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Thanks. That was what I was looking for. I know electronics conditioning but didn't know what they would do for a vest - looks like essentially the same type scenario.
Is there also a way to age the vests? For electronics we used temp and vib. Seems that a vest would experience bending, shock, handling and storage impacts, etc.
Regarding the concerns:
I don't normally quote a previous post but have done so here with comments after most points. Certainly, anyone feel free to correct me if I am wrong. Bob raises some excellent concerns which included some of my own. Some of the concerns have a solid answer - others do not.
1. Lack of NIJ certification
a. Per news releases from GPGI, certification should have happened last August at the latest (see below).
My view: Note the date on the "news releases" below. At that time JBIT and Bourque had not merged with GPGI. When I read those "releases" I questioned why GPGI, a company not apparently associated with JBIT, was making these "releases" about another company. It certainly got my interest into what was going on. After what I considered DD I concluded that someone at GPGI was making statements they ought not to have made. JBIT was not their company. If they had proprietary information about JBIT they should have kept their mouths shut. Their bad. But I am glad they did because otherwise I would have passed up this party. No "news release" from GPGI was any obligation on the part of JBIT.
b. Is Bourque avoiding or delaying certification?
My view: Yes. When you read the "releases" there was a lot of preliminary work going on. This is probably a new venture for Bourque. Once an "official" submittal is provided to NIJ no more tweaking is permitted without a new application. The last thing I would want to receive from NIJ is a rejection for any reason. If the rejection is administrative then my submittal effort was incompetitent. If the rejection is technical then again a poor technical job of presentation or the product doesn't meet spec. If you ever have the privilege of working with a USG certification effort then you will meet the devil himself.
2. Unclear benefits versus competition
a. I believe a lot of hype and misleading information with no specifics
i. Comparison by Bourque only to ceramic armor
My view: I share this concern. No information to answer this. If NIJ cert comes out soon it will be interesting to see at what level Kryron is certified. Is it equal to or above the competition that is already certified.
ii. No comparison by Bourque to non ceramic armor products which are NIJ certified and which may outperform Bourque’s product
* Products such as Defend-x and Line of Fire appear to be as good as if not better.
My view: See above view. I also look at the law enforcement interest in the BORK product. It appears to have better performance than what they have now. If the competition was really better then why doesn't law enforcement already have the better product? This appears a little weak but will give it some more time.
3. Bourque apparently has no patents or expertise in nanotubes
My view: Already answered in other posts. He has three patents. Expertise is not gained by Piling Higher and Deeper (Phd) His expertise has been demonstrated to my satisfaction in at least producing engineering prototypes that appear to be a very good product. BORK has the Phd expertise in house for whatever Bourque himself lacks - if anything.
a. Nanotubes appears to be where the true revolutionary changes will come from
b. Other companies with nanotube patents may make Bourque’s products obsolete
My view: Always a risk in any company. Marketing is just as important and risky as the product itself.
4. Will costs be low enough to allow a competitive sales price at a reasonable profit
My view: Considering the application of Kryron, price may not play as much a role as performance. Other than that I don't think anyone except Bourque has the cost information - as it should be. I share you concern about at least a reasonable cost. If the technology is so complex and difficult to produce then the market is not going to buy. This is one of my big concerns. Some enthusiastic folks have said "they have been producing vests for over a year". What they forget, or don't know, is that these are engineering prototypes - not production material. I seriously doubt that these prototypes were produced using formal production planning documents as is normally done in a formal manufacturing environment.
5. Validity and applicability of Bourque patents
My view: This is always a set of questions about any patent. A patent is worth nothing unless you have the money to back it up in court. This is true whether someone claims you violated their patent or someone violates your patent. Every person and company that has ever had a patent would like to have these answers without having to feed the sharks.
General view about the below quotes: They are all before the formation of Bourque Industries (BORK). In my opinion the "releases" from GPGI are hearsay. The 9-13-10 I assume was from JBIT. I think this one might be out of line but not sure. JBIT may have, in fact, submitted an earlier application for certification that was withdrawn because they either wanted to tweak Kryron or the application was flawed. As I mentioned earlier, delay and/or withdrawal is better than a rejection. This seems to be on a clear track now. Bourque has made an official announcement of final submission. Withdrawal or delay is actually a show of real leadership - not ignoring a problem but hitting it head-on.
The following is information about apparent Bourque promises to GPGI re JIT certification. The following extracts are from GPGI Press Releases
9-13-10
The principle assets of JBIT and Bourque Alloys consist of agreed upon exclusive licensing rights to produce and sell the Kryron Terminator line of personal hard armor plates, which provide Level II (.44 cal and AK-47, 7.62x39 FMJ) and Level III (exceeds NIJ requirements for multiple impact) protection for law enforcement agencies and the Nation’s military. JBIT has applied for and expects to receive any day Certification with the highest rating possible for its Level III plate from the National Institute of Justice.
8-23-10
I apologize for the extended period of time between updates as we have been awaiting final National Institute of Justice (NIJ) certification of the Kryron Terminator Armor. Multiple plates were sent to the Chesapeake Lab, an independent ballistics testing laboratory by JBIT and performed beautifully as a STAND ALONE, LEVEL III MULTI-IMPACT ARMOR. The plates were then returned to NIJ for further tests and certification. We understand all final application papers have been filed and could expect the certification to be granted at any time.
3-12-10
GPGI, along with Bourque Alloys and JBIT, is pleased to announce that preliminary steps have been completed to acquire NIJ Certification for the aluminum armor plates and final certification is imminent. Once final certification has been approved major production will commence.
According to the Department of Justice, more than 3,000 police officers' lives have been saved by body armor since the mid-1970s when the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) began testing and developing body armor and performance standards for ballistic and stab resistance. Recognition and acceptance of the NIJ standard has grown worldwide, making it the performance benchmark for ballistic-resistant body armor.
Bob, what does "conditioned state" mean?
What is grey and where is the line? Mike, it would be very helpful if you would list, just by message numbers, those you feel are grey and those over the line - just for the last couple of days.
Since you are now the designated enforcer, your criteria and interpretation of the TOS by list of a few messages would give us all a better understanding and help us all comply.
Thanks
John11 - NIJ cert is kinda important right now. From what I read, NIJ requires recert for any change in a certified material. As long as K2 is what was submitted to NIJ for cert or is not going to be used in vests and helmets - no problem. If K1 was submitted for approval is K1 good enough to cert and take to market for vests and/or helmets or do we have to wait for another cert process on K2? This is a timing issue for investment purposes. Thanks.
What happened is confirmation that the power of the pen is greater than the swing of the sword.
What a spread!
Has anyone ever seen a spread like we have at the end of trading today of 2.01 and ask 6.04. Fidelity shows the same bid/ask. Certainly there will not be any after hour trading! It seems that when the spread is small the stock moves in a fairly organized fashion. When the spread opens up there are usually larger moves in price.
Can anyone shed light on indications this large of a spread might mean? Or maybe it means nothing.
Kryron Sample Urgently Needed
If anyone can get a sample BORK vest for KZMike's personal testing I think it would be in order. Good call on the part of IVH - well earned and deserved.
Why the selling!
First: I would ask you how you know it was Bork Insiders selling?
Second: I have observed what appear to be seasoned day trades. It may look like a sell off but some are making 30-50c/sh/day on the moves. Everyone makes money in their own way. Let it be.
Third: My guess is that former GPGI folks who bought GPGI over the years or were paid in GPGI stock have struggled for years with their stock only worth a few pennies. They have worked long and hard to support their company. Now that the shares are really worth something, they may elect to buy a house, pay off a mortgage, buy a new car, stash some money for kids education, etc. They can cash in on real money for the first time in their life. Not being greedy like the rest of us and not looking for another 10x increase, they already have enough after a long time of having almost nothing. It's their money - they earned it. I for one, will wait out the consolidation of everyone's personal wants and needs because I don't need the money right now. Otherwise I would sell also. Today it is their day in the sunshine. Ours is yet to come.
If the goal is to extract the maximum value from the sale then I agree with you. They may not get filled as quick as a market order but would get a better selling price and a perceived lower impact on the market price. Someone will whine about the share price being held down but they will get over it.
I don't understand why someone selling is concerned about what the market does after they sell out. Why are they trying to hide the sale?
Expect share price to drop on NIJ cert!
I agree the NIJ certification will have a major impact on share price but I expect the price to go down. Anyone following this stock knows that Bourque will be successful in getting the cert. IMO cert is already contained in the current stock price. When the cert comes out, expect some major profit taking.
Don't panic, on the other side of the profit taking are new investors who pick up on the cert and the new possibilities. They will invest on the expectation of contracts. When the first big contract arrives, expect the same profit taking. Then comes production, sales, and deliveries along with cash flow. Each time there will be profit taking on achieving the "fact". Also, each time the stock price will be higher due to increased value.
So be careful and don't be too disappointed if the share price drops on expected good news. This is normal but really quite contrary to most peoples' thinking. It's the unexpected news that usually makes big moves up or down.
Really not concerned about how they sell.
1. If they sell it all with a market order, the stock price will probably drop significantly providing opportunity for others to buy at a discount. The "event" would most likely be lost in the dust of 1-2 weeks or until the next positive news.
2. If they sell slowly, with limit sells then the stock doesn't depress as much but remains depressed for a longer time. This has a longer impact on other investors but still, 6 months from now nobody will remember.
IMO they should just sell however they want to. Three months from now it really doesn't matter except some of us may own more shares.
Just let it fly. Pull the bandaid off quick and you won't feel it so much! It's all about perception, not fact.
I don't mean to insult anyone but here is the long and short of it.
First I don't see what you are calling a "deficit". The simple explanation of what you see after entering in the stock symbol is the short interest. BORK had 100900 shares short as of the last month end. That is the number of shares someone sold that they did not own.
Short selling is normally done on margin. Let's say IBM was at $100. A short seller thinks IBM price will decline to $80. If the investor sells short 10,000 shares at 5% margin he invests $50,000 but is liable for $1 Million. If the stock does go down to $80 he buys the stock at $80 to cover the short position and keeps the difference of $200K. If the stock starts to go up, it only has to move up $5 before the investment of $50K is totally lost. Before it moves up very much the investor's broker will issue a margin call. At a price of $102 the original investment is worth only $30K. The investor will get a margin call to up his investment or the broker will close out the position. The broker will not take on the risk.
Short squeeze is all about increase in price with a large short interest compared to daily volume. When the price goes up the shorts want out. You and I are buying because of good news at the same time the shorts have to buy to cover so the price goes up even faster and often overshoots the real value because of the short covering. If there is not enough volume the short positions cannot cover immediately and the price goes up very rapidly (called the short squeeze).
That is why I like to see occasional price spikes to force the shorts to cover and get out. The shorts' ultimate goal is to drive a company to failure because that is when they make the most money. Many a company has been driven out of business because the shorts keep selling, the stock price is depressed, the business can't raise capital because of the depressed price, and the owners (us)lose value in our investment. There is nothing positive about the effects of having your stock sold short!
With BORK short interest at 100K I am not too concerned yet. However, this figure is only reported at each month end. A good play I have seen is when really good news is expected an investor purchases twice the number of shares he really wants and then sells off half of them in a day or two after the shorts have covered and the price falls off some.
Shortsqueeze.com
The shorts.
Last info I had was about 100K shares short. We best all keep an eye on that number. Because of the thin volume it is possible that some people could manipulate the stock price to their advantage to the down side. A good spike (50K shares or so) upward on occasion is healthy to keep the shorts in check. (they would have to meet margin call or be closed out) I am not advocating someone do that (it would most likely be illegal) only pointing out if that were to occur the longs and the company would be protected.
Waterboy - 1 request and 1 suggestion:
Thanks for your time and information.
Request: Next time you are around the BORK folks please ask about the competition materials. From what I understand Ceradyne is a ceramic, some others seem to have a fabric. Is BORK the only one with a metal? Try to identify who's material is used in the test along side the BORK vest. It would be a real confidence builder to know who we have "shot down".
Suggestion: If you get the opportunity to have a shoot with the police, ask if they are willing to put one of their current vests up against the BORK vest. It is one thing to see what the BORK vest will do but perhaps something more to see what would happen to them if they were wearing their current vest and not the BORK vest with the same rounds! Let us know, if you can, who made their current vest. Maybe the chief will attend if one of his expensive vests is about to be destroyed!
This BORK board, I thought, was about BORK stock not just about those who are long and don't like risk. The board should be for everyone, long, short, and day trader. This constant clamor for a 2:1 split doesn't seem good for everybody.
If you are long and are going to stay long take a vacation and come back in a month or two. The volatility really doesn't mean much in the long term. A year from now volatility will be insignificant and your $1-2Mil will most likely become $10Mil plus. How much is enough? If you a daily fretter then I can see why you don't like daily uncertainty.
If you are short then of course you have high liability and might not be as comfortable with volatility. But you are a pessimist looking for a reward on bad things happening to good people.
But, if you are a day trader wow what a ride. Watching this is better than a front row seat at the rodeo. Notice today that someone flipped 20K-40K of stock with a good profit. In a stock lightly traded like BORK many times the day trader is going to "make the market". IMO this is really OK because a week, a month, or a year from now I expect this stock to be worth a lot more than it is now. The day trader is really doing the other investors a service. The weak in spirit sell to the day trader and the strong buy. We end up with a stronger base and the weak are broke and gone. Picking up another $50-$100K on a daily basis is really OK! For those who really don't believe this is good investment, I will await your weak selling and buy when the other weak investors climb on your wagon. Stock trading is just that - trading stocks to make money. When you start to get emotional about it that is generally not a good sign of a successful trader. If the day traders were not involved the long termers wouldn't get the chance to buy more on the dips. In addition, the day trader is great for flushing out the shorts. The shorts are IMO the greatest threat to a company. They can drive the stock and the company into the ground just to make money. So, volatility can be good and day traders can be an excellent pesticide for the shorts. JMHO.
Nit picker society is good. This is a perfect application of the master mind principle. Each person contributes either a concern or a solution, or both. Most questions on this board have resulted in solid and good information. I welcome the "nit pickers" because in the smallest detail may be the clue to the treasure!
Concern about Dark Status. I researched a little about why BORK is dark given that we have a good product and large potential sales. This was very enlightening.
The quantifiable costs of complying with Sarbanes-Oxley, which do not include lost productivity due to compliance efforts, have proven much higher than originally estimated by the SEC and are disproportionately higher for smaller issuers relative to their revenues and net income.
A 2004 survey in Corporate Insight, Spring 2004, "The Costs of Complying with Governance Rules," estimated that small companies with annual revenues between $25 million to $99 million suffered Sarbanes-Oxley compliance costs of $740,000 and 3,080 company hours expended on compliance efforts; companies with annual revenues between $500 million to $999 million (a minimum 10-fold increase) incurred compliance costs of only $1 million and 6,900 company hours.
These costs are in addition to the pre-existing costs of being public and the new costs imposed by Regulation FD. A study by Foley & Lardner LLP, The Cost of Being Public in the Era of Sarbanes-Oxley (May 19, 2004), estimated that the average cost of being public in 2004 was $2.86 million, a 130 percent increase from the same study conducted in 2002.
What would you like John Bourque to spend his time and money on? Compliance with reporting requirements or making us money?
See http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Considering+going+dark%3f+A+company+choosing+to+delist+and+deregister...-a0155144350 for full discussion about going dark.
Ownership of patents is not the issue. Assignment could be but most, if not all inventors in large companies, assign their patents to the company. In this case the company has the right to do whatever they want with the patent rights but the inventor is still the patent holder.
Whoever has the patent rights has the option of licensing someone else to utilize the patent. My understanding is that BORK is licensed to use Kryron patents. I don't know what that license says but given that BORK is actively marketing Kryron applications I assume that BORK has a license, at lease for body armor, to develop a product and take it to market. BORK is doing a good job of that.
Compare BORK to other startups. We have a viable product, it has been demonstrated to exceed the competition, it can be reproduced, and exceeds projected customer expectations. Funding is not an issue.
Speculation is investing in something not fully known. If you knew everything it would not be speculation. BORK has demonstrated their capability several times without doubt. So, in evaluating the stock for investment, it is way ahead of almost all other startup companies in real value. Of course, you have to make your own decision about the speculative value versus the risk you are willing to take. IMO this is as close to a sure thing as God gives me. I will take this blessing and thank him from the bottom of my heart.
The assets are clear to me. John Bourque is a person of integrity, Kryron performs as advertised and way above the competition, and smart people are taking this to market. BORK has the marketing license and they are doing a spectacular job.
Perhaps a better question with an easy answer is what is John Bourque's fiduciary responsibility to BORK as the CEO? With all of the activities and statements by Mr. Bourque on behalf of Bourque Industries, and from what I know about his legal fiduciary responsibilities, he is obligated to do DD on behalf of BORK. IMO some people may be way too worried about details they really don't have to worry about. I am very confident that according to the laws and rules of business, this is not an issue.
I suggest that anyone still having a licensing concern contact an appropriate lawyer and present your concern. It might cost you a couple hundred but you will then have your answer you can live with. I appreciate the concern about this from those who may not have experience in this area. Rest assured, that I sleep well at night and don't worry about Kryron licenses. I only lose sleep over what color to order on my new sailing vessel and when to place the order!
Bourque doesn't need to court the Arizona delegation. The money has already been appropriated. (see post 2129) You are right on the money about strange bedfellows. Firewalls are put up and everyone makes money. Bourque has the field. I just hope he doesn't think he has to do it all. Better to get 50% of something than 100% of nothing or whatever the figures are. We probably worked on some of the same programs together given that almost all of the big hitters have played this same game and made lots of money.
Where is the money? In October of 2008 DoD issued a $2.37 billion ID/IQ contract to Ceradyne. DoD has been issuing delivery contracts for a few million dollars at a time and seems to be very cautious about ordering delivery of any significant quantity of the Ceradyne product.
On 19 April 2011 a delivery order was placed with Ceradyne for $3.5 million of ceramic body armor plates.
NOTE: As of 29 April 2011 there is approximately $2.1 billion remaining on the ID/IQ contract for which no deliveries have been requested! That is something I can get excited about.
$2.1 billion has already been appropriated for body armor and DoD has been reluctant to spend it at Ceradyne! I'll bet my money that Ceradyne stepping in their mess kit over quality problems is going to provide dinner for Mr. Bourque and company if Bourque can get his stuff together.
Unfortunately it is not that simple. Yes DoD funds companies to DEVELOP new technologies. DARPA will also fund production. But, there is a long road between development and production. What Bourque has been producing is engineering prototypes. Yes, they produce a product that is excellent. Taking an engineering prototype to a producible product is another ball game. The product must be reproducible in accordance with approved and released engineering and manufacturing documents. Each product must meet approved acceptance criteria that includes a lot more than just stopping a bullet! In addition, all pieces of the supply chain must be qualified suppliers. This is not engineering prototyping, but full scale production - different rules apply.
Bourque needs to decide what he wants to do - develop products and applications or go into the DoD manufacturing world. He doesn't have the time or resources to do both. I doubt that he has the resources to hire enough good consultants to make the grade. DoD assistance is like hearing the comment from the IRS "we are here to help you".
IMO Edge1 is absolutely right on. Get the cert and produce for the locals.
Bourque may be able to bypass the whole DoD contracting fiasco because DoD has the option of purchasing commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) if they so chose. Doing this on body armor and helmets is a stretch but doable. First there must be a commercial off-the-shelf product with documentation, not just engineering prototypes. They will be looking for a stable company and stable production (appropriate controls in place).
Look at it like toilet paper. It may be cheaper for the government to purchase it at the local Wallyworld as COTS than going through the government contracting process with specifications, quality control, and acceptance testing. If they are satisfied that the product meets their requirements then they can buy it! However, selling COTS is not a gime. Some companies that have received orders from the USG and have flatly refused to sell to them because of all of the terms and conditions. The USG terms and conditions are always negotiable and if the general is out of TP they will take what you have without the obnoxious T&C! They do have a checkbook. (been there and done that)
A good subcontractor is the way Bourque should go. The cost of design documentation, configuration control, capital equipment and facilities, trained operators, a fully approved quality system with trained inspectors for both material and product, material controls, purchasing, shipping, and a host of other disciplines all requiring DoD review and approval is a mountain that IMO is not realistic for a new startup. Companies are successful when they concentrate on what they do best.
There are ample opportunities for Bourque to outsource the production without the large capital investment. The company needs DoD qualified production in the short term. I don't think any of us want to see Bourque try to prove himself in building government approved factories. The shortest and lowest cost path to delivering product should be the prime goal. If I see Bourque trying to build factories then we are all in trouble.
Need more eyes. Below are the listed patents that Southwest Nanotechnologies has. They are the holders of the patent licensed to Nanoridge, the company that has the current contract with DoD. Unknown as to which patent is licensed to Nanoridge. This will give detailed readers a look into what the competition is doing and what Bourque has that is unique.
Proprietary Technology and Intellectual Property
Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary rights. To do that, we rely on patent, copyright, trade secret and trademark laws; confidentiality and inventions agreements with employees or third parties; and protective contractual provisions, such as those typically contained in agreements with consultants, vendors and customers.
Issued U.S. Patents
6,333,016: Method of Producing Nanotubes
6,413,487: Method and Apparatus for Producing Nanotubes
6,919,064: Process and Apparatus for Producing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
6,955,800: Method and Apparatus for Producing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
6,962,892: Metallic Catalytic Particle for Producing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
6,994,907: Carbon Nanotube Product Comprising Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes
7,094,386: Method of Producing Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes/Ceramic Composites
7,153,903: Carbon Nanotube-Filled Composites Prepared by In-situ Polymerization
7,279,247: Carbon Nanotube Pastes and Methods of Use
7,354,881: Method and Catalyst for Producing Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes
7,357,907: Method for Producing Single Walled Carbon Nanotubes
These patents are owned by the University of Oklahoma. SWeNT has an exclusive license to all of this intellectual property, plus improvements.
In addition, we have signed non-exclusive Freedom to Practice license agreements with NEC and IBM, which hold fundamental patents covering the single-wall carbon nanotube:
Licensed patents from NEC
US Pat # 5,747,161 and 5,830,326
JP Pat # 2,687,794 and 2,526,782
Licensed patent from IBM
US Pat # 5,424,054
Yet another company hot on the trail from Israel:
Nano Patents and Innovations
Nano Patents and Innovations is dedicated to nanotechnology news, patents, markets, products and research innovations
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Carbon Nanotube Combat Armor Under Development
A joint venture will use carbon nanotubes to develop combat armor solutions.
Plasan, a global leader in survivability and combat-proven armor solutions and Q-Flo, University of Cambridge spin-out company, have formed TorTech Nano Fibres Ltd, a joint venture between the two companies.
TorTech, based in Israel, will produce carbon nanotube fiber for the enhancement of body armor and composite armor systems for vehicles. The new material is stronger than Kevlar and other ballistic fabrics, but still flexible and lightweight.
Q-Flo's CEO, Dr. Dai Hayward, commented: "We are delighted to partner with Plasan to further develop the world leading research by Prof. Alan Windle and Dr. Martin Pick, initially within the Department of Materials Science at Cambridge University and for the last 4 years in Q-Flo. Through Tortech, we intend to produce a carbon nanotube-based yarn, which can be woven into the strongest-ever manmade material. Plasan's expertise will then enable the design and production of a revolutionary new range of body and vehicle armor."
CEO of Plasan Group, Dan Ziv, said: "Nano fiber with mechanical properties as carbon nanotube fiber could lead to a breakthrough in structural composites and light weight armor applications. This is an exciting venture since we believe Q-Flo's carbon nanotubes have the potential to revolutionize the defense industry through a new range of lightweight, flexible and incredibly strong armored material."
Plasan will have exclusive sales and marketing rights to defense-orientated materials, whilst Q-Flo will retain rights for other potential applications.
About Plasan
Plasan is an international company engaged in the design, development, and manufacture of state-of-the-art, lightweight, ballistic armor protection products and integrated survivability systems. It has rapidly become a key global manufacturer and integrator of armor systems designed from composite materials for up-armor applique kits used on various light military vehicles, APCs, personal protection equipment, rotary and fixed-wing platforms, as well as for naval vessels. For more information on Plasan, go to http://www.plasan.com
For further information please contact: Hadas Weizman, Media Relations Manager
About Q-flo
Q-Flo Limited was formed in 2004 by Prof. Alan Windle and Dr. Martin Pick as a spin out company from the Department of Materials Science at the University of Cambridge. The company appointed Dai Hayward as Chief Executive Officer in 2006. Q-Flo is active in commercializing a carbon nanotube fiber process which was invented in the laboratories of Prof. Windle and in identifying appropriate end use opportunities and applications.
For further information please contact: Dai Hayward, CEO
Another example of genius by John Bourque. If you can't get an audience with GE executives then get in their door for less than the price of a plane ticket. Now GE has data to look at and ponder. This is GE's business. They won't ignore the data. Fishing with John Bourque would most interesting. He could probably get the fish to jump into the boat.
I agree with your opinion mdb1. This ploy has been done before with great success (over $300M in sales and the execs never knew how we got in the door). I didn't know about the TRW tests but going into GE for "testing" when you already know the outcome is pure genius in marketing. This is a good chapter in the next book "marketing for people that don't have the money to market" or "getting to the executives through the back door".
Read the facts! I have included a copy of the MSN news release below. Nowhere did I read that GE execs were involved. I did not see this release on the BORK industries website. It appears that Bourque accomplished a good test at GE and received encouraging data from the test. Everything in good time! Keep in mind that some posters and reporters put their personal spin on what is posted - so what is new? If someone has a reference to the GE execs that was posted by Bourque I would like to see it.
What I read was a reasonable report and comments by John Bourque. Bad data and bad reporting are always difficult to overcome.
News Center...
Bourque Industries' Kryron Excels in Electrical Conductivity Testing
June 14, 2011 9:15 AM ET.
Bourque Industries (OTC:BORK) today announced that its Kryronized aluminum busbar outperformed the industry-standard C11000 copper busbar in initial testing at General Electric in Tucson, Ariz. Busbars are an essential component for the world's energy grid, and are critical in many industrial applications.
During testing, the Kryron busbar exhibited superior performance, dissipating more heat at higher currents than the standard C11000 copper busbars. The tests indicate that the Kryron busbar has better conductivity and less resistance than standard copper.
In addition to projected increased performance, the Kryron busbars are not at risk of theft, as Kryron is not a traded commodity. Copper busbars have been frequent targets of thieves looking to profit from the sale of very valuable stolen copper.
“For many years, we've been searching for innovations to effectively upgrade and modernize the world's power grid,” said John M. Bourque, Founder and CEO of Bourque Industries and inventor of Kryron. “Our June 4 testing at GE indicated that Kryron may be a major contributor to the solution for our aging and inadequate energy delivery system.”
About Bourque and Kryron
Bourque Industries is a publicly-traded company (OTC: BORK) based in Tucson, Ariz. Bourque is the exclusive distributor of all Kryron-based technologies.
The unique properties of Kryronized aluminum make it a very efficient conductor, both able to dissipate heat and transfer electrical current more effectively than any other conductor tested. Bourque Industries projects that the market for Kryronized metals will grow consistently and considerably for the foreseeable future, given the state of the world's aging energy infrastructure.
Bourque Industries and Kryron are trademarks of Bourque Industries.
You really don't want me to get out of BORK. If you were concerned about John11's sale of stock you really don't want me to get out. I believe this is a good investment from everything I know. The only question is how many more shares I purchase!
Things are going very good! No complaints. However, blind faith was never my forte. A PR firm is probably not appropriate at this time for the reasons you cite. I agree with you. I am an analytical and always need more data. I think Bourque has done a great job so far but I would like to understand the details.
The fact that he has 3 patents is great. I have sent an email to the competition to get the number of the patent they are licensed for and relying on for their product. If you or someone else could please provide the Bourque patent numbers I would like to look at the claims on all of them. Patents are subject to challenge and are only as good as the money you have to back them up.
Please don't think that questions are a shot against Bourque. Analyticals are going to look at every detail possible. Deal with it.
If you can't deal with questions about YOUR investment then maybe you are too emotional about it and need to get out of the market.
Jon - not nay say
We are attending a performance but are not allowed to look at the stage. We can only hear what others say and what we can dig out for ourselves. IMO BORK investors are looking for real information. What we find is competitor information that could cast some doubt about BORK only due to the lack of information from BORK. The competitors are a lot more up front with what they are doing. The best we have is someone who has the ear of John Bourque and some impressive videos that we really don't know what was tested.
There is no doubt that Bourque has some good material. The competitors very likely have good material also. This is not a new science. I realize that walking into a competitor mine field where the competitors already have DoD contracts is a tough tip toe. Confidence comes from hard data and facts, not stockholder opinion.
Bourque has a choice, he can continue to ignore the stockholders by providing very little information or he can have a loyal following based on concrete facts and data. His move! Or not!!
OK, what is really happening?
I thought Ceradyne was the helmet contractor and as contained in post 2013, Nanoridge has a July 2010 contract for armor using nanotechnology. Was Ceradyne ever producing armor or only helmets?
Is the Nanoridge armor better, equal, or worse than Kryron?
It would be really helpful if someone close to Bourgue Industries could get some detail facts on what was tested and what is the status of the main competitors' products, namely Ceradyne and Nanoridge. They both have current contracts with DoD!
Question about Kryron tests:
Was Kryron shooting tests compared to Nanoridge armor or was the testing compared to ceramic based armor that Nanoridge has a current contract to replace?
Same question about the helmet. Was the Kryron helmet tests compared to Ceradyne helmets or to the older helmets that Ceradyne has a current contract to replace?
Good work Bob. I found another, more recent, publication that opens questions about BORK. BORK is not the only player in this field. According to the following, the US military has already made another decision. I am hoping that BORK may have something in the patents to carve out a piece of the pie.
I haven't done DD on Nanowerk yet. At this point, just an interesting announcement. Is this the company that just failed testing?
News > Nanowerk Business News >
Posted: July 20, 2010
NanoRidge Materials Signs Contract for New Defense Armor
(Nanowerk News) NanoRidge Materials, Inc., a Houston based nanotechnology manufacturing company has partnered with Riley Solutions, Inc. to manufacture and supply specialized nanotechnology enhanced armor for the Department of Defense. As part of the partnership, Riley Solutions, Inc. is moving their headquarters from North Carolina to Houston, Texas, resulting in NanoRidge Materials, Inc. expanding into a 55,000 sq. ft. facility in the Houston area and creating 300 new jobs for the region within the next three years.
NanoRidge Materials, Inc., in close partnership with Riley Solutions Inc. (RSI), is delivering a groundbreaking armor for rigorous testing against the most destructive small arms fire. The armor is a remarkable blend of the very best in conventional light armor materials with the most advanced application of nanotechnology. This blended layering fundamentally improves the armor's resilience to impact and penetration, and thus defeats the hostile round as it strikes the new composite material. After passing selection, this armor will provide U.S. military and law enforcement personnel serving at home or around the world with a better, lighter, and more cost effective protective solution than has ever been deployed before.
NanoRidge Materials, Inc. and Riley Solutions, Inc. have teamed to design and produce nano-enhanced products and have identified the key to efficiently exploiting nanomaterials for mechanical reinforcement. Using specialized processes to adapt the highly versatile chemistry of carbon nanomaterials, their natural bundles are dispersed to create stronger linkages that can then be incorporated into armor composites.
NanoRidge Materials, Inc. is a manufacturer of high-performance nanocomposite materials and composite components. Their materials and composite structures incorporate carbon nanotubes for dramatically improved properties that are of significant value to customers in aerospace, military, oil & gas, chemical, and construction markets. NanoRidge Materials, Inc. is a graduate company of the Houston Technology Center, a business accelerator that assists Houston-based emerging technology companies by providing in-depth business guidance, access to capital, professional services, and entrepreneurial education.
Source: NanoRidge (press release)
A ten year payback would be acceptable. But, the difference here is that the transmission lines have to be upgraded, added to, and replaced. Only the delta cost of Kryron over existing technologies would have to be justified as the cost of a new technology. If the power transmission company is going to add an additional conductor to a transmission line they could use Kryron as the new conductor.
Of course, the electrical parameters of Kryron may not permit it's deployment along side existing Cu or Al conductors if the velocity factor is different. Phasing in the conductors could be a problem unless all the conductors are Kryron!
My, so much to learn, so much money to be made! Life is wonderful.
Main failure of aluminum wiring was that the switches, sockets, and the terminations were copper. Aluminum and copper junctions, with the electric current, were a constant failure. We had a special goop to put on CU/AL connections but what a mess. If you didn't use the aluminum compatible fixtures a failure was around the corner. Kryron may or may not have an adverse reaction when fastened to dissimilar metals.
Does anyone have any quantitative characteristics data on Kryron? Are there multiple formulations of the alloy? Has any information been published in scientific journals?
True, the power lines droop with load. Eventually they either get to low for safety or they contact trees and cause a fault. We don't know the coefficient of expansion of Kryron. Stronger does not necessarily mean it expands less.
However, if it expands less, the real money saving opportunity is replacement of wires only. Since Kryron weighs less, larger conductors can be strung from EXISTING towers, carry larger loads, and sag less. Some of the largist expenses of adding to the power grid are securing rights of way and constructing towers. If Kryron eliminates these expenses we have a world series ball game. Power grids are a problem all over the world.
I recall that GE in Tucson works on very large motors and transformers. Imagine a substation transformer wound with Kryron rather than copper. Lower heat dissipation from motors and transformers means higher efficiency! The only two materials better in conductivity than copper are silver and gold. Looks like Kryron may slip in between copper and silver. I recall reading somewhere that the electrical power industry loses somewhere around HALF of all power generated before it can be delivered and put to good use.
John11, when convenient, please ask someone in the company how Kryron holds up to oxidation in free air. Both copper and silver oxidize and lose conductivity at contact points (why we have gold plated contacts). If Kryron oxidizes less then all manner of switches, connectors, power contactors, etc. could be improved.
The biggest problem for Bourgue industries is production capacity. Raw material and production facilities will most likely limit Kryron's use to lower volume applications such as body armor, vehicle and aircraft protection. Larger volume applications such as the electrical power industry will most likely have to wait for availability.
And while you are thinking about good applications, please include rocket science. Performance of missiles and rockets could have significant improvement if the structures could be made stronger and lighter. With the existing rocket motors, the payload and flight distance would be significantly improved. This would be a relatively low volume application and DARPA would probably pick up the tab.
Since GPGI was not a reporting company, I am curious if anyone knows where the audited stock resided at the time of the audit.
Did GPGI have some treasury stock that was authorized for issue but retained?
Would the treasury stock be restricted or unrestricted after the merge?
I wonder if it is possible that BORK has some unrestricted (from the merger) treasury stock that Bourgue could sell on the open market to fund the development of Bork Industries. If BORK is selling some company stock to fund activities, I would think this would be a good approach rather than selling the soul of the Company to the big boys.
How many shares are owned by former GPGI personnel. I would expect that after dragging on the floor for pennies would get really old. With the stock in the dollars, I would expect some of the older GPGI folks to go for the good life. Volume is still fairly light so I am expecting that as each former GPGI person goes for the good life by selling their stock and retiring, BORK will glitch on price but so be it. Some of these folks can pay off their house, get out of debt, and still have some good money left over to enjoy life.
If anyone has any general information about what is happening with former GPGI (now BORK) personnel, it would be very interesting. (Please - no names).
What is going on with the former GPGI gold extraction process? Is someone still working the project or has it been dumped?
The first 1000% was fast. The second 1000% may take a little longer but well worth the wait!
John - before you approach Bourgue about a split, please consider that a lot of money is required to set up production including facilities, equipment, and people. IMHO Bourque may be in a better position to raise the necessary funds with a respectable price of >$5 v.s. >0.50. Personally, I trust the board to make the correct decisions on such matters without our help. Now is not the time for investors to be selfish. It would take a lot of board time to even consider a split. I am sure they have a lot bigger fish to fry right now. JMHO
Question about service. On another board, it was mentioned that someone had the small cap pro service with an added feature of a mobile app. What is the mobile app and where is it described? Is this a service of IH?