UK body armour manufacturer, Defence Composites Ltd, is the creator and manufacturer of the widely used KR1 Shell Body Armour which has been hugely popular since 2008.
As a body armour manufacturer they are taking a new approach to the industry and the launch of their first website www.defencecomposites.co.uk will allow customers to view all areas of the business, facilitate a contact point for R&D bespoke enquiries and showcase the “real-life protection” case studies.
DC has a long standing reputation of working with customers to help them bring their projects to life. Working on a number of their own design and development ideas they will be launching some exciting new products for the body armour industry over the next 12 months.
“I feel it is time to create our own presence in the market. We have been established for 20 years and after many years supplying own brand goods we would like the opportunity to sell DC Armour Products direct to the customer. There are always lots of projects and ideas in the pipeline and now we need a platform for them to be launched from.”
Craig Mills – Managing Director
Craig’s involvement in the protective clothing industry began over 40 years ago, following an early career in motor racing. The design and manufacture of racing driver’s clothing was originally intended to finance a season in Formula 3, but the business soon took priority. His first project was to develop carbon fibre clothing for Richard Noble, and travel with the team to the USA to set the 633mph 1983 World Land Speed Record.
In the following years he became involved in the application of advanced protective materials. This led to a focus on ballistic protection and the design and manufacture of specialised garments for the Police, Security and Military markets, notably for the UK Special Forces.
Having this experience he was asked to set up the new TBA Ballistics (T&N Group PLC) manufacturing facility. The company became the main supplier of body armour to the UK MOD, and he was subsequently appointed as Body Armour Adviser to the NATO Soldier Modernisation Programme.
Since then his constant research and development work and knowledge of advanced materials has given the Defence Composites company a unique level of expertise.
Defence Composites manufacturing facilities have a wide range of machinery together with a team of skilled seamstresses allowing them to cover a spectrum of possibilities. Their bespoke body armour outer covers are high quality and well regarded within the industry.
“We are looking to expand our customer base in the UK, Europe and USA by offering a comprehensive range of products for the body armour industry.To achieve this, we have been investing in our in-house machinery and increased capacities across the board with opportunities for new members of staff to come on board as part of the production team and the sales team.These are exciting times for us as we take the next steps in building our reputation.”
Julia Harbridge – Finance Director
