Directa Plus inks supply deal with Colombian body armour maker

Graphene nanoplatelets specialist Directa Plus has concluded its first exclusive supply agreement for its printed graphene textile ‘Planar Thermal Circuit’ (PTC) in Latin America, it announced on Friday.

The AIM-traded firm said the contract is with a Columbia-based manufacturer of ballistic protection clothing, CIA Miguel Caballero - a “specialist textile group” with global distribution.

It said the initial exclusive supply contract would see Directa Plus providing a total of 77,500 linear metres of PTC printed material over a four-year period, starting this month, for a total value of more than €1m.

After four months of trials, the board said Directa Plus would be providing CIA Miguel Caballero's subsidiary MC Armor with PTC printed linings for ballistic vests.

CIA Miguel Caballero would integrate the Directa Plus ‘G+’ trademark in its marketing information, as a “warranty seal for performance, sustainable graphene production, and material safety”.

The first products embedded with PTC technology using G+ graphene would be shown in Las Vegas during the 2023 ShootShow in January, with the partnership also set to explore other G+ textile technology applications over the duration of the initial contract period.

“This contract is the first high-volume application of the PTC technology in ballistic vests and our first in Latin America,” said founder and chief executive officer Giulio Cesareo.

“Directa's agile business model has been designed to capture significant opportunities on a worldwide basis, leveraging on partners' powerful market penetration.

“We are looking forward to working with Miguel Caballero - which has global distribution - and creates specialised personal protection for human beings through innovative garments.”

At 1203 BST, shares in Directa Plus were up 3.41% at 91p.

Reporting by Josh White for Sharecast.com.