Winter Newsletter

Steatite wishes you all a very happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year! We’re looking forward to working with you on new and current projects in the coming months. What have we been busy with in the run up to Christmas? Read our latest newsletter for an update.

Enabling a secure voice, video, and high bandwidth data network anywhere

We’re delighted to have confirmed a partnership between our Communications Business Unit and CISTECH Solutions.

We’ve been working closely with CISTECH for a number of years and offer their MACE, GV1 and Oi Ecosystem communication solutions to customers in military, defence, first responder and security sectors, or for any application which requires reliable and scalable networking.

MACE (Mobile Ad-hoc Communications Environment) is the situational awareness software which drives our CRiB and provides a flexible dynamic interface for the visualisation, configuration, and control of operational aspects of a MANET network. MACE’s ability to self-learn the network reduces complexities of adding nodes to the interface and provides a readily accessible overview of your deployed network from the perspective of the operator.

The GV1 suite of products offers radio over IP gateway solutions, allowing users on smartphones to talk to traditional and MANET based radios and laptops, and transmit voice over SATCOM, all without a server. The rugged, compact form factor of the GV1 is ideally suited for mission-critical voice communications over IP networks in fixed and mobile roles.

The Oi Ecosystem consists of software and hardware devices designed to provide push-to-talk voice technology in any environment. These provide end-to-end AES-256 encryption between desktop, mobile and radio gateway devices, for total protection of voice communications across your network.

This partnership further strengthens our portfolio of products enabling a secure voice, video, and high bandwidth data network anywhere, offering unparalleled performance in critical situations and challenging environments.

Securing growth of our Antenna operations in North America

We’re delighted to announce that we’ve acquired long-term partner, Q-Par Antennas USA.

Q-Par, based in San Diego, California, will become part of the Antenna Business Unit of Steatite following acquisition by our parent group, Solid State plc.

The acquisition ensures security of distribution in the US market and approved supplier status for key US defence and security prime contractors. It also brings the potential to establish an “on shore” antenna production capability based at our facility in Fountain Valley, California.

Commenting on the acquisition, Gary Marsh, CEO of Solid State plc, said: “The acquisition of Q-Par Antennas secures a valuable distribution channel and gives the Group an opportunity to further invest in the medium term growth opportunity in the US markets. As Solid State broadens its footprint and product offering in the US market, locally recognised and accredited sales channels enable scale, particularly into niche markets.”

Read the full press release.

Strengthening global partnerships

Our Managing Director, Alastair Wallace and Head of Computer Sales, Andy Weekes, were able to mix business with pleasure during their recent trip to Taiwan. It was an excellent opportunity to strengthen relationships with long-term suppliers and forge new partnerships, enhancing our product portfolio in the UK and supporting our growth plans.

Find out more about our portfolio of rugged computers on our Embedded Website.

Securing the Olympic Games

Steatite was proud to be involved in keeping the Olympic games running smoothly and safely in France this year.

Our partner in France, DataHertz, was engaged to deliver a secure and robust network for maritime domain awareness during Olympic sailing events. Thanks to a long-lasting relationship with the technical experts from Steatite and continuous best practice sharing, DataHertz designed and implemented a Wave Relay® network from Persistent Systems covering the whole Olympic maritime playground.

Rather than relying on a 4G network at a time of heightened local traffic, authorities needed a more secure and reliable network to keep communication flowing. So, a Wave Relay network was chosen, allowing French law enforcement and military units to seamlessly pass real-time text and geolocation data throughout the Marseilles Marina. Network points were established on vessels and shore infrastructure to cover the area without requiring pre-existing infrastructure.

Olivier Escaffre, Director of Business Development for DataHertz, explained that “Forces at sea and on the ground passed key information across the network to Delta Suite (French Command and Control application) to provide increased coastal security to the French maritime authorities (Préfecture Maritime de la Méditerranée).”

Chris Harrington, Divisional Director at Steatite Communications, said that “building a Wave Relay network for this high-profile purpose proves its robustness and scalability. It’s an ideal solution for surveillance and tracking of maritime activity, not just for defence operations but for any application requiring secure, reliable situational awareness.”

Discover the potential of Wave Relay networks on our Communications website.

Steatite and Edinburgh University – a winning Team!

Formula Student is Europe’s most established educational engineering competition. Over 100 universities enter each year, aiming to develop practical engineering experience as well as soft skills including business planning and project management.

Edinburgh University Formula Student (EUFS) team saw great success again this year, winning the AI class and making FSUK history with their Autonomous Driving System (ADS) car. Bringing home the 2024 FS-AI Class overall prize adds to their trophy cabinet already bursting with 7 years’ success in different disciplines.

Steatite Computing were delighted to sponsor the team and provided an essential element in the winning EUFS car – the central computer which runs the self-driving software. A Cincoze DS-1202 computer processed data from sensors on the vehicle to calculate the optimal commands to send to the car.

The computer was chosen due to its robustness, reliability, and high performance. The unit is resistant to the extremes of temperature, shock, vibration, moisture, and dust, which was essential in ensuring the EUFS team were able to push the car to its limits (and beyond) without fear of hardware failure.

Congratulations EUFS! See more about this innovative team of young engineers and their ground-breaking car: https://www.eufs.co/

Find out more about our rugged computing solutions on our Computing website.

Steatite wins ELINT contract with Rohde & Schwarz

Steatite’s Antenna business unit is delighted to announce it has won a contract worth nearly £3m to design and build ELINT (Electronic Intelligence) components for Rohde & Schwarz.

Rohde & Schwarz is a global technology group supplying leading-edge products and solutions to empower industrial, regulatory and military customers to attain technological and digital sovereignty.

ELINT antennas are used to intercept RF signals, usually forming part of a larger subsystem. Our antennas in this case will be deployed worldwide in a defence application. The contract was signed in October 2023 and, following extensive testing and refining, we expect to deliver the first installment of antennas in August this year.

This strategic partnership is for long term product development and we expect further orders of a second iteration to be placed shortly.

Wave Relay Product Training

We’re Europe’s leading provider of training services for the Wave Relay® product range, with support direct from Persistent Systems.

Our courses give users the skills to successfully design, configure, deploy, operate and maintain a functioning Wave Relay® MANET solution. Essential learning for anyone responsible for mass configuration, network administration, and implementation of the MPU5 and Wave Relay. 

Find out more: https://steatite-communications.co.uk/support/training/ 

Steatite launches fresh new logo

We’re thrilled to share some exciting news with you – the launch of our brand new logo, aligned with our extended group’s fresh visual identity! As a Solid State plc group company, we’re proud to present our unified brand identity, alongside our sister companies Solsta and Custom Power which have already undergone this transformation.

We recognise the importance of a strong visual identity that reflects our commitment to innovation and excellence. The new logo reflects our shared values, vision, and dedication to delivering excellence across all aspects of our operations.

This fresh new look not only modernises our brand but also reinforces our position as a trusted industry leader in the field of electronics manufacturing. We’re excited to share this new chapter with you and are confident that our new logo will resonate with all who interact with our products and services.

Changes at the top for Steatite and Custom Power

This financial year sees some exciting management changes in the Solid State group.

Alastair Wallace steps up to the role of Managing Director of Steatite. Alastair joined Steatite in 2019 and after consistently driving sizeable growth through the business as Commercial Director now takes on full responsibility for our Computing, Communications, Antennas and Imaging Business Units.

Steatite’s former Managing Director, Matthew Richards, now becomes MD of Custom Power to support our teams in Somerset and Newcastle in the UK and California in the US, offering a seamless international experience for our global battery customers. Matthew has enjoyed 8 years guiding Steatite from strength to strength, and is looking forward to focusing on further developing our custom battery design expertise on both sides of the Atlantic. He will also continue as a Solid State plc board member.

It’s going to be a busy year as we’ll also share information on a new UK site in the coming weeks, follow our social media channels to stay up to date.