Despite its recent sale of its manufacturing plant at Isando, in Kempton Park, east of Johannesburg, DCD Protected Mobility is still very much in existence and in business. The company is part of the DCD industrial and engineering group and manufactures mine protected and armoured vehicles, being particularly known for its world-renowned Husky route-clearance system. The Isando plant was sold to the Paramount Group, which will also use it to build mine protected and armoured vehicles.

DCD Protected Mobility will resume manufacturing its products at the DCD Group’s Boksburg plant, alongside its rolling stock manufacturing facility. The company did not sell any of its intellectual property to Paramount and remains the original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) of all its products.

“The DCD group has significant manufacturing facilities countrywide,” points out DCD Protected Mobility GM Cornelius Grundling. “The move of Protected Mobility to Isando a number of years ago was focused on creating capacity for non-defence-related activities. DCD took the decision to consolidate their manufacturing facilities countrywide in order to be more efficient and sustainable in current market conditions. Our Isando facility was thus surplus to DCD’s needs, prompting the decision to vacate the facilities and sell certain plant and equipment.”

Included in the deal was an agreement to transfer about 100 staff to the Paramount Group. However, DCD Protected Mobility retains key personnel on both the technical and manufacturing sides of the business, as well as the requisite expertise, systems, techniques, tools, jigs and so on needed to manufacture its full product range.

Nor does the deal with Paramount mark any change in the DCD Group’s strategy for its Protected Mobility business. This remains “to grow a sustainable global business as an OEM of protected mobility products by being a preferred partner to governments in our chosen operating markets by creating localised support structures; establishing ourselves as market leaders with a footprint or presence in selected emerging markets with an emphasis on Africa; maintaining our niche market base in the US and expanding our presence in the markets of its allies; and strengthen our current product and service offering, evolving to be a systems solution provider and integrator by investing in market-driven research and development and through innovation and strategic alliances”, he highlights.

DCD does not regard Paramount as a competitor. “Our products are unique in the land mobility role and application,” explains Grundling. “Our success is based on technical expertise and a track record of excellent quality, as well as cost and schedule compliance on all contracts.”

DCD Protected Mobility currently has a product range of four types of vehicle, of which one comes in two versions. These are the Husky and the Husky 2G, the Springbuck, the Ikri and the Mountain Lion.

The aforementioned Husky system (also known as the Chubby in South Africa) now provides the options of two closely-related armoured and mine-protected landmine and explosive-device-detector vehicles: the single seat Husky and the two-seat Husky 2G. If required, the Husky vehicles can tow mine detonating trailer sets, also made by the company. As well as being bought by South Africa, the Husky has been exported to Australia, Canada, France, Iraq, Kenya, Spain, Turkey, Uganda, the UK (since passed on to a de-mining charity) and the US (by far the biggest customer).

The Springbuck mine-protected armoured personnel carrier (APC) has been successfully exported to Nigeria, where it is operated by both Federal and State police forces. To strengthen its position in the Nigerian market, DCD Protected Mobility developed a partnership with local business. This has resulted in a collaboration to produce the Ikri mine protected APC, a development of the Springbuck. The Ikri is being assembled in Nigeria for the paramilitary units of that country’s Federal Police, using kits supplied from South Africa.