The first edition of the event, promoted by Grupo PROTECTA and Grupo SK, presented the industry’s news and challenges, as well as discussing the duality of products
Presenting the main technologies in the ballistic protection and armaments industry, discussing the sector’s biggest challenges and exploring the duality of public security and defense products. These were the topics covered at the first edition of Ballistic Bootcamp, an event held on the 16th and 17th at The Range club in São Paulo and at Grupo PROTECTA’s premises in the metropolitan region.
The event was promoted by Grupo PROTECTA and Grupo SK (IWI and MEPROLIGHT) and brought together authorities from the Armed Forces and Public Security from all over the country, as well as businesspeople, experts from the Defense industry and entities representing the segment. Public security officers from São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Ceará, Piauí, Bahia, Rio Grande do Sul and Paraná took part in the activities.
The concept of the Ballistic Bootcamp is to be an immersive activity, in which participants follow and take part in various technical panels. Among the topics were the scenario of the Defense and Security sector in the field of ballistic protection; trends in the armaments market; details of the main national and international ballistic standards; new technologies in armaments and optronics; technological distinctions between ballistic protection products and compositions; certification requirements to guarantee effectiveness and safety; and presentations of the main products from both groups.
On the first day of the event, in addition to the panels, there was a presentation of solutions followed by practical tests, in which participants were able to check the resistance of PROTECTA products and test the SK Group’s rifles and machine guns.
On the last day of the event, participants were able to visit PROTECTA’s facilities in the city of Itaquaquecetuba, in Greater São Paulo. PROTECTA’s Commercial Manager, Leonardo Benício Pinheiro, presented the industrial unit and the entire manufacturing process for products such as ballistic vests and shields and automotive armor kits. A visit to the air bag manufacturing sector, which is unique in Brazil, was also part of the program.
Finally, the authorities also visited PROTECTA’s testing laboratory, where tests are carried out in accordance with the main international standards in order to meet the strictest international standards.
“We have a large structure, with more than 500 employees, working hard to offer the best products for Public Security in Brazil. I would like to thank everyone who took part in this two-day event, who took time out of their schedules to be here and learn about our work,” commented PROTECTA’s CEO, Victor Gallo, during the closing ceremony of the first edition of Ballistic Bootcamp.