Celsius and Saab invest in systems for safer air and sea traffic
Celsius and Saab invest in systems for safer air and sea traffic Celsius and Saab are each acquiring 50% of GP&C Sweden AB from the Swedish Aerospace Corporation. GP&C Sweden AB develops and markets a system for transferring position and identity information between aircraft and ships. The acquisition will provide the companies with a strong platform for further development, manufacture and marketing in a segment that is expected to see rapid expansion in the coming years. The orientation of GP&C Sweden AB has mainly been applications in shipping. In 1998, the company had a turnover of SEK 8 million. Activities will be coordinated with the existing operation carried on jointly by Celsius and Saab in this field under the product name LINCS, which has mainly been oriented towards aircraft applications. The LINCS and GP&C products are based on a Swedish patent. They utilize GPS (Global Positioning System) to determine the operator's own position, which is transmitted together with identification data and other information to other users of the system within range of the system's radio equipment. From an aircraft with a monitor showing a map display, it is thereby possible to see the positions of all other aircraft equipped with the system as long as they are within radio range. There is no need to log into the system. Instead, operators are connected and automatically allocated a time window within which data is transferred. The acquisition will strengthen the platform for continued investment in an expanding market where the continuous increase in traffic sets high demands on safety and efficiency. Initially, the market will consist of large aircraft and ships for passenger and freight traffic. Celsius and Saab already have worldwide networks with efficient market coverage. Lars Bergholtz, currently Purchasing Manager at Saab AB, Commercial Aircraft, will be appointed President of the company. The Chairman will be Ingvar Johansson, head of Professional Management Systems at Celsius. Celsius is a high technology international industrial company with home markets in the Nordic countries, the USA and Australia. Based on an extensive, common technology platform, operations are carried on in three main areas: Defense, Commercial Aircraft Maintenance and Business Development, currently comprising Materials Technology, Explosives and Information Technology. Turnover is SEK 12 billion and the company has about 11,000 employees. Saab is active mainly in the aircraft, space and defense industry, and offers advanced products and systems based on sophisticated information technology. Annual turnover is about SEK 9 billion and 8,000 persons are employed. For further information, please contact: Kjell Göthe, Vice President tel 08 - 463 00 19 Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Celsius AB mobil 070 - 583 95 44 Lars Jagerfelt, Vice President tel 013 - 18 71 65 Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Saab AB ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/01/13/19990113BIT00240/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/01/13/19990113BIT00240/bit0002.pdf