Page 37: of Marine Technology Magazine (March 2018)

Over the last 4 years, RBR has published a growth of around 20% every year, now employing twice as many people compared to 5 years ago. “That continued performance has shown us that this isn’t caused by currency exchange rates or winning a single big customer, but how we have adapted our products and services to today’s demands and market climate.”

Greg Johnson, President, RBR Ltd.

taken by scientists but by members of The USB is exemplifying the prob- surements are so important to under- the public. We have collaborations on lem that when there is no competition, standing what is going on in the planet, both coasts of North America with citi- no one seeks change. Yet small ideas but people were very averse to change zen science projects where ? shermen such as a USB connection can spark a until recently. Being able to use con- are taking instruments every week. Sci- series of product alterations that over sumer technology and put it into these entists analyse the data gathered in ag- time drastically change the way an in- commercial instruments make it so gregate and it helps feed back into the strument can be operated. Now, with the much easier to use. Any company that is management of the ? sh stocks to help introduction of Wi-Fi and updated soft- making oceanographic instruments but understand what’s going on. That is ware, we no longer need USB or a ca- can’t operate it using a phone is lost in a the kind of collaboration that never oc- ble. PCs are replaced with laptops, and backwater now. If you can’t take advan- curred before because the instruments laptops are replaced with mobile phone tage of that in order to make data collec- were too hard to use, and because they apps that can operate a sensor from any- tion super easy for customers, then you were hard to use only a limited number where in the world. are just building a barrier for yourself. of people could use them effectively.” “We are in an industry where the mea- Many of us in the industry already know

Sparking Innovation

A decade ago, customers would not conceive of asking for something new

Smooth, Easy unless the suggestion came directly from the manufacturers. Johnson said, “Once

Ship Repairs you did, people came to the realisation that ‘I don’t know why I haven’t been

Start Here!

asking for it’. They just didn’t realise that there was a possibility the product could be better. And once that happens, the customers start to get more excited and keep coming back to us with ideas of their own. That circular discussion accelerates innovation much quicker.” “For example, for the last 30 years high quality oceanographic equipment has been using serial ports even though

On-Time • In Budget it’s been 10 years since a computer has come with a serial port. The idea you

Top Quality • Safety Focused needed a series of clunky and unreliable adaptors was just accepted. When we introduced USB onto our instruments 8 years ago, it was surprising to people because it felt like a radical departure. www.detyens.com

Yet for us it was a logical adaption.” www.marinetechnologynews.com

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