You can run but you can’t hide

In 2003 the first product of the Danish tech company Wiseled was launched: A rock-solid and super bright LED flashlight for scuba divers.   

- The flashlight was beyond any doubt the best you could get your hands on but it was also a very expensive tool and at the end of the day the worldwide scuba diving market is limited when it comes to dive torches in the upper price range,  the COO Stephan T. Madsen explains.   

To gain volume Wiseled had the opportunity to enter the forensic light market and then the company began to grow fast. To this day forensic light products is the bread and butter for Wiseled having supplied more than 30.000 units.   

An email from BAE Systems

In 2012 Wiseled received an email from the armored vehicle supplier BAE Systems Hägglunds. The company was preparing a midlife upgrade for the Norwegian CV90 fleet and was in the market looking for better lightning equipment, according to Stephan T. Madsen:   

- One of our customers recommended Wiseled to Hägglunds without noticing us so we were caught a little by surprise by the email since Wiseled at that point had limited activities in the defense market. But then again who can say “no” to BAE Systems? So we said “yes” although we knew perfectly well that the requirements were pushing the company and technology to the limit. But our knowhow from designing submerged products since 2003, which without any doubt is harder than making products for outer space,  gave us an excellent foundation to meet the required technical specifications.    

Entering the defense market was a lot of paper work and many late nights at the office but they paid off: One year after the first email Wiseled got an order from BAE Systems and have since supplied searchlights for the CV90’s of the Norwegian Army. 

A two-in-one solution

The core product of Wiseled defense applications is the Xtruder S light. A robust and compact light system typically used as search light or a escalation of force/non-lethal warning platform. The Xtruder is equipped with a digital interface that integrates it into the control systems inside the vehicle. Add “NIR” to the Xtruder S and you get a unique product, according to the company’s COO: 

- We are the only company offering a light system that combines LED light with infrared light making it possible for the operator to turn from visible to invisible light and back by the flick of a switch across communication platforms. That way we eliminate the need for IR filters and the warfighters can stay inside the vehicle since they don’t have to switch on or replace a broken filter.   

Since 2012 Wiseled have attracted several defense customers among them the United States Special Operations Command that after years of testing have added the Xtruder to their inventory.   

Scandinavia is the focus

Daniel Kjær is the CEO of Wiseled and leads the future development and growth of the company. According to him the strategy of Wiseled is based on three key points: 

- In the years to come we will put even more attention to the defense market. Wiseled is going to add new products to the portfolio and they will be developed in close cooperation with the users. Also, we will continue in-sourcing since this is the only way that we are able to develop cutting-edge systems and secure the best possible quality that our customers expect. Finally, we are going to expand Scandinavia as a foothold for the company using this market as a stepping stone to global growth.