Milestones

1948: Company established in Norway

1950s: Introduced steel and fibreglass fishing rods

1960s: Introduced marine antennas to the commercial market

1970s: Transferred technology to defence antennas

1980s: First defence contract with Sweden

1990s: Concluded its first major international defence contract with Switzerland

1997: Sold by Christian Bjelland & Co to Norwegian Applied Technology ASA (NAT). Spilka Gruppen became the main owner of NAT in 1999-2000

2002: Signed a contract with Bowman for delivery of antennas to the British armed forces

2003: Contract for VHF/UHF omni-directional system for the Swedish Visby Stealth Corvettes

2005: Three-year OEM agreement with US radio manufacturer Harris Corporation for delivery of tactical communication antennas

2006: Acquisition of the power division of Eltek Energy and of Lerc SA.

Key events in the company's development

In 1988, the company signed its first major defence contract in Sweden.

In 1994, Comrod became one of the leading suppliers of GMDSS upgrades to merchant vessels.

In 1997, the company concluded its first major international defence contract with Switzerland.

In 1997, Comrod was sold by Christian Bjelland & Co to Norwegian Applied Technology ASA (NAT).

In the summer of 1999, Spilka Gruppen became the main owner of NAT and some of the latter's operations were liquidated in 1999-2000. A new board was elected, and the company headquarters were moved from Stavanger to Ã…lesund. At the same time, NAT was renamed Hexagon Composites ASA.

In 1998, Comrod began delivering the new MRR radios to the Norwegian armed forces.

In 2002, Comrod signed a contract with the prestigious Bowman project, involving the delivery of antennas for portable radios, various vehicles and base stations for the British armed forces. In the same year, it won a contract to deliver antennas and an antenna control system for the Swedish navy's new corvettes (the Visby project).

In 2003, the company concluded a 15-year OEM agreement with German radio manufacturer Rohde & Schwarz.

In 2004, the company secured a new defence contract for the delivery of tactical antennas to Switzerland. It also secured its first defence contract in China.

In September 2005, Comrod concluded a three-year OEM agreement with the RF communication division of US radio manufacturer Harris Corporation. Representing a breakthrough for Comrod in the US market, this contract includes the delivery of tactical communication antennas for use both in the international market and in the US domestic market.

In February 2006, the company signed an agreement with Eltek Energy AS to purchase its power supply unit for the defence market.

At the beginning of 2006, the company entered a new business area by winning the contract to deliver antenna switches for Swedish submarines.

In September 2006, Comrod acquired Lerc SA of France, a world leader in the manufacturer of integrated mast and antenna solutions for the defence market, from Canada's ECI Composites.

On 6 November 2006, an extraordinary general meeting of Hexagon Composites ASA resolved to demerge Comrod AS and its subsidiaries and to seek a listing on the Oslo Stock Exchange for a new parent company, Comrod Communication ASA. The demerger took effect in January 2007.

Following the demerger, the company has been reorganised into a holding structure with Comrod Communication ASA as the parent company. Comrod AS, Fidulerc SA and Lerc SA are its wholly-owned subsidiaries.