Demcon at one point started out as a mechatronics engineering firm that primarily worked for the semiconductor industry and the industrial automation sector. The development and production of medical technology was later added and today Demcon operates in many different markets. ‘We do this because we perceive social challenges and business opportunities in these markets for which we can develop technological solutions with our people and our competencies,’ says Schipper. ‘We are now adding defense & security. Pursuant to our philosophy of creating shared value, we are only going to develop defensive technologies and products. For example, when our country democratically decides to participate in international peacekeeping missions, it must be possible for our men and women to go there well equipped and well protected. In addition, our infrastructure must be protected against cyber and other attacks. When we can contribute to this with our creativity and technology then it is my belief that we must not shirk that responsibility. It is important to keep the industry that supplies such critical technology in the Netherlands.’
Complex technology
Technology is becoming increasingly more important and complex for defense organizations and, moreover, is increasingly more often autonomous, according to Schipper. ‘Their challenge is to quickly develop specific innovations and to introduce reliable and safe products. Thanks to our broad experience with multidisciplinary developments and complex innovation processes, we are a partner par excellence in this respect.’ Examples include mission support systems, communication systems and autonomous technologies designed to make missions safer, and solutions for mobile energy supply systems in the field.
New business unit
All reasons for creating a separate defense & security systems business unit and to recruit John Manrho as its manager. He has worked for aircraft manufacturer Fokker for thirty years, twenty years of which were in the defense domain. Schipper: ‘John knows this world inside out. His task is to expand our defense & security activities and to create a stable business unit with steadily increasing revenues. His challenge is to make it known that we can help defense organizations innovate.’ Manrho: ‘Demcon is an innovative and dynamic organization that just like Fokker operates in high-quality technical domains, albeit on a smaller scale. That makes for shorter lines. Initially, I will primarily focus on Defense in our own country. We will be focusing on the innovation themes that are current here and will also be seeking collaboration with knowledge institutes such as the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO), the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) and the Maritime Research Institute Netherlands (MARIN).’
Read full press release at www.demcon.com