Ambor Structures is a manufacturer and supplier of custom-made towers and is renowned as a trusted partner by leading towercos in the U.S., Africa, Europe, Asia and Australia. In this interview, the Ambor’s President Louis Chang shares his views on the company’s competitive edge, its growing relationship with towercos and the emerging needs of the global tower industry.
TowerXchange: Please tell us about Ambor Structures’ footprint and activities.
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
Ambor Structures, headquartered in St. Paul, Minnesota, is a global supplier of monopole towers and related structures to wireless telecommunications, renewable energy, lighting and utility customers.
Ambor engineers comprehensive monopole solutions. We’re known for collaborative engineering designs, superior customer service, our quality monopoles and patented QuikBaseTM foundations, which ship worldwide from our manufacturing facility in Shanghai, China.
Our China facility supports our customers and sales in Asia and Australia. Our U.S. headquarters spearheads relationship management and sales to a growing customer base in the Americas, Europe and Africa.
TowerXchange: Who are your main clients in the Americas? Which countries drive more business for you?
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
At this time, the U.S. market drives the largest portion of our business. We are fortunate to count on a diverse network of wireless telecom companies as clients, including American Tower and Stealth Concealment.
We’ve leveraged our logistics infrastructure and experience exporting our monopoles to wind energy clients in Latin America to expand our wireless telecom business there. We’re building strategic relationships in several South American countries to offer high quality monopoles.
TowerXchange: How much business comes from towercos compared to carriers?
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
The majority of our active business comes from towercos. Our clientele includes tier one, two, and three carriers, but we have found that the vast majority of steel sourcing is initiated directly by the tower owners.
TowerXchange: What is the typical capacity of structures being ordered by towercos in terms of the number of tenants they can accommodate?
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
The current model for tower owners is to build structures that can handle future loads of up to four, five or even six carriers. Acquisitions are forcing owners to find ways to modify existing structures in order to accommodate additional necessary equipment. As a result, we have seen the industry move towards larger poles that have enough capacity for additional loading in the future.
TowerXchange: Are you experiencing significant demand for concealed structures? And if so, in which countries are they adopting these solutions the most?
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
We have definitely seen an increased demand for concealed structures. As carriers seek to build capacity in large cities, the need for concealed structures has become a key focus. These structures include monopines, monopalms, flagpoles, unipoles, lighting poles, and a variety of adaptations to blend wireless telecom sites with the existing local environment. We are seeing this trend play out in the U.S., as well as in Mexico, Columbia, Peru, and other Latin American countries.
We have definitely seen an increased demand for concealed structures. As carriers seek to build capacity in large cities, the need for concealed structures has become a key focus
TowerXchange: What have been your experiences of exporting structures to South and Central America in terms of how taxation regimes affect your ability to compete with local manufacturers?
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
The cost and quality advantages achieved by our Shanghai manufacturing facility and U.S. design team enable us to better compete with both U.S. based and local suppliers around the world. In addition, certain tax treaties between China and a number of Latin American countries allow us to pass on savings to our customers in South and Central America.
TowerXchange: Tell us about the QuikBaseTM foundation: in what use case scenarios can it be utilised? And what are its USPs compared to traditional solutions?
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
Ambor’s QuikBaseTM foundation is an above grade, non-penetrating steel foundation that replaces concrete and requires no digging. The initial concept was to provide a portable monopole and foundation solution that would meet the needs of temporary wireless telecom sites. While the QuikBaseTM is still used as a temporary option, we have also designed and deployed the foundation in permanent situations where installation time, concrete access, or environmental concerns are an issue.
The QuikBaseTM can be assembled in as little as two hours, allowing for a complete installation of both the foundation and pole within one day.
The QuikBaseTM is not a replacement solution for all telecom sites. In many cases, a traditional concrete installation will be the better option, especially for larger poles designed to hold a larger number of carriers. The QuikBaseTM is an ideal solution for poles with heights ranging from 20’ to 120’ for a wide range of applications including temporary wireless telecom sites for a special event, drop-and-swap sites and permanent solutions (macro cell sites, small cell, rail, cameras, et cetera).
Compared to other temporary wireless telecom site solutions, the QuikBaseTM offers a cost-effective and robust option that can meet the requirements of both short-term and permanent installations.
TowerXchange: Finally, please sum up how you would differentiate Ambor Structures from competitive tower manufacturers.
Louis Chang, President, Ambor Structures:
Ambor Structures focuses on meeting the unique needs of each of our individual customers. We don’t just supply a monopole; we strive to be the best at engineering design, product quality, and customer service.
We manufacture our monopole towers and other related structures in an ISO 9001 facility in Shanghai, using ASTM GR 65 steel and AWS-certified welders, and following strict quality control procedures. As a result, we offer the highest quality products on the market.
We have also proven that we can support international markets just as well as the U.S. market. Frankly, the logistical and price advantages we achieved from years of experience in manufacturing and shipping products from China have driven our expansion. Today, we are a trusted supplier for towercos wanting to advance their reach into new markets.
Ambor structures will be exhibiting at the TowerXchange Meetup Americas, taking place at the Westin Diplomat Hotel and Spa on April 28 and 29, 2015. For more details, visit https://meetup.towerxchange.com/event/3aaed1e4-9f49-42de-a4e5-c91e6164d4ea/summary
