40 years in Britain!

When Rohde & Schwarz first entered the British market, it was characterised by its fierce competition and fast moving technology; factors that haven’t changed today. “The UK harbours some of the most creative and talented minds in the electronics industry, and we firmly believe that the business we have built to serve these minds has firm foundations for another forty years and more,” said Frank Mackel, Managing Director of Rohde & Schwarz UK (RSUK).

The company first entered this market in 1954, appointing Aveley Electric as their distributor. In 1971, Rohde and Schwarz purchased Aveley Electric and made a commitment to build a long-term presence in the country. Forty years on and RSUK’s competences have broadened considerably. Today, the company is a sales, service and solutions provider to customers in the fields of test & measurement, radio & TV broadcasting, IT security, radiomonitoring and radiolocation, as well as mission-critical radio communications.

RSUK has been able to build an industry-leading team of sales and applications staff. By ensuring that customers communicate directly with well-trained technical staff for support and product modifications, they have been able to ensure British customers receive "impeccable" service and a voice in guiding Rohde & Schwarz product development. RSUK’s local service organisation is another source of company pride today and an important differentiator from the competition.

An important milestone for Rohde & Schwarz’ success in the mobile communications market was when the BT-Cellnet and Racal-Vodaphone joint-venture was looking for a supplier to build the world’s first Type Approval System for GSM mobile phones. RSUK won the contract for Munich to build the system and also completed much of the software development. With demand for mobile phone production test systems soon taking off, wireless handset testers became a key constituent of Rohde & Schwarz’ product portfolio.

RSUK relocated to a purpose-built facility in Fleet (GB) in 1990, moving closer to many customers within the Armed Services community, including the British Ministry of Defense (MoD). In the 1990s, RSUK competed successfully against indigenous manufacturers to win several large contracts from the MoD, including Avionic Radio Test systems for the RAF that are still in service today. In the following decade, RSUK has supplied secure communications systems for among others, Royal Navy Fast Offshore Patrol Vehicles and Tornado aircraft, as well as Merlin and SeaKing helicopters.

Rohde & Schwarz’ firm commitment to the British market has won custom in other domains. Among the many organisations that RSUK has worked with is BBC Engineering, which awarded RSUK a contract to install the first 30 UHF TV relay systems throughout the country. Being able to offer a turnkey solution thanks to the capabilities of RSUK’s Services division, which provides the installation and commissioning expertise to complement our transmitter technology, was key to the deal. Today, Rohde & Schwarz is the main supplier of broadcast transmitters in Britain with over 900 transmitters installed.

After 40 years, RSUK remains an independent company with a commitment to always deliver – a commitment that is shared by their parent company. Their aim is that "the trust-based relationships that RSUK employees create with customers will see them continuing to choose Rohde & Schwarz well into the next century!"