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Archive for the ‘Industry’ Category

Bluewater Defense Announces New Brand Identity

Tuesday, September 14th, 2010

When we saw the Bluewater Defense line of sleep systems we were puzzled as to where they came from. Now we know.

Bluewater Defense, Inc. recently announced a new brand name, new leadership, and an enhanced commitment to defense manufacturing work with their industry partners. The company, formerly known as DJ Manufacturing, Corp., will expand on their longtime experience as a prime contractor and subcontractor in the precision and specialized sewing industry for the Department of Defense (DoD) while adding new capabilities for custom production, expedited turnaround time and a new focus on research and development.

Bluewater Defense is headquartered in San Lorenzo with additional locations in Cidra, Corozal and Yabucoa, and employs 1500 highly trained garment manufacturers. All existing DJ Manufacturing, Corp. contracts are being transitioned to the new Bluewater Defense brand and all new contracts have been secured under the new brand name. Additionally, the company has significantly upgraded their facilities and made substantial investments in highly advanced garment forming equipment.

A worldwide leader in the precision needle working and manufacturing industry, Bluewater Defense is known for their mass production capabilities and is currently producing a wide variety of protective clothing, uniforms and individual equipment for the DoD, including the GEN III Layer 7 Extended Cold Weather Clothing System Parka and Trousers, the Army Combat Uniform Coat and Trousers, the Fire Resistant Army Combat Uniform, Improved Outer Tactical Vests and Hard Plate Carriers.

Additionally, Bluewater Defense expects to break ground on a new Manufacturing Center of Excellence in Yabucoa in the near future. The Center will be staffed with technical garment design professionals and the latest computer-aided design equipment to maximize speed from product concept to production. The Center will allow for additional specialized short run capacity and increased design flexibility to meet the varying needs of their industry partners and the DoD.

In an ongoing effort to elevate Bluewater Defense’s abilities as a premier manufacturer of military apparel and equipage, a new leadership team has been created comprised of individuals with significant leadership experience in the textile, apparel, technology and pharmaceutical industries. Eric Spackey has assumed the role of CEO/President and he has assembled his new management team which includes: Max Weinstein as the Chief Operating Officer; Sharon Birk as the Vice President of Business Development; Olga Bonnin as the Vice President of Finance; and Aida Mendez as the Vice President of Human Resources. The entire team at Bluewater Defense is looking forward to continuing to craft the high-quality products that are essential to the warfighter.

“Our goal at Bluewater Defense is to meet the specific needs of our men and women in uniform in even the most challenging circumstances.” said Bluewater Defense CEO Eric Spackey. “We are partnering with the best manufacturers of advanced fabrics and materials in the United States to supply our troops with the highest performing end products. We are very excited to begin this development work with our longtime industry colleagues and new partners.”

Bluewater Defense products are available through ADS Inc.

Remington Arms CEO Resigns

Monday, September 13th, 2010

Bloomberg.com reported on Friday that Remington Arms and Freedom Group CEO Ted Torbak has resigned effective 24 September and is taking a position with Cincinnati Bell Inc. Granted, Remington has filed for an Initial Public Offering, but Torbak is not a gun guy so we are not overly concerned with his leaving although we have heard that Torbak gave little notice of his departure. Remington continues to search for a new CEO.

Lightening the Load: Designing Lighter Products and Components for the Warfighter

Monday, September 13th, 2010

This free webinar is presented by IDGA in conjunction with Kaysun Corporation on September 21, 2010 at 12:00:00 PM EDT. Kaysun’s CEO Benjamin Harrison and Sales Engineer Mario Del Real will discuss how plastics can be used to help lighten the load.

Sign up today

www.idga.org

Meet MMA Star Brandon Vera

Thursday, September 9th, 2010

The Show Of Pride Celebrating The New Breed of Warrior announces special guest Brandon “The Truth” Vera, a Hampton Roads native and MMA star. Vera will be appearing on Friday, September 10th and Saturday, September 11th from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm and from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Vera is a former Air Force wrestler, two-time Pan-American Champion, eight-time Grapplers Quest Champion, W.K.A. Muay Thai National Champion, and Abu-Dhabi veteran.

New Breed of Warrior Live Demonstrations Announced

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

The Show of Pride Celebrating the New Breed of Warrior taking place later this week in Virginia Beach, Virginia has announced the schedule for demonstrations. These demos are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.

2010 NBOW Demos

William Gibson’s “Zero History” Hits Shelves

Wednesday, September 8th, 2010

SSD loves William Gibson and we are excited about his latest book due to the subject matter. Not only is he writing about the nexus of the military and fashion industries, few know that he has been in here before, but in real life. He is truly big in Japan where he has lent his name and design influence to a flight jacket as well as high tops and a line of military-esque bags.

A couple of spoilers await at io9.com where they discuss the book in more detail. “Zero History” was released today in the US.

Show of Pride Celebrating the New Breed of Warrior Industry Specific Training

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010

New Breed of Warrior has just released the Industry Specific portion of their program. Space is limited for all of these sessions and are restricted to those with Government or industry credentials. Be sure to RSVP ASAP if you want to attend any of these sessions.

2010 NBOW Industry Specific Training

Mad Duo – Darley Defense Day at Ft Polk

Sunday, September 5th, 2010

Darley Defense hosted “Darley Defense Day” near Ft. Polk on Tuesday. Darley is probably best known for the firefighting equipment but has recently gotten involved in special operations and tactical equipment, in a BIG way. Initially to be held on Ft Polk itself, Darley got word literally 24 hours before the show was to open that having it on base was a no-go. A garrison marplot apparently got involved for reasons that may have been righteous, were possibly spurious, or most likely stoopid, but who are we to judge? The end result saw the show moved literally at the last minute to a hotel in the nearby metropolis of Leesville.

Now, we personally think Leesville is on par with Mos Eisley, but the show itself was great. This was largely due to the Herculean efforts of Todd Kasper (SFC, retired), local Darley coordinator and event POC. If you’ve never met him, Todd’s a hard-working SOB with a great sense of humor, unmatched energy and excellent taste in hair gel. (Great guy; should never be prescribed personality-enhancing medication.)

There were a number of luminaries from the tactical industry there, including representatives from Tactical Tailor (we’ll be telling you about an outstanding new pouch they’re putting out; it’ll make you smack your forehead and wonder why you didn’t think of it yourself), Eye Safety Systems Inc. (more commonly known as ESS, and wait until you wear the new temples for the Crossbow glasses, they’re awesome), Peak Beam Systems, Beamshot, Duostock Designs, Going Loud Tactical Outfitters, Ontario Knife Company, Rocky Boots, Wellco Boots, The Mako Group…you get the idea. There were actually a couple there we didn’t initially know anything about, like for instance Wild Things Tactical. How we’ve managed to spend years in this line of work without hearing of them we haven’t figured out but rest assured we’ve since been educated. (They provide inclement weather gear to snake-eaters from every branch and many Federal agencies, and provide every Marine’s ‘happy suit’.) WT Tactical had a couple of really sweet new pieces, which we’ll go over soon.

We met many Soldiers from a variety of outfits, including 10TH Mountain and the 509’s Geronimos. We remember one mean looking Sergeant Major in particular, giving all the gear a very critical eye; pretty sure he was with the OPFOR unit, but not sure. He had a shaved head, rasping voice and looked like all the spare flesh and sense of humor on had long since been boiled away, leaving just gristle, dick and backbone behind.

We didn’t talk to him.

Although there weren’t vast numbers of Soldiers milling about, this Darley Defense Day seemed to be a great success. We had the chance to sit down for a few minutes with T.J. Gilroy over lunch (good chow, by the way) about their goals for the show and others liked it. Foremost among those goals was the desire to not only make themselves known as the newest part of the TLS Program (formerly “Prime Vendor”) and to educate soldiers about options in available and authorized kit that’s out there.

There was more to it…we’ll explain more as we go. Please check back periodically to read up on some of the wicked cool new kit we saw while we were there.

If you have any ideas for us to review or discuss, drop us a line at Breach-Bang-Clear or FaceBook.com/MadDuo; unless you’re going to complain about our opinions, writing style or philosophy (or you’re a sissy) in which case don’t bother. We’ve got upcoming articles on a half a dozen really cool new pieces of kit and a picture of when we were coined by GW of Tactical Tailor, so it would behoove you to PAY ATTENTION.

MAD DUO OUT!