TSL Products Shifts R&D Focus Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic

Company Responds to Heightened Demand in Remote Engineering

Northridge, CA, May 4, 2020 – As many broadcast stations are operating in a work-from-home environment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, TSL Products has altered its R&D roadmap for the short term, in response to specific customer requirements and to meet the current needs of the industry.

Since TSL’s acquisition of DNF Controls in April 2019, the U.S. team based out of Northridge, CA, has remained focused on the developing and supporting the Flex Control Network and range of Universal Control Panels. “We have many customers across the United States who use our Flex Control Network for critical production and playout in news-based Hub and Spoke systems that connect network stations. Due to heightened demands in remote broadcasts, we recently  altered our R&D to service our  Flex  customers and assist them in response to the pandemic,” says Fred Scott, regional sales manager U.S. at TSL and former sales director for DNF Controls. “With many  customers working remotely, rather than in-studio, we added a feature called ‘Web Keys’ that, when connected to any DNF powered Universal Switch Panel within the Flex network, allows users to control devices situated in major hub and spoke installations across the U.S. from home.”

Both TSL Products and DNF Controls are steeped in engineering excellence to its core and everyone on the R&D, product development and operations teams hold themselves to the highest possible technical standards. As an agile, R&D-led business, TSL has been able to re-prioritise very quickly in order to support its customers in their remote workflows, but above all, the company holds its staff to the highest regard. “Our number one priority is our staff, says Mark Davies, director of products and technology at TSL Products. “TSL has offices in the United Kingdom and Los Angeles so we’ve been keeping up with the latest Californian and UK requirements. All employees, other than those manufacturing products, are working from home. Our sales, product and support teams are still working with customers in full capacity. On the manufacturing side, we have only essential staff in place, allowing those who cannot work efficiently from home to practice safe social distancing.”

It has been a major time of change for the broadcast industry, both technically and commercially, and despite this, TSL has achieved significant growth since the acquisition one year ago. “A year on since acquiring DNF Controls, our seamless integration plans offer a focused response to customer needs, while the opportunity to bring new products and technologies to one another’s customer base has resulted in significant new business opportunities,” says Chris Exelby, Managing Director of TSL Products. “By keeping our ear to the ground and reacting to customer requirements, I am confident that we will continue to build on the strong foundations we have laid over the past year.”

During these unprecedented times, TSL will continue to work alongside its customers to evaluate its offerings and will work on presenting updates to better fit the current needs of its customers, while also keeping up with the demands of ever-changing broadcast requirements.