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.
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