Ferndale Electric Co., Ferndale, Mich., which employs an average of 130 electricians, performs electrical work for automotive plants, power plants, bottling plants and other industrial facilities. It also renovates electrical systems for lift bridges and completes major projects for airports.


The company’s Systems Integration Division (SID), created in 1994, represents about 30 percent of Ferndale Electric’s total business. SID is staffed with some 15 office personnel in Ferndale and three office personnel in a satellite office in Saginaw.


“We average about 50 people in the field, but that number can go up to 80 or 90 at times,” said vice president Joe Pontone.


Ferndale Electric first became involved in low-voltage work in 1990, when it installed a card-access system with turnstiles at an automotive plant.


“We ended up doing more for that customer and, within four years, created the Systems Integration Division,” Pontone said.


The company’s primary customers are Fortune 500 firms.


“We are geared toward large customers, especially industrial and automotive,” Pontone said. “Automotive, in fact, is our major niche.”


“We don’t specialize in voice/data or other low-voltage work,” said Rick Bernard, systems engineer. “We will do this kind of work, but our real specialty is security work.”


SID concentrates on security and has become a recognized expert in this area. 


“A lot of electrical contractors in the Detroit area hire us to do all of their security work, and we have developed very close relationships with these contractors,” Pontone said.


SID is so focused on security work that it makes a point of staying abreast of the latest technology in the field.


“We try almost all of the new equipment out at our own facility before we would offer it to a customer,” Bernard said. “In fact, we have an in-house testing lab. If we have access to a new camera, for example, we will test it out to see how it runs. Do we like the view? The analytics? The lens? And more.”


SID specializes in card access, camera systems and the integration of the two, including the physical barriers that are required—turnstiles, data operators, door hardware, etc.


“As a result, we can be a true turnkey integrator,” Pontone said. “Being associated with Ferndale, we can bring in licensed electricians to take all of the power requirements to the devices. Our technicians then come in and do panel terminations, programming and startup. Then, we service and maintain the systems.”


Beyond specializations in the integration of card-access and camera systems for the auto industry, SID differentiates itself in another way.


“We have one of the most flexible business models that I have ever seen,” said Tupper Wierbicki, service manager. “When we get an inquiry from someone, we have the ability to take security from the furthest perimeters of a building into the deepest subset of a building. In addition, if the customer has other security-related systems, we can take a look at these, too, whether they are directly related to their initial interest or not.”


In sum, SID doesn’t say “no” to any work related to security.


“If there is an opportunity, we will find a way to make it work,” Wierbicki said.


SID became aware of these kinds of opportunities a number of years ago.


“We started in card access and cameras,” Pontone said. “However, when we realized that the person at the security console has other systems to operate as well, such as fire systems, P.A., etc., we began to get involved in these, too.” 


These days, customers look to SID to install, maintain and upgrade any system that these customers have connected to their security consoles.


SID further differentiates itself by getting involved in security-related work that many other integrators won’t even consider.


“For example, card-access systems control some type of locking device, such as a door strike or a crash bar,” Pontone said. “A lot of integrators won’t install door hardware. We do. In addition, we will interface that door hardware with the fire system as need be.”


Pontone provided some examples of the work SID performs.


“Our people can bring in 120-volt [V] power to the power supply, can manipulate the outputs of that power supply to a crash bar with a time-delay egress, and then interface that with an ADA door operator, which also requires 120V, along with 24V,” he said. “They can then program all of that not only into the fire system but also into the card access system.”


Of course, providing this depth and breadth to customers requires highly trained electricians and technicians.


“We work hard to keep everyone trained and certified on the new technologies that keep coming out,” Pontone said. “The security industry is taking leaps and bounds in IT, analytics and more. They are getting very sophisticated on cameras and card access.”


Ferndale Electric and SID send technicians and electricians to vendor training as needed.


“Another engineer and I also do in-house training for field personnel on the systems that we install and service,” Bernard said.