Vikela, a pioneering body armour company based in Northern Ireland, has marked an impressive growth phase with the recent relocation to a larger facility in Bangor.
Backed by a £1.3 million investment, the new 20,000 sq. ft. headquarters will enable the company to expand its production, broaden its market reach, and continue innovating in the personal protection equipment (PPE) industry.
The new premises at Balloo Link in Bangor officially opened at an event last week (November 14), where investors, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders attended to hear about the business's plans.
Backed by a £1.3 million investment, the new 20,000 sq. ft. headquarters will enable the company to expand its production, broaden its market reach, and continue innovating in the personal protection equipment (PPE) industry.
The new premises at Balloo Link in Bangor officially opened at an event last week (November 14), where investors, customers, suppliers and other key stakeholders attended to hear about the business's plans.
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LifestyleTranscript
00:00I'm Peter Gillies, and I'm the founder and CEO of Vakella.
00:09Body armor hasn't been significantly updated in 20 years.
00:13Current body armor does not provide adequate protection, covering as little as 11% of the
00:18body, and made on a one-size-fits-all basis.
00:22In reality, emergency services are wearing heavy, uncomfortable body armor for over eight
00:30hours at a time.
00:33More than half of women report feeling unsafe wearing body armor due to it being ill-fitting.
00:40Vakella is bringing innovation to a space that desperately needs it.
00:45To create the future of body armor, we're using our cutting-edge 3D printing process.
00:51This allows us to create strong material structures while also forming fully flexible
00:56protection that moves with the body.
01:07We can create crumple zones within the product, which is designed to take forces away from
01:12the user.
01:14This means that the armor can withstand everything from needles and knives to low- and high-level
01:19ballistics.
01:23Vakella products are lighter, flexible, and more inclusive.
01:28The first product range we're bringing to market is APIS, offering stock protection
01:33to emergency services, cash and transit workers, and private security.
01:39Flexibility of our materials means that we can make armor that can cover not only the
01:44torso, but the sides, back, and even the arms and legs.
01:50These products can be made to standard sizes or bespoke to exact specifications.
01:56Vakella plates can be made to fit into current equipment and transform, or we can provide
02:01new vests that provide superior fit.
02:06Currently body armor is sent to landfill, but once our armor has been used, it can be
02:10recycled by us in-house.
02:17Vakella, strength through structure, providing better-fitting protection.