PROVIDING BATTLESPACE SOLUTIONS FOR 63 YEARS
By Julian Nettlefold
BATTLESPACE Editor Julian Nettlefold visited Dytecna at its Malvern manufacturing site.
Founded in 1947 by the Fulford family and still owned and managed by James Fulford (Chairman) and John Fulford (Managing Director), Dytecna is all too familiar with the changing face of the Defence Industry.
“The big question now facing Dytecna, along with all other companies in this sector, is what next? What are the emerging opportunities in the UK and overseas and how do you adapt to ensure Dytecna is here for the next 60-years?” The Editor asked.
“Yes, we face great change again with the UK Defence Review and the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Thus, we are looking to expand our capabilities to overseas markets, particularly the US and Australia. An example of this is the fact that Dytecna is exhibiting at the AUSA Annual Meeting & Exposition for the first time.” John Fulford told BATTLESPACE.
Dytecna evolved from a printing service into drawing and then design providing mechanical and electrical expertise. In response to customer need, Dytecna evolved again from design to engineering undertaking manufacture and installation.
Dytecna is the leading supplier of vehicle and shelter integration and installation services to the UK Defence Industry, supporting core programmes and Urgent Operational Requirements; it’s time to show our capabilities to the US market. Providing engineering solutions in support of Land, Sea and Air and offering products including HUMS, Blast and Ballistic Protection, Aviation Ground Power and Vehicle Power Distribution is core to our business.
“Over the last 63-years Dytecna has used its innovative spirit and agility to flex and evolve with the market. The last five-years have seen Dytecna grow from a two-site 100 employee company, to 450 people over six locations. Our plan is to continue to grow and diversify to meet the emerging market challenges. The legacy of six decades of Defence contracting has resulted in a company that knows how to respond to the customer’s need, whether that customer is the MOD or a Prime Contractor. “
“What areas do you see as key to growth?”
“To enable supplied solutions to be supported in the field, Dytecna’s Support capability has developed; we now provide the most comprehensive range of Support Solutions in the UK market. In support of the challenges faced by the UK MOD in Iraq and Afghanistan Dytecna radically changed our engineering approach and processes to enable agile and rapid response to UORs; over 3000 vehicles have passed though our workshop on their way to theatre.”
Through acquisition Dytecna’s core capabilities have widened to include blast and ballistic protection, electronics, systems and software. The Company has expanded to international markets through acquisitions and widened its sector scope to include the aviation sector with the provision of aviation ground power.
In response to the emerging needs of military land platforms Dytecna design, develop and manufacture special purpose electronic devices built to withstand the operational environment. Examples include rugged routers, Ethernet switches, crew displays and power nodes. Fully defence qualified and built to last, Dytecna’s solutions fill the need when COTS equipment just will not do.
Examples of Dytecna responding to emerging sectors and markets are:
Health and Usage Monitoring Systems
For almost a decade Dytecna has been at the leading edge of Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) achieving the first UK MOD fleet installation of HUMS on the Panther vehicle. The wider adoption of HUMS in the UK has been a slow and arduous process, ‘everyone wants it but no-one is prepared to pay for it’! The cost case for HUMS in the UK will come when there is a defined role and owner for it.
Progress in the US has been much more focused with a clear use for HUMS to support Condition Ba