K&C Protective Technologies

THE head honcho of K&C Protective Technologies hopes the company's products will never have to be put to the test.

Not that the fast-growing start-up, which started operations in November 2004, does not have a good product.

It's just that the arsenal of protective devices which the company has devised to protect buildings from bomb blasts will only come into play in the event of a terrorist attack.

Says managing director Liu Chunlin: "It's like buying insurance. Maybe our products will not be used in an entire lifetime. But if a bomb blast were to occur, a lot of human lives could be saved if the building was adequately protected."

The company, set up in response to the Sept 11 attacks in 2001 in the US, has seen revenue grow about five times on an annual basis in the last three years.

Mr Liu estimates that equipping a new building with his company's protective devices will cost building owners about 3 to 5 per cent more on top of what they are already paying for the building construction.

K&C Protective Technologies now has a research and development arm at Bukit Merah, a project management arm at Toa Payoh, and a manufacturing arm at Woodlands.

It works with partners in the United States, where technology in this area is more advanced. Says Mr Liu: "We have been able to capitalise on the competitive advantages of USA technology in blast analysis, design, simulation and test validation, Singaporean quality in project management, and Asian cost in manufacturing for our products and systems.

"Over the last few years, actual spending on enhanced building security and protection has increased significantly as owners gained a better understanding of the subject matter and are more confident to implement protective measures in their buildings and complexes," says Mr Liu. He adds that setting up the company was a "logical response to growing demand".

The company has, in turn, been fuelling that demand by building up a reputation for high-quality work, and a strong network of clients and partners.

From starting out as a consultancy providing client recommendations, it has now moved on to design-and-build aspects, and its engineers are involved in actual construction.

It is also setting its sights overseas. K&C Protective Technologies, together with four other security companies, formed the Singapore Protective Technologies Consortium in March this year. Their aim: To achieve $30 million in overseas projects over the next five years.

Currently, the company is still working hard to spread the word about the importance of security. It regularly conducts seminars attended by engineers and potential clients.

"Despite growing demand, blast mitigation is still not common knowledge," says Mr Liu. "We need people to understand the kind of technologies we use and what benefits they can reap from it."

Some of the devices commonly used to protect the people in a building under attack include treating the windows. "The shattering glass in a window can become thousands of flying bullets," says Mr Liu. The company can put in place protective film or fabric systems to catch the glass.

At a structural level, the company's engineers are involved in designing the building so that if a bomb were to rock its foundations, it would not collapse like a deck of cards, but remain standing.

The engineers can also help to position well-placed obstructions - called bollards - so terrorists would not even be able to drive close to the building.

"One of our greatest challenges is to make sure the building does not end up looking like a prison," says Mr Liu. "We have to protect the building's occupants, yet work with the architects to make sure it remains aesthetically appealing."