Interstate Shifts Toward Nonmilitary Track

Continuing efforts to shift some of its revenue from military to commercial products, Interstate Electronics Corp. in Anaheim said it has received a $17.4-million order from General Motors Corp.’s railroad locomotive division for liquid crystal displays. The instruments will be used in locomotive cabs to display engine and power plant information.

The company, a division of Ohio’s Figgie International Inc., has a 20-year history of designing delicate display equipment for the military that can operate in harsh environments. The new commercial display instruments are “ideal for harsh industrial environments such as the locomotive industry,” said Vern Green, general manager of Interstate’s display products division.

The contract with GM’s Electro-Motive division “could lead to additional awards over the next five years,” he said.

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John O’Dell covers major Orange County corporations and manufacturing for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-5831 and at john.odell@latimes.com