Delta Three Oscar is the defense arm of leading protection company D3O. Their focus is on B2B sales, meaning they do not create a finished product but, rather, serve as a “high performance technology inside someone else’s product”, explains Mostyn Thomas in an interview with BodyArmorNews.Com. We spoke to Thomas and Hetal Kara, who represented the brand at Milipol Paris, about the importance of their “ingredient brand” in contributing to high-quality products.
Same Ingredients, Different Recipes
D3O’s history is rich with experience in varied industries. The business started in the sporting industry, having developed an innovative product for the US Winter ski team in the 2002 Olympics. The team’s victory pushed the brand to success, allowing for the large expansion into its 5 current “verticals”. Still, a strong emphasis on sporting goods remains, with products such as American football helmets and motorcycling equipment.
Experience in different industries can provide a key advantage. Research shows that companies with diversified product output and industry experience have the potential to withstand supply-side pressures far better than those with more narrow focuses. This same research, though, also indicates that in times of high defense spending a strong focus on this industry might be beneficial. Thus, there is an undoubted balancing act in trying to pool experiences in different fields while still maintaining a clear focus on defense. Thomas puts it best: “There are great engineering lessons we can bring and those insights are great, but you have to respect and understand the precise needs and requirements of this space.”
Ingredients for Ingredients
Like any other company – be it B2B, B2C, or a mix of both – Delta Three Oscar is dependent on the acquisition of raw materials to create its products. In the case of patented technologies and materials, this can be especially difficult. This difficulty was pointed to as a main bottleneck for industry expansion, with Thomas explaining that the “long lead times” for “chemical compounds that go into making [Delta Three Oscar’s] materials” are a particular challenge.
The solution, here, is investment into operational facilities, as Thomas himself points out. “We mitigate against bottlenecks by having multiple manufacturing options and also multiple locations,” he explains. Diversification is a recurring priority for many body armor manufacturers, who seek to avoid dangerous situations of single supplier reliance.
Same Ingredients, Different Customers
Delta Three Oscar is certified “Made in the USA”, a seal granted by the FTC to products who are, in their vast majority, made fully on American soil. This certification goes hand in hand with the Berry Amendment, a US law requiring only 100% American products to be purchased in certain industries. Both of these standards have raised concerns of reduced competition and potential overreliance on local supply chains.
Delta Three Oscar’s policy is clear: “you have to acknowledge and respect how different countries choose to do their business”. This has left them unaffected by current tariff debates, with emphasis on being “respectful of how companies choose to run their economic policies.” They have established a dedicated supply chain and office in the United States, to ensure Berry compliance. This strong dedication to gain access to the American market showcases its global importance. Thomas dispels any controversy: “We wouldn’t tell a country how to run their economy any more than we’d expect any country to tell us what chemical compounds to use in the makeup of our ballistic material.”
Delta Three Oscar at Milipol Paris
