The news story that broke Feb. 27 about defective protective suits in the U.S. military has caused some confusion about whether Kappler products were involved in the recall.
According to Craig Woodward, senior vice president-sales and marketing for Kappler Protective Apparel & Fabrics, the answer is a definitive, "No way."
According to Woodward, the suits in the Pentagon recall are traditional charcoal-based camouflage garments, not the broad chemical-barrier garments produced by Kappler.
"Kappler's garments are specifically designed for chemical and biological warfare agents and are produced using patented film-laminate technology," said Woodward. "There is no relation whatsoever to the faulty products involved in this unfortunate situation."
As a seller of many garments to both military and civilian markets for domestic preparedness applications, Kappler wants to assure customers that its garments are fine and not affected by the government's actions.
The story about the military recall has caused a stir in Washington, where members of Congress are considering hearings on why it took the Pentagon five years to take action on the poorly manufactured suits.
Kappler hopes to stop any confusion regarding its suits and the one's being recalled by the military.
"The traditional charcoal suits are okay for limited protection situations, although those in question were obviously defective, but there is simply no relation to the newer technology products that we design and produce," said Woodward.
Kappler Protective Apparel & Fabrics, based in Guntersville, Ala., manufactures limited-use protective clothing serving military, industrial, hazmat, commercial and healthcare markets on a global basis.