The F.O.D. Control Corporation

The F.O.D. Control Corporation is a privately held United States company focused on foreign object damage or foreign object debris control in aviation, aerospace manufacturing, military airfields, and civilian airport environments. Its work addresses the risk that loose objects, fragments, tools, hardware, stones, sand, paving material, and other debris can damage aircraft, engines, production equipment, or other aviation assets. Rather than operating as an aircraft manufacturer or airport operator, the company supplies practical equipment and program-management resources intended to help organizations create, strengthen, and maintain FOD-prevention systems. The business was founded by Gary Chaplin in March 1983 in San Bernardino, California. Its early development was linked to a United States Air Force requirement for better ways to remove debris from airfield pavements and aircraft operating surfaces. The company’s first product was the Power Bar, a permanent magnetic sweeper mounted to a truck bumper. It was designed to collect ferrous metal debris and was presented as a more effective replacement for gas-powered electromagnetic sweepers. According to the company’s historical account, the Power Bar came to be used at more than 90 percent of military airfields and at many civilian airports. Military customers subsequently identified a broader problem: magnetic sweepers could collect ferrous metal, but they could not address non-ferrous and nonmetallic debris such as sand, rocks, broken pavement, and hardware made from materials that were not attracted to magnets. Conventional truck-mounted vacuum sweepers and routine FOD walks did not always provide a complete solution. In response, Chaplin adapted the principle of a traction-driven lawn and leaf sweeper into a larger airfield machine. The resulting Fodbuster RockSweeper, introduced in 1987, was a towable sweeper whose brush mechanism was driven by the motion of its wheels. It was developed for both military and civilian airfields and expanded the company’s focus beyond magnetic metal collection. After the RockSweeper entered the market, The F.O.D. Control Corporation broadened its offering into a more comprehensive FOD-control portfolio. Products and materials described in reference sources include walk-behind vacuum sweepers, small-parts organizers, debris disposal containers, posters, decals, and downloadable PowerPoint training presentations. These products support both the physical removal of debris and the behavioral and organizational elements of FOD prevention, such as awareness, housekeeping, accountability, and standardized procedures. The company also developed an information and education business. In 2004, Chaplin published MAKE IT FOD FREE: The Ultimate FOD Prevention Program Manual, a program-oriented guide intended to help organizations establish or improve FOD-prevention practices. Following that project, the company launched FODNews.com as a free online publication covering FOD-control methods and related issues. The resource collected news links, instructional material, research reports, photographs, and videos. In 2012, the company was purchased by Garth Hughes. Hughes later launched FODProgram.com in 2014 as an online resource for managing FOD-prevention programs. The company’s present identity therefore combines industrial equipment, operational training, and specialized information services. Its positioning is highly focused rather than consumer-oriented: it serves organizations where debris-control procedures are part of flight safety, maintenance quality, manufacturing discipline, or operational risk management. Public reference material does not establish a broader corporate group, stock-market listing, current executive roster, or a separate international consumer brand. The company is best characterized as a specialist aerospace-support brand built around FOD prevention and control.

The F.O.D. Control Corporation was established by Gary Chaplin in March 1983 in San Bernardino, California. Its origins lay in a United States Air Force requirement for improved methods of removing debris from airfield pavements and aircraft operating surfaces. The company initially concentrated on ferrous metal collection. Its first product was the Power Bar, a permanent magnetic sweeper mounted on a truck bumper. The product was developed as an alternative to less efficient gas-powered electromagnetic sweepers and was subsequently used at a large majority of military airfields and at many civilian airports, according to the company’s historical account. The company’s military customers soon made clear that FOD prevention could not be limited to magnetic metal collection. Airfield operations also encountered sand, rocks, pieces of damaged pavement, and non-ferrous hardware. These materials could remain after ordinary FOD walks or evade conventional truck-mounted vacuum sweepers. Chaplin therefore adapted the operating principle of a traction-driven lawn and leaf sweeper into a larger machine suitable for airfield work. In 1987, the company introduced the Fodbuster RockSweeper, a towable sweeper using a brush-drive mechanism connected to the rotation of its wheels. The product was intended for both military and civilian airfields and addressed debris that could not be captured magnetically. After introducing the RockSweeper, The F.O.D. Control Corporation expanded from individual sweeping machines into a broader range of FOD-control products. The documented product range included walk-behind vacuum sweepers, organizers for small parts, debris disposal containers, and communications materials such as posters and decals. The company also supplied downloadable training presentations. This expansion reflected a wider view of FOD prevention: effective control required not only collecting debris, but also organizing work areas, educating personnel, communicating expectations, and providing suitable disposal methods. In 2004, founder Gary Chaplin published MAKE IT FOD FREE: The Ultimate FOD Prevention Program Manual. The manual represented the company’s move into formal FOD-prevention program guidance and gave customers a structured resource for developing or improving internal procedures. After the manual project, the company launched FODNews.com, a free online news and information publication devoted to FOD-control methods and related aviation issues. Its content model included links to news coverage, instructional resources, research reports, photographs, and videos. A change in ownership occurred in 2012, when Garth Hughes purchased the company. Under Hughes’s ownership, the company continued to extend its information and program-management activities. In 2014, Hughes launched FODProgram.com, described as a comprehensive online resource for FOD-prevention program management. The site complemented the company’s physical equipment, manual, and news service by focusing on the ongoing administration of prevention programs. The company’s documented evolution is consequently from a specialized magnetic-sweeper supplier into a focused aerospace-support business covering debris-removal equipment, workplace organization, training, awareness communications, publishing, and online program resources. Its customers and use cases are concentrated in aviation and aerospace settings, especially military airfields, civilian airports, and manufacturing environments where loose-object control is tied to safety, reliability, and quality. Public reference material identifies the company as private and based in Dallas, Texas, but does not provide a complete current management roster, detailed ownership structure, financial information, or a confirmed corporate website URL.

• 2014

  FODProgram.com launched

  [1]The F.O.D. Control Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Garth Hughes launched FODProgram.com as an online resource for comprehensive FOD-prevention program management.

• 2012

  Ownership transferred to Garth Hughes

  [1]The F.O.D. Control Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Garth Hughes purchased The F.O.D. Control Corporation.

• 2004

  MAKE IT FOD FREE manual published

  [1]The F.O.D. Control Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Gary Chaplin published MAKE IT FOD FREE: The Ultimate FOD Prevention Program Manual, extending the company’s work into formal FOD-program education.

• 1987

  Fodbuster RockSweeper introduced

  [1]The F.O.D. Control Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company brought a towable, traction-driven sweeper to market to collect non-ferrous and nonmetallic debris such as rocks, sand, and broken paving material.

• 1983

  Company founded in California

  [1]The F.O.D. Control Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  Gary Chaplin founded The F.O.D. Control Corporation in March 1983 in San Bernardino to address the United States Air Force’s need for improved airfield and aircraft-surface debris removal.

• 1983

  Power Bar introduced

  [1]The F.O.D. Control Corporationen.wikipedia.org

  The company introduced the truck-bumper-mounted Power Bar permanent magnetic sweeper for collecting ferrous debris from airfields and aircraft operating surfaces.

A specialist aerospace and aviation-safety supplier that combines FOD-removal equipment with prevention-program training, communications, and information resources.

• Permanent magnetic sweeper · 1983

  Power Bar

  The Power Bar was the company’s first documented product. It was a permanent magnetic sweeper mounted to a truck bumper and designed to collect ferrous metal debris from airfield pavements and aircraft operating surfaces. It was developed for military-airfield requirements and was positioned as a more efficient replacement for gas-powered electromagnetic sweepers. The company’s historical account states that it was adopted at more than 90 percent of military airfields and at numerous civilian airports.

• Towable airfield debris sweeper · 1987

  Fodbuster RockSweeper

  Introduced in 1987, the Fodbuster RockSweeper was designed to address debris that magnetic equipment could not collect. It used a traction-driven brush mechanism geared to the machine’s wheels and could be towed across airfield surfaces. The concept was intended to capture rocks, sand, broken paving materials, and other non-ferrous or nonmetallic debris for military and civilian aviation customers.

• FOD-removal equipment

  Walk-behind vacuum sweepers

  Walk-behind vacuum sweepers formed part of the company’s expanded equipment range after the introduction of the RockSweeper. They were intended for localized cleanup and routine debris-control work in aviation and manufacturing environments, complementing larger vehicle-mounted or towable sweeping equipment.

• Training manual · 2004

  MAKE IT FOD FREE

  MAKE IT FOD FREE: The Ultimate FOD Prevention Program Manual is a program-oriented publication associated with Gary Chaplin and the company. Published in 2004, it extended the brand beyond equipment into documented procedures, education, and organizational methods for establishing or improving foreign object damage prevention programs.

• Online news and information resource

  FODNews.com

  FODNews.com was launched as a free online publication focused on foreign object damage and debris issues. Its described scope included links to news articles, instructional materials, research reports, photographs, and videos, providing an information and awareness layer alongside the company’s physical FOD-control products.

• Online program-management resource · 2014

  FODProgram.com

  Launched by Garth Hughes in 2014, FODProgram.com was described as a comprehensive online resource for FOD-prevention program management. It represented the company’s continued move toward digital tools and structured program guidance for organizations responsible for aviation or aerospace FOD control.

• 2014

  Launch FODProgram.comProduct launch

  Background

  FOD-prevention customers required resources for administering complete programs, not only for purchasing cleanup equipment.

  Action taken

  Garth Hughes launched FODProgram.com as an online program-management resource.

  Aftermath

  The company broadened its digital offering and reinforced its positioning as a provider of both equipment and FOD-program information.

  Source

• 2012

  Change ownership through acquisition by Garth HughesM&A

  Background

  The privately held company changed ownership after nearly three decades associated with founder Gary Chaplin.

  Action taken

  Garth Hughes purchased The F.O.D. Control Corporation.

  Aftermath

  The company continued its equipment and information activities under Hughes’s ownership.

  Source

• 2004

  Expand into FOD-prevention program educationStrategy

  Background

  The company’s equipment business addressed physical debris removal, while customers also needed standardized training and program-management guidance.

  Action taken

  Gary Chaplin published MAKE IT FOD FREE: The Ultimate FOD Prevention Program Manual.

  Aftermath

  The company established a documented educational offering that complemented its sweepers and other equipment.

  Source

• 1987

  Develop and launch the Fodbuster RockSweeperProduct launch

  Background

  Customers needed a way to remove rocks, sand, broken pavement, and non-ferrous hardware that magnetic sweepers could not collect.

  Action taken

  The company adapted a traction-driven lawn and leaf sweeper into a larger towable machine with a wheel-driven brush mechanism.

  Aftermath

  The RockSweeper expanded the company’s offering from ferrous-metal collection into broader debris control for military and civilian airfields.

  Source

1. 1The F.O.D. Control Corporationen.wikipedia.org