Identifying early the need for private network infrastructure that could effectively support fully mobile wireless communications in industrial settings, Rajant Corporation developed its patented Kinetic Mesh® technology—and in turn became the pioneer provider of the most adaptable, scalable, and readily deployed fully mobile network on the market today.
Interview with Sagar Chandra, Executive Vice President of Global Sales and Marketing at Rajant.
How was 2024 in terms of sales?
Sagar Chandra: It was a challenging year, given the state of global politics and economic conditions. However, Rajant was able to have a strong year, finishing 2024 with new customers in many of our key target industries, including mining, ports, agriculture, and automation. We found many of our greatest successes by listening to our customers and adapting our solutions to best fit their needs.
On which segments of products/solutions there was an increased demand this year?
S.C: There was a definite increase in demand in relation to the investment and adoption of automation and tele-operation solutions by our customers. This, in turn, required them to upgrade from low-capacity networks to one that is scalable, self-healing, and not taxing on human resources and/or maintenance costs. Depending on the vertical, we have a number of products that address this need, and those were the products that received the most interest throughout the year.
What features of the products/solutions attracted users the most?
S.C: The need was (and continues to be) utilizing something better than WiFi without having to contend with the high costs of LTE/5G. Our unique M2M mesh solution addresses this gap by using multiple frequencies simultaneously and turning every moving piece of equipment into a repeater. Specifically, the FE1 Peregrine model uses four frequencies simultaneously, and our ES1 and Cardinal models are both lightweight yet offer the same meshing benefits.
What are the best-selling products /solutions of 2024?
S.C: We have various “best-selling” products that saw heightened deployment in 2024. ES1 for warehouses, FE1 for mining and ports, and two other Breadcrumb® models for indoor operations and robotics.
Why did users choose these products/solutions compared to others on the market?
S.C: We have overcome the limitations of traditional WiFi and LTE/5G, especially when it comes to network-intensive industrial applications and operations that are geographically remote. Our solutions are low-cost, highly adaptive, robust, and scalable to meet the needs of any business. For critical operations that rely on continuous connectivity for decision-making or safety, our mesh networking solution provides a heightened level of reliability that customers don’t get with alternative solutions.
What industries do you think will grow in 2025?
S.C: I am confident that Rajant will grow in all of the industries we serve. This is especially true when the need is to improve safety and productivity by tracking equipment in real time or tracking the location and individual health of employees, contractors, or visitors. Rajant’s solutions thrive in these situations and continue to demonstrate high reliability. New and current Rajant customers in oil and gas, ports, and mining have all expressed high satisfaction with our solutions and interest in enhancing their capabilities even further via additional Rajant systems.
What products/solutions do you provide for these industries?
S.C: We offer robust connectivity via wireless mesh networking, people and equipment tracking, automation, tele-remote operation, edge computing AI, and IoT platforms.