C. Plath Offers Next-Generation Navigation Technology

C. Plath, a subsidiary of Litton Industries, has manufactured navigational equipment since 1837. C. Plath is based in Germany, and has a sales division in Annapolis, Md.

The company offers several products to the marine industry, such as gyrocompasses, microprocessor- controlled conventional and adaptive autopilots, digital electromagnetic speed logs, automatic chart tables, rate-of-turn indicators, compass monitoring and heading reference systems, and electric mainsteering systems. Its latest technological introductions include a fiber optic gyrocompass (FOG), automatic chart tables Naviplot I and II, and a universal speed log with watertrack (EN-Log) and bottom track (GPS-NMEA 0183).

C. Plath targets its products and services at the commercial ship and passenger vessel sectors, including the opening fast ferry market. The company's development of the FOG, reportedly the first all-electronic gyrocompass for merchant marine applications, was aided by a research grant from the German Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

The device consists of an inertial measuring unit made up of three fiber optic gyroscopes and two inclinometers arranged in a strapdown configuration, and reportedly has high dynamic accuracy and reliability due to a short settling time and the lack of moving parts. This product was engineered by Litef, a sister company of C. Plath. The company reports that three characteristics drive its development of innovative products: quality; performance; and reliability. C. Plath has also been able to adjust to an adapting shipbuilding market, and in the last decade, has observed market leanings towards Integrated Bridge Systems and One Man Bridge Operation (OMBO). The company also works with various suppliers of Integrated Navigation Systems, such as NACOS, Vector and Databridge 2000. For more information on C. Plath Circle 175 on Reader Service Card