everything RF recently interviewed Tom Scanlon, the Director of Sales and Marketing at Farran.
Q. Can you give us a brief history of Farran?
Tom Scanlon: Farran was formed by research-driven professors from University College Cork, Ireland. More than forty years later, Farran is now at the forefront of millimeter wave technology. Serving emerging and mature markets, our products operate in frequencies up to 500 GHz. Farran has evolved from the design and manufacture of diodes to components and systems. Today, we have over 150 products across 14 product lines and we are regularly engaged in designing and manufacturing custom products and solutions that are tailored to bespoke customer requirements that we supply globally.
Q. Can you tell us more about Farran's product portfolio and design capabilities?
Tom Scanlon: Farran design, produce and test standard & bespoke systems, and subsystems. Our product range includes Millimeter Wave VNA System (Cobalt Fx), Frequency Extension Heads for Vector Network Analysers, Communication Extenders, Antenna Measurement Frequency Extenders, Spectrum and Signal Analyzer Frequency Extension Systems, Signal Generator Frequency Extenders, Frequency Extension Noise Figure Analysers, Noise Sources, Radar Front Ends, Passive Imaging and Radiometers, Frequency Extension Calibration Kits, Power Amplifiers, Low Noise Amplifiers, Active multipliers, Passive Multipliers, Sub Harmonic Mixers and Harmonic Mixers.
Q. What market segments do you target? and which segment drives the most business for you?
Tom Scanlon: At Farran, our millimeter wave products cater to multiple different industries, such as Test & Measurement, 5G & 6G Wireless communications, Automated Test Equipment, Intelligent Threat Detection, Intelligent Transportation Systems, Emerging Tech and Science & Research.
There are three main growth markets for us – Test & Measurement, Automated Test Equipment and Intelligent Transportation Systems/Intelligent Threat Detection.
Q. Do you develop catalog products or custom products?
Tom Scanlon: Farran has built up an extensive standard product range over the last 40+ years but also continues to develop and support custom designs for bespoke applications. Over the past 10+ years, we have designed and delivered over 120 custom solutions that required our specialized design capabilities to convert the vision into an exceptional solution.
Q. Can you tell us more about your custom design services? What is the process that you use? What is the typical timeline for the development of custom products?
Tom Scanlon: Farran provides the unique creative service of custom products and solutions that perfectly meet your needs. We employ agile development processes and proof-of-concept prototypes throughout testing, iteration, integration and low- to mid-volume production.
We are committed to the highest standards of quality management from initial quotation through to final testing, packaging, and delivery. We thrive on solving complex challenges with leading-edge solutions that work the first time, every time. To ensure we meet your standards, we use a 10-Step Custom Design Process.
- Assessment
- Planning
- Quotation
- Order
- Design
- Review
- Manufacture
- Test
- Ship
- Support
Q. Can you tell us more about your mm-Wave products for 5G Applications? What product category is most
Tom Scanlon: Farran provides a wide range of Test & Measurement equipment for 5G, WiGig and all stages of research & development of the next generation of wireless communication technologies – 6G. Our products allow for wireless signal protocols and S-parameters measurements, signal analysis and generation, as well as noise figure measurements for bench-top DUT as well as Over-the-Air validation scenarios.
Q. Can you tell us more about your 6G Next Generation Products? What is your approach to developing products for a standard that is yet to be finalized?
Tom Scanlon: Farran’s range of dedicated 6G products will enable you to conduct Research & Development of new generation 6G devices and systems, while also enabling you to perform scientific studies of communication channels and new materials.
Across Farran’s Product Family Range we already have products that are operating at frequencies intended for 6G.
These products come from a multitude of families such as Frequency Extension Heads for Vector Network Analysers (FEV), Signal Generator Frequency Extenders (FES), Antenna Measurement Frequency Extenders (AET/AER), Signal and Spectrum Analyzer Frequency Extension Systems (SAE), Noise Sources (WGNS), Frequency Extension Noise Figure Analysers (FBC), Harmonic Mixers (WHMB), Passive Multipliers (FT) and Sub Harmonic Mixers (SPM).
Our R&D team actively participates in ongoing 6G forums and conferences, so we are keeping up to date on developments and people’s interest in various applications in frequency bands. For the time being our products cover very wide bandwidths that allow for conducting early studies and R&D of systems and components intended for 6G. In addition, we offer a high level of customization should there be a need for a tailored solution.
Q. Can you tell us more about your partnership with Copper Mountain Technologies? When did this start and how has this evolved over the years?
Tom Scanlon: We identified a need in the market and were in search of a partner to collaborate with and create a cost-effective, compact, easy-to-use mm-Wave VNA test system. CMT was of a similar mindset and was equally focused on customer needs and requirements, and not afraid of challenging the industry status quo. It was a great fit from the start and yielded the ‘CobaltFx’ product line in June 2016, offering end-to-end solutions from 50-110 GHz.
To date, we have sold many systems to industries as diverse as Automotive, Academia, Wireless Telecommunications, Semiconductor Industries and Material manufacturers to name but a few.
Q. Are the Farran frequency extension solutions developed for use with analyzers and generators from specific companies? or can they be used with any analyzers?
Tom Scanlon: Farran frequency extension solutions are developed to be used with major test equipment manufacturers such as Keysight, R&S, Anritsu and CMT.
Q. What differentiates you from other mm-Wave solution providers in the RF Sector?
Tom Scanlon: Farran is the longest established mm-Wave company worldwide with a 45 years legacy in the business, and with over 130 years of mm-Wave design and production experience combined.
We are committed to an interactive process with customers and use state-of-the-art design tools, to ensure we exceed their expectations the first time and every time. Our proven experience with hundreds of custom designs, and expertise ranging from DC to 500 GHz, ensures that their vision emerges as an exceptional product and solution.
Serving emerging and mature markets, we thrive on solving complex challenges with leading-edge solutions.
Farran customers and partners may span the globe, yet our business approach is quintessentially ‘Céad Míle Fáilte’ - Irish Gaelic which means ‘100,000 Welcomes’. We place a premium on openness and accessibility, so the customer can speak directly with our Chief Technology Officer, Principal Engineer or Test Engineer at any stage of the process.
Q. What is your product and company roadmap for the next five years?
Tom Scanlon: Product portfolio expansion is ongoing to support existing and new emerging technologies. We are addressing the emergence of new applications for radar front ends and sensing devices with much more advanced, compact and integrated solutions to meet these new system requirements. In tandem, we are exploring novel technologies and manufacturing techniques to provide state-of-the-art performance for a cost-effective solution.
We are expanding capacity in design (high-speed simulation tools), manufacturing (bonding equipment and assembly automation) and testing (comprehensive microwave and mm-Wave test systems) with capital investment in advanced technology to support growth in all of these areas. We are actively growing our team to meet these new demands.
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