Minister of National Defence of Canada Anita Anand announces contract for Logistik Unicorp.
by Vanessa Chiasson
THE CANADIAN ARMED Forces uniforms are about to get a lot more high-tech... and homegrown. Logistik Unicorp, a world leader in supplying military-grade uniforms and equipment, has signed a $3.7 billion, 20-year contract with the Government of Canada and the Department of National Defence. The deal will provide the Canadian Armed Forces with a turnkey solution for operational clothing and footwear and help support 3000 Canadian jobs.
The Canadian company boasts more than 2,000 employees and more than 600,000 workers outfitted worldwide (including some 320,000 Canadians). Founded as a tie maker under former diplomat Louis Bibeau in 1992, Logistik Unicorp has provided recognized expertise in managed clothing solutions since 1993. Their client roster includes none other than the Australian and New Zealand Defence Forces. Following a worldwide tender process, Australian Defence Apparel (ADA) (a subsidiary of the global Logistik Group) was awarded a contract to equip more than 15,000 members of the New Zealand Defence Forcefor 16 years.
Within Canada, Logistik provides uniforms and outerwear for Canada Post mail carriers; as well as clothing for Parks Canada employees; as well as myriad first responders, and transit work- ers. But Logistik particularly stands out for its global expertise in military uniform requirements That’s in large part because, in 2020, the company was awarded a contract to provide non-operational clothing and footwear to the Canadian Armed Forces. Under that six-year, $415 million contract (with options valued at up to $2.7 billion over 20 years), more than 1,500 items of clothing will be supplied for approximately 160,000 people, including regular and reserve force, military police, Canadian Rangers, Junior Rangers, and the Cadets.
Clothing System designed by Logistik Unicorp.
Despite this extensive experience, Logistik won’t be resting on its laurels when it comes to executing its newest agreement with the Canadian Armed Forces. They’re transitioning far away from the days in which uniform makers received specifications from their clients and had no input in the process, let alone interaction with the end-user. Now the experience is much more collaborative and creative. As Karine Bibeau, Vice President of Client Experience, describes it, “Previously we were designing based on specifications that were given to us by the Canadian Armed Forces”. Now, she notes, under the 2020 non-operational contract, the process has begun to differ. Logistik’s staff are now in a position where they can design a product line when they see a need in the market and then propose it to the Canadian Armed Forces. She goes on to say: “We work in collaboration with the Canadian Armed Forces, who indicate their needs of the clothing in what environment, who’s going to wear it, what kind of mission will they use that clothing for, what are the technicalities that they need for that uniform to have. We look at options for fabric and clothing and textile and design and then go back with a full proposition.”
Karine Bibeau, Vice President of Client Experience.
Retired BGen Dave Quinn, now an employee with Logistik, has seen firsthand how the evolution in uniform procurement has affected members of the Canadian Armed Forces. He describes the process of providing uniforms to military members as one that has evolved from: “A very prescriptive level where the idea has been to tell us exactly what they want including fabric and design to a much more collaborative process. And I think right now, the important part is that this will allow us to bring full collaboration forward, including not just collaboration with the buyers, but... with the soldiers, sailors, and aviators.”
Logistik’s operational uniform expert, Manuel Duran-Murray, explains that the most rewarding aspect of transitioning the uni- form production process from the prescriptive to collaborative is the opportunity to work with members of the Canadian Armed Forces themselves. He states that products are tested with a group of soldiers in the field over long periods of time, a community he describes as being representative of the Armed Forces themselves, a cross-section of different genders, body sizes, shapes, and ages. These field tests are much more involved than simply handing over a new jacket and asking members to fill out a survey. Duran-Murray states that the team uses technology to gain real-time data immediately, making adjustments as needed to the product without having to wait until the end of the trial.
Defence Minister Anita Anand and Logistik’s Operational Uniform expert Manuel Duran-Murray.
Duran-Murray also notes that Logistik provides training to members of the Armed Forces on how to use their clothing system: “We have to train the soldiers in how to work it correctly, by taking into consideration that every person is different. So by making users understand what is comfort, that’s how far we go.” Quinn further describes the process of creating operational and non-operational clothing and footwear for the Canadian Armed Forces as developing an “Integrated system of systems which are built to be optimized. They’re not just a piece of clothing”.
One of the most important factors of uniform and equipment design that Logistik takes into account is the need to operate in extreme climate conditions. Logistik recognizes that climate change is powerful, it can even impact the way that members of the Canadian Armed Forces are deployed. Bibeau points to the recent hurricane damage in the Maritimes as an example of how military members are sent to areas experiencing extreme climate conditions with very little notice – and they need their equipment to go the distance, saying: “Climate change will affect the type of missions our military members will need to participate in.” This challenge is at the forefront in the minds of the design teams and, as Duran-Murray says, “As a company, we are constantly searching, to integrate better fabrics, better fibres into our products..” In many ways, climate considerations are the new geography when it comes to developing uniforms. The question is no longer where our troops going but what environmental conditions will they face. As Duran-Murray puts it, “We develop garments to operate in countries and all geographical terrains on this planet,” adding “Rain is rain anywhere in the world.”
One particular enterprise that Duran-Murray is particularly excited by is creating uniforms appropriate for use in extreme cold weather conditions such as those found in the Arctic, something he describes as “an incredible opportunity.” The clothing system was fully designed by Logistik and is currently under trial in Arctic conditions and in time; Antarctic. He points to the importance of making sure soldiers using the gear can modulate it for their needs, to accommodate conditions where temperatures can fluctuate from 5°C to -50°C.
CAF Members will be able to order operational items on Clothing Online starting in 2023
Going forward, Logistik hopes that getting the right gear into soldiers’ hands will be just as efficient as making it. Members will eventually interact with Logistik directly, using online ac- counts that allow them to submit their measurements and order everything from everyday shirts to state-of-the-art parkas. An online ordering system offers the chance for people to request the component they need online and have it shipped to their door, which means a quicker turnaround time for product improvements and a reduced risk of running out of stock. Over the next 18 months, the deliberate transfer process will move material from the Canadian Forces Supply Depots to Logistik Unicorp in order to ensure a smooth transition to online ordering.
Developing such sophisticated products and systems starts with some business basics, like securing a reliable supply chain. Logistik’s methodology is driven by a supply chain system that is proactive, not reactive, in its design. That means keeping things local. More than 96% of all items supplied in Logistik’s current contract with the Department of National Defence are produced in Canada.
Milkweed plant used as insulation in their product line.
It also means looking to the past to gain inspiration for future designs. Some old-fashioned materials are mounting a comeback, including hemp (which Bibeau notes was used in rope manufacturing in World War I) and milkweed. The use of milkweed is an interesting development. This soft, silky, fluffy material was once used in flotation devices for World War II pilots. Now Logistik has had very successful trials utilizing milkweed as insulation in their Canada Post product line. Testers preferred it to synthetic alternatives and milkweed-based products were measured to be warmer than the alternative, and they were also 30% lighter. As Retired BGen Dave Quinn observes: “When the clothing is lighter and higher performing it means that the soldier, is actually carrying more water and/or more ammunition without gaining more weight, the bread and butter of... destroying the enemy”.
