As a road weather leader in the industry, Vaisala strives to offer the most reliable, cost effective solutions. One important component of that is proper management of our products. As products age, many times it becomes increasingly difficult to obtain certain components due to obsolescence, or other supplier conditions. The Vaisala SSI FP2000 and Passive Pavement Sensor was designed almost 25 years ago and served our customers well; however, its components’ availability are now in a state where Vaisala will soon no longer be able to manufacturer the sensor. As a result of component obsolescence, Vaisala will make a component last time buy of the FP2000 and DTS210 Subsurface probe. We recognize our Certified Partners have contracts in place where the FP2000 and DTS210 may be necessary during a contractual period, or time is necessary for end users to migrate to non-invasive technology or an upgrade path to include the DRS511 in-pavement sensor. Because of this, you may put in for a last time buy with Vaisala to cover such situations. We will need last time buy orders for the FP2000 and DTS210 by Friday, April 13, 2018. In addition, Vaisala will be making a last time buy for inventory, however, our purchase will be a projection and we will not be able to assure stock support for large orders or availability for duration of a maintenance provider contract.
In the road industry, we are seeing a consistent migration to non-invasive technology. Non-in-pavement sensors allow a greater return on investment with no need to replace with road overlays or the expense of traffic control. Taking the sensors out of the road provides safety to installers and maintenance providers.
Vaisala will continue to offer the DRS511 pavement sensor and DTS12G subsurface probe. The DRS511 pavement sensor will continue to be our pavement sensor well into the future with continual development improvements to meet the market needs. The Vaisala DRS511, in-pavement sensor uses fiber optics to measure the amount of moisture on its surface, which provides improved accuracy for chemical concentration calculation and water layer thickness.
We sincerely appreciate your past and continued business, and are committed to supporting and partnering with you for years to come. If you have any questions about this announcement, or desire further information about Road Weather Solutions, please contact us!
Note: The DRS511 is not backwards compatible with all legacy Vaisala SSI Road Weather Stations, so please work with your Territory Sales Manager to make sure your agency has a proper upgrade path.