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No Holds Barred

Features on:

■ CAD/CAM solutions

■ Military protective apparel

■ Sourcing in Tunisia

PLUS MUCH MORE!

Buyers speak frankly about suppliers and thestate of the industry at their annual forum

Issue 8: August/ September

2009

The international magazine for the corporate clothing, workwear and PPE supply chain

18 www.director-e.com www.fabricdirector-e.com www.workwearshow.co.uk

PPE

Our soldiers facesome of thetoughest and mostunpredictableconditions

imaginable on a daily basis. Asweapons become moretechnologically advanced, soapparel worn by combatantsmust evolve in order to provideadequate protection.

Soldiers, naval crew and aircrewencounter different hazards in theirroles, which must be reflected in theprotection that their apparelprovides. Soldiers need ballisticprotection, which must betempered with trying to introduce areduction in heat stress, especiallyin hot climes such as Iraq orAfghanistan. Naval personnel andaircrew may require more fireresistance from the threat of missileattacks and explosions.

Militaries around the world alsohave different criteria for theirsoldiers’ protective apparel. But allhave a duty to protect their troops

and to ensure their safety byproviding PPE that is fit-for-purposewhether they are staked out in thejungles of Belize or flying over theNorth Pole.

Setting the standard

These days, employers whoseworkers require PPE are subject tohealth and safety legislation, whichin turn must meet national or globalindustry standards. PPE for themilitary, however, is subject toperformance specs and NATOregulations.

Arlene Hackett from Cosalt, aprovider of bespoke life savingequipment, says that theseregulations are just as challengingto satisfy: “Military organisationscan spend years writing tendersand if you win the contract youmust fulfil everything in that long listof criteria - there’s no room for error.

“Because of the environments thatthe military work in, you know thatthey will come across all the

hazards specified, and so you haveto be sure that your garments fulfilall of their requirements. We ensurethat ours meet or exceed thecurrent PPE standards for industrythrough stringent quality control.”

Remploy Frontline alsomanufactures aircrew coveralls,CBRN apparel and heavy and lightduty lifejackets to national, regionaland global industry standards.Business manager JohnArmstrong says: “The DEC(Director of Equipment Capability),who is usually a high ranking officer,will set tasks for the RMs(Requirement Managers), who areat a level below. It is these guyswho approach industry for solutionsalong with the IPTs (IntellectualProcurement Teams), who arecivilians.”

Remploy Frontline

A leading employer of disabledpeople, Remploy was established inthe UK 65 years ago to provide jobsfor injured service men and miners

The Art of

Specialist manufacturers of high-performancemilitary apparel report on the protection thatis afforded to those serving in some of theharshest and most demanding environmentsin the world

War

Cosalt’s cold weather suit for the RAFand Royal Navy

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PPE

who would otherwise be unemployable. Today, ithas developed a highly successful factorynetwork throughout the UK for a range of sectorsincluding PPE.

The core business of its division RemployFrontline is the design, development, andmanufacture of CBRN products. Designed to bequickly donned over a soldier’s uniform to allowthem to fight or function while under nuclear,biological, or chemical attack, CBRN suits cancontinuously protect the wearer for up to severaldays. Traditionally these suits were made fromheavy, impermeable materials such as rubber.Worn for up to 10 hours at a time, they preventedbreathability and effective freedom of movementto leave the wearer with fatigue and the sensationof “being steamed alive”.

Today, reducing body burden for CBRN wearersremains a big issue. There is PPE available that ismade from textiles and materials that arelightweight, breathable and which provideprotection from the natural elements in anyclimate but marrying these requirements withprotection against deadly contaminants is nosmall challenge.

Remploy are actively trying to address thisthrough continual research and development.

The soon to be launched “Coumil” (two-piece)and “Panmil” (one-piece) suits for the world’smilitary CBRN teams offer unprecedentedprotection against chemical, vapour andbiological hazards. They are made from apolyester/cotton blend outer shellincorporating a fluorocarbonwaterproof treatment and optionalflame retardant finishes. Improvements include a lighterweight carbon lining to offergreater breathability by reducingor wicking away perspirationwithout greatly decreasing theshelf and field life of the product.The vacuum-packed suits havea 10-year shelf life, are washableup to five times and weigh 2.1kilograms.

Storm cuffs have been added atankles and wrists for additionalprotection, comfort and ease ofaccessory integration, a single-handedcord lock adjustment on the jackethem allows greater adjustment easeand Velcro has been re-angled toimprove closure.

To maximise protection for the PPEwearer against nearly every CBRNthreat, PPE products must fit togetherin a way that is virtually seamless.Remploy Frontline’s Coumil andPanmil suits can be fully integratedwith a choice of mask, boots, gloves,SCBA, and hands-free rehydrationdevices because they can beproduced in order to meet exactspecifications.

“Our experience collaborating withother PPE manufacturers on an international scalehas been very successful because it can offercustomers a comprehensive, competitively priced,best-of-breed PPE solution,” says Janet Timmis,head of product development.

“We feel these collaborations are the best wayforward, now and in the future, especially withregard to future soldier programmes. By workingwith the best and like-minded partners around theworld, we can deliver the best solution together.”

Cosalt

Fire and heat are two of the biggest risks thatsoldiers face. To protect military organisationssuch as the RAF and the Royal Navy fromexplosions and missile attacks, Cosaltmanufacture and supply jackets, trousers and aircrew coveralls made from lightweight fire resistantfabric in shades of tropical NATO green anddesert sand. They have been supplying thesecontracts for over 20 years. Arlene Hackettsays: “Most garments that we provide arebespoke and our customers have specific ideasof what they want.

“Military organisations have all got verytight budgets and the reality is thatthey are not necessarily looking forthe latest innovations. They wantproducts that are high quality, fit-for-

purpose and at a competitiveprice.”

To ensure this, Cosalt’sdesigners work closely withend users. “They are veryhands on,” says Arlene.“They have been into hothouses, travelled to RAFbases and flown inhelicopters in order toexamine the challenges

that pilots and aircrewcome up against in their

daily working lives.”

Cosalt’s jackets andtrousers also work with

helmets and gloves to provideprotection against severe coldweather. They are made fromquilted gabardine with a

GORE-TEX® waterproofmembrane to provide warmthand comfort, whilst being aslightweight and breathable aspossible.

TenCate

To give soldiers extraprotection in one fabric,TenCate has recentlydeveloped a newoffering in its TenCateDefender™ M range ofinherently heat and

flame resistant fabrics. Engineered with apatented technology, Defender™ M fabrics aresuitable for application in protective clothing fornaval forces, ground forces, air forces, SpecialForces and law enforcement. They’re cool and breathable, thanks to their highLenzing® FR content and also highly durable dueto the use of para-aramid and polyamide fibres.

New to the range is a fabric with laminates toprovide foul weather protection (EN 343 3/3:2003) in addition to thermal protection (EN 531 A,B1, C1: 1995, EN 533, index 3: 1997) and limitedchemical splash protection (EN 13034, type 6:2005). All fabrics from the range can also beprinted to any camouflage pattern according to defence ministry specifications.

Sioen

The clothing system for the French soldier of thefuture (FELIN) managed by SAGEM is one of themost advanced programmes of its kind, both interms of technology and deployment timeframe.They have been using Sioen’s multi-layeredgarment system since 2004 for their mounted and

Because of the environments that the military workin, you know that they will come across all thehazards specified, and so you have to be sure thatyour garments fulfil all of their requirements

CBRN suit from Remploy Frontline

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PPE

dismounted soldiers in heavy battle. Thecompatibility of each layer in this systemis vital, not only for wearer comfort, butbecause protection such as that againstheat and flames can be reduced if theclothing doesn’t fit properly.

The multi-layered systemcomprises functional andcomfortable underwearfrom the Sio-Fit range,which utilize fibres thatactively combat sweatand odour retentionwhilst simultaneouslyproviding thermal stability. A flameretardant range has also beendeveloped. These are wornbeneath combat suits, whichhave been made baggier toimprove mobility with mountedpockets on the elbows and theknees to insert protections againstfragmentation.

Made out of a flame retardant fabricwith high mechanical resistances,other properties include thermalmanagement for hot and coldenvironments, and anti-mosquitoand anti tick finishes or an extrawater repellent finish for the winter.

Fitted on top of this is alightweight and modular ballisticjacket, which has the potential toadd hard armour plates on to thetorso, neck, groin andback, as well as anti-stabprotection. Designed forcomfort, other toolsinclude quick releaseand quick evacuation.

Koen Meersseman, product manager for bodyarmour, says: “Every army asks for protectionagainst different bullets, and so, when a militarytender for body armour appears we need to startdevelopment from the beginning.”

Just as well that Sioen Armour Technology has in-house ballistic and stab testing laboratories thatcan accommodate all international standardrequirements for testing ballistic, knife and spikethreats. Body armour not only needs to withstandenemy fire but also the conditions in which theyare worn. Humid conditions for example canaffect the armour’s composition leading to adecline in performance.

The foul weather clothing range is designed tointeract with the body armour and, in keeping withthe trend for one garment for all environments,provide protection for arctic to tropical conditionsand include infra red reflective capability, low radarsignature, flame retardancy, chemical andpathogen resistance and anti-static. Sioen also provides working solutions for theintegration of new technology systems for thespecific needs of the mounted and dismountedsoldier. They are supporting several world-leadingelectronic companies for the integration of theirC4I (command, control, communications,computer and intelligence) systems in electricaland tactical jackets.

The Future

Comfort, manoeuvrability and compatibilityare ongoing challenges in the developmentof protective military apparel. Andrew

Waterworth from Kermel, amanufacturer of fibres for flame andheat resistant clothing, believes thatmilitaries will continue to movetowards the best that the market

has to offer to tackle theseissues.

“We recently provided the RAFwith protective apparel thatlooks like normal clothing youwould see on the street but infact it is extremely complex with

so many different properties to itranging from inherently non-flammable to invisible infra-red light.”

New technologies arecoming to the fore all the

time. Silver, for example, isgaining ground in military circles for itsanti-microbial, anti-odour, anti-staticand thermodynamic properties, withNoble Biomaterial’s silver yarn X-Static now standard issue for all USservices. But it’s not justtechnological developments that aredriving the sector forward.

“The stakes are being raised,” saysAndrew. “In this day and age people

are getting more scaredbecause if you are abrigadier, a major, a chieffire officer or head ofpolice, if one of yourpeople gets injured andyou’ve not equipped

them with the correct PPE you can go to court.”

But as with anything, military apparel programmesare subject to financial constraints. “Sometimesthey ask for too many things,” says Andrew. “I say

to them that we have to do what’s practical andaddress the hazards that they will actually comeup against.

“The most advanced PPE clothing in the world isworn by NASA astronauts and costs about £2million a suit. If they can afford it that’s fine - butthat usually brings them back down to earth.” ■

Sioen Armour Technology has in-houseballistic and stab testing laboratories

Sioen’s multi-layered garment system as used by the French soldier of the future (FELIN)

A soldier wears apparel made from TenCate’s Defender™ M fabrics