From Smart Bombs to Smart Bags
- technology is in demand
By Alan
Fein - Axcess Business News
The world grows
smaller as technology advances. That all adds up to change in the
face of worldwide concerns over personal safety. Some fear an Orwellian
society over having to much security imposed on their lives through
the advent of smarter technologies. Investors have been taking a
wait-and-see approach as well, perhaps chastened by similar fears
of uncertainty. But some industries see those same technology advances
as a long-awaited windfall.
Since last
month's elections bolstered Republican power in Washington, some
security stocks have moved higher and some say its been a long time
coming. "It's been a very frustrating year," said Marty
Roenigk, chief executive of CompuDyne Corp (NasdaqNM: CDCY), whose
Attack Protection unit outfits federal and commercial buildings
with blast-resistant windows and doors.
In November,
the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed legislation to
create a Department of Homeland Security, freeing the bill from
a dispute over worker protection.
Still, analysts
warn that it may be months or years before any benefits of the new
$37 billion department, which combines 22 existing federal agencies
under one roof, are disbursed. Analysts were also quick to point
out that in this fragmented industry, different companies will reap
gains at different stages of the process. Axcess Business News sees
both security and government contractors benefiting the most.
Two companies
that may benefit the most are American Science and Engineering,
Inc (AMEX: ASE), through the sale of its X-ray equipment and Oak
Ridge Micro-Energy, Inc (OTCBB: OKRM), which will benefit from the
sale of disposable luggage tags that track baggage at airports (smart
bags).
Analysts also
see the bulk of the federal money going to government contractors
like Lockheed Martin Corp (NYSE: LMT) and Boeing Co (NYSE: BA).
Here again Oak Ridge Micro-Energy, Inc (OTCBB: OKRM) can benefit
as their products largest market is with government contractors.
Defense giants typically out source many component requirements
to small companies. Airport security products on the other hand
are supplied for the most part by small companies, like ASE and
OKRM.
Whether investors
look towards security or government contractors, both industries
require more advanced technologies. Oak Ridge National Laboratory
in Knoxville Tennessee has long been known as a source of many of
today's more advanced technologies. Dr. John Bates and his research
team at Oak Ridge had devoted over 20 years to the development of
electrically and solar rechargeable thin-film lithium and lithium-ion
batteries that Oak Ridge Micro-Energy, Inc. (OKRM) owns the rights
to acquire through a non-exclusive license from Oak Ridge National
Laboratory.
Many of the
newer technologies that industry now requires calls for miniaturized
components that do more than their predecessors, in affect making
them smart by comparison. Electronic devices can be made
today that would have seemed like something out of a science fiction
movie only a few decades ago.
Smart technologies, like OKRM's waffer-thin batteries, are ideally
suited for a variety of applications where a small power source
is needed for miniaturized components.
The range of
possible applications of these batteries derives from their important
advantages compared to conventional battery technologies: (1) Because
of their all solid-state construction, the batteries are completely
safe under all operating conditions. Moreover, they are unaffected
by g-forces, thus making them uniquely suited for smart munitions
and other applications in which extreme acceleration is experienced.
(2) They can be made in any shape and size to meet the requirements
of each application, and unlike conventional batteries, the cost
of thin-film batteries decreases as its size decreases. (3) Lithium-ion
thin-film batteries can be heated to a temperature of 300 degrees
C with no degradation in performance. This means they can be added
to integrated circuits using the highly efficient solder reflow
process. (4) The batteries can be cycled thousands of times with
negligible loss of capacity. This means that the size of the batteries
needs to be no larger than required to satisfy the energy requirements
on a single cycle. With cycle lives easily in excess of 5,000 cycles,
it would require conventional primary coin cell batteries, for example,
to have 5,000 times more capacity than a thin-film battery for the
same application.
Axcess Business
News believes that technology such as Oak Ridge Micro-Energy's
can improve both airport safety and fulfill government contractors
needs. While this growth-stage company is relatively unknown to
Wall Street, Axcess Business News began covering this stock
recently, adding OKRM to our Small Cap Corner's "best picks"
column. Shares of OKRM closed up 8%
since coverage began last week, prompting ABN to expand its news
coverage of the Company.
Axcess Business
News will continue to report on the security industry and these
companies activities for our readers. Watch your in-box for any
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