Saab Transponder Tech Reports Strong Market for AIS

Saab TransponderTech, a supplier of automatic identification systems (AISs) reports continued brisk sales of its AIS products, including shipboard transponders and base stations. Saab achieved two major milestones this year when it shipped its 10,000 shipboard AIS transponder and also installed the 1,000 shoreside AIS base station, according to Gunnar Mangs, vice president sales and marketing for Saab TransponderTech. Saab TransponderTech was one of the original pioneers in AIS technology and is currently offering its fourth-generation AIS products. The Saab R4, introduced in 2003, is the leading marine AIS transponder on the market. The product is type-approved to meet the IMO carriage requirements for AIS, and is fully licensed under the Swedish patent for AIS technology. The R4 product now also exists in an Inland Waterways version as well as in various versions for Coast Guard and Navy. Saab has distribution agreements with most of world’s large marine electronics suppliers and system integrators, and has the industry’s most extensive after-market service network, ensuring prompt shipboard service in virtually any port in the world. The AIS base station business is rapidly expanding, according to Mangs, who said that Saab is currently involved in several major procurement programs. “There is rising demand for AIS base stations as a key component in national coastal surveillance and vessel traffic control systems,” said Mangs. “Saab is uniquely positioned to meet these growing requirements, with a range of commercial off-the-shelf solutions.”