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McCain takes on the SWARCO name

It was in 2016 when US-based ITS supplier McCain became a part of the SWARCO family.
By David Arminas August 22, 2022 Read time: 3 mins
SWARCO McCain
Now officially SWARCO McCain, the company was recently recognised by the US state of California for helping to make a school road crossing area much safter for pedestrians and drivers, thanks to its McCain 2070LX ATC controller (image courtesy SWARCO McCain)

US ITS provider McCain, owned by the SWARCO group since 2016, has been formally rebranded SWARCO McCain.

SWARCO McCain, based in San Diego in the US state of California, designs, develops, and manufactures intelligent transportation systems and traffic control products. SWARCO Group specialises in ITS and road marking systems operating in more than 80 countries.

SWARCO said that with the formal rebranding the Austria-headquartered SWARCO Group follows its branding strategy of “One SWARCO”.

It was in 2016 when McCain became a part of the SWARCO family in 2016 has helped SWARCO in become a major player in the US ITS market, according to the group, and has made significant contributions to group revenues.

“We had decided to wait with any rebranding because the McCain brand was much better established in the US ITS market than SWARCO,” said Michael Schuch, chief executive of Swarco. “Now, six years later and following the acquisition of Dynniq Mobility meanwhile rebranded SWARCO, we have evolved into the leading global player in the ITS industry.”

“With this step, we underline McCain’s belonging to SWARCO but at the same time keep it recognizable for our American customers as a well-established brand with high quality products and solutions,” said Carl McCollum, vice  president of now SWARCO McCain.

“SWARCO McCain  benefits from SWARCO’s global reach, its values, its business network and its access to leading hardware and software products and solutions,” said McCollum.

The company will debut its new name at the ITS World Congress at the Los Angeles Convention Center, September 18-22, where visitors will find McCain products on the SWARCO booth #1139.

Meanwhile, SWARCO McCain was recently recognised by Caltrans, the state of California’s transportation agency, for its work in the field of ITS. The City of Santa Clarita partnered with SWARCO McCain and Kimley Horn and Associates to reduce traffic congestion and improve pedestrian safety in a busy school zone. This was done by implementing an exclusive pedestrian crossing by time of day, known as a pedestrian scramble. This effort earned the City of Santa Clarita recognition in the Caltrans annual Excellence programme which highlights its best work and the work of its partners.

The intersection was upgraded to a McCain 2070LX ATC Controller equipped with Omni eX Intersection Control Software. “During school start and end times, when pedestrian demand is very high, the controller operates with an exclusive pedestrian phase,” said Luke Baker, senior ITS engineer at now SWARCO McCain. “The company worked alongside Santa Clarita’s team to implement a complex controller timing configuration. Once per cycle all the vehicles are stopped while all of the pedestrian movements come on together, allowing more people to cross the street safely,” said Baker.

Since the implementation of the pedestrian scramble, Seco Canyon Road and Decoro Drive, traffic circulation has greatly improved at the intersection. Motorists no longer need to wait for large volumes of pedestrians to cross the street during a green light before they can make a turn.

The project resulted in reduced congestion and shorter travel times for cars, eliminated conflicts with cars and pedestrians and enhanced pedestrian safety for students and parents who use the crosswalks daily.

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