Many will look back on 2022 as a year marked by conflict and social unrest, from the war in Ukraine to protests in Iran. In such defining times, we’re compelled to assess our role and responsibilities not only to our clients but also to our employees and societies worldwide.

We enter 2023 by taking stock of our successes and failures to date, of global political, economic and social footing, and consider how we will continue to best serve our stakeholders and societies around the world through innovation. In doing so, we aim to be one step ahead of the world’s next challenge and continue to inch closer to a smarter and more secure future for us all.

Boundless support, both domestic and overseas

Defence teams, governments and their civilians rely heavily on real-time spectrum monitoring and data transmission helping protect entire communities within and outside national borders.

Our Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum technologies have enabled them to do this faster and more accurately than ever before.

Overseas, our Battlespace solutions are being deployed in active conflict, aiding military and defence teams with crucial information to carry out their operations. As our equipment is being used in modern conflicts, it’s also proven. Ongoing feedback from operational users helps us make the necessary improvements for real-life scenarios – meaning great flexibility and agility in our response and greater benefits for our clients.

Finding better ways to simplify and positively impact operations within our national borders, for civilian organisations and commercial entities, is equally critical. A current example is the strengthening of the UK’s West Midlands Emergency Services response to incidents by implementing data receiver technology, supplied by our Data Links division. Another example in 2022 was the inauguration of Kosovo’s National Spectrum Monitoring System (NSMS), supplied by our Spectrum Monitoring division. NSMS is part of the Kosovo Digital Economy Project (KODE), which aims to improve access to better quality and high-speed broadband services in project areas and online knowledge sources, services and labour markets among citizens, the public and academic institutions.

More recently, our team members and spectrum monitoring solutions were deployed to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar in support of the Communications Regulatory Authority’s (CRA) upgraded network for RF spectrum monitoring, which provided enhanced radio frequency security during the event. In developing countries like Zambia and Zimbabwe, our technology is helping their governments secure crucial income from private companies – with spectrum RF licensing being a significant revenue generation to support their communities.

So, how will we continue to respond and adapt quickly, understand the greater picture of where our products and services fit in, and best support our clients, employees and society?

Growing business to achieve greater positive impact

Just over a year ago, TCI and Enterprise Control Systems joined forces to combine decades of expertise in RF countermeasures and encrypted data links systems with leading RF detection and location systems, creating the global infrastructure that we know today as SPX CommTech. Since then we’ve not only observed significant changes in our company structure, but also a rapid expansion of business operations which culminated in 2022’s multi-million contract wins for the first jointly developed BLACKTALON Counter Unmanned Air Systems (C-UAS) solution.

Our primary goal has always been to use our technology to deliver innovation and progress, not only for external customers, but to also drive our internal teams and employees to make a difference. In 2022 our US and UK teams were able to introduce the concept, develop the prototype and launch the BLACKTALON solution, which is currently being deployed in conflicts in Eastern Europe. This cross-border collaboration has allowed us to expand our SPX culture and diversity – from ethnicity and gender, to culture and work styles – from an American company to a broader global corporation which continues to expand.

As a result, today over 100 employees operate in regions across the globe – including Europe, APAC, the Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. As part of the wider SPX Technologies group, our financial results for the third quarter of 2022 show an increase in revenue for the ‘Detection & Measurement Segment’, which SPX CommTech is part of, from $106.4 million in the third quarter of 2021 to $142.7 million in the same timeframe of 2022 – including a 14.4% increase from the acquisitions of companies such as Enterprise Control Systems.

Innovation, sustainability and empowered employees

Today we continue down the path of sustained organic growth and are accelerating our impact through continued product innovations, expanding our reach across the globe with products and services, and most importantly, striving to achieve customer satisfaction with our offering. In addition, we’re also committed to inorganic growth through the development and acquisition of technologies and companies that help diversify our work even further, allowings us to look at new opportunities from a hardware and software perspective, as well as for employees across our company.

While we continue to focus on growth we have ambitions to do this sustainably – for the business and for the environment. We’re committed to a 30% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions intensity by 2030, and greater transparency in our diversity and inclusion disclosures, as we focus on enhancing our performance annually. These commitments align closely with our emphasis on continuous improvement and sustainability, and on building and maintaining a strong, diverse, and highly effective team.

Ultimately, as we continue to scale our operations, our employees are presented with a unique opportunity to grow in their individual careers and also be a part of a larger corporate framework, engaging with different types of business models. This feeds into our company philosophy which is rooted in humble management and a mentality of continuous improvement. By allowing everyone an equal voice we ensure great ideas and values are shared across all levels of the organization, whilst allowing a space to reflect, challenge and learn from others. Continuous improvement also drives us to want to deliver constant advancements to our existing products and what comes next, not only in the next twelve months, but in the next twelve years.