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IrvinGQ
“ We have to be right first time ,” adds Tony Smith , Vice President of Engineering . “ There are no second chances when you have a person jumping out of an aircraft or having to use an ejection seat . We spend a lot of time understanding user issues , and our clients recognize the value generated by our innovative solutions . For example , we are the exclusive provider of ejection seat parachutes to Martin-Baker , and we ’ ve held that position for 20 years . Martin-Baker is the world ’ s oldest and most experienced manufacturer of ejection seats , and it doesn ’ t go anywhere else , because it trusts us . In return , we must provide high quality , high reliability , with no failures .”
Yehia describes the approach as ‘ customer intimacy ’. “ We operate in quite a niche market in terms of the products that we offer . Before we even supply our products , we talk to customers to understand what they like , don ’ t like , and what we could do better , and that feedback is passed to our engineering team ,
to develop the plans further . That closeness to our customers allows us stay ahead of the game .”
He continues : “ Our other philosophy is that we don ’ t stand still . We can sell a product to a customer , and it might have a ten-to- 15-year lifespan , but in five years they will use it differently , and in ten years , differently again . We have got to be able to produce a product that we can iterate as customers ’ needs change . Everything we do is for military applications , so as tactics and threats evolve , so must we .”
A practical example of this is IrvinGQ ’ s ® aerial delivery ATAX product . Militaries need to get vehicles or boats down to the ground safely but also must be able to load them quickly and unpack them promptly on the ground or water . Historically , the kit had to be so well packed to get to the ground undamaged that it took too long to unpack . In areas where getting in and out quickly is paramount , this was not acceptable . “ We
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