DHS eyeing at 100 crore from India

DRASH SHELTER

US company DHS Systems is aiming at generating revenue of 100 crore in the next three years from the defence and healthcare sector in India through sale of its deployable shelters. At Defexpo, the company is in full form demonstrating its portable shelters to prospective buyers. The company has already supplied 24 shelters to the Indian Army following a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed three years back between DHS and the Bharat Electricals Limited (BEL) to provide deployable rapid assembly shelters (DRASH) to the Indian Army.

Speaking to SP’s ShowNews, DHS officials stated that the company plans to set up a manufacturing facility in India by 2015, again in partnership with BEL and is expecting a substantial 20 per cent of its total revenue to come from the Indian defence sector. Andy Cowling, Managing Director, DHS Systems International Ltd, said, “The advantage lies in working with BEL. We are quite satisfied with our collaboration with BEL and would like to build upon it and sustain it.”

“India is a huge market for us due to its exponentially growing demand for defence equipment and rescue infrastructure. Armed forces, paramilitary forces and all the risk management government bodies are looking for solutions for quick relief during wars and natural disasters,” said Cowling.

Besides the US, the DRASH shelter is used in UK, Italy, Spain, Turkey, Poland, Europe, Middle East, Chile, Brazil, etc. Till date, more than 16,000 shelters and over 5,000 trailers have been deployed worldwide. Cowling said that the DRASH shelters can withstand the harshest of climate from -35° celsius to +55° celsius. They are fire resistant and anti-microbial and can hold over 150 people or a 40 feet vehicle or even a small helicopter. It can be used for multiple applications ranging from maintenance facilities to logistical support facilities, to mobile medical treatment centres. DRASH features six different series of shelters with 64 models ranging from 33 sq ft to 1,250 sq ft in size, all of which can be interconnected, allowing effective joint operations.