By Yoke Har Lee
Northcote-based company Talon Technology has clinched a multi-million dollar export contract from the United States to produce chips for car navigation systems.
Talon's managing director, Peter Maire, said batches of the GPS (global position systems based on satellites) receivers had been sent to American geographical information services company Rand McNally and more would follow. The GPS receivers plug into a laptop and sit on a car's dashboard to help the driver navigate around city streets. There are 200 million cars in the US and Rand McNally's product is targeted at drivers with laptops. Rand's software Streetfinder Delux provides the operating system and all US street maps on a CD-Rom.
At present it is a visual system but Talon is hoping to see the design extend to a vocal prompt.
Rand McNally is a large US company providing geographical information services for travel, reference, education and the entertainment industries.
Mr Maire said Talon was already developing its next generation of GPS-based navigation product, which would not need a laptop to function.
In Japan, some two million cars are fitted with navigation systems but they cost between $US2000 and $US3000. "We need to be looking at a product aimed at the $US500 mark before it can go to the market," he told the Business Herald.
Growth in Talon, which started life as a marine electronics company, has been meteoric. In 1998, growth was 235 per cent and this year growth would be just under 100 per cent, Mr Maire estimated.
The company employed 40 people several years ago but now employs more than 100 at peak production periods. Its production lines are running 16 hours per day to keep up with its latest GPS product for Rand.
Investments in core GPS technology has helped Talon leapfrog into the global market for its products.
"Our innovative integration of microstrip antenna and GPS chip technology has given us the edge we needed to be a serious player in the international market," said Mr Maire.
Currently, 95 per cent of Talon's products are exported to the US, Europe and Australia.
Talon heads in right direction
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