News & Blog

4 September 2023, Melksham, UK: Avon Protection, a renowned leader in innovative personal protective equipment, is pleased to announce a strategic partnership with OPEC CBRNe, a designer and manufacturer of chemical, biological and antiviral suit systems. This collaboration aims to revolutionise CBRN protective suit technologies, catering to international military, special forces and first responder markets.

The partnership will combine Avon Protection’s deep expertise in CBRN, market-leading materials innovation and ensemble integration expertise with OPEC CBRNe’s proven track record in developing high comfort, high protection chemical, biological and antiviral suit systems.

Together the companies will advance materials technology and design methods to develop suit products that not only elevate safety levels but also enhance user comfort, with an emphasis on integration with currently deployed CBRN masks, boots and gloves, and ballistic head protection systems.

“There are very limited options for users in the CBRN field to obtain protective suits as part of a wider integrated ensemble; as a result the protection level at the points at which different garments meet – for example the wrist or ankle – are weaker,” Justin Hine, Director of Strategy & Capability, Avon Protection, said. “By challenging traditional development and production methods, we are looking at designs that work in harmony with existing masks, boots and gloves products giving operators a higher degree of protection, confidence and wearability in the field.”

Avon Protection’s extensive range of CBRN respiratory technologies include Air Purifying Respirators (APRs), escape devices, Powered Air Purifying Respirators (PAPR), Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA), and protective boots and gloves, delivering protection to over 3.5 million users worldwide.

Steve Elwell, President, Avon Protection said: “Avon Protection’s focus on whole system integration across CBRN masks, boots and gloves will be expanded to include protective suits under this partnership, with a focus on how to improve the wearer’s comfort and safety. By leveraging the world’s leading protective clothing specialist technologies and furthering our own materials development, we will offer users a single, integrated line of equipment within the Avon Protection range they know and trust.”

“Through our partnership with Avon Protection, we aim to further enhance the integration and tailoring of our protective garments, to help maximise performance. The resulting complete ensembles, constructed using cutting edge components following rigorous design and testing, will deliver sophisticated levels of system integration between CBRN ensemble components and ballistic protection equipment,” said Geoff Rowland, General Manager, OPEC CBRNe.