DEFENCE SYSTEMS www.albionx.com LOUISE LORKIN (C.E.O.) LEVEL2, 7 MARTIN STREET, SOUTH MELBOURNE VIC 3205 TELEPHONE: (+61) 488 232 369 EMAIL: [email protected] ALBION SPORTS TECHNOLOGY COMPANY OVERVIEW Famous for half a century as makers of Austra- lia’s Baggy Green™ cricket cap, Albion Sports Technology derives its name from its first factory location - Little Albion Street, Surry Hills (Sydney). Albion’s roots go back to World War II when it was engaged by the US Army to manufacture military kits. Over the next two generations, design and manufacturing capa- bilities graduated from high-quality team uniforms to its current position as an industry innovator in protective sports gear. The late-1970s saw Albion pioneering the first cricket helmet specifically designed to pro- tect elite-level batsmen. A new range of light- weight protective apparel – ‘Albion X’ is now destined for another kind of athlete—the soldier. This apparel uses cutting-edge tech- nology to deliver specific point-of-impact absorption that is customised to each activity. UNIQUE VALUE PROPOSITION In elite sport, any innovation designed to deliver athletes a competitive edge – whether improved performance, protection and/or comfort – is highly valued. Albion’s member- ship of the Australian Sports Technology Net- work enables it to access the latest develop- ments in clothing and equipment. PAGE 1 DEFENCE SYSTEMS The needs of modern soldiers have many parallels with those of contemporary high-performance athletes, thus providing opportunities for cross-applications to the military domain. Patents have already been lodged for applications relating to the achievement of multiple-stage levels of pro- tection from the use of impact-absorbing foam within sports garments. ‘Albion X’ inno- vations include a replacement for the tradi- tional “Michelin Man” strap-on cricket pads via the incorporation of a much lighter and more agile foam layer. Similar approaches can also be applied to the Army’s soldier combat ensemble. Local design capabilities enable Albion recognises the role that Albion to tailor products specific to user detailed engineering can play in the code, gender, environment and terrain. design of performance features into Future sportswear innovations using embed- sportswear that aligns with physical ded devices will enable the monitoring of an challenges anticipated to be experi- athlete’s performance – such as heart rate and enced in the operational environ- other physical performance indicators – to be ment. relayed back to the laboratory. These innova- This is a major philosophical step tions also have cross-over potential to future change from historical practice soldier combat clothing, both for operations where elite athletes were supplied and training & simulation activities. with generic protective product. With growing attention being paid to concus- One practical example of the new sion injuries incurred in rugby and cricket play, approach is that impact protection is Albion Sports Technology has developed a now being sewn into undergar- specific rugby helmet that works to signifi- ments, rather than added as cantly reduce skull impact through the inter- outer-garment elbow and knee vention of foam as a lining material. Planning pads, which are heavier, more cum- is now underway to develop similar helmets bersome and move around out of for cricket and combat soldiers that incorpo- sync with body movements. rate impact-absorbing foam. PAGE 2 DEFENCE SYSTEMS OUR ROLE IN HORIZON DEFENCE SYSTEMS Albion Sports Technology welcomes the establishment of Horizon Defence Systems, and the opportunity it will bring to provide Australian soldiers with a local source of expertise that can apply advanced technology and protection materials to the combat ensemble in the most cost-effective way. “Through Horizon Defence Systems, we now have a group of aligned Australian businesses whose principal focus is on the soldier, and how the future combat ensemble can be designed and integrated in a holistic way,” said Albion Sports Technology CEO Louise Lorkin. “This is clearly a better approach than that taken historically, where products were added without prioritising how they would all fit together, and how they would function in variable terrain. Horizon Defence Systems brings the focus back to the right place, and that is onto the soldier. We put the soldier first. Horizon is working to bring all relevant future technologies together for the soldier, and to provide the best capability outcome for Defence.” OUR VISION IN DEFENCE Albion Sports Technology believes that the use of protective foams in all types of sports will only continue to grow, driven by both performance and safety consider- ations. For example, the latest organisation to express interest in Albion clothing pro- tection innovations is Jockey Australia. According to Ms Lorkin, “Thicker and heavier protection garments and equipment for the soldier is not the answer to enabling a more effective Defence force. Given where the science is taking us, we need to look to developments in other areas that can be aligned with each soldier’s evolving opera- tional requirements.” PAGE 3.