CSI Wireless Inc.01/01/1970 |
| Remaining attached to marine roots |
| CSI Wireless Inc. was established in 1990 on the Canadian prairies to develop and supply GPS navigation and mapping systems to oil exploration and production crews in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Texas and Louisiana. The company’s first commercial product, introduced in 1993, was a module that plugged into conventional radio beacon GPS systems to provide the increased accuracy of Differential GPS (DGPS). This proved to be very useful, not only for the offshore oil industry but other marine applications, including commercial fishing. More than a decade later, the CSI SBX differential beacon module is still in world-wide use. |
| Jeff Adams |
Alberta Calgary-based CSI continued to develop and market marine-related GPS products throughout the 1990s, attracting customers such as Simrad and Raytheon Marine. The company also became involved in the agricultural guidance market - both ground-based and aerial-based Š when it acquired Satloc Inc. of Scottsdale, Arizona, in 1999.
With sales and interest in the Vector line exceeding expectations, the CSI R&D group is busy developing new products that utilise this technology. New products will be aimed at conventional applications and at several emerging applications, including machine automation, navigation systems, and alignment tools. View of the Future The success of the Vector series is enabling CSI Wireless to continue its pattern of achieving more than 95 per cent of its sales internationally. Europe has always been an important market for CSI GPS marine products but it is also becoming an increasingly important market for GPS agriculture and wireless products. In addition to Europe and North America, other increasingly important markets for CSI include Australia, New Zealand, Central America and South America. During the early stages of its development, CSI Wireless concluded that rather than establishing a large and expensive marketing department it would forge long-term alliances with large international OEMs and distributors that would do the marketing on its behalf. This strategy has resulted in branding and OEM supply agreements with a growing list of renowned companies including Motorola, Simrad, Leica, MX Marine, Ray Marine, Northstar, Astech and Sokkia. "These partnerships have opened far more doors and generated far more credibility than we would have achieved if we’d marketed ourselves entirely on our own," said Stephen Verhoeff, CSI’s President and CEO. "With this strategy, we end up in the background - with our customers’ names rather than our names on most of our products - but the trade-off benefits have been enormous." The success of Vector has also helped to ensure that the global marine market remains an essential part of the future of CSI Wireless. "Demand for highly accurate and affordable navigation, mapping and other marine products is growing rapidly on a worldwide basis," says Mr Verhoeff. "CSI is committed to serving that growth through innovation, product excellence and a strong pre-sale and post-sale focus on our customers." |
|
| Archive |
| Archive > March 2004, Volume 8, Number 2 > CSI Wireless Inc. |
|
