1. You founded PIDSO in 2006, so the company has a heritage. Can you describe PIDSO to our readers who may not be as familiar with the company?

In 2006 I started as a sole person with my first projects on lightweight antennas. After some years, I founded PIDSO GmbH in 2010 with a focus on the development, manufacturing and distribution of antennas and RF systems. Our focus was always on the customer side to work like a one-stop-shop solution provider.

2. PIDSO participates in a broad range of activities ranging from services to products to a distributor or products from other companies. Is this the composition that you envisioned when you founded the company? Do you see this mix changing in the future? What activities do you think will grow fastest?

No, I was not thinking of such a big portfolio mix when I started with PIDSO. Of course, we see some trends shifting more to antenna systems and not only antennas. Currently, we see a strong growth in blade antennas which fit the unmanned market as well as radar technology.

3. PIDSO is involved in many research projects with government agencies and/or partners. How do you think these projects benefit PIDSO and how does PIDSO contribute to industry advancements?

Doing research is very important to get involved as early as possible in future topics. Such projects strengthen our relationship and enhance our network. In addition, we are also gaining know-how in areas like meta-surface antennas

4. Can you give us some “metrics” that describe PIDSO (number of employees, facility size, location, composition of your employees, etc.)?

PIDSO is based in Central Europe, in Vienna, Austria. We currently are growing with a team larger than 30 people who are mainly engineers led by some excellent Ph.D.s. Our facility covers research and development, manufacturing, sales and management. We have our mechanical machines like CNC or drilling together with 3D printing, lasering, soldering, etc. In Vienna, we also have an RF lab and chamber for testing. Overall, our facilities cover around 800 m²

5. What are the advantages/disadvantages of having such a broad mix of revenue streams?

A broad portfolio helps if some markets have troubles, like the last several years with COVID. On the other hand, it is quite a lot of work to handle stock, availability and pricing.

6. What portions of your business are receiving most of your R&D spending today? How do you see this changing going forward?

More of our current spending is invested in so-called smart antenna solutions. These solutions are almost always customized to client needs, which are complex and expensive.

7. Your background is in antennas and that is the majority of your off-the-shelf product offering. How does PIDSO differentiate from your competitors?

Thanks for this question. As we are located in Central Europe, we are close to our customers. Therefore, our products have a short logistics path, so they are safe with respect to any other toll problems like we saw last year. We are native speakers, so we understand customer needs perfectly. And we create innovative and highly sophisticated solutions as we have a very large technical know-how.

8. PIDSO has been involved with the America’s Cup yacht racing and auto racing in the German Touring Car Championship. How did PIDSO get involved and what unique challenges did those applications provide?

Since 2017, we have partnered with Riedel Communications from Wuppertal in Germany. Riedel is one of the world's leading companies in the area of sports events. Together with our partner, we have been involved in the America's Cup and other events like SailGP or DTM.

9. What are the primary markets for your products? Where do you see the biggest growth and what market opportunities excite you the most?

Our markets are drones, unmanned and manned vehicles as we are EN 9100 qualified. Industry 4.0 applications, RF electronics, sports events and any custom or special fields like ropeways, crane controls or tracking.

10. What else should our readers know about PIDSO?

Our focus is on high-quality products that fit any customer's needs. We started with passive antennas, moved to smart antenna systems like our tracking antenna and are currently working on radar solutions like X-band AESA radar. In the future, satellite may be one of our next steps, moving along with higher frequency needs.