Milestones & achievements

1986 Kingfisher founded by Bruce & Rosmin Robertson in their garage in Victoria, Australia
1987 World's first handheld laser source, exported to USA, Japan, New Zealand
1987 Long-range, multi-party fiber talk set, won major contracts worldwide
1988 World's first fully integrated return loss meter, won major contracts worldwide
1989 World's first no-warm-up light sources, Won major contracts worldwide
1991 Moved out of garage, into a small factory based in Rowville
1992 World's first handheld solid state VFL, using our own laser pig-tailing
1993 Asia's first commercial in-house traceable optical calibration laboratory
1994 ISO 9001 certification
1994 Introduced 7xxx series product framework
1994 World's first fully automated handheld attenuator (still the world's most accurate!)
1995 76xx power meters, offering the world's best accuracy (3%)
1996 Industry's first 3-7 Year Warranty, 3 year calibration cycle
1996 Telecom Australia (now Telstra) Export Endorsements (entire product line)
1996 Handheld instrument control software KITS™
1996 Cold Clamp™ novel cable fault finder (patented)
1996 First website
1997 Inexpensive interchangeable connectors (patented)
1997 Photonics Circle of Excellence Award - Cold Clamp
1999 Dun & Bradstreet/Age - business award
2000 OEM alliance with Hewlett Packard/Agilent Technologies
2001 Moved into custom-built factory in Scoresby
2002 Implemented demand forecasting & ex-stock delivery capability
2002 Governor of Victoria Export Award
2002 Austrade National Export Award finalist
2003 Survived .com bust
2003 KI3xxx power meter and light source world's best battery life
2003 Simple loss test set
2004 World's fastest two-way fiber tester introduced
2005 Added plastic fiber capability to two-way fiber tester
2005 Traceable loss & power calibration at CWDM wavelengths, world's best accuracy (1%)
2005 G2 connector (Patented)
2005 Inducted into Victorian Manufacturer's Hall of Fame
2005 Victorian Photonics Network - Achievement Award
2006 World's first two-way 4 wavelength fiber tester
2006 World's first .NET (XML) compliant reporting software KITS™ 3.03
2006 Sprint-Nextel (now KGP Logistics) supply contract signed
2008 KI 9000 range of budget handheld optical testers
2008 World's first Encircled Flux compliant light sources (released before EF spec!)
2010 FiberSafe microscope with innovative optics for clarity and eye safety
2011 World's first handheld test kits optimized for MPO ribbon fiber connectors
2011 KI 2600 range of premium handheld optical power meters
2012 KI 2800 / 2400 range of premium handheld optical light sources
2012 KI 2700 / 2300 range of optical loss test sets
2015 Moved factory to 720 Springvale Road, Mulgrave 3170
2015 World's first handheld POF variable optical attenuator
2016 World's first loss test reporting solution accepted by all major industry sectors
2016 World's first 16/32 MPO test solution
2017 Range of improved POF testers
2018 Innovative MPO Visual Cable Verifier Kits
2019 Optical calibration laboratory re-accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2017
2020 innovative KI200 series two-way loss & length tester (during coronavirus lockdown)
2021 Launched innovative optical power leveller
2022 Lightwave Magazine Innovation Award received for loss, length & ORL tester
2023 Acquired by Tempo Communications
2024 Launched innovative power meter with improved VE detector

 

Certifications & Accreditations

Optical Calibration Laboratory is ISO/IEC 17025 accredited by NATA ILAC NATA 17025 Traceable

ISO 9001 (since 1994) - Unaudited since 2020

Kingfisher products have a multitude of certifications. Please contact a distributor for other certifications relevant to your region.

Keep Updated

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