South African radar company Reutech Radar Systems (RRS) is planning to develop new products next year, while remaining focused on its core businesses. "This is to maintain our momentum in both the defence and commercial markets," RRS CEO Carl Kies told Engineering News Online on Monday. RRS is a division of Reutech, itself part of the Reunert group.

"There are some projects and products we are working on that have great potential," he reported. The company designs, develops and manufactures military radars, mining radars and has more recently diversified into tracking systems for concentrated photovoltaic plants. Some 40% of its revenues come from its military business and 60% from its civil business. The domestic/export market split is similar, with the local market accounting for 40% of revenues and exports for 60%.

RRS is also exploring new markets. "On the defence side, we're looking at the Middle East and Far East, which present opportunities for us and we have some initiatives there," he stated. "On the mining side, we're looking at potential markets in the East. We're already well established in South America and Australasia and present in North America. But there are some big markets in the East."

The company also has a longer-term transformation initiative. It has expanded internship programmes for black trainees, to promote skills development. "This is an investment into the future, for both the company and the country."

RRS on Monday celebrated the launch of a book recounting the history of the company's first 25 years (1987 to 2012). It was established specifically to develop radars in and for South Africa. In his speech at the book launch, former Reunert group CEO Boel Pretorius recounted that, in 1986, "I desperately wanted to establish a radar capability in South Africa." The company was set up the next year and he affirmed that it would not have succeeded without the support of the Department of Defence and the Defence Force. "Twenty-seven years later, when we look back, I think it is something to be proud of. Very few companies last 25 years," he asserted.

Armscor acting divisional head: radar and electronic warfare Molahlegi Molope, speaking at the same event, praised RRS for, among other things, supporting initiatives to stimulate science and engineering education among the communities around its site. Furthermore, "[w]ith a company like RRS, we can reduce our unemployment rate because they are using our local people." He also commended the business for remaining 100%-South African owned.

The company's first major product was the truck-mounted Kameelperd (which translates into English as Giraffe) air defence radar, which has been in service for some 20 years now. RRS recently modernised these, significantly increasing their performance. The company now also exports military radars, and has supplied helicopter control radars to the Royal Norwegian Navy, which are installed and operational on its modern Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates.