INDUSTRY INTERVIEW: HDT Engineered Technololgies
MMT 2009 Volume: 13 Issue: 6 (September)
Chief Executive Officer
HDT Engineered Technologies
Vince Nardy has over 25 years of management experience in manufacturing and new product development. Since joining in 2001, he has led the Fredericksburg, Va.- based company’s expansion as a supplier to the U.S. military and Department of Homeland Security of heating, chemical-biological filters and filtration systems. Nardy is also spearheading the company’s expansion into related markets through the acquisition of such companies as Base-X, PowerSystems International, New World Associates and Vertigo. Nardy is a member of NDIA and AUSA and has served as an industry representative for the Chemical Biological Defense Acquisition Initiatives Forum.
Q: Tell us a bit about your company.
A: HDT provides solutions that support the soldier in meeting a wide range of mission needs. In particular, HDT solves complex problems faced by the military’s mobile medical missions. Our engineers, scientists and technicians develop capabilities with products and application-specific solutions in areas such as chemical and biological protection, environmental control, expeditionary shelter and power technologies, robotics, military sensor systems and aerospace—[both] space and recovery. These capabilities enable HDT to provide its customers with solutions that meet current needs as well as emerging requirements.
Our products make up a fully integrated system designed for people doing tough jobs in extreme environments and situations. HDT’s expeditionary systems are turnkey, mobile facilities for command posts; hospitals including stand-off capabilities for mass casualty response; military living quarters; emergency medical treatment units; chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear [CBRN] decontamination facilities for first responders; and operations centers requiring command- and-control [C2] functionality. HDT provides fully integrated systems— shelter, power, heating/cooling and air filtration equipment—used by U.S. and allied military units deployed worldwide. Our success has been built by leveraging our engineering capabilities to develop exceptional products along with unsurpassed training and support after the sale. HDT has a global presence and delivers worldwide support in training, service, parts and technical assistance.
Q. What does HDT produce?
A: HDT designs and develops engineered solutions in shelter, heat, power generation and air filtration in support of the military and other customers throughout the world. We also support research and development programs for technologies such as renewable energy and chemical and biological protection.
Q. Tell us about your shelters.
A: HDT’s shelter solutions are lightweight, strong, rapidly deployable systems for military, homeland defense and first-response applications. The company’s shelter product line includes Base-X shelters, which are folding frame systems, and the Vertigo AirBeam shelter, which is an inflatable shelter system. HDT shelter systems can be configured into complexes and equipped to meet almost any need in any environment.
Not only do we develop and produce shelter structures, we also manufacture heating and cooling, power and protective air filtration systems that make our entire solution functional and safe, even down to the individual product. HDT incorporates 3-D simulation tools to ensure that our designs and technical solutions meet real-world expectations for operating conditions.
Q: How are the products deployed?
A: Our products are designed to move with our customers no matter where they go. HDT shelters can be configured to form facilities to accommodate a broad range of functions, from C2, maintenance, medical and CBRN capabilities to a fully sustainable base camp. Our integrated business units can take an off-the-shelf product and tailor it for specific customer applications. HDT provides our customers with the ability to customize their products while offering a complete solution for mission success.
Q. What is your position in the market sector?
A: HDT’s integrated business units incorporate engineering expertise [that develops] integrated shelter solutions for any environment, robotics and aerospace development programs, filtration and heating and cooling applications—not only for shelters, but vehicles as well. Within the defense, aerospace, homeland security and international markets, we are positioned to expand our services while maintaining our core capabilities.
Q. Are you a fairly new player in the military or established?
A: HDT Engineered Technologies was formed this year from five businesses: Base-X, Hunter Manufacturing, PowerSystems International, New World and Vertigo. At HDT, we operate as a cohesive business, delivering integrated solutions and systems within the expeditionary market that allow for incorporation of our CBRN/ColPro technology into shelters, buildings, ships and vehicles. As part of this realignment, the functions of the former independent subsidiaries have been integrated into a formal structure and renamed as business units to better reflect their offering of products and services as they relate to overall HDT capabilities.
Q. Any recent successes you would note?
A: HDT is currently the company of choice for the Army’s Force Provider program. The company is very successful with the Army’s Medical Command and U.S. Marine Corps expeditionary units and brigade/regimental combat teams, as well as with U.S. Air Force security forces and combat search and rescue. We also have an extensive international partnership through resellers in countries such as Japan, Great Britain, Israel and the Republic of Korea. ♦