Endicott company poised for growth after baggage scanner gets TSA certification

ENDICOTT — SureScan Corp., a homeland-security technology and manufacturing company, ended 2014 with positive news that sets the stage for growth in 2015.

The Endicott–based provider of explosives-detection systems announced in December that its x1000 CT EDS checked- baggage scanning system received U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) certification. That makes it the first TSA-certified, multi-energy, fixed-source system, according to the company.

“We’ve been developing this technology for the past several years,” says LeeAnn Levesque, president and CEO of the privately held SureScan. Technology currently in use is an adaptation of a medical CT system and while well-suited to medical needs, was never intended for baggage use, she says.

The checked-baggage system is an array of dirty, dusty, high-speed conveyor belts. Things bump and jostle around, Levesque explains, which means the conventional CT system isn’t the best choice for scanning those bags. The traditional system features a rotating gantry — that center ring of a CT machine — and high-speed baggage coupled with moving parts isn’t always a winning combination, she contends.

SureScan’s x1000 system improves things with a fixed gantry, which means there are no moving parts except for the conveyor belt that carries the baggage through the machine, she notes. The result is a system that is more cost effective, both at the acquisition stage and through its lifespan.

The x1000 is also a more accurate system, Levesque says. “It’s very simple in its mechanical format, but very sophisticated in the technology that it uses.” Other systems provide density measurements to detect explosives in baggage, but the x1000 adds atomic-number information resulting in more accurate detection and fewer false alarms, she says.

SureScan’s x1000 also features a large rectangular scanning tunnel, designed to handle luggage of all sizes, and uses 50 percent less power than current systems. All of that adds up to improve the accuracy, speed, and cost efficiency of scanning checked baggage, Levesque contends.

Now that the x1000 has TSA certification, Levesque says the next step is conducting operational testing before the TSA begins acquiring machines for airports around the United States.

Hiring 

“We’re in a fairly aggressive hiring mode,” she says, in order to meet the testing and eventual production demands. SureScan currently employs about 28 people and Levesque expects to expand that workforce with additional engineering, technician, sales/marketing, and manufacturing employees at the company’s facility in Endicott.

A Jan. 13 check of the firm’s website found job listings for four open positions: controller, mechanical designer, software release engineer, and senior SQA engineer.

SureScan has about 30,000 feet of manufacturing space, but has access to additional space if necessary, she notes, so the company is well-poised to meet the manufacturing demand it expects to have later this year as the x1000 system rolls out. Levesque declined to disclose revenue information.

“It’s a challenge, but it’s so exciting,” she says of gaining the TSA certification and all the steps now to follow. As one of those steps, the company has already begun the process of applying for similar certification for the x1000 system in Europe.

In another step, the company is looking ahead to how it can tailor the technology to other baggage-scanning needs, including carry-on bags. The goal is always, Levesque says, to focus on being innovative with security through science and technology while keeping value in mind to produce the appropriate technology.

Founded in 2004, SureScan (www.surescaneds.com) is headquartered at 2507 Wayne St. in Endicott.