A DCD Protected Mobility Husky 2G armoured and mine protected landmine and explosive device detector vehicle
Photo by: Duane Daws/Creamer Media
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 of all its products.
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. The decision to dispose of the Isando plant was part of a group-wide and countrywide consolidation of manufacturing facilities, to improve efficiency and sustainability in the current market conditions. As a result, the Isando facility became surplus to requirements.
DCD does not regard Paramount as a competitor. It regards Protected Mobility’s products as being unique in their roles and applications.
DCD Protected Mobility currently has a product range of six vehicles (two being in the same family) and one unmanned ground vehicle (UGV). These are the Husky and Husky 2G, Springbuck, Ikri, Mountain Lion and Oribi vehicles and the Testudo UGV.
The two Husky vehicles are armoured and mine protected landmine and explosive device detector vehicles. The Springbuck and Ikri are mine protected armoured personnel carriers, while the Mountain Lion is a mine protected armoured utility vehicle. The Oribi is a multirole utility truck. The Testudo was developed originally by specialist technology company CMTI and is now the subject of an exclusive agreement between that business and DCD Protected Mobility.