they had a very lean workforce and everyone wore multiple hats to help facilitate the rapid growth. It was all hands on deck and it was common to see people from multiple departments helping in assembly and shipping.

Today, providing exceptional customer service and support is everyone’s job at DITEK. The team recognizes that “Made in America” is not often heard today and they take pride in the fact that DITEK customers have given them the opportunity to manufacture their products.

“Our highly-trained and culturally diverse workforce utilizes state-of-the-art equipment and lean manufacturing methodologies,” Mitchell explained. “The result is high-quality and competitively priced products that are indeed MADE IN THE USA. In addition, our dedicated team of field sales engineers and regional account managers work diligently to ensure that our customers specify and install the right products to protect their critical systems.”

In order to keep customers happy in today’s competitive market, DITEK goes out of its way to provide 24/7 technical support to answer application or installation questions by phone or live internet chat. DITEK also delivers online training webinars and field sales support via live training sessions.

“We are very proud of our commitment to continuous improvement, products, staff, and exceptional customer service,” stated Mitchell.

When Mitchell was hired all those years ago, he said his mandate was to do what every salesman is directed to do. “Grow the business, satisfy customers, and deliver quality products in a timely and competitive fashion. And I think we do that everyday,” he stated proudly.

“Constant innovation drives our continued strong growth and market penetration,” Mitchell continued. “DITEK’s product designs are always at the forefront of current technology due to frequent input from industry leaders who design, manufacture, and install electronic security and life safety equipment.”

Mitchell explained that soon after he was hired, DITEK implemented lean manufacturing methodologies, which gave them the ability to maintain a higher level of detail-oriented focus, helping to streamline their manufacturing processes, and reduce costs.

DITEK became an ISO 9001:2008 certified manufacturing facility. They utilize this manufacturing process to continually strive to meet customer requirements and maintain the effectiveness and continual improvement of their quality management system.

“We will continue to grow in the commercial and industrial industries through new customized modular surge protection solutions,” concluded Mitchell. “And for the future, we will continue be the leader in the surge protection industry and plan to expand the existing product line with related products in current and new markets. Surge protection is a growing industry. It’s always going to be there, because there will always be a need to protect critical equipment and valuable information.”