Saab 2012 Annual Report Download - page 25

SAAB ANNUAL REPORT 2012 21
agreements are part of the strategy to increase our presence in
important key markets and offer business opportunities for large
parts of the organisation.
The acquisition of the German company MEDAV – specialised in
applications for signature management, mapping of communication
patterns and information technology – strengthens Saab’s product
portfolio in radio surveillance and intelligence fusion systems.
Priorities 2013-2016
Continue to invest in product development and renewal in
research and development. Sweden will continue to be Saab’s
largest market in terms of customer cooperation in R&D, but this
procedure is also highly relevant in other geographic markets.
A shared product database will be introduced during 2013. The
database contains information on existing and planned products
and their roadmaps. It will also support a more structured packaging
of Saab’s product offering, which will in the long run reduce planning
costs and improve the quality of offers (thereby reducing the risks
associated with project implementation). Gathering everything in
one system creates internal orderliness and also provides the sales
organisation with solid support in its dialogue with customers.
Continue to work closely with customers to further rene
product development plans, which will enable us to offer the most
cost-efcient solutions. With increased local presence, Saab will
come closer to its customers and be better able to anticipate their
future needs.
Future acquisitions will, as before, strengthen our competitive-
ness and offering in system integration.
Collaboration with academia (Swedish and foreign research
institutions and universities) remains important. Participation in
research projects are linked to long-term product plans, which
also provides access to crucial leading-edge expertise.
A new feature of academic collaboration is “export of the
Swedish innovation system”. When projects worth several bil-
lions are marketed, purchasing countries often want to link these
transactions to extensive counter-purchase requirements. One
new development is that they often want to link up local research
and development with these requirements. Together with Swed-
ish universities, the Royal Institute of Technology, the University
of Linköping and Chalmers, the Swedish cooperation model is
exported (often dubbed “triple helix”: industry, academia and the
public sector in collaboration). One good example of this is the
Swedish-Brazilian research and innovation centre established
in Sao Paulo to foster R&D collaboration betweenindustry and
academia in both countries.
Saab Ventures
Some of Saab’s development projects result in product ideas that
fall outside the core areas. These projects have been consolidated
in a corporate portfolio, where Saab Ventures’ role is to initially
drive and develop the businesses together with other co-investors
before nding a natural home for each company. Saab Ventures’
other purpose is to nd and invest in small, rapidly growing com-
panies that could eventually complement Saab’s core portfolio.
In 2012, virtual training and simulation businesses were acquired
from ISD Technologies AB through an asset deal. The acquired
businesses are now part of Saab Training Systems. New invest-
ments were made in C-leanship Aps and a few interesting feasibil-
ity studies.
Corporate portfolio
Company Specialisation
Ownership
interest, %
C-leanship Aps Hull Cleaning Vehicles 38
Cold Cut Systems AB Cutting Fire Extinguisher 29
Minesto AB Tidal Energy Solution 14
Protaurius AB Mobile Ballistic Protection 5
Wrap International AB Spectrum Management 23
DETECT AND WARN – RELIABLE
WORLD-LEADING RADAR TECHNOL-
OGY WITH MULTIPLE APPLICATIONS
Giraffe AMB is essentially an air defence radar, but it can do so much more.
With radar technology developed by Saab engineers, it can detect where a
rocket, for example, comes from and where it will land – all within a matter of
a few seconds and with an extremely high degree of precision. This tech-
nology is used in the Arthur weapon locating system. Arthur is designed to
monitor a specic sector, has a very large range and can extremely quickly
and accurately detect where ballistic trajectory objects (i.e., RAMs – Rocket
Artillery Mortars) are red from and where they will land.
Giraffe AMB is a rotating radar that provides 360 degree coverage. The
system provides sufcient range and precision to detect and warn of RAM
threats. The system is used with great success in, for example, Afghanistan,
where is used at bases to protect the troops living there. Many lives have
been saved by the system.
Sea Giraffe AMB is a naval variant of Giraffe AMB, though without a com-
mand and control system. The radar is integrated with the vessel’s CMS
(Combat Management System).
Arthur, Giraffe AMB and Sea Giraffe AMB share several common sub-
systems. Giraffe systems are unique, and there is not yet any other product
on the market with the same level of functionality and reliability. According to
customers who use it, the system achieves 98–99 per cent availability.