Petaluma, CAIn addition to its western distribution center, Panamax/Furman Sound is now shipping products from Home Technology Group’s eastern distribution center (EDC) in Charleston, South Carolina. The companies say that shipping from the EDC enables them to quicken turn-around time on orders, which will provide greater levels of service to their East Coast customers.
The EDC is a162,000-foot shipping center with an additional 13,000 square feet of mezzanine, which ships out orders for the Linear Home Technology Group of companies, including Elan, SpeakerCraft, Niles, and Xantech. It is equipped with 10 truck-high receiving docks and 15 truck-high shipping docks, with knockouts for more than 30 additional docks. The center is 100 percent air conditioned to protect sensitive electronic equipment from heat and is capable of holding 16,700 pallet slots.
The facility allows Panamax/Furman to enhance its customer service by shipping its power management solutions to its East Coast customers faster and at a lower cost. Orders ship from the EDC within 24 hours, and orders received by 1 p.m. ship the same day. No outbound shipments require more than three days for delivery within the distribution center’s designated region (east of the Mississippi).
“Superior customer service is a high priority for Panamax and Furman, and we are always looking for new ways to improve our customer’s experience with us,” said Dave Keller, senior vice president of sales and marketing for Panamax and Furman. “Our relationship with the Home Technology Group has provided us with this opportunity to bring customers our advanced power management solutions in the quickest manner possible. When combined with our West Coast facility, we now have the means to significantly cut down on order turn-around times to the U.S. and abroad.”
In more Panamax and Furman Sound news, the companies have appointed Doug Penna as vice president of engineering for both firms. In his new role, Penna will be responsible for driving the technology strategy and development of industry-leading power management solutions from Panamax and Furman for home theaters and other high-end applications.
Before joining Panamax, Penna spent four years directing the Hardware Engineering department of Motorola’s Wireline Group in California, which developed a complete broadband product portfolio of network equipment, linecards, and residential gateways for the telecom industry.
Prior to Motorola, Penna was the director of Customer Premise Equipment and Test Engineering for Next Level Communications, a start-up telecom equipment manufacturer. Next Level mass-deployed the first broadband access platform in North America, enabling the telephone companies to provide the “triple-play” of voice, video, and data services to subscribers.
Complementing his managerial expertise, Penna has more than 10 years’ experience creating state-of-the-art products for consumers, corporations, and broadcasters. As a member of General Instrument’s Advanced Technology Group, he designed motherboards for next-generation digital cable set-top boxes. Earlier in his career, he developed robotic camera control systems used by major television networks, distance learning programs, Fortune 500 companies, and the federal government.
“Doug has a tremendous amount of experience in managing engineering departments, and in creating state-of-the-art technologies,” said Bill Pollock, president of Panamax and Furman. “His proven record of success speaks to his ability to direct the development of new, innovative product lines for both Furman and Panamax that will offer our customers the very best in power management solutions.”
“I’m very excited to be working with two leaders in the power management industry,” said Penna. “The synergies created by leveraging the expertise of these two terrific engineering departments enhance our ability to develop new power management solutions for today’s home theater and pro audio environments. Moving forward, our customers will enjoy an even greater selection of products to meet their individual needs.”
In addition to his extensive engineering and managerial experience, Penna holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
Penna will be based in Petaluma, Calif., and will report to Bill Pollock.
For more information, visit www.furmansound.com and www.panamax.com.
