Ground Support Worldwide

APR 2017

The ground support industry's source for news, articles, events, product and services information.

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18 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE APRIL 2017 COVER STORY The Warrenton, OR-based company was challenged further to provide its customers flexibility when airlines chose not to aban- don the use of Boeing's 757. But LEKTRO acted quickly, and in one year brought the AP8950SDB-AL-250 tug to market and received OEM certifications in that same time frame. For the upgraded electric vehicle's range of operation and other impressive features, LEKTRO has been named the Ground Support Worldwide 2017 Product Leader of the Year. Humble Beginnings Established in 1945, LEKTRO has produced emission-free electric vehicles for decades. "We built electric before electric was even cool. So electric has been a part of our core product from Day 1," boasts company president Eric Paulson, whose father Wilt founded LEKTRO. "We had to convince people to use electric vehicles." Because electric vehicles were not accepted right away, Paulson is proud of his company's progress since it began oper- ating out of a renovated military aircraft hangar along the Pacific coast just after World War II. "We had to prove to the airports that our electric vehicle wouldn't die during a push- back," Paulson says. "To now be able to take that technology and handle up through the 757 – so every narrow-bodied aircraft that flies today – can be handled with one tug. That's quite an accomplishment." An Industry Need While attempting to limit the variety of equipment needed, the functions airlines required from its GSE has evolved. AviationPros.com/10017906

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