PCO in 2017: “Military and Civil Markets”

PCO S.A. remains one of the main suppliers of the optoelectronic devices in Poland, the company is also one of the main players within the structures of the Polish Armaments Group. PCO is also planning to further expand its capabilities, through recruitment of well trained staff and investments which would increase the company’s manufacturing potential. At the Warsaw-based HQ of the company, a new building is to be erected, with the use of funds provided by the Polish Ministry of Defence. President of the PCO S.A. company, Ryszard Kardasz, also indicates that numerous orders have been placed by the Polish MoD. The manager is optimistic, when it comes to the development prospects for the year 2017.

Considering our orders for the Polish Army and other uniformed services, and the PCO S.A.’s involvement in the projects important for the Polish defence, we are hoping that the year 2017 will make it possible for us to continue the active development of the company. The increased innovativeness shown by the Polish engineers, active research and development works carried out in collaboration with Universities and Institutes, as well as our effort made to expand our offer, altogether make it possible for me to positively look forward towards the year 2017.

The company, during the year 2016, has received numerous awards, including the Kielce MSPO Defence Salon DEFENDER award, for the KLW-1R camera, or the Laurel of Innovation, for the KLW-1 ASTERIA camera. During the upcoming year, PCO has planned to conduct an active marketing campaign, the aim of which would be to present its own products during numerous Polish and foreign events organized within the sector of defence and security. 

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In December 2016, PCO S.A. company has signed an agreement with the Armament Inspectorate, concerning the procurement of optronic products for the Polish Army. The procurement process is going to be realized between 2015 and 2019. The value of the deal is said to exceed PLN 350 million, according to the Armament Inspectorate, while the equipment is going to be received also by the newly formed Territorial Defence branch of the Polish Armed Forces. Moreover, subsequent contracts within that scope may also be expected.

Development of the optronics offer, including products that are tailored for being used onboard the military vehicles, is yet another direction of the business activities undertaken by the company. PCO S.A. has developed the KLW-1R “ASTERIA” FLIR systems for the Rosomak APC, which would allow the Warsaw-based entity to take part in the process of modernizing this platform, widely operated by the Polish Army. Moreover, the company is also involved in the process of development regarding the ZSSW-30 remote control turret module for the Rosomak vehicle, dealing with preparation of the optronic systems embedded within the new armament solution.

PCO S.A. is also a member of the consortium which has been tasked with modernization of the Leopard 2A4 main battle tanks operated by the Polish Army. Within the aforesaid Leopard 2PL programme, the company will be tasked with preparation of the thermal vision systems for the upgraded tanks.

Furthermore, PCO S.A. is going to continue its works on the Tytan soldier ensemble. PCO S.A.. coordinates the operations undertaken by the consortium, responsible for development of the said system. Modernized optronic devices, to be used within the above suite, have already been developed and created. Due to the scale of the order and the expansion options, Tytan project is treated as a priority by the company, and it is going to entail numerous investments which have been already planned.

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Not only do the 2017 priorities include expansion of the military offer, as the company is also willing to step onto the civil market. Obtaining a certificate for the PNL-3M “Orlik” aviation night vision goggles, also exported to Ukraine, paves the way for the company to reach a variety of new markets, as the aforesaid product may be utilized by the civil rescue services, as the Polish HEMS units, operating the Airbus Helicopters EC-135 platform. Expansion of the civil inventory has a high significance too, since it increases the number of the potential customers.

This year, PCO S.A. is also willing to organize another conference on optoelectronics, gathering the leading experts, representatives of the Polish Army and of the defence industry. Moreover, the company is also going to work on its image through collaboration undertaken on the Polish Technological Platform on Photonics. The said initiative is coordinated by PCO S.A.

The attendance and content-related success of the last year’s conference, prepared in cooperation with the Military University of Technology, Polish Technological Platform on Photonics, and the Warsaw University of Technology, covering the area of the Optronic devices, with the main tagline as follows: “Optronics as a key to the safety and better lives of the citizens”, was possible only thanks to the effective collaboration undertaken with the partners who assisted us in organization of the event. The events we have organized gave us a chance for networking and exchange the valuable experience. Presentation of research results and interesting projects pursued in the field of optronics became a pretext for starting a discussion about practical application of photonics in the defence sector and beyond, also within other domains, very significant for our country.