PT. Pindad, Indonesia's state-owned defense company. [Welcron]
PT. Pindad, Indonesia's state-owned defense company. [Welcron]

Welcron, a South Korean textile materials company, is pushing to supply mine-protection kits for wheeled armored vehicles to an Indonesian defense firm.

The company said Thursday it signed a memorandum of agreement with PT. Pindad, Indonesia's state-owned defense company, covering the supply of mine-protection kits for wheeled armored vehicles.

An MOA is a pre-contract document that sets out agreed working-level terms before a formal deal is concluded. Pindad develops and produces a range of ground weapons systems, including military vehicles, armored vehicles, small arms and ammunition. In line with the Indonesian government's policy to strengthen national defense, Pindad has been actively pursuing technology cooperation with foreign firms as part of a military modernization drive.

Welcron said the joint development of the protection kit, on top of its existing competitiveness in personal protection products such as bulletproof vests and plates, would give fresh momentum to its diversification into the high-value-added "add-on armor" segment for armored vehicles and naval vessels.

Welcron's defense division has been supplying personal-protection ballistic plates to the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) since 2018, building a steady cash-generating base. The company has also supplied add-on armor for wheeled armored vehicles, ballistic plates for fast attack craft and landing craft, and ballistic plates for light tactical vehicles to major defense contractors — expanding its business into what it describes as "land and maritime ride-on protection solutions."

Sales from engine grille protection louvers, which shield the internal systems of armored vehicles and self-propelled artillery from enemy fire, have also been rising. The company said defense sales have grown every year and accounted for 25 percent of total company sales last year.

"We have built a cooperative framework with Pindad based on our independently developed armored vehicle protection technology," Welcron said. "It is a meaningful achievement in that our technology and product competitiveness have been recognized by an overseas defense company."


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