California Company Responds to Louisiana's Urgent Needs for Traffic Control Infrastructure

VISTA, Calif., Oct. 11, 2005 -- Even as the stranded survivors of Hurricane Katrina were being plucked from rooftops in flood-ravaged New Orleans, Vista, Calif.-based McCain Incorporated was responding to the urgent call from Louisiana's Department of Transportation and Development (DTOD) with an initial shipment of what may be the ultimate symbol of functioning infrastructure -- traffic signals.

In shipments of 1,500, McCain supplied 6,000 new traffic signal heads for installation in the devastated city in less than two weeks, enabling the DTOD to install and program New Orleans' traffic control system intersection by intersection as flood waters were drained and debris removed.

According to Jeffrey L. McCain, founder and chief executive officer of one of the world's largest manufacturers of traffic equipment and computer-based management systems, the major challenges involved his firm's ability to respond to Louisiana's request was securing ground transportation, and Louisiana's ability to receive and safely store the traffic signals in the days following the devastating hurricane.

As a vertically integrated manufacturer able to rely on its internal resources rather than multiple outsource vendors, McCain was able to immediately adjust production and distribution from its Vista and Tijuana, Mex., facilities to fulfill Louisiana's urgent needs, he said.

"Normally, the process from the time we are contacted by an agency through delivery of our products averages about 60 days," McCain said. "But when the situation is dire and the timeframe for rebuilding infrastructure is literally 'yesterday,' we can and do respond. Our number one priority is our customer; each of our employees is dedicated to accomplishing whatever is necessary to meet the customer's needs."

He noted that the State of Louisiana has long been a customer of McCain. The state utilized a "quick bid" process to procure the replacement traffic signals, selecting the company on its proven ability to deliver all the equipment needed quickly in addition to competitive pricing.

Currently McCain is working with agencies in all of the hurricane-affected Gulf States to supply other traffic management equipment needed to expedite the repair and reconstruction of obliterated infrastructure.

Established in 1987, McCain Incorporated is a global leader in the design and manufacture of state-of-the-art traffic management and testing technology, including vehicle signals, pedestrian signals, traffic controllers and cabinets, the hardware and software for programmable CMS signs, and Amber Alert signs. An industry leader throughout North America and 11 foreign nations, the company's software division has produced the technology that controls more than 40,000 intersections, in addition to more than 150 sophisticated traffic management systems such as the system that controls the 1,400 intersections in Washington, D.C. McCain has produced over 3 million traffic signals since its inception and presently employs approximately 500 persons at its headquarters in Vista, Calif., a 140,000-square-foot plant in Tijuana, Mex., and facilities in Sacramento, Oregon, Washington and Maryland. The web site is www.mccain-inc.com.