KISS Rebreathers under New Ownership
KISS Rebreathers under New Ownership; Moves Manufacturing to United States
KISS Rebreathers, the industry leader in manual closed circuit rebreather (CCR) technology, is under new ownership, and will move production facilities from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Fort Smith, Arkansas. In the fall of this year, Mike Young acquired Jetsam Technologies, manufacturer and distributor of the KISS brand; from company owner Kim Mikusch (Smith). Mikusch will remain with the company as general manager and head of international sales, operating from a Vancouver office. Young will oversee all aspects of production and distribution from the Arkansas facility.
"We have an excellent team in place, and that will not change." Mikusch says. The move to U.S. manufacturing and distribution is expected to result in greater manufacturing and distribution efficiencies, resulting in faster customer response and more favorable and stable pricing. In support of these goals, all phases of production will be centralized and brought in-house. The company's current quality assurance processes will remain intact, ensuring customers the same high level of service they have enjoyed in the past.
The company's Canadian warehouse will close as of mid October, 2012, and the U.S. warehouse will be fully operational at that time. This move will not affect current or future orders, and has not hampered current research and development efforts. The company will introduce a number of new products at the DEMA Show 2012, in Las Vegas, November 14-17.
Young has a background in engineering and manufacturing, and has been affiliated with Kiss for a number of years. Most recently, he oversaw design and production of the company's GEM semi-closed line of rebreathers. “Mike has provided valuable assistance designing new products for KISS, and I strongly feel he is more than ready for the challenge of running a rebreather company," says Mikusch.
KISS is one of the oldest continuously-operating rebreather manufacturers in the North American market. Gordon Smith first endeavor into his first non-electronic-dependent rebreather began back in 1995. Over the following years he made a few more versions before settling on one design, which is now known as the Classic KISS, in 1998 with Jetsam incorporated in 1999. After Gordon’s passing in 2006, Mikusch took over Jetsam continuing the line of manual controlled rebreathers Gordon started, including the introduction of the GEM semi-closed rebreather in 2011.
KISS products are known to embody two central design philosophies: simplicity and reliability. These qualities have earned their products a reputation within the rebreather community for ease of use, ease of repair and safety.
KISS Rebreathers is an ISO-registered company and a member of RESA, The Rebreather Education & Safety Association.
For more information, contact -- Kim Mikusch, email: kim@kissrebreathers.com, Ph: (479) 739-7726, or Mike Young, email: mike@kissrebreathers.com, Ph: (479) 285-1065
(Press Released prepared by Ocean Arts, Inc. email: info@oceanartsinc.com)
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Originally Posted by MichaelAngelo
Congrats Mike!
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