IDSI_breaks_ground_at_ESIP

Posted April 2006

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the Integrated Data Solutions Inc. headquarters at Enterprise South Industrial Park were held April 7 at 10 a.m. The third company to locate at Enterprise South, IDSI has purchased 3.85 acres in the park’s West Campus and will invest about $2.5 million to construct a 20,000-square-foot facility, scheduled for completion in December.

IDSI provides automated data collection and data management solutions for over 500 manufacturing and distribution operations. The company currently has operations spread among a number of U.S. locations, including a facility in Soddy-Daisy Industrial Park, Chicago, and a recently acquired Wisconsin-based company.

"Our new corporate facility will allow us to bring operations, technical engineering, programming, and assembly staff all under the same roof so we can provide even better service to our customers and partners," said IDSI CEO Bruce Kennedy. "Chattanooga is a great base for IDSI to provide high-tech, leading-edge solutions to companies throughout the U.S. and around the globe."

IDSI will open its new facility with 12 Chattanooga-based employees and expects to grow to 28 employees within three years. The company offers wages that exceed the Hamilton County average, even at the entry level.

"We thank IDSI for helping us live up to our commitment of using Enterprise South to create good-paying jobs for our community," said Mayor Ron Littlefield. "This company is a great example of how we can leverage our manufacturing heritage to create high-tech, high wage jobs."

"IDSI is a real home-town success story," said Mayor Claude Ramsey. "Bruce Kennedy recognized a niche need among manufacturers and other industrial companies and created a multi-million dollar company with international reach to answer that need."

According to Trevor Hamilton, Chamber Vice President of Economic Development, the IDSI project highlights Enterprise South’s versatility in supporting the creation of new jobs. "Enterprise South is laid out so that it can accommodate projects that require only a few acres, such as this one, as well as projects that require medium or large amounts of acreage."

eSpin Technologies and TAG Manufacturing located at Enterprise South in 2004.

Founded in 1989, IDSI integrates hardware and software into an automated data collection solution. Its customer roster includes Hobart, Alcan, Brach Candy, TRW, and Godiva. With IDSI’s flagship products, OrbeSoft® and Capture System2®, the company helps clients automate data collection and reporting by implementing scanner, RFID technology, and software applications that push information into the company’s existing database.

IDSI products also help companies assimilate data by directing information to the employees who need it the most. For example, as a shipment leaves a distribution facility the system can update a company’s inventory database in real time, note the employee who handled the shipment, and send an email notifying the account representative who made the sale that the package is on its way to the customer.

According to Kennedy, IDSI’s products are powerful tools for managers because they receive real-time updates on the required information. "If a manufacturing line lags behind a key productivity benchmark, the system can send the manager an e-mail or Blackberry message while there is still time for a production correction," he said.

The Chattanooga Area Chamber of Commerce is the leading business and economic development organization for the Chattanooga region. For over 100 years, the Chattanooga Chamber has provided community engagement and opportunities for businesses, large and small, including networking, business promotion, business discounts, and public policy advocacy, as well as leadership development and training opportunities.

In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber is a one-stop-shop for site selectors and business decision-makers considering investments and job creation projects in the Chattanooga region. The Chattanooga Chamber is also responsible for marketing Enterprise South Industrial Park, a top-tier industrial park that offers significant strategic business advantages. In addition, the Chattanooga Chamber administers the Chattanooga Hamilton County Business Development Center, the largest business incubator in the U.S. in terms of the number of start up companies it houses, and the Center for Entrepreneurial Growth, an innovative effort to nurture technology-based start-up companies.

As the first stop for people interested in moving to the Chattanooga, the Chattanooga Chamber provides a range of relocation information including demographics, informational videos, connections to Chattanooga Area jobs, and frequently asked questions.