Page 100: of Maritime Reporter Magazine (November 2012)

100Maritime Reporter & Engineering News WR Systems is a rare birdby many accounts. While the Norfolk, VA-based engineering firm earns the lion?s share of its business from the U.S. Navy, it was never fashioned specif- ically as a ?defense contractor.? While it houses an enviable stable of technical tal- ent, with access to some the world?s lead- ing experts in marine electronic systems, it does not consider itself an R&D facil- ity ? or a manufacturer ? rather a hy- brid in the middle that is fully capable ofboth. And while many marine system and service providers are scrambling to di- versify from the commercial maritime market, WR Systems is diving headlong into the commercial marine business, ex- panding its staff, facilities and global reach. Meet WR Systems, a company which today is now re-introducing itself to the global marine industry, with a new logo, a new swagger, but the relying on the same steadfast values and technical expertise that has helped it grow from a start-up in 1983 to its premium positionas a go-to source for complex technical matters for one of the world?s more de- manding clients: the U.S. Navy. The People?We are an engineering firm, period,? said David K. Edwards, President, WR Systems, Ltd., ?We never set out (from the beginning) to be a defense contractor, so we?ve never really adopted that men- tality.? Instead the company was fash- ioned from the outset as a problem solver, and with a cumulative 350 employees in Norfolk and Jacksonville, FL, and a rap- idly expanding global network of repre- sentatives, it delivers a sizeable technical punch to help solve some difficult prob- lems. ?We are a customer driven, matrix organization,? Edwards continued, stress- ing the fact that equal share is given to cultivating, nurturing, growing and main- taining employees as it is customers. Whether it on the established military, the growing commercial marine, or the newborn healthcare side of its business, Edwards maintains that a leading chal- lenge always is to not simply design a so- lution for solutions sake, rather deliver to the customer what they want. ?Our job is to understand what the cus-tomer really wants, and the key is to re- ally listen,? Edwards said. ?Our engineers may have ideas of grandeur, but we must base our solutions on reality, on the cus- tomer need.? With its largest customer being the U.S. Navy, Edwards maintains that the com- pany is well situated, actually serving more on the staffing side of the Navy, working with them to define the parame- ters of future systems, while at the sametime helping them fix systems that may be 40 years old or older, decoding work from companies that may no longer exist and modernizing the circuitry to extend the life (and the budget) of Navy assets instead of buying new. The company?s focus on attracting top talent was solidi- fied earlier this year when it added two venerable names ? Arthur Thomas Sr. and Mike Kellner ? to its team. Thomas, VP Maritime business, was both Presi- dent and owner of Seacoast Electronics until its sale to Radio Holland (RH) in2009. He then joined RH USA as Vice President Business Development. Before joining WRSystems he held the position of Director, Maritime Sales ? Americas at Thrane & Thrane. Kellner, Director, Maritime Business, is a board member ofRTCM, has held senior positions at Thrane & Thrane, Radio Holland and Fu- runo.The SystemsThe core strength of WR Systems is its work on Marine Electronics Suites, and a stroll through its Norfolk workshop is a literal stroll across the U.S. fleet, sur- face and subsurface, new and old, large and small. ?The Navy can usually find about 80 percent of the solution it needsoff-the-shelf. What we do is provide the final 20%,? Edward said. To that end, he sees the foray into com- mercial maritime business as a natural TECNICAL FEATURE ENGINEERINGEngineering a New PathWR Systems, long renowned for its prowess in delivering innovative engineered solutions to the U.S. Navy, is making waves in commercial maritime circles. By Greg Trauthwein ?We are an engineering firm, period,? said David K. Edwards, President, WR Systems. Edwards is quick to credit the company?s 350 employees (below is the EMSYS team) in Norfolk and Jacksonville as corner- stone to its success.MR#11 (98-105):MR Template 11/6/2012 10:11 AM Page 100