COONEEEN Protection Ltd has been awarded a multi-million Euro body armour contract by the French government.
The €48 million major contract, which is the largest police body armour contract to be awarded in Europe in the last 25 years, will involve the manufacture and supply of thousands of sets of body armour to the French National Police, Gendarmerie, Prison Service, and Customs Officers.
It has secured 10 new jobs at the company’s Fivemiletown site.
The contract award notice details the results of the procurement procedure on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), the online version of the ‘Supplement to the Official Journal’ of the EU, dedicated to European public procurement.
The body armour will provide ballistic and stab protection to personnel as they carry out their regular duties.
To achieve this contract award, Cooneen Protection Ltd competed successfully against a number of other leading European and Global companies.
According to a spokesperson for the Cooneen Group, the contract success is part of Cooneen Protection’s “ongoing strategy to develop and grow its customer base globally, having successfully led the UK police body armour market for the past 10 years”.
They say it also comes as a result of the company’s “ongoing investment in staff and design and development capabilities, which allow it to provide market-leading products that meet the unique requirements of each customer”.
The company spokesperson said: “We are very pleased to have the opportunity to provide the French Police with our products which are designed and manufactured here in Northern Ireland. The award is testament to the skill and dedication of our workforce, and we are excited about the further opportunities that it may lead to.”
Cooneen Protection Ltd is part of the Cooneen Group. Established in 2003, the company designs, develops and supplies personal protective systems to police and military customers across the world.
Cooneen Group is a successful group of companies operating in a range of clothing markets globally. With headquarters in Fivemiletown and operations in Eastern Europe, Asia, the Far East and the USA, group companies bring together innovative design, excellent customer service, and strong, stable supply chains in order to meet and exceed their customers’ expectations.
Source: Impartial Reporter
