Industry | Soldier Systems Daily Soldier Systems Daily

Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category

DOJ Charges SEG Armor With Wirefraud In Armor Sales To Federal Agencies

Tuesday, December 24th, 2019

Last Friday, the US Department of Justice announced it had filed a federal criminal complaint in Maryland charging Arthur Morgan, age 67, of Lorton, Virginia, on a federal wire fraud charge, in connection with federal contracts to provide helmets, body armor, and other goods to military and other federal entities. The criminal complaint was filed on December 16, 2019 and was unsealed at his initial appearance following his arrest on December 17, 2019. He is the CEO of SEG Armor, who was also named in the charges. If convicted, Morgan faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for wire fraud.

The criminal complaint alleges that Morgan falsely certified that the ballistic vests, helmets, riot gear, and other items he offered for sale were from TAA compliant Hong Kong and the United States. The affidavit alleges that Morgan knew that the items were manufactured and purchased from China. From September 2015 to July 2019, the U.S. Navy and U.S. Department of State were two of at least five federal agencies that placed a total of nine orders with SEG for ballistic vests, helmets, or riot gear, valued at approximately $639,921.11.

Of note to SSD readers, he informed the US Navy that he was manufacturing armor and helmets at a factory here in Virginia. A Navy Acquisition professional at Indian Head ordered helmets from SEG. Naturally, the price was great and they looked just like actual Made in USA helmets. But instead, these counterfeits were made in China. Save a buck and put your troops at risk. Buy the genuine article.

A detention hearing was held last Thursday U.S. District Court in Greenbelt. U.S. Magistrate Judge Gina L. Simms ordered that Morgan be released to a third-party custodian on home confinement, with a special condition that he pay a $75,000 bond. He will be detained until a hearing at 3:30 p.m. today to confirm that Morgan has met his conditions of release.

Posted in Industry | 8 Comments »

Colorado Company, Liteye Systems Expands Manufacturing, Opens 55K Sq Ft Facility

Monday, December 23rd, 2019

US Manufacture of AUDS (Anti-UAV Defense System) Experiences Rapid Growth in Counter Drone Market

Centennial Colorado — Liteye Systems, Inc. the US leader in Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems, announced the opening of a new 55,000 square foot facility in Highfield Business Park, near Centennial Airport, CO to accommodate rapid growth and support increasing manufacturing demands.

In addition to the corporate headquarters in Centennial, CO and UK office, the new facility will bring the company’s office and manufacturing footprint to over 80,000 square feet and supports the company’s growth strategy. Liteye added 21 jobs in 2019 and plans an additional 20 jobs next year.

Liteye, founded by Kenneth Geyer and Tom Scott in January of 2000, is now ranked as one of the leading privately held companies in Colorado. Liteye has over $70M in counter drone contracts with the US DoD and is Combat Proven with over 1000 defeats against enemy drones by ISIS, Taliban and others.

“When Liteye started we designed and manufactured small products, such as Head Mounted Displays and covert thermal cameras,” stated Kenneth Geyer, CEO. “As the company grew and evolved into the counter unmanned systems market, the need for square footage and taller ceilings to house multiple vehicles, trailers and shipping containers on a production line to meet customer demands became necessary.”

“Like most companies, in the beginning we focused mainly on the engineering portion, subcontracting the manufacturing and assembly of our products outside the company. As our military business grew, we brought both those capabilities inside the company to meet MIL-STD requirements and fast delivery times.” Said Thomas Scott, CTO “It started with just one CNC machine and has been growing ever since, where today we have a state-of-the-art machine shop and full production floor.”

www.liteye.com

Posted in Industry, Press Release, UAS | Comments Off on Colorado Company, Liteye Systems Expands Manufacturing, Opens 55K Sq Ft Facility

Zodiac Milpro Has Just Launched It’s New Website!

Saturday, December 21st, 2019

Visit www.zodiacmilpro.com for more information about our company and our solutions for military and professional users.

Zodiac Milpro is a manufacturer of military inflatable and rigid hull inflatable boats. Well known throughout the world as the definitive Special Forces boat, Zodiac Milpro boats are used by more elite soldiers and sailors than any other craft worldwide.

All Zodiac Milpro inflatable boats destined for the US Military are Berry Amendment compliant and built in Stevensville, MD. Zodiac Milpro also operates factories in Vancouver, British Columbia and Roses, Spain.

Since 1896, Zodiac Milpro has been designing innovative products in the Military and Professional field for “those who work on the water”.

Zodiac Milpro has originated most of the major concepts that have driven the development of the modern inflatable boat since the 1930s. Since those early days, Zodiac Milpro has become the preferred manufacturer of inflatable and semi-rigid boats for Professional and Military applications.

www.zodiacmilpro.com

Posted in Industry, International, Maritime, Press Release | Comments Off on Zodiac Milpro Has Just Launched It’s New Website!

Rubber and Plastic Footwear Manufacturers Association Renamed United States Footwear Manufacturers Association and Launches www.USFMA.org

Friday, December 20th, 2019

New Name Reflects Commitment to Fair Trade Policy and U.S. Government Procurement Policy

Washington, D.C. – The Rubber and Plastic Footwear Manufacturers Association (RPFMA) announced that it has changed its name to the United States Footwear Manufacturers (USFMA) to better communicate its mission and its membership. The association also launched a new website, www.USFMA.org, a new logo, a Facebook page and a LinkedIn page.

“The name USFMA sends a clear message that this association is about protecting and growing footwear manufacturing here in the United States,” said USFMA Executive Director Bill McCann. “Our mission is to make sure that our nation’s trade policy supports domestic manufacturing and that footwear purchased with tax dollars is manufactured here. We reject the notion that American workers and factories don’t produce the highest quality boots and shoes for both our military and our nation.”

USFMA supports the domestic footwear industry by promoting fair trade, strong manufacturing policies, and policies that protect the industrial base. Traditionally, the association focused most of its efforts on defending a “protected list” of sensitive items as defined by the United States International Trade Commission (USITC). Moving forward, USFMA will also protect and expand the Berry Amendment and other federal statutes and policies that require our military and other uniformed federal employees to wear domestically manufactured footwear.

“Our new focus on government procurement aligns well with our existing focus on fair trade for footwear. Manufacturers of combat boots and other footwear required for military and government service are not only creating good-paying jobs but are part of our national security. USFMA will fight to create more government opportunities for domestic footwear,” said McCann.

The United States Footwear Manufacturers Association (USFMA) is a nonprofit 501(c)(6) association founded in 1986 to protect and enhance the footwear industry’s manufacturing base in the United States. USFMA members include both domestic footwear manufacturers as well as domestic suppliers. As a whole, the footwear manufacturing industry employs more than 12,000 U.S. workers.

Posted in Boots, Industry, Press Release | Comments Off on Rubber and Plastic Footwear Manufacturers Association Renamed United States Footwear Manufacturers Association and Launches www.USFMA.org

Newsflash from ePIG – Germany’s Mehler Buys Controlling Interest In UF PRO

Friday, December 20th, 2019

Newsflash:

Mehler Vario System Gmbh (MVS) signs strategic partnership.

Since 18.12.2019, Mehler Vario System Gmbh takes over 51 % of the shares of UF PRO, 49 % remain with the previous owners Milena Wagner, Armin Wagner and Nejc Zavrl.

THIS NOW UNITED THE MEHLER VARIO SYSTEM GMBH, UF PRO AND LINDNERHOF Tactics, which results in a pretty strong overall package.

www.m-v-s.de

ufpro.com

www.lindnerhof-taktik.de

Source: ePIG Group

Posted in Advertiser, Guest Post, Industry, International | 1 Comment »

Industry Professional – Rhonda Valles

Thursday, December 19th, 2019

Rhonda Valles is a recognized leader with over 20 years of experience in the active, action-sports, tactical and military apparel manufacturing industry. With a consultative, and solutions oriented approach Rhonda has been the “Oz behind the curtain” of many of the industry’s top Made in USA/ Berry Compliant tactical apparel brands from 2008-present as well as global commercial brands. She was launched into military apparel with her company’s astounding success and physics defying fastest (90 days to max capacity) ramp up of the new USMC Running Suit back in 2008 and since then has successfully produced over 1.5 million units of various styles ranging from base layers to outerwear. Her company was awarded over 72 million dollars in prime contracts, was given an ARP by DCMA, certified as 8a and 8m, ISO900:2008, exceeded delivery expectations and received many accolades from clients and colleagues from industry giants such as New Balance, Quiksilver and US Marine Corps. She has intuitive insight gained from a lifetime of experience in the active and sports apparel industry and has attributed her many successes by her ability to work cohesively with teams such as Sales, Project Management, Planning, Procurement, Contract Managers, Administrators, Quality Assurance, Buying Agents, Factory owners and supply chain vendors.

She assists companies with new product development, production planning and management, reducing waste, increasing efficiencies, compliance adherence, innovative technology integration, production automation, strategic planning, team management and leadership training. Her unique skillset coupled with her fun, upbeat and “can do” personality makes her the type of business partner that will always get you a win! To learn more or contact Rhonda please visit her website at www.RhondaV.com.

Posted in Industry | Comments Off on Industry Professional – Rhonda Valles

Schedule Now for NRAAM 20 Morale Patch Designs From Kitfox Design Group

Wednesday, December 18th, 2019

Not only did Kitfox Design Group recently launch a new website, but they’ve filled their dance card as well, at least for the near future. If you want them to create a unique patch design for you, they’ve still got some opening for the 2020 NRA Annual Meeting next spring. However, they have some slots open for meetings at SHOT Show if you’d like to discuss future collaborations.

Posted in Industry, Morale | 1 Comment »

Mean Gene Leather Running a Little Slow – But Still Running

Wednesday, December 18th, 2019

We are happy to report that Mean Gene Leather is running just a little slow on fulfilling orders. Normally this would be a cause for concern, but in this instance a good sign.

Not too long ago, MGL’s founder Gene Higdon suffered a heart attack at home and was taken by ambulance to the hospital. He was released a few days later with a couple of stents and assorted other ticker-upgrades. Since then, per the doctor’s orders, he has been “taking it easy”, and then later this week he’ll be back at with the sawbones to deal with two more blockages (which will be treated with medication).

These orderlies will be reinforced with other young’uns shortly – in fact, there will be at least five of them on duty by Friday.

Some of Gene’s grandkids keeping him out of the shop.

If you have an order outstanding with MGL, hang in there – it’s coming. You can still order most items off the website, but be advised: it won’t be there by Christmas, and will probably take somewhat longer than normal to ship.

Of course, in Mean Gene’s world, “taking it easy” would normally mean a 40-50 hour work week instead of his normal 90+, but happily he’s been assigned a couple of orderlies to keep him in line.

For additional information, contact info@meangeneleather.com.

Posted in Industry, Press Release | 7 Comments »