ROBERT TARINI, left, chairman of SyQwest, stands with Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab U.S. at the manufacturing company's maritime division in Cranston. / PBN PHOTO/JACQUELYN VOGHEL
CRANSTON – When Saab Inc. first sought to expand its maritime portfolio to the United States, Rhode Island stood out as a natural fit, said Erik Smith, president and CEO of the Stockholm-based defense and aerospace manufacturer’s United States operations. The company has already expanded globally beyond Sweden, but has just launched what Smith hopes…