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Northern
Lights
Northern
Lights, as it's known today, has become the premiere manufacturer
of high quality marine generator sets and propulsion engines
while remaining true to its pioneering Alaskan heritage.
In
1958, Harold Johnson established Alaska Marine Sales and Service
in Anchorage, Alaska. The company sold boats and marine related
products.
The
short boating season in Alaska led the company to look for
additional sources of income. Pioneering the snowmobile business,
the company was the first to sell the machines to Alaskans.
Land-based generator sets were added to the business to answer
the need for prime power in remote areas.
The
first steps were taken toward establishing brand name products
when, in the early '60s, the company began packaging Lister
air-cooled diesels and Lima generators. Alaska Marine and
Lister/Lima became a standard all over Alaska's outback.
In
the late '60s, the company became well known for its ability
to customize land-based generator sets. The trade name Northern
Lights was coined and the company name was changed to Alaska
Marine & Equipment to emphasize the equipment side of
the business.
Contracts
with the State of Alaska for electrification of rural schools
and villages, as well as the development of advanced unattended
power systems for microwave stations, strengthened the company.
Contracts with ALASCOM and EXXON for powering communication
sites along the Alaska Pipeline was an outgrowth of the reputation
the company had gained for specializing in self-contained,
unattended cold weather power systems.
Johnson
moved his company headquarters to Seattle, Washington in 1970.
In the mid-'70s, he began to develop his own brand name marine
products. A new company was formed under the name Alaska Diesel
Electric, Inc. The new company was responsible for production
of the land-based Northern Lights generator sets which were
being sold in Alaska and on the West Coast.
In
1975, development of the first propulsion engines began, based
on a John Deere block. Although the primary objective was
to develop propulsion engines, the company soon found growth
in the marine generator set market. The need for a high quality
small marine diesel generator was obvious. Not having a small
American-made diesel to choose from, ADE worked with Japan's
Ishikawajima-Shibaura Machinery Company, and developed an
entire line of small marine diesels to power sets from 5 to
20 kW.
In
the early '80s, the company began designing and manufacturing
propulsion engines and marine generator sets based on the
Komatsu industrial blocks which it had already used in land-based
generators. Expanding into the larger engines and generator
sets gave the company unlimited international market potential.
The
1990s saw a growing market for the high quality Northern Lights
products for megayachts. The skippers and owners of these
vessels would not compromise on quality and so Northern Lights
gensets were the obvious choices. Worldwide environmental
concerns led the company to pioneer yet again, this time with
the STARS (Soot Trap And Regeneration) system. This unique
technology cleans the exhaust while enhancing generator life.
In
the new Millenium, Northern Lights continues to push the technological
envelope while maintaining the most rigorous quality standards.
New emissions standards are a challenge we welcome, tackling
head on without resorting to high-tech gimmicks. Efficiency,
reliability, and real value continue to be our goals -- just
as Harold Johnson envisioned them more than 40 years ago.
Website:
www.northern-lights.com
Contact
Whiting Power Systems by email - sales@whitingpower.com
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