Kingfisher International Pty Ltd
Encyclopedia
Kingfisher International Pty Ltd is an Australian company that manufactures fiber optic test and measurement equipment. First established in the founder's home in 1986, its first commercially successful product was the innovative KI020 series talk set, introduced in 1988. Over the years it grew through various garages and rented properties, until it was housed in its first factory in 1991. It has been in its current Scoresby premises since 2001.
The company's history and development very much reflect the growth of the fibre optic industry, complete with survival of the dotcom boom and bust cycle over the period 1995 - 2003.
It is therefore one of the oldest fiber optic test companies, with distributors worldwide, and it is regarded as having a significant influence on the development of the industry. Its products are used by professional technicians when installing and maintaining fiber optic cabling
and systems, and its current range of handheld fiber optic test equipment includes such items as OTDRs, optical power meter
s, optical light sources, optical loss test sets, optical test and inspection kits, variable optical attenuators
, inspection microscopes
and various optical fault locators.
The company's history and development very much reflect the growth of the fibre optic industry, complete with survival of the dotcom boom and bust cycle over the period 1995 - 2003.
It is therefore one of the oldest fiber optic test companies, with distributors worldwide, and it is regarded as having a significant influence on the development of the industry. Its products are used by professional technicians when installing and maintaining fiber optic cabling
Optical fiber cable
An optical fiber cable is a cable containing one or more optical fibers. The optical fiber elements are typically individually coated with plastic layers and contained in a protective tube suitable for the environment where the cable will be deployed....
and systems, and its current range of handheld fiber optic test equipment includes such items as OTDRs, optical power meter
Optical power meter
An optical power meter is a device used to measure the power in an optical signal. The term usually refers to a device for testing average power in fiber optic systems...
s, optical light sources, optical loss test sets, optical test and inspection kits, variable optical attenuators
Optical attenuator
An optical attenuator is a device used to reduce the power level of an optical signal, either in free space or in an optical fiber. The basic types of optical attenuators are fixed, step-wise variable, and continuously variable....
, inspection microscopes
Optical microscope
The optical microscope, often referred to as the "light microscope", is a type of microscope which uses visible light and a system of lenses to magnify images of small samples. Optical microscopes are the oldest design of microscope and were possibly designed in their present compound form in the...
and various optical fault locators.
Innovations and Patents
Notable innovations have included:- 1987 World first handheld laser test source
- 1988 World first fully integrated return loss meter
- 1989 World first zero warm-up light sources
- 1993 Asia first commercial traceable Optical Calibration Laboratory
- 1994 World first fully automated handheld attenuator
- 1995 World best commercial optical power meter accuracy (3%)
- 1996 Industry first 3-7 year warranty, 3 year calibration cycle
- 1996 Introduced patented Cold Clamp™ precision fault locator
- 1997 Introduced patented interchangeable optical connectors
- 2004 World fastest real-time two-way loss tester
- 2005 world best optical power meter accuracy (1%)
- 2005 Introduced patented G2 connector
- 2006 World first .NET (XML) compliant reporting software KITS™ 3.03
- 2009 Introduced patented microscope, world first with eye safety protection against red lasers
Optical Calibration Expertise
The company has continued to maintain leading capability in optical power calibration, and in 1993, NATA accreditation was achieved, the first in Asia for this class of measurement. Optical power meters are now routinely calibrated at 1% accuracy, the best in the industry.Industry Recognition
Various industry recognitions include:- 1994 Telecom Australia (now Telstra) Export Endorsements
- 1996 Cold Clamp Telecom Australia (now Telstra) Export Endorsement
- 1997 Photonics Magazine Circle of Excellence Award
- 1999 Dun & Bradstreet Export award
- 2002 Governor of the State of Victoria export award
- 2002 Austrade exporter of the year national finalist
- 2005 State of Victoria Manufacturing Hall of Fame
- 2005 State of Victoria Photonics Network Achievement Award