2022: a year of enhancements, innovation and events

Despite the challenges of the pandemic, the struggling economy and the turbulence within the logistics industry, aae technologies has continued to swim against the current and deliver exceptional results; pushing the boat out with new products and pioneering new solutions for the marine industry.

That said, 2022 has been a testing time for all industries, with rising costs and logistical issues in the supply chain impacting lead times and cost rises. We have been working hard to mitigate this by diversifying our supply chain network, vastly increasing stock quantities on order and committing to holding more systems, where possible, on the shelf ready to be shipped.

For now, we hope that you enjoy reading our roundup of 2022 – thank you once again for your support, and we look forward to sharing more exciting innovations in 2023.

Launches and developments

Our design team has been busy pushing new innovations, addressing clients’ needs and updating functionality to keep our clients ahead of the curve. These include:

Easytrak USBL upgrades

Earlier in the year we updated the accuracy and performance of our entire Easytrak USBL product offering, including a redesign of the Nexus 2 and Pyxis omni-directional transceivers, which now boast 7 internal elements instead of the previous 5.

Launch of BluFin

Autumn also saw the launch of this cool pocket-sized device with Bluetooth connectivity, which gives customers the freedom to charge and configure 1100 and 1000 series Mini beacons on the go, replacing the 1082 Smart Switch charger.

Milestone defence contract

We were delighted to sign a contract for the supply of multiple MIPS 2 USBL systems to a major defence client – not least because it represents the 300th USBL system assigned to military service.

New MiniPod Submersible GNSS receiver developed for major construction client

A large construction company has purchased a number of re-engineered MiniPods and high accuracy submersible inclinometers to be used on a large wind farm installation project. These newly developed MiniPods and inclinometers are to be used for accurate tower installations including GNSS derived heading and inclination.

The re-engineered MiniPod is able to use corrections from each other to calculate inclination and heading between the MiniPods, as well as wirelessly transmit positioning data and receive RTK corrections. The secondary high accuracy inclinometer will pass data to the MiniPod, which will also utilise the wireless network to give the accurate pitch and roll of the platform to the survey team.

Significant order received for modified 1559 release beacons

An offshore engineering client, specialising in lifting and handling solutions, has placed a large order of acoustic release beacons for a project commencing in spring 2023. The re-engineered 1559 release beacon includes a large rope bucket and 40m length of rope.

The whole unit – which includes flotation collars – is designed to fit on an engineered platform and acoustically release, bringing up the 40m of rope which will be attached to a much larger umbilical.

The umbilical is a large piece of the final phase of the project and is imperative that it’s returned safely to the surface to ensure project completion. The 1559, which uses the same acoustic design as our popular 1519 release beacon, is designed specifically for long deployments (up to 5 years at sea) and is rated to 250kg working load limit (WLL).

Coming soon

We will be launching new systems across all product lines in 2023, further enhancing our acoustic positioning, geophysical and submersible GNSS range. Stay tuned for further information!

New joiners

As the world continues to focus its energies on renewable energy, we’ve needed to bolster our team to keep up with demand. We’re pleased to have made four fantastic appointments in 2022, representing expertise across the breadth of our production and delivery.

Andrew Watts joined us as a Design Engineer, Jordan Phillips as Purchasing Assistant, Tomasz Prudlak as Quality Control Inspector, and Nick McClean as Assembly Technician, we also have a number of new appointments lined up in the new year.

Movers and shakers

Adam Darling, our Group Chairman and MD, was honoured to attend a private lunch in May at Canada House, London, hosted by The Honourable Tim Houston, Premier of Nova Scotia. The objectives of the lunch were to celebrate Nova Scotia – UK relations in the ocean-tech sector and to discuss further opportunities.

As one of only five industry-leading companies to be invited, we were very pleased to join the discussion

Closer to home, we welcomed several work experience students over the summer; and made two well-deserved promotions. Congratulations to Ashleigh Mingay, promoted to Operations Co-ordinator in February, and Bonnie Green, promoted to Purchasing Supervisor in August.

Out and about

From the huge showcase that is Oceanology to SAGEEP, WEDA to IMAGE: this year has seen a return to some of the world’s most high profile industry events, and it’s been a pleasure to connect with the global ocean tech community once again.

Our whistle-stop tour of the world took in no less than 20 events, covering UK/Europe, North America and Asia. In fact, our attendance at OSEA just last month in Singapore felt really significant, as it signalled our return to Asia for the first time since the pandemic.

We look forward to meeting many more current and future clients at similar events in 2023. We’ll share our events calendar early next year so that we can make sure to meet you in person if you’re headed to any of these.

But for now – if we don’t speak or see you before the start of 2023 – have a very Happy New Year!