News

ADDAX-i Selected As Finalist in the 2012 Engineers’ Choice Awards for Control Engineering

2011-11-30T14:04:29+00:00

The Engineers' Choice Awards highlight some of the best new control, instrumentation, and automation products as chosen by Control Engineering's print and online subscribers. Survey respondents are asked to select products based on technological advancement, service to the industry, and market impact.

CCS is proud to announce that its newest fanless workstation, the ADDAX-i, has been selected as a finalist for the contest. Built on Intel® Core™ i5/i7 technology with up to 8 GB RAM, the ADDAX-i offers workstation class performance in a rugged and compact chassis.

Interested in voting for the ADDAX-i? North American print and digital edition subscribers may click here to vote among the 2012 Engineers' Choice Award Finalists. Voting is open now through noon (CST) on December 15, 2011.

CCS-Inc. Releases ADDAX-i Fanless Workstation

2011-09-13T13:00:21+00:00

CCS-Inc. introduced the ADDAX-i Fanless Workstation today at the IEEE AUTOTESTCON 2011 trade show, filling a gap in the embedded computer marketplace – the high-end fanless segment.

Built on Intel® Core™ i5/i7 technology with up to 8 GB RAM, the ADDAX-i offers workstation class performance in a rugged and compact chassis. It is ideal for harsh industrial environments where extreme temperatures, air particulates, and vibration can wreak havoc on standard commercial computers, as well as tight spaces too small for these systems.

Fanless computers are frequently specified for their durability and enhanced reliability. With few or no moving parts, they are less susceptible to mechanical failure. Traditionally they are relegated to more basic computing roles because, as processing capabilities increase, the heat produced becomes more and more difficult to manage without forced airflow. The engineering team at CCS-Inc. addressed this limitation in the high-performance ADDAX-i by designing a specialized heat dissipation system. The unit is rated to operate in temperatures ranging from 0 to 55 degrees Celsius.

Numerous product options allow the ADDAX-i to be optimized for its particular function. The two storage drive bays can be equipped with two hard disk drives for maximum storage, dual solid-state drives in a RAID 0 configuration for maximum speed, or a pair of removable solid-state drives in a mirrored RAID 1 setup for extreme reliability. PCI, PCI-e, and MiniPCI-e expansion slots are also available for various I/O requirements.

The ADDAX-I Fanless Workstation is available now. For more information, please visit www.ccs-inc.com/portfolio/computers-profile/addax-i or contact the CCS Team for help determining the most suitable feature set.

CCS-Inc. Joins CSIA as Partner Member

2011-06-21T17:24:58+00:00

CCS-Inc. recently joined CSIA, the Control System Integrators Association, as a Partner Member. CSIA is a global, not-for-profit, professional association for control system integration companies. As a supplier to many system integrators, CCS was admitted into the partner community. As a member, CCS will gain industry insights to better serve its integrator clients.

For more information or to join CSIA, visit www.controlsys.org.

CCS-Inc. Launches New Website

2011-04-26T20:32:50+00:00

CCS-Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of its new and improved website. The site launched on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, and highlights CCS's ability to provide custom solutions. Several new features have been added to the website, including an enclosure portfolio, newsletter archive, and an improved resour ces library. Check it out and let us know what you think !

Envirosealed® Enclosures Featured in April Edition of Food Engineering Magazine

2011-04-08T21:10:25+00:00

CCS-Inc. is pleased to announce that the company was featured in an article in Food Engineering magazine's April 2011 edition. The article discusses human machine interfaces (HMIs) in the food industry, highlighting CCS's Envirosealed® enclosures.

Read the excerpt below to learn more on how CCS provided a custom solution for the issues that Sara Lee Food & Beverage faced in its production facilities:

CCS-Inc. of Christiansburg, VA has had success with its Envirosealed thin client and panel PC enclosures in food manufacturing applications. The units are designed with smooth surfaces, no bezel and an optional tilting mount to prevent water from pooling during washdowns. “We also have an option to provide tool-less locks, so keys aren’t required, which enhances safety on the food line,” says CCS Marketing Manager Jennie Young.

Thin clients are essentially stripped-down versions of traditional computers usually with no moving parts or long-term storage drives. They are called “clients” because they rely on a central server or panel PC to handle data processing, and transfer keystrokes and mouse events via network connections. “Because they have minimal hardware and store little information locally, they are inherently secure devices,” adds Young. “A thin client has limited capability on its own, but when networked with a server, it becomes very powerful.”

Chicago-based Sara Lee Food & Beverage has a food production facility in Florence, AL that produces ready-to-eat breakfast sandwiches and sausage products it sells to retail and foodservice outlets. About 18 months ago, the facility purchased 16 HP thin clients in CCS Envirosealed enclosures. “Our previous enclosures were wearing out, and we needed a solution that would provide our thin clients and barcode printers with a robust enclosure and keyboard tray that could withstand wide temperature and humidity swings during high-pressure steam washdowns,” says Sara Lee Process Technology Specialist Daniel Ingram. “We chose one of CCS’s standard enclosures and modified it to suit our specific requirements. It worked out so well that we now have a program in place to install similar units in all our other plants across the country.”

[Source: Food Engineering, April 2011]

Check out the full article here.

NCTC Welcomes New Board of Directors and President

2011-03-01T16:33:31+00:00

The NCTC is pleased to announce its new President and class of the Board of Directors. Marty Muscatello, President and CEO of CCS-Inc. and subsidiaries Qualtrax, Inc. and FoxGuard Solutions, will be the President through 2012. Marty has been an active member of the NCTC as well as on the NCTC Board of Directors since 2005 and said "I am very excited to be working with the NCTC as President. It is an honor to work alongside such a passionate group of organizations who want to see our region continue to grow and be recognized as a great place to live and work." Immediate Past-President, Mary Miller of Interactive Design and Development, Inc. will remain on the Executive Committee.

The NCTC Board of Directors represents the diverse technology community of the Roanoke-Blacksburg region, from small tech start-ups to some of the largest employers in the region. Joining the NCTC Board of Directors in 2011 are Jonathan Hagmaier (Interactive Achievement, Inc.), Michael Friedlander (Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute), Scott Graeff (LUNA Innovations, Inc.), and Andre Muelenaer (Pediatric Medical Device Institute).

The 2011 NCTC Executive Committee: President Marty Muscatello (CCS-Inc.), Past-President, Mary Miller (Interactive Design and Development, Inc.), Vice President, Nanci Hardwick (Schultz-Creehan Holdings, Inc.), Vice President, Bob Summers (EnergyWare Corporation), Vice President, David Poteet (NewCity), Treasurer, Wally Newton, (Portaqua, LLC) and Secretary, Sam Hampton (Cox Business).

The 2011 NCTC Board of Directors: Henry Bass (Automation Creations, Inc.), Kevin Byrd (NRV Planning District Commission), Mark Coburn (Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.), Tim Conner (KPMG, LLP), Hap Connors (Virginia's Center for Innovative Technology), Nicholas Conte (Woods Rogers, PLC), Rick Coro (Advance Auto Parts), Steve Critchfield (Tele-Works, Inc.), John Dooley (Virginia Tech), Michael Drzal (LeClairRyan), Doyle Edgerton (Rev.Net Technologies, Inc.), Basil Edwards (Radford City Economic Development Office), Russ Ellis (Xcellos Corporation), Sam English (CIE Partners), Ken Ferris (Wireless MedCARE, LLC), Jim Flowers (VT KnowledgeWorks), Jay Foster (SoftSolutions Information Technologies), Leon Harris (Keltech, Inc.), Bonz Hart (Meridium, Inc.), Bryce Hunter (Gentry Locke Rakes & Moore, LLP), Jack Lewis (New River Community College), Mark Lucas (Lucas Therapies, PC), Mary Anne McElmurray (Brown Edwards & Company, LLP), Ted Melnik (Melnik Consulting), Joe Meredith (Virginia Tech Corporate Research Center), Ray Pethtel (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute), Robert Sandel (Virginia Western Community College), Wayne Strickland (Roanoke Valley Alleghany Regional Commission), Karen Turner (StellarOne), Neil Wilkin (Optical Cable Corporation), Gordie Zeigler (SyCom Technologies, Inc.), Jonathan Hagmaier (Interactive Achievement, Inc.), Michael Friedlander (Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute), Scott Graeff (LUNA Innovations, Inc.), and Andre Muelenaer (Pediatric Medical Device Institute).

U.S. Coast Guard Chooses CCS-Inc. for Marine Computers

2010-11-30T18:32:48+00:00

CHRISTIANSBURG, VA, November 30, 2010 – CCS-Inc. has won a contract with the United States Coast Guard (USCG) for 250 marine computers to power its Vega Electronic Chart Display and Information System (ECDIS) on three classes of cutters and in training and simulation facilities.

The Globestar® GS Odyssey II is a 3U rackmount computer designed to operate in the harsh marine environment. It is certified to meet IEC 60945 test standards for maritime navigation and radio-communication equipment and systems. To meet these stringent standards, CCS’s GS Odyssey II passed rigorous electrical, environmental, and safety tests involving corrosion, vibration, dry heat, damp heat, low temperatures, radiated and conducted emissions, and electrostatic discharge.

The USCG selected CCS for this contract because it provided the best overall value to the Coast Guard. Determining factors included price, technical capabilities, and past experience.

Since an ECDIS may be used for primary navigation, it requires a very reliable computer. The GS Odyssey II was designed with long lifecycle components and is manufactured under an ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management System. Also sold through an OEM relationship with a leading ECDIS provider, it’s a stable platform for marine navigation software. CCS has delivered nearly 1,000 marine computers with field failures of less than 0.5%.

“We are excited about this opportunity with the Coast Guard,” said Marty Muscatello, president and CEO of CCS. “We are proud to provide computer systems that must operate in harsh environments or run mission-critical applications. In this situation, the GS Odyssey II does both.”

Shipments will begin in December 2010 for implementation beginning in early 2011.

For more information, including specifications on the GS Odyssey II, visit www.ccs-inc.com/GSOdysseyII.

Quality Manager at CCS-Inc. Earns IPC-A-610 Certification

2010-09-08T19:30:25+00:00

CHRISTIANSBURG, VA, August 9, 2010 - Quality Mananger, Tony Hawks, of CCS-Inc. recently completed the IPC-A-610 Acceptability of Electronics Assemblies Training and Certification Program. According to IPC, the IPC-A-610 standard has "an international reputation as the source for end product acceptance criteria for consumer and high reliability printed wiring assemblies." By achieving this certification, Mr. Hawks is now qualified to train others as Application Specialists against this standard.

Pursuing this certification shows CCS-Inc.'s commitment to quality management and continuous improvement efforts outlined by ISO 9001:2008.

About CCS
CCS-Inc. is an ISO 9001:2008 certified company based in Christiansburg, VA. CCS designs, manufactures, and integrates industrial and embedded computers as well as Envirosealed® enclosures for electronic equipment.

Allied Telesis Enhances Star Partner Program

2010-08-11T19:29:19+00:00

CCS-Inc. partner, Allied Telesis, Inc., enhances its Star Partner Program. Allied Telesis, Inc., a global provider of secure IP/Ethernet switching solutions and an industry leader in the deployment of converged multi-play networks, announces the addition of an online partner portal to the Allied Telesis Star Partner Program. The new portal is part of the Company’s ongoing efforts to support integrated partner activities to provide best-in-class solutions across key business markets including healthcare, education, utilities, and the public sector in Europe and North America. The new online portal provides resellers and system integrators unlimited access to localized sales and marketing collateral, deal registration and tracking features, special promotions, webinars, and training tools.

Click here to learn more.

CCS-Inc. Announces New Cyber Security Subsidiary

2010-08-09T19:27:59+00:00

CHRISTIANSBURG, VA, August 9, 2010 - CCS-Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of its new cyber security subsidiary, FoxGuard Solutions. FoxGuard provides the products and services needed to protect and maintain critical control systems in power generation and other critical infrastructure facilities.

Critical infrastructure is defined by the Department of Homeland Security as “the assets, systems, and networks, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would have a debilitating effect on security, national economic security, public health or safety, or any combination thereof.” Power plants, water treatment facilities, and chemical operations are just a few examples of America’s critical infrastructure at risk of a cyber attack.

“These facilities, like most businesses and organizations, use computers to operate. However, due to intrusion risk, most do not connect to the Internet and are therefore unable to receive important software updates,” explains Steve Miko, VP of Software. “FoxGuard offers its customers the tools needed to keep computers and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems protected and up to date without ever having to plug in to outside sources.” FoxGuard provides these updates or “patches” via offline media at regular intervals on a subscription basis. In addition, FoxGuard offers the hardware necessary for these facilities to keep operations up and running.

“FoxGuard is a result of the increasingly urgent needs of several of our customers in the power industry to protect and update control systems that are not connected to the Internet,” comments CCS-Inc.’s CEO and President Marty Muscatello. “We continually look for ways to solve more of our customers’ technology challenges.”

FoxGuard Solutions helps power industry customers comply with North American Electric Reliability Corporation’s (NERC) Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) guidelines through its services and documentation. FoxGuard is located in Christiansburg, VA and employs an experienced technical team to support and implement its security solutions.

For more information on FoxGuard’s products and capabilities, please call 877-446-4732 or visit www.foxguardsolutions.com.