Thales, ACE to fund security innovators

Thales Corporate Ventures has teamed with ACE Management to launch a venture capital fund specialising in security. The fund will have a capital of 100 million Euros and is divided into two segments: one segment will manage Thales Corporate Ventures' current portfolio, with Thales as its sole investor; the other is open to all industrial and financial partners interested in developing innovations in homeland security - security of goods, people, transactions, transport, industrial processes, and IT.

The initial investors in the second segment - Thales and the Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, the investment arm of the French government - are expected to be joined shortly by leading European partners.

The Security Fund will be managed by ACE Management. Thales Corporate Ventures will advise on the fund's management and investment policy under a consultancy contract, and will provide access to the Thales Group's technical and industrial expertise. Thales' involvement in the launch of the Security Fund enhances the Group's competitive intelligence in a sector that is core to its development strategy.

Thales Corporate Ventures is the venture capital subsidiary of Frenach electronis group Thales. It was formed in 1984 to forge links with the innovative community of high-tech start-ups. ACE Management is a capital investor specialising in high technology companies, particularly in the defence, aerospace, nuclear and security sectors. It is one of the few French specialists in the field, along with Thales Corporate Ventures.

BlastGARD now available to private sector - Atlanta-based company ShatterGARD Inc is offering its BlastGARD glass protection film to private sector customers for the first time.

BlastGARD, an optically clear film, was originally developed for the U S military to protect against flying glass due to an explosion or deliberate attack. For decades, terrorists and extremist groups have known that explosive devices and unprotected glass form a lethal combination and unprotected glass presents an inviting target for terrorists looking to inflict maximum damage both in the immediate impact zone and the surrounding area.

In response to recent world events, ShatterGARD for the first time is now offering BlastGARD to the private sector. Building owners and facilities managers can now provide building occupants and the public with additional protection by installing BlastGARD.

"As a company we made a unanimous decision to offer building owners, facility managers and architects worldwide the same protection as the government, according to ShatterGARD vice president Jordan Frankel. "The high strength polyester material adheres to the interior of the glass acting like an invisible coat of armour, making the glass significantly stronger and virtually impenetrable to small ballistic attacks."

"In the event of a major explosion, BlastGARD helps hold the razor sharp glass fragments together, preventing flying shards of glass from becoming deadly weapons. The product also absorbs shock waves, cushioning and dispersing the impact to the window frame, keeping windows in the structure under attack and surrounding buildings intact, minimizing the risk of bodily injury and property damage."

Unlike ballistic glass, BlastGARD is easily and quickly applied by certified technicians on the interior portion of glass surfaces. At roughly 60 % the cost of ballistic glass, BlastGARD is a cost-effective alternative.

BlastGARD is utilized on more than 50 US military bases, as well as government buildings, law enforcement agencies and commercial buildings worldwide. Installations include The US Naval Surface Warfare Center, the FBI, DEA, and US Army and Navy installations in Korea and Japan.


Over-suit protects EOD suits - Kings Langley, NSW, company Domain Defence Systems has designed a protective CBR over-suit to prevent EOD 5 and 8 type protective suits from having to undergo a CBR decontamination process which could damage the $10,000 ensembles.

The company, teamed with German firm Goetzloff GmbH, developed the over-suit in response to a requirement from the NSW Police Service (State Emergency Operations Centre), working with the NSWP Bomb Disposal Unit at Zetland.

This was not an easy task, the company says, as the EOD Suit ballistic shields can wedge at critical positions such as kneeling and climbing etc. In the early prototypes, when the bomb disposal technician was either kneeling or crawling, upon trying to get up he would topple over or could not get up because his ballistic shields were wedged tight within the over-suit.

The successful over-suit designed was featured at the EUROSATORY 2004 defence expo in Paris in June last year.

Domain defence Systems is also marketing First Responder Fire Retardant CBR Coveralls and two-piece suits incorporating Goetzloff's EUROLITE(r) Rolamit 110FR and TYVEK's 'F' fire-retardant and self-quenching materials.

And the company is also working closely with another German firm, Micronel AG, whose CASU C420X Compact Air Supply Unit and Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR) are now in Australian service.

Quick-disconnect couplings support emergency responders - Biological or chemical contamination and fire emergencies are just a few of the countless time-sensitive situations that demand rapid and high-quality response operations. When managing critical life and death events, emergency responders cannot afford to have equipment performance issues.

TVI Corporation (TVI), Glenn Dale, Maryland, a leading supplier of rapid deployment shelters and chemical or biological decontamination systems, relies on quick-disconnect couplings from Colder Products Company (CPC), St. Paul, Minnesota, to support its products and reflect its commitment to speed and quality.

"CPC couplings allow us to provide comprehensive systems that can be rapidly deployed during emergencies," said Chad Sample, Executive Vice President, TVI Corporation. "The connections meet our high standards for speed and quality and contribute to making our products more user friendly."

TVI has been manufacturing and distributing its rapid-deploy systems to public sector and military organizations for over 25 years. The company's core business is in the homeland security and first responder markets throughout the world, serving military and public sector industries in the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, and Australia.

TVI's decontamination products are widely recognized by first-responders in fire, police, emergency management services, ambulance crew, and emergency response teams. The systems are built to satisfy the quality requirements of numerous professional rapid-response teams, based on actual needs as demonstrated in the field.

Coupling components for TBI's fluid dispensing products must allow quick connection and disconnection, maintain a good pressure seal, be chemically resistant, and be composed of a lightweight material.

"We looked at several types of quick-disconnects, but only CPC's products met all four criteria," said Chris Toffolo, Purchasing Manager, TVI Corporation. "Although CPC couplings were a larger investment than some of our other options, we decided to specify them. Our products are often deployed in situations where lives are at stake, so we simply cannot afford to compromise on any components."

CPC connections are also used on some of TVI's rapid deploy shelters to allow for the quick set-up of patent-pending Active Curtains - curtain dividers that hang from the shelter ceilings and have fluid lines running through to supply water at shower points.

Production is another area with the need for speed. For TVI, the time between testing and market launch for new products is often a mere six months. "We do not have the luxury of sitting through numerous rounds of testing," remarked Toffolo. "In order to maintain our reputation for customer service and speed to market, it's important that we use top quality components from the start to minimize the number of trials."