Financial Times

From pillow cases to body armour

By a Staff Correspondent
Sri Lanka's sole manufacturer of body armour, using imported bullet-resistant fabric, had its origins in a small family-run garments factory stitching pillowcases 16 years ago.


Ajitha Wijetunge displays the locally made body armour kit, helped by his wife Himani and brother Harsha.	Production line making uniforms. Pictures by Ishara Kodikara.

At that time almost everything used in the Eelam war was imported, even the uniforms worn by servicemen.

With the numbers in the military increasing by leaps and bound as the war intensified, the couple running the small garments business sensed an opportunity.
"We noticed that to fight the war nearly everything was imported at the start, including clothing," said Ajitha Wijetunge, a former marine engineer in the merchant navy, whose wife, Himani, started the garments business.

"The army was buying battle-dresses from the US. So we thought of supplying uniforms to the security forces as it was something that could be made locally and also helped save foreign exchange."

In 1989, they heard of the army placing a huge order for battle-dresses - 100,000 units - and made a bid.

"We told the army that if they can provide the material we could stitch the uniforms and attach the accessories," said Himani Wijetunge. "The army gave us the order - it was much cheaper than importing the uniforms."

Today, their companies, Mohandas and Sons, set up in 1986 which makes uniforms and accessories, and Harsha International, established in 1992 when Ajitha's younger brother joined the partnership, have diversified into webbing, wristbands, bags, backpacks, raincoats and their latest product, body armour. They also supply helmets and fire resistant material.

The army is still their main customer but they supply much of the uniforms required by the navy and air force as well as the police.

The Wijetunges ventured into the manufacture of body armour after seeing the appalling loss of life and limb among government troops in the battle against the Tigers.

"We found it shocking that the lives of our soldiers seemed to have such little value and that the authorities were not doing more to protect them," said Ajitha Wijetunge.
He set about studying ballistics and spent some time visiting the United States and the European Union.

Acquiring the skills was not easy as Western manufacturers of body armour were reluctant to part with their designs.

Subsequently, Wijetunge managed to design a body armour kit specifically suited for Sri Lankan soldiers who are smaller than their Western counterparts.

He started by assembling ceramic armour plate and supplied 300 kits to the Police Special Task Force and 500 to the Police Field Force.

Harsha International has now switched to a new material called Dyneema, which is lighter and more durable and crack resistant than ceramic plating, but more expensive.

"Ceramic plate cannot withstand another hit from a bullet close to the first hit - it tends to crack unlike Dyneema," explained Wijetunge. Body armour suits made by Harsha International weighs around eight kilos compared to around 11 kilos for imported ceramic body armour kits, he said.

The Dyneema fabric, developed in the Netherlands, is sourced from Hong Kong where the composite material is weaved. It is pressed into plates in the basement of the Wijetunge's three-storied factory in Kadawatha. The office is filled with samples of body armour, uniforms, belts, webbing and other accessories used by servicemen. Wijetunge's body armour kits are made with a combination of Kevlar and Dyneema armour plating.

"My price is much cheaper than that of imported body armour," he said, adding that this is particularly because local labour costs are lower than in the West. Wijetunge is emphatic about one thing. "Harsha International never deals with arms and ammunition," he stressed. "We concentrate on body protection." Despite his enthusiasm and price advantage, Wijetunge said that winning big orders has proved difficult ("We don't offer kickbacks") and that he is disappointed by lack of support from the government for a local manufacturer like him.

However, he has just managed to win a small order for body armour suits made with Dyneema fabric for the United Nations Development Programme mine clearing teams here. He is proud that a UN body decided to buy his body armour instead of getting it from abroad.

Since the army has not looked favourably upon his body armour kits despite tests that found them to be suitable, Wijetunge has decided to explore export opportunities and is now negotiating with two overseas military clients.

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