YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
YOUR BUSINESS AUTHORITY
Springfield, MO
Link Electronic’s ACE Series is an automated captioning engine that leverages advanced linguistics algorithms to convert speech into text and caption data. With a home office in Branson, officials say the technology enables broadcasters to offer closed-captioning services. It also serves federal government and military needs.
SBJ: Who are the main purchasers of the ACE Series?
Kathryn Armelie: The ACE series is sold worldwide, though the majority of our customers are based in the United States. The main purchasers are broadcasters primarily in the government. Because our technology is able to work offline without an Internet connection, we see a lot of clients with security needs. Outside of that, our customer base is very broad, ranging from major television networks and local television stations to universities, houses of worship and large companies.
SBJ: What does the competition for this product look like? Are many others USA-made?
Armelie: Competition for this product is small but impactful. There are of course other automated caption services that are free or inexpensive, but they lack the accuracy, security and performance of a system designed for the professional broadcast space.
SBJ: How do AI technologies impact this product?
Armelie: AI is a huge buzz right now, but realistically this product and products like it have utilized AI for machine learning and large language models for years. Link Electronics has manufactured broadcast equipment since 1989, primarily captioning equipment, so as speech-to-text technology advanced, we saw the ability to help clients who could not afford traditional captioning and provide them with accurate and affordable captioning, expanding accessibility to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. This boom is great for us because it allows us to create new products and services using new developments in AI.
SBJ: How does this impact the local economy?
Armelie: In 2019, Link Electronics moved from Cape Girardeau to Branson. Since that time, we’ve hired four new employees with a goal to expand in the next few years. This product and the needs of our customers are constantly evolving, so we need to grow and expand to meet these demands. Because we work with both federal and local governments, it is incredibly important to us and our customers that our products are made in the USA with components that meet rigorous standards. We try to utilize local companies to assist with sourcing and producing fabricated materials that are not only of high quality but also help to shorten our supply chain.
