| World's leading vehicle armouring company, Centigon, may set up shop in India by the middle of this year. |
| The Ohio-based Centigon has partnered Delhi-based Oshonik Vision to scout for business in India. According to the company's present plans, it will procure business from India and armour vehicles in Germany and France, where the company has plants. Centigon has plants in Ohio, Mexico, Colombia, Brazil and Venezuela too. |
| Ashutosh Khate, vice-president, Oshonik Vision, said an estimated 80-100 armoured vehicles can be sold in India. Globally, around 2,500 armoured vehicles are sold, with the US and Europe being the biggest markets. Centigon supplies close to 1,500 of these or around 60 per cent of the global demand. |
| Khate said Centigon has collaborative arrangement with leading premium vehicle manufacturers like BMW, DaimlerChrysler, Renault, Rolls Royce and Toyota. |
| "Armouring can be done from basic bullet-proofing of cars and utility vehicles and move up to protection against missile attacks and tank mines," he said. |
| The cost of this extra protection can be as much as two-and-a-half times the cost of the vehicle rolling out of the factory. The Indian partner is in talks with ministry of defence for supplies to armed forces. |
| Centigon offers four levels of armour protection: handgun, assault rifle, armour piercing and blast protection. "We expect major orders from film stars and industrialists," Khate said. |
| Centigon is a subsidiary of NYSE-listed Armour Holdings Inc, a leading commercial vehicle armoring company globally. Centigon also armors cash-in-transit vehicles for the world's leading cash-in-transit providers. It has over 1,500 employees worldwide with 2004 global sales at $125 million. |
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