Investment keeps Rohde & Schwarz stable in challenging year

The volume of incoming orders was steady at approximately 1.8bn Euro over the past fiscal year (July 2013 to June 2014). Net revenues of 1.75bn Euro was on target. At the end of the fiscal year, the company had some 9800 employees, as compared with 9300 a year earlier.

The wireless communications drove Rohde & Schwarz’s test and measurement business. The company defended its market share and though demand from the wireless sector has slowed, new product introductions enabled Rohde & Schwarz to achieve positive results with the mobile network operators. Together with its subsidiaries ipoque and SwissQual, Rohde & Schwarz can offer T&M solutions for the entire lifecycle of a wireless network from a single source. There were also good gains in the wide-base market with general purpose T&M equipment grouped under the "Value Instruments" label.

In the broadcasting business field, Rohde & Schwarz has sought to extend its reach from established customer segments in transmitters and test and measurement equipment. For example, Rohde & Schwarz already offers solutions for the complete transmission path of the high-resolution 4K video format, from ingest, post production and A/V headends to transmission. The company has won important reference projects in this area, such as the Rohde & Schwarz 4K end-to-end system chosen by Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) in South Korea.

The secure communications business field felt the effects of geopolitical developments and the fiscal restraint in many countries. Nevertheless, Rohde & Schwarz says it is well-positioned for the future due to its strong expertise in key technologies and decisive investments in innovative products. The new generation of software defined radios ensures high data rate anti-jam communications within the framework of network centric operations. In air traffic control, Rohde & Schwarz now provides virtual control centres operating across national boundaries, backed by a fully IP-based voice communications system. Important reference projects secured in this area have sent out positive signals.

The radiomonitoring and radiolocation business field also had a successful year and maintained the high level of incoming orders reported in the previous year.

Rohde & Schwarz is intensifying its investments in the cyber security market. The new subsidiary gateprotect, acquired in July, will enhance the electronics group's expertise in network security. Rohde & Schwarz also plans to strengthen its position in cyber security in the B2B segment.