Throughout 2022, antenna manufacturer ANYWAVES has been addressing the challenging transition from unit to series production. Straying from the beaten path of the traditional processes, ANYWAVES blazes its own trail toward series production. The company’s growing international reputation, its inventory strategy, its “de-risking” culture, and its quest for the “right first time” are all factors that have prompted the company to take this step.
At ANYWAVES, “production lines” are now spoken of, with one stated objective: quality above all. Certified EN 9100* since December of 2021, the dual sourcing of all actors involved in the ANYWAVES antenna supply chain will enable the equipment manufacturer to achieve a 100% On Quality Delivery rate within the first half of 2022.
A similar rate applies to the On-Time Delivery of orders over the same period. This performance is made possible by the choice of partners ANYWAVES relies on to produce its antennas. First and foremost, Clix Industries, Mecano ID or Comat from Toulouse. This illustrates a commitment to produce in France, and at most within Europe, to claim total independence emphasizing an increased vigilance on export control in order to avoid ITAR constraints.
The quest for performance also involves reducing lead times, especially during the testing phase. Therefore, ANYWAVES has invested in RF measurement equipment for radiation diagrams: the Starlab. Housed on site in Auterive (Haute-Garonne), this major investment offers the equipment manufacturer responsiveness and additional services.
Thanks to its new industrial position, ANYWAVES is now capable of producing 1,000 antennas per year and per supplier. Driven by a “design to manufacture, design to cost” philosophy, the antenna manufacturer’s product portfolio has expanded significantly with the development of test caps for all telemetry antennas as well as for the “GNSS All-Bands” navigation antenna.
In parallel, three new antennas (two for telemetry, one for data download) have been developed in the last 12 months. The STARLAB is a new measurement tool for satellite constellations.
Among the future users of ANYWAVES antennas, whether COTS or from specific projects, are…
o Airbus Defence and Space (ADS), having ordered more than 70 products linked to the contract signed directly with Loft Orbital, and 10 others for its CO3D constellation
o Airbus OneWeb Satellites LLC (AOS), for which ANYWAVES will supply about 100 antennas and 50 test covers; these equipment will be integrated into the portfolio of Arrow commercial small satellites manufactured by AOS.
o Space Machines Company (Australia), whose Optimus platform will carry several ANYWAVES antennas
o OHB (Sweden) and ESA, plan to use two navigation antennas for the Artic Weather Satellite mission
o Or additionally, CNES, Hemeria, U-Space, etc.
This recent fundraising has allowed ANYWAVES to expand the application domains of its products, notably with:
o an openness toward the subject of launchers
o the development of payload antennas, such as helix or reflectarray models
o the future implementation of active antennas with agile beam
To make these successes possible, a significant investment has been made in HR. Currently, ANYWAVES is opening an average of one new position per month and should have nearly 40 employees within the next year. The focus is on the sales and marketing department to accelerate export growth, particularly in the United States, as well as on the operations department to support these commercial ambitions.
Finally, the fundraising has enabled ANYWAVES to double its office space and build a showroom where its innovative antennas for satellite constellations will be displayed.
* A standard specific to the aerospace sector, EN 9100 certification enables the company to manage its quality management system and to be referenced in the international OASIS database, attesting to the reliability and quality of the services provided.
