ECM Technologies has bounced back from the Covid-19-induced slump and is busier than before the pandemic.
Eric Milburn, Managing Director of ECM Technologies, said the last year has been exceptionally good for the company, especially after the lean years of the pandemic, with activity picking up to pre-Covid levels. “We are very happy with the recovery,” he said, with strong movement on the electro-optical (EO), explosive ordnance disposal (EOD), mobility, and CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear) fronts.
ECM Technologies previously supplied a substantial amount of bomb disposal equipment to the police ahead of the 2010 Soccer World Cup, and as much of that is now obsolete, there have been a lot of new procurements in the last couple of years. Much of the company’s bomb disposal/EOD range was on display at the recent Africa Aerospace and Defence (AAD) 2024 exhibition, with its robot range standing out along with bomb suits, portable X-ray systems and modular Bombtec equipment kits.
The robots (unmanned ground vehicles – UGVs) on display come from the ICP NewTech range, and are designed for tasks such as EOD, mine clearance, bomb disposal, firefighting etc. ECM Technologies has previously supplied robots to the South African Police Service and SA National Defence Force. Milburn sees firefighting robots (such as ICP NewTech’s Avenger Fire) as becoming increasingly popular globally.
Also notable on the EOD side of the business is a portable X-ray scanner from Scanna that can be fitted to a robot and driven remotely to, for example, a suspicious bag to identify what’s inside. The same robot can then neutralise the threat by detonation or firing a relevant projectile at it. This avoids the need to move the suspicious package.
The optics/electro-optics side of business has been nice and steady, Milburn explained, as local original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) have been busy. “If our customers are doing well then we do well. We have been successful in that market because our customers are being successful. A lot of that has been driven by the situation in the Middle East and global instability.”
At AAD 2024, ECM Technologies exhibited sensors for missile guidance systems and laser range finders, a novel helmet-worn system that fuses night vision and thermal imaging into one device, Trijicon weapon sights (ECM has been the exclusive South African distributor for Trijicon for more than 30 years), different night vision tubes, armoured vehicle periscopes and vision systems from GuS Periscopes, and SureFire weapon-mounted flashlights, lasers and infrared lasers.
As the agent for Photron high-speed cameras, ECM Technologies has supplied these to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Alkantpan, and Denel Overberg Test Range for weapons and other testing. Another electro-optical capability being showcased at AAD was an optical height of burst weapons sensor, which is replacing radio frequency systems as optical systems cannot be jammed.
The ECM Technologies stand was divided into sections, including EOD/bomb disposal, optics/electro-optics, CBRN, and mobility. Regarding the latter, the company is the military distributor of Pirelli Tyres in South Africa as well as partner to runflat specialist RunFlat International. Many local OEMs use Pirelli tyres, such as OTT and DCD, as well as RunFlat systems, and this “is becoming quite a nice business for us,” Milburn said.
The final main component of ECM’s showcase was its CBRN offerings, including respirators, suits, protective gloves, decontamination products etc. A new addition to the lineup is a novel Smiths Detection portable lightweight chemical detector that not only detects gases but can sample non-volatile compounds to identify narcotics, explosives, and toxic chemicals. Milburn sees the CBRN pipeline looking robust as interest increases for these products.
ECM Technologies started in 1985 as a one-man business specialising in optical products. The company has grown over the last 39 years to become a leading supplier in the defence and law-enforcement markets. Although local defence and security budgets are tight, ECM Technologies is tendering for multiple contracts for Border Management Authority equipment, and supports the many local OEMs that rely on export business.
