Homeland Security Initiatives Spawn New Business for Local Manufacturer

PRINCE FREDERICK, Md., -- May 5, 2005 -- Batching Systems, Inc. (BSI), a Prince Frederick-based manufacturing company, has been in operation for more than 15 years, during which time it has specialized in building customized, state-of-the-art production equipment for other manufacturers that need machines to count or precisely weigh their products. Their client list has included Hasbro, Delta Faucet, Lucent Technologies, Charlotte Pipe and Foundry and the Siemon Company, to name a few. With more than 40 employees and clients all around the world, BSI is a leading example of the impact that Calvert County’s manufacturing sector has on the local economy.

Lately, however, BSI owner Don Wooldridge and a small band of engineers and production staff have been working on a new intrapreneurial project that has strong implications for homeland security and Department of Defense initiatives. Wooldridge’s new spin-off company, Unique Technologies, Inc. (UTI), is working on two technologies that have the potential to revolutionize the bioterrorism, crop-science and homeland security industries using PERSOLs research and manufacturing.

PERSOLs are a family of heavy-duty oxidizing compounds originally formulated and patented by the U.S. Navy for use in propulsion systems. They have the ability to break down potentially harmful compounds into water, oxygen and other elements that are deemed harmless by the Environmental Protection Agency. UTI has licensed the use of PERSOLs in commercial applications such as bioterrorism remediation, extended-life disinfectants and crop-science disease prevention through a tech transfer program at the Indian Head Naval Base. The disinfecting features of PERSOLs give them the ability to kill farm-based bacteria and fungus that can lead to the spread of Avian Flu and SARS.

Wooldridge says that PERSOLs have another major potential market as a replacement for perchlorate in all forms of energetic materials from solid rocket propellants to explosives and pyrotechnics. Perchlorate is a highly toxic and stable material that can leach into soil and ground water, causing human health problems like thyroid disease and cancer, and costing communities millions of dollars to clean up.

“The potential applications for this technology are mind-boggling,” said Wooldridge. “The Navy has utilized PERSOLs for years in their rockets and propulsion systems and now we are exploring ways they can solve a much wider range of business and security issues. I am certain that the potential for these products will dwarf current use and understanding. That’s the real beauty of technology transfer; products that were originally developed for military purposes are retooled and used in novel ways to resolve consumer problems.”

Wooldridge is interested in sublicensing his new PERSOLs technology to other manufacturers for development of additional product applications. Currently, several multinational corporations are negotiating with UTI for specific licensure in biological clean-up operations.

Another technology that UTI is working on is flash grenades. Also a spin-out technology from Indian Head, flash grenades provide a non-lethal method for controlling crowds, terrorists or criminals by emitting a temporarily blinding flash. The grenades produce no noise, are relatively inexpensive, generate no fire-inducing heat and are self-contained. “Because they produce virtually no human injuries or property damage, there are a number of organizations that are interested in our flash grenades,” said Wooldridge, “including police units, the military and officials at the Department of Homeland Security.”

For more information on Unique Technologies, Inc., please call 410.414.8111, send an e-mail to drw@batchingsystems.com or visit their Web site at www.uniquetechinc.com.

For more information on the Calvert County, Maryland Department of Economic Development, our visitor sites and attractions and the services available to assist County businesses, call 410.535.4583, 800.331.9771 or 301.855.1880; or send an e-mail to info@ecalvert.com