The new Continuous Dye-Range Finishing System recently acquired by ACW is used to treat their numerous webbing products. It will virtually eliminate pigment excess due to its precise and consistent aqueous padding application of dye and pigment finishes to webbing material.
ACW President, Mark Krauss told us, “We are very pleased to be able to make a major equipment upgrade that will benefit our customers with consistently, high quality products. Our mission is to always improve our products and services in every possible way to better serve our customers in this highly competitive marketplace. This equipment upgrade enables ACW to exceed our customer’s expectations.â€
Zulu Nylon Gear has begun producing products in the A-TACS AU pattern. Here you can see their Mega Admin Pouch, M4 Double Magazine Pouch, and their MOLLE Visor Panel.
CTOMS informed us that they have recently established exclusive Canadian distribution agreements with both North American Rescue and North Coast Outfitters. These product lines together complement one other. North Coast Outfitters in particular, allows CTOMS to extend its offering up to comprehensive modular field medical treatment facilities. These just so happen to utilize NAR’s Talon II Litter platform. CTOMS is also working closely with North American Rescue to make some of their products available that have not previously been Health Canada Licensed and thus not legally available in Canada. These product lines strengthen and enhance CTOMS’s current product line, which already includes other lines like TacMed Solutions, Z-Medica and, of course, the CTOMS house brand products.
London Bridge Trading Company has launched a completely revised website. In addition to enhanced navigation, they’ve also released a few new products as well. Go explore!
DuPont Protection Technologies is pleased to announce the winners of the DuPont Kevlar Innovation Awards, which showcase ideas, methods, technologies, applications, products and services using DuPont Kevlar in a new way. This year’s U.S. awards were bestowed in three categories: innovation, protection and collaboration to QinetiQ North America, TYR Tactical and UNEQUAL Technologies, respectively.
They’re excited to announce the winners of these awards that recognize not only incredible ingenuity in uses for DuPont Kevlar, but our partners commitment to industry collaboration to help make the world a better, safer place, said William F. Weber, vice president of DuPont Protection Technologies, North America. DuPont Kevlar is most commonly known for ballistic protection, but its light-weight strength is used for a myriad of other purposes; these award winners showcase some of the best of the wide range of innovative uses of DuPont Kevlar in the industry.
Innovation award criteria focused on the use of DuPont Kevlar with new materials and/or new processing technologies, creativity in the use of DuPont Kevlar in new applications and general uniqueness or impressiveness of the product. The protection award was based on the best demonstration of an innovation that enhances protection of people, processes or the environment using DuPont Kevlar. The collaboration award was given to the entry that best demonstrated ways in which the company worked with DuPont or other organizations to develop a product using Kevlar that provides commercial significance and benefit to others.
QinetiQ North America’s rocket propelled grenade (RPG) protection solution, Q-Net, is the winner in the innovation category. Q-Net provides superior RPG defeat capabilities, is adaptable to a variety of platforms, and is low-cost and ultra-lightweight. QinetiQ worked in conjunction with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Office of Naval Research (ONR) to develop the Q-Net system, which is based on nets rather than traditional armor. The system leverages DuPont Kevlar in the netting in combination with metal points at net junctions to create the configuration. DuPont Kevlar was chosen for the netting for its strength, weight and low stretch characteristics. The resulting system offers an innovative solution to vehicle light-weighting and performance challenges, as reducing weight decreases the overall wear and tear of vehicle operating systems and fuel consumption.
QinetiQ North America Q-Net
TYR Tactical is honored with the protection award for its PV Nylon, a hybrid laminate that is significantly stronger and lighter-weight than standard nylon. TYR Tactical’s PV Nylon demonstrates how scientific innovation can yield incredible hybrid materials that address market challenges. By incorporating DuPont Kevlar to provide increased strength and ballistic resistance at a lighter-weight, TYR Tactical decreased the amount of nylon needed in a protection system, in turn reducing the weight of protection systems overall and increasing the life cycle of each product. This provides the market with a much needed solution for longer-wearing, more resistant and lighter-weight armor.
TYR Tactical PV
The collaboration award goes to UNEQUAL Technologies for its EXO pads, which offer body protection to soldiers and athletes. UNEQUAL worked with DuPont to incorporate DuPont Kevlar into its layered pad systems, yielding the first multi-threat, all-fabric solution that reduced fabric thickness, weight and cost. Collaboration with the sports industry allowed UNEQUAL to create padding that protects against blunt force trauma significantly better than traditional foam pads. UNEQUAL relied on Villanova University, Drexel University, Southern Impact Research Center and Safariland/BAE Systems, as well as other industry and academic partners to conduct extensive testing of its EXO Skeleton technology. EXO pads are now used by multiple NFL and NHL teams to help protect players. The different systems are light-weight, thin, and flexible to increase comfort without sacrificing protection on the sports field or battlefield.
UNEQUAL Technologies
The DuPont Kevlar Innovation Awards were judged by a prestigious panel of experts: Professor Philip Brown of Clemson University; Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey; Eric Lin, Ph.D., Chief of the Polymers division at National Institute of Standards and Technology; Adam Rogers, senior editor at Wired; and Doug Muzyka, Chief Science & Technology Officer at DuPont. Each award winner received $10,000 to donate to a charitable organization that benefits education, science, technology and/or government service. QinetiQ donated its award to the Wounded Warrior Project, which provides programs and services to severely injured service members as they recover and transition back to civilian life. TYR Tactical donated its award to Fisher House Foundation, which provides free or low cost lodging to veterans and military families receiving treatment at military medical centers. UNEQUAL donated its award to the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through exhibits, collections, research and education and is expected to open in 2014.
This contest is particularly timely, as DuPont recently opened its new Cooper River plant near Charleston, S.C. the single largest investment in the fiber since its invention. Overall global production capacity for DuPont Kevlar will increase initially by 25 percent and is expected to grow by 40 percent, creating the supply essential to further DuPont Kevlar innovation and new applications by both DuPont and its partners.
Michael Match, the owner of Ashland Sales & Service was interviewed on Fox News about contracts being handed over to Federal Prison Industries (Unicor). Ashland produces clothing for DoD but they are in danger of losing the contract for manufacturing jackets like the one worn by the Commander in Chief. Please watch the video.
Both Jonathon Long and we have talked about Unicor’s advantage over small businesses as a Government directed source for many commodities. It’s a travesty that they are given no-bid contracts. There are several bills in Congress that would help curb the influence Unicor exerts over the procurement system. Hopefully, we will see some changes soon.
It seems that since the turn of this latest century every year we find ourselves celebrating the centennial of one American institution after another. This year is no different. In 1911 outdoorsman LL Bean “invented” the Maine Hunting Boot by combining shoe rubbers with 7-1/2″ leather tops to keep his feet dry while hunting. Before long others wanted the boots and in 1912 he sent out his first mailer. The rest is history.
LL Bean is commemorating their 100th anniversary in a big way by producing a line of reproduction products that look like they’ll give you another 100 years of service.
TNVC Sponsored driver Jeff Wesphal kicked off a few weeks ago at Daytona Speedway in the Grand Am Continental Sports Car Challenge where TNVC owner Vic Di Cosola had the rare opportunity to get out of the office to watch him race.
The event started out in the rain where Jeff qualified 15th with a new car that had never been tested, nor driven on the track due to the cars motor getting completed just in time from the Dinan engine folks. While the motor was great, chassis setups now had to be adjusted for the race.
As the race started in the rain, all cars were on their wet tires and then we all got to see Jeff’s magic rain dance! He started to pass cars like they were going backwards and by lap 10 he was leading the race!
As the rain stopped, cars began to pit to get the slicks back on where comm issues on the radio surfaced and Jeff could not pit with the rest of the field. The delayed pit stop put the team near the back of the pack.
When it was all said and done, Jeff’s co-driver Martin Jensen took over at the 1.5 hour mark and climbed to the finish at 15th place where they started.
Vic Di Cosola went on to say, “These are exciting times, and our hopes in the racing circuit is to get the masses seeing the tactical community and our Military/LE in a continued highlight.†Folks can see the full Continental Race schedule here. Be sure if a race is in your area to stop by and say “Hi” to Jeff. This series is what NASCAR used to be!
