Navico facts for kids
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| Industry | Marine electronics |
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| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Egersund, Norway |
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Key people
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Knut Frostad, President & CEO |
| Revenue |  $373 Million USD (2018) |
| Owners | Brunswick Corporation |
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Number of employees
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1,800 (2019) |
Navico is a company that makes electronic equipment for boats. They create tools for finding your way, marine instruments, and fish finders. These products are used by people who enjoy boating for fun and by those who fish for a living.
Navico has two main parts. One part focuses on products for people who boat for fun, like hobbies or sports. The other part makes products for professional sailors and fishermen.
- Lowrance is a brand for fishing, especially in freshwater and near coastal areas.
- Simrad Yachting is for powerboat owners who like cruising or sportfishing.
- B&G serves the sailing market.
The Simrad Commercial Marine Electronics part offers navigation products for large commercial boats. C-MAP provides digital maps for both recreational and commercial boats. Navico's main office is in Egersund, Norway. They also have factories in the United States, UK, Norway, Mexico, and New Zealand.
Contents
Navico was formed from several older companies that made marine electronics.
In 1946, a company called Simonsen Radio was started in Norway. They developed equipment that used sound to find things underwater, like fish. Simrad Yachting grew from this company and other pioneers in marine technology.
In 1955, Brookes & Gatehouse (B&G) was founded in the UK. Two years later, in 1957, Lowrance Electronics was created in the US. Lowrance launched the first sonar product for people who fish for fun. It was called the Fish-Lo-K-Tor, also known as the 'Little Green Box'.
Growing into a Big Company
In 2003, Simrad Yachting bought B&G. A company called Altor 2003 Fund then bought Simrad Yachting in 2005. In 2006, the same Altor fund also bought Lowrance Electronics.
Later in 2006, Navico was officially created. This happened when Simrad Yachting and Lowrance Electronics merged. They had the same owners, Altor Equity Partners, a company from Sweden. In 2007, Navico grew even bigger. They bought the marine electronics business from Brunswick New Technologies. This made Navico the world's largest supplier of marine electronics for recreational boats.
In 2016, two investment companies, Goldman Sachs Merchant Banking Division and Altor Fund IV, bought Navico. That same year, Navico expanded its factory in Ensenada, Mexico. In 2017, Navico bought C-MAP. C-MAP provides digital maps for all kinds of boaters, from fishermen to sailing fans. In 2019, Knut Frostad became the President and CEO of Navico.
In 2021, Brunswick Corporation bought Navico.
Navico owns several well-known brands in marine electronics.
B&G: For Sailors
B&G, which used to be called Brookes and Gatehouse, has been around for over 60 years. They make electronics especially for sailing yachts, whether for cruising or racing. B&G systems are used by professional race teams and by people who race boats for fun.
B&G products include chart plotters, navigation equipment, instruments, autopilots, and radar. They also offer special software for racing and analyzing boat performance.
C-MAP: Digital Maps for Boaters
C-MAP was founded in 1985. They provide digital maps and services for boaters all over the world. This includes maps for lakes, coasts, and oceans. C-MAP helps all types of boaters, from fishermen to sailing fans and powerboat owners.
C-MAP also used to provide products for commercial ships. However, most of these products were sold to Lloyd's Register in December 2020.
Lowrance: For Fishermen
Lowrance makes sonar devices and GPS receivers for everyday users. They also create digital mapping systems. Lowrance's main office is in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Their production facilities are in Ensenada, Mexico. About 1,000 people work for Lowrance.
The company is well-known for its High Definition Systems (HDS). These systems can be expanded with extra tools like Broadband 4G Radar and StructureScan. StructureScan helps you see what's under and to the sides of your boat.
Lowrance was founded in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 1957. In 2006, Simrad Yachting and Lowrance merged. This deal was worth $215 million and created the new company, Navico. The Lowrance brand is fully owned by Navico. Navico is a private, international company and is the world's largest marine electronics company. It is the parent company for Lowrance, Simrad Yachting, and B&G.
Simrad: For Leisure and Professional Boaters
Simrad makes marine electronics for both people who boat for fun and for professionals. As part of the Navico family, Simrad develops and sells navigation systems, autopilots, marine VHF radios, chartplotters, echosounders, radars, and fishfinders. They also make many other marine technologies.
The Simrad name has been around for over sixty years. It was started in 1947 by Willy Christian Simonsen. He set up his own wireless company called Simonsen Radio. At first, he focused on making radio communication devices for fishing boats. Later, he used the name Simrad for a wider range of activities. These included designing and making navigation, communication, auto-steering, and fish-finding technologies.
In 1996, the Simrad Group was bought by the Kongsberg Group. The Kongsberg Group decided to focus on industrial markets. So, in 2005, they sold the Simrad products for recreational boats to Altor Equity Partners. This created Simrad Yachting. Simrad Group and Simrad Yachting are now separate companies with different owners and different product specialties. The merger of Simrad Yachting and Lowrance Inc in 2006 created the Navico Group. Navico is now the largest maker of marine electronics for recreational boats in the world.
Simrad makes navigation tools that are built to handle tough conditions. They provide navigation solutions for people who boat for fun (through Simrad Yachting) and for coastal sailors (through Simrad Professional). In 2008, Simrad absorbed MX Marine into its Simrad Professional line. MX Marine was acquired when Navico took over the marine electronics division of Brunswick New Technologies Inc in 2007. This helped Simrad grow its position in the commercial GPS and DGPS market. For over seventy years, Simrad has developed systems for commercial vessels. They offer radar systems, auto-steering, navigation, and safety products for all sizes of boats. This includes small boats on rivers and larger commercial and passenger ships along the coast.
See also
In Spanish: Navico para niños
