iRobot 2009 Annual Report Download - page 45

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Form 10-K
customers in each of our markets, which provides an enhanced position from which to improve our distribution and
product offerings.
In the United States, we maintain an in-house sales and product management team. Outside of the United
States and Canada, we sell our consumer products through distributors and our website supported by our
international sales team. Our consumer distribution strategy is intended to increase our global penetration and
presence while maintaining high quality standards to ensure end-user satisfaction.
Government and Industrial
We sell our government and industrial products directly to end users and indirectly through prime contractors
and distributors. While the majority of government and industrial products have been sold to date to various
operations within the U.S. federal government, we also sell to state and local as well as to international government
organizations. Our military products are sold overseas in compliance with the International Traffic in Arms
Regulations, or ITAR. We have sold our products to the governments of various countries in the past several years,
including the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway, Israel, Australia, Republic of Korea, Singapore
and others.
Customers for our government products, and research and development contracts for the year ended January 2,
2010, include:
Robot Product Customers Research and Development Contracts
• U.S. Army • U.S. Army Future Combat Systems
(FCS/BCTM) Program
• U.S. Marine Corp • U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA)
• U.S. Army and Marine Corps Robotic Systems
Joint Program Office
• U.S. Space and Naval Warfare Systems
Command (SPAWAR)
• U.S. Navy EOD Technical Division (Joint
Services Explosive Ordnance Disposal
Procurement Agency)
• U.S. Army Tank-Automotive and Armaments
Command (TACOM)
• U.S. Air Force • Technical Support Working Group (TSWG)
• Domestic Police and First Responders • U.S. Army Armament Research, Development
and Engineering Center (ARDEC)
• Foreign governments, including the United
Kingdom, France, Germany, Sweden, Norway,
• National Center for Defense Robotics (NCDR)
Israel, Australia, Republic of Korea, Singapore • Office of Naval Research (ONR)
Our government products are sold by a team of sales specialists with significant experience in selling to
government and defense agencies. All of these individuals have years of experience selling military products to
government procurement offices, both in the United States and internationally. We maintain a direct sales and
support presence in Europe.
Customer Service and Support
We also invest in our ongoing customer service and support. Consumer customer service representatives, the
majority of whom are employees of outsourced service organizations, are extensively trained on the technical
intricacies of our consumer products. Government and industrial customer representatives are usually former
military personnel who are experienced in logistical and technical support requirements for military operations.
Marketing and Brand
We market our home robots in the United States to end-user customers directly through our sales and product
management team. We also market our consumer products in the United States through our retail network of more
than 30 retailers and internationally through in-country distributors and our international sales team. We market our
government and industrial products directly through our team of government sales specialists to end users and
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