Body armour and uniform specialists SIRDICKS is being kept busy with South African government orders for bullet resistant vests, uniforms and other kit, including the new dress uniform for the South African Army.
With nearly four decades of experience, Cape Town-based SIRDICKS employs nearly 100 staff, making it one of South Africa’s largest bullet resistant vest manufacturers. The company has produced vests for the South African Police Service, Department of Correctional Services, South African National Defence Force, local municipalities, and the United Nations, amongst others.
One of its innovative products is an inflatable armoured jacket that has been taken into service by the South African Navy – this can either inflate in water automatically or when a rip-cord is pulled. The inflatable system makes sure the person in the water floats chin-up to avoid drowning.
SIRDICKS has custom designed armoured vests for the SA National Defence Force, emergency medical services (EMS), and private security companies. Some of its new innovations include a utility EMS bullet resistant vest and bullet resistant leather jackets. Various prototypes for customers are currently in the works.
“With a rich tailoring background, SIRDICKS is an industry leader when it comes to design and development, quality and on-time service delivery,” said Shuaib Gierdien, Business Development Manager at SIRDICKS. “We are also one of the few companies in the local ballistic sector that has an Armscor approved shooting range with the factory capability to manufacture bulletproof vests of any specified style and level of protection.”
A notable achievement for SIRDICKS was upgrading its shooting range for NIJ Level IIIA testing, allowing the company to test its armour against 9 mm and .44 Magnum handgun rounds. Stringent testing and quality control is critical as substandard products can put users’ lives at risk. Shuaib notes that one of the biggest challenges facing the bullet resistant vest industry is that it is not regulated enough to hold newcomers to the same strict standards that established manufacturing companies are governed by.
A significant landmark for SIRDICKS was the development of the South African Army’s new service dress uniform, which has been rolled out to all high-ranking officials for trial wear. The new uniform was developed as the old design was being copied and did not fit all body types.
Some 90% of SIRDICKS work comes from the SA National Defence Force and the military market, and to this end the company has been contracted to design and develop a new prototype bulletproof vest for the defence force.
SIRDICKS sees robust demand for bullet resistant vests locally, and is positive about the future of government contracts because of new laws, accountability and transparency in government. “We continue to set the bar high for quality products,” Shuaib emphasised.
Conflict in Ukraine, and increased worldwide defence and security spending, has seen a sharp rise in the global demand for ballistic materials. “It is clear that most major defence forces are bolstering up all defence supplies due to regional insecurity. We hope that with enough international exposure we can take advantage of this demand,” Shuaib said.
