NP Aerospace - Continuing to Protect and Save Lives BFM 101

NP AEROSPACE

CONTINUING TO PROTECT AND SAVE LIVES

NP AEROSPACE

SINCE WE LAST TALKED TO ARMOUR SYSTEMS MANUFACTURER NP AEROSPACE, THE COMPANY HAS BEEN EXTREMELY BUSY.

CONTINUING TO

PROTECT & SAVE LIVES PROJECT MANAGED BY: DEAN BROWN

It has been three years since we last met with James Kempston, CEO of NP Aerospace. A lot has happened since then. “We have been busy, to say the least, but in a good way,” Kempston tells us. “We’ve been sticking to our forecasts for growth. We are growing year-on-year, not only on our top line but also in our profit. We are winning significant contracts. Business is always challenging but we are progressing as expected.”

W

hen we speak to Kempston he has just returned from a business trip, which is not unusual in the post-lockdown era, but where he has been was a surprise.

“I just got back from Kyiv recently. Obviously, there are various current situations driving the need for NP Aerospace to go out there, but also my leadership style means I like to get directly involved with customers and the business,” Kempston says, adding “To the point of going into a war zone.”

It is not a trip anyone would take without good reason, and for Kempston, the trip provided an essential perspective on the work NP Aerospace does.

“It puts in perspective why we do what we do,” he insists. “I can talk to people saved by our products or products like ours.

We are actively saving lives, and that is why we work so hard to get things done. It’s literally a

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matter of life or death if things don’t go fast enough or aren’t done to the utmost quality.

Zoom is great but sometimes you need to get right in front of people.”

Kempston also saw the journey as an opportunity to give back, donating through Brave Ukraine to support Ukraine’s people through humanitarian efforts, food, water, and shelter. He also had the honour of meeting Mayor Vitali Klitschko of Kyiv, talking privately with him about what he’s doing for the city and how the war is affecting it.

Even now, NP Aerospace’s products are playing an important role in this war.

“We are providing a significant amount of product into Ukraine,” Kempston acknowledges.

James Kempston, CEO, NP Aerospace.

NP AEROSPACE

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protecting people and things that matter®

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TECHNOLOGY THAT PROTECTS For 20 years, we have been providing partners with market-proven solutions and custom designed enhancements that elevate their products in the market.

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SKYDEX Founded in 2001 and based in Denver, Colorado, SKYDEX is a global leader in advanced impact mitigation and energy absorption solutions. From armored vehicles to bomb suits, helmets and body protection, running shoes and ergonomic seating, SKYDEX is driven by a single purpose: “Protecting People and Things That Matter.” With technical expertise and proprietary geometries, advanced SKYDEX materials are used to protect hundreds of thousands of lives across a wide range of applications, such as vehicle protection, marine performance, sports protection, blast and ballistics, work wear/PPE, electronics and more.

SKYDEX was born from a single patented innovation and passion for protection. From that one patent, we have expanded geometry profiles, industry applications, and markets served, globally. Today, SKYDEX holds over 100 patents, making us one of the most exclusive technology companies in the space. Our technology applies to virtually every industry.

With proven expertise in impact mitigation, vibration control and cushioning, our technology allows us to distribute pressure, provide greater comfort and precisely tune the response to mitigate impact—which ultimately results in reduced risk of injury, pain, and fatigue for our users.

At SKYDEX, we believe that optimal performance demands game-changing innovation. Through continuous research and investment in our technology, we are constantly expanding our reach and establishing new partnerships— all with the goal of creating products that are engineered to protect and maximize performance. Our team of engineers and product development specialists bring industry-leading expertise and a collaborative approach to every project as we work with clients and partners to transform their position in the marketplace.

Partnerships, like with NP Aerospace, offer us the opportunity to tackle the most pressing challenges facing the Defense Industry. From ongoing innovations that enhance ballistic plate performance to vehicle blast mitigation and helmet solutions – SKYDEX provides energy attenuating solutions that exceed performance requirements.

Every impact is unique, comfort is subjective, and different applications require different customized solutions. SKYDEX is unlike traditional materials in the marketplace. SKYDEX has invested in a world-class on-site research and development facility to design and evaluate solutions quickly and efficiently. Our team validates solutions using an array of impact, pressure, and vibration measurement tools. We design, prototype, test and manufacture in a seamless process to rapidly engineer a product concept for our clients.

By combining our U.S. based on-site manufacturing with our proven global manufacturing network, SKYDEX can serve projects of all sizes and specific program requirements. Our team collaborates closely with clients around the world to determine the best way to cost effectively manufacture components and maximize speed to market.

Recently, our team has developed market changing solutions for impact protection and comfort in helmets. Through our partnership with leading component innovator, Helmet Comp, SKYDEX has engineered high performance helmet innovations for the most challenging environments.

With unmatched fit, stability and comfort, combined with effective energy absorption, SKYDEX offers solutions with a focus on optimizing user effectiveness in the battlefield through both comfort and protection that can be trusted.

To learn more SKYDEX Technologies, visit: www.skydex.com

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NP AEROSPACE

AN EVENTFUL THREE YEARS

The war in Ukraine dominates the news today, but it is only the latest in a series of worldshaping events that have taken place since we last talked to Kempston. Perhaps the biggest, aside from Ukraine, was the Covid-19 outbreak.

“Coming out of Covid while continuing to grow the business, and doubling in size over two years, has been our biggest achievement,” Kempston tells us. “We were dealing with lockdowns, Brexit, global supply chains, but we and the team have managed it successfully.”

When the pandemic began, it was a period of uncertainty across every nation and business sector, but the speed of reaction was critical.

“It was important to move quickly but with a sense of purpose and direction,” Kempston recalls. “From the first part of COVID we had a daily start of work call to review everything from the previous day, including changing political positions, what each country was doing differently and how it would affect our business, our contracts and our people from a health and safety standpoint. We did that every day through the initial Covid period.”

NP Aerospace was in a strong position thanks to long-running contracts, a decent order book going into the pandemic, and the company’s position as an essential business. But even with those advantages on its side, the firm continued to grind through business development and sales channels.

This ability to persist and reliably deliver in difficult situations has become a key part of NP Aerospace’s reputation as a provider of high-quality, highperformance products.

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TURNKEY MANUFACTURING SOLUTIONS

We’re passionate about serving our clients to the fullest, while connnuously growing, learning and innovanng.

With competencies across mulnple industries, we offer our clients a complete turnkey manufacturing solunon at the highest quality

01788 536033 shawsheetmetal.co.uk SHAW SHEET METAL (RUGBY) LTD. Shaw Sheet Metal have been a regular supplier of mechanical piece-parts and sub-assemblies to NP Aerospace since kicking off their relationship back in 1998.

In that time Shaw Sheet Metal and NP Aerospace have worked closely together on many projects, typically of a military or defence related nature.

We look forward to continuing our working relationship and supporting NP Aerospace for many more years to come.

Shaw Sheet Metal (Rugby) Ltd are a Dynamic Engineering Company established over 30 years ago.

Registered to the ISO 9001: 2015 quality standard, we employ the most highly skilled, experienced welding and fabrication workforce using the latest fiber laser cutting technology and CNC folding machinery.

Major investment over the last five years has enabled Shaw Sheet Metal to continually seek those small improvements in manufacturing processes with the objective of increasing quality and reducing waste whilst maintaining competitiveness.

We are dedicated to exceeding all our customers needs, honoring the commitments we have made to them showing pride, enthusiasm and dedication in everything we do.

Shaw Sheet Metal has considerable resources running five state of the art fiber laser systems with automation, folding and pressing facilities for products up to 4 metres long and a full in house powder coating plant.

No matter how Large or Small your project is, we are suitably placed to help with all your needs.

The One Stop Shop for all you manufacturing requirements! www.shawsheetmetal.co.uk

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NP AEROSPACE

“That reputation is something that carries us into new markets and is something existing customers come back and buy again for,” Kempston tells us.

“When you’re using something that will save your life, quality and performance are what you look for.”

AN EVOLVING OFFERING

NP Aerospace’s continued growth, while in line with forecasts, also means the business is changing.

“We’re still very fast & agile even as we’re becoming slightly larger than an SME,” Kempston says.

The last time we spoke with Kempston, he told us about a new direction for the company, opening up a catalogue of off-theshelf armour products alongside their more bespoke line. It is an investment that has paid off.

“We have successfully commercialised and certified our new generation of bomb suits, the 4030 ELITE Bomb Disposal Suit. It has been certified in the US market under the NIJ specification. That’s our commercial off-the-shelf product bought by FBI and police forces in the US and other global markets,” Kempston points out.

“Things like body armour, plates, and shields are all off the shelf.

Those sales quadrupled over the last year and the year before. We don’t expect growth at that rate this year but expect it to continue to grow.”

Kempston puts this growth down to a much stronger distribution network, driving people to want to work with NP Aerospace in new markets.

But while this is a growing segment, it is clear that Kempston still retains his real passion for researching and developing new ideas and solutions.

“It helps that I’m a physicist and engineer. I started in defence in an R&D role, and I still get heavily involved with the R&D team at NP Aerospace. “It’s partially

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NP AEROSPACE

driven because I’m a CEO who loves R&D, but we also spend 3% of our budget on R&D. That’s not including our own internal R&D. We have a healthy and active budget reinvesting in the development of products, new materials, and new processes.”

NP Aerospace has primarily been known as an armour supplier, but it is offering much more than that. The company’s range includes oncology beds for major healthcare providers, composite engineering and manufacturing and vehicle systems and services covering innovations such as hybrid electric military vehicle systems.

One thing that has changed is that Kempston is taking his handson attitude toward the company to a whole new level, having now purchased the remaining 50% of shares in the business to become NP Aerospace’s sole owner.

“It doesn’t change too much in terms of my control of the company, but it does sometimes make decision-making a little easier and faster. There’s only one cook in the kitchen,” he says.

“But my reasoning behind it was it is a good investment. I foresaw continued opportunity, and it just made a lot of sense.”

There is no denying there are difficult times ahead, particularly with the ongoing situation in Ukraine, placing NP Aerospace’s products in high demand, but Kempston is taking a long view.

“This year will probably be three times the sales of last year, massive growth due to what’s happening in Europe. That is not sustainable in itself. Companies like ours tend to have explosive growth in sales which will help in the short term,” Kempston observes. “But long term we intend to continue growing the business through large programme delivery, diversification into new export markets and potential strategic acquisitions.”

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