Teresa Lindsey, President & Chief Operating Officer of Cleveland-based manufacturer Channel Products announced today the launch of Spotted Yak Solutions, a research and innovation group established to provide design, engineering, and product development services. James Becker, Chief Technology & Innovation Officer at Channel Products, will lead the newly formed group.
“As a manufacturer of components and systems for a variety of industries,” Lindsey explained, “Channel Products often has a view of these industries that’s broader than the view of our customers. Other times, our customers simply want to scale design, engineering, and innovation activities faster than they can do on their own. Our deep, scientific and creative resources allow us to augment the research teams of our customers. Spotted Yak Solutions will serve as a ready-resource to customers who want to leverage that expertise to explore fresh ideas and get products to market, faster.”
Becker joined Channel Products in 1995, worked seven years with the company, and then rejoined in 2013 as a member of Channel’s senior management team. He says he’s looking forward to leading the new group, “I think it’s the right time for folks with our experience to launch a new, separate entity and to begin offering these services,” he said. “It would take years for most companies to develop the capabilities and resources Spotted Yak will offer, and we’re doing this at a time of virtually-full employment, when great engineering resources are not as easy to find and develop as they were, say, just three, four, or five years ago. Spotted Yak will be perfect for customers looking to speed development times or to investigate new possibilities or novel ideas.”
“Demand for outsourced engineering, research, and innovation companies is on the rise,” Becker said. “Some companies are even going overseas in search of this type of assistance. I think what companies will find when they do that are plenty of folks able to help them develop ‘me too’ or ‘same as’ products. There are plenty of solid engineers worldwide. But I don’t see firms who work in the same space as us. I don’t see competitors who think big enough or move fast enough — who bring deep market awareness and direct industry experience to the table. These are the qualities that will set us apart and allow Spotted Yak to help companies with honest-to-goodness innovation and disruptive ideas.”
The name, Spotted Yak Solutions, Becker explained, is intended to evoke creativity, hard work, and the ability to thrive. “Yaks purposely challenge themselves,” Becker explained. “They’re animals that actually seek out harsher conditions when weather gets warm, because they thrive in climates where other animals simply cannot survive. They keep working when the ‘competition’ can’t. We love the name.”
Spotted Yak Solutions is located within Channel Products’ headquarters building, a modern, newly constructed facility opened in September of 2018. “It’s a smart location,” Lindsey asserted, “because in addition to all the amenities and technologies you might expect to find in a newly-equipped engineering facility, the new building also houses manufacturing experts, quality assurance professionals, inventors, and patent holders capable of supporting the work of this new group. Customers are already responding well to our combination of experienced talent and state-of-the-art resources.”
The new group’s website is www.spottedyak.com.
About Channel Products
Channel Products invents and manufactures component systems and technologies designed to improve safety, ensure reliability, and enhance efficiency. Best-known in the gas appliance industry for igniters, safety controls, assemblies, and accessories, the company provides manufacturers worldwide with high-quality components and systems for a variety of industries.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190709005120/en/