Grintek unit wins more Indian contracts
September 22, 2004
By Roy Cokayne
Pretoria - Grintek Communication Systems (GCS), a division of listed technology company Grintek, had been awarded three more contracts by the Indian government worth more than R45 million.
Louis du Plessis, the head of sales and marketing, said yesterday the contracts were for the supply of its Phoenix range of high-frequency tactical radios and multiband very high-frequency and ultrahigh-frequency radios.
They followed a contract worth about R40 million to supply high-frequency radios to the Indian navy.
Du Plessis said the three new contracts included radios for the Indian army and air force and the Indian defence research and development organisation (DRDO).
He said the Phoenix family of radios was developed jointly with the European Aeronautic Defence & Space Company but all the work was done in South Africa at the GCS facility where the radios were produced.
Du Plessis said the success in securing the contracts was due to GCS`s high quality standards in producing the radios, which matched the best in the world in terms of performance while costing less.
He said the strong diplomatic and trade relations between India and South Africa had helped GCS to make inroads in the Indian market, which was very attractive due to its size.
Du Plessis added that GCS was in negotiations with the state-owned Electronic Company of India to explore the establishment of sustainable partnerships. Good synergies already existed with the DRDO.
The Phoenix radios are software controllable, can transmit data as well as voice signals and feature a frequency-hopping capability that prevents third-party eavesdropping, providing secure communications.
`There are only a few suppliers of tactical communication equipment in the world that are able to produce equipment that offers clients full autonomy in secure digital voice and data transmission,` Du Plessis said.
Grintek shares rose 2c to R1.32 on in Johannesburg yesterday. The electronics and electrical sector fell 0.61 percent.
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