Celebrating 60 Years of Innovation: Powering Military and Aerospace with Trusted EMI Filter Solutions

This article is sponsored by Captor Corporation, a manufacturer of custom EMI filters, coils, and specialized electromechanical assemblies.

In the summer of 1965, several experienced engineers and military-communications veterans gathered in Tipp City, Ohio to establish Captor Corporation. The company steadily built its infrastructure, expanding into a 35,000-square-foot manufacturing facility and adding design-engineering, prototyping, and production capabilities under one roof.

In that time, the company accumulated experience designing over 10,000 unique filter solutions, and developed in-house tooling and test capabilities to support low-volume, high-complexity assemblies. Now, Captor Corporation celebrates its 60th anniversary as a trusted provider for some of the most demanding applications.“Building partnerships with our customers is of paramount importance to us,” says Scott Timms, president of Captor Corporation.“Listening to our customers and providing exactly what they ask for, is key to our success as well as theirs.”

Captor specializes in standard and custom electromagnetic interference (EMI) filter solutions and related components. Their standard EMI solutions for DC and AC applications include signal-line, powerline, HEMP/EMP, and TEMPEST filters in a variety of current ratings. When off-the-shelf doesn?ˉt suffice, Captor offers full custom design, including circuit design and analysis, packaging, prototyping, and testing for low-, medium-, and high-volume projects.

Their market footprint includes demanding sectors: aerospace, defense/military, industrial, and commercial electronics. In the military arena, they supply filters built to standards such as MIL-STD-461, MIL-PRF-15733, MIL-STD-220, RTCA/DO-160, and MIL-STD-202. Beyond filters, their capabilities extend to custom cable assemblies and wire harnesses, surge suppression modules, capacitors, power distribution units (PDUs), and contract manufacturing of electromechanical assemblies for rugged military use.

Thomas Insights (TI): What do you want to highlight first and foremost about being in business for 60 years?

Scott Timms (ST): Something that we are very proud of is the fact that Captor has been successful and profitable for all 60 of those years. We operate in a niche segment that is heavily regulated and requires us to deal with a significant amount of red tape, but we have remained an independent leader in our field. On the other hand, most of our competitors have either merged or have been bought out by larger entities.

TI: How has the business adapted throughout its lifespan?

ST: The business has reinvented itself several times over the years, expanding and adapting in a constantly changing environment, which is what has produced long-term stability, profitability, and growth. Our independence has allowed us to remain focused, flexible, and reactive to our customers?ˉ needs.

We can look at their requirements and adjust our efforts where it's needed, which allows us to meet and exceed expectations for quality while delivering components for demanding military and aerospace applications. In our metal fabrication shop, for example, we previously hand sheared sheet metal and then punched holes with a hydraulic press. Today, we take computer files directly to a laser and cut finished blanks in one operation.

TI: What would you like to highlight about Captor's process and standards that have led to 60 years?

ST: Captor achieved AS9100 and ISO9001 accreditations back in the mid 2000s. It was a big turning point to play in this market. Before that, we always called ourselves a military aerospace company, but these quality standards propelled the company to a much higher operating level, which then allowed us to produce much more technologically advanced products.

The same goes for our approach to specific projects- we invest in new technology as new technology comes on board- and in doing so, we can also get a little bit ahead of our competition, and stay current with customer requirements. Cybersecurity is a big focus recently, and we?ˉll be going through an audit for that later this year.

TI: What sets you apart from the competition after 60 years in business?

ST: Continuous improvement and diversification of product lines is important, since that allows us to do more in a potentially stagnant or declining environment. However, what sets Captor apart from our competition is our people, and the level of service we provide. Our customers are very aware of our reputation and are quick to acknowledge it. It is our responsiveness upfront, during the design and sale, as well as after the delivery of the product, that sets us apart.

For instance, in a program we?ˉve been involved with, the customer was having some issues with their design, which required soldering jumper wires onto boards. The jumper wires are 36-gauge wires, about the size of a hair. We didn?ˉt have the equipment to do that fine of soldering, so we signed a rec yesterday to procure that type of technology to satisfy our customers?ˉ needs. Different companies knowing that firsthand, and trusting us to deliver quality, cost-effective products, shows what sets us apart.

If the problem is related to functionality or performance, we listen to the customer and work to determine the best approach for their application. In the end, the customer often comes back and thanks us.

TI: What trends are you seeing in your industry, and what are you doing to stay ahead of the curve?

ST: Operating in the aerospace and defense market, military budgets and defense spending are always a concern. We?ˉve learned how to operate within all of that red tape; all of our processes and everything are geared around the ISO and AES accreditations. I?ˉve had suppliers that have thrown up their hands and decided they?ˉre not playing in this field anymore, that there's just too much red tape. That's the space we live in, and we?ˉve become very good at working with the regulations and the requirements that come down to us and our work.

Ultimately, our success is based on our team and their dedication to producing the highest quality products that meet precise customer specifications and support demanding industries.To learn more about Captor Corporation's standard and custom EMI filter solutions, visit their website today.