It’s hard to believe that IDEX 2023, the biennial international defence exhibition, is only a few days away, and as we make final preparation for our stand (C12-008 located in the main concourse) it’s hard to believe that it has been a full 2-years since we were last exhibiting and meeting with both long standing and new clients alike, amid a global pandemic.

IDEX 2023 marks MSW’s sixth participation as an exhibitor at this most prestigious of exhibitions and we are excited at the prospect of again being afforded the best possible platform to showcase our product ranges to the largest group of attendees of any military and security exhibition in the MENA region.

Taking centre stage on our stand will be our Heavy-Duty Rear Axle Assembly for the TLC70 Series which MSW Armoured are launching at IDEX 2023. Aimed primarily at manufacturers using the TLC 70 series chassis for heavy weight APC builds, this axle assembly features not only a strengthened exoskeleton for supreme load capacity, but also a 95mm wider track and an uprated Alcon brake system to replace the OE drum brakes, with the option options of a low-ratio final drive and electronic locking differential. We are extremely excited about this new product as it answers the issues faced by many of our clients and we look forward to discussing the features and merits in finer detail with our visitors.­

MSW will be exhibiting a wide range of Alcon armoured brake upgrade kits for Toyota, Ford and GMC’s latest stalwart armouring platforms along with Special Vehicle calipers which offer tangible benefits in braking performance for a wide variety of military hardware.

Our range of MSW Armoured OEM appearance high load wheels for discrete armoured vehicles and APCs will also be on display, including our latest addition, the high load 18” alloy rim for the TLC300 and GMC Models.

A wide range of TEK Military seating blast mitigating seats will be on display by our regional partners and neighbouring exhibitors at IDEX, alongside a selection of MSW Armoured Fire Suppression systems for engine, crew and vehicle underbody, produced by our partners Lifeline Fire and Safety.

Internationally acclaimed high-performance brake system design, development and manufacturing company, Alcon Components Ltd, is celebrating 15 years of collaboration with their Dubai-based partner, MSW Auto Spare Parts LLC at IDEX 2023. Throughout this time, MSW have been Alcon’s sole Middle East and Africa focussed agency partner working into the regional defence, security, specialist and performance vehicle markets.

 

Throughout this 15-year period, MSW and Alcon have achieved an immense amount together having supplied specialist brake systems numbering in the thousands to almost every armouring company throughout the entire MENA region. Thus equipped, those finished vehicles have thrived in the harshest and most high-risk environments such as Iraq, Afghanistan, and Africa, protecting the lives of multiple government and non-government security, defence, and charity operatives.

 

Popular vehicle platforms benefiting from Alcon’s range of upgrade kits include the entire Toyota truck/SUV range, (Including Hilux, Tacoma, Prado, TLC70 series, TLC200 series, TLC300 series, Tundra & all Lexus variants), as well as all variants of Chevrolet/GMC’s Suburban/Tahoe range and the ever-popular Ford F550. Additionally, through the Specialist Vehicle range of calipers, MSW and Alcon are uniquely placed to deliver bespoke solutions for almost any vehicle size/type and weight.

 

Alcon and MSW will be exhibiting at the IDEX event taking place in Abu Dhabi, 20-24 February 2023 on stand C12-008. Of particular note, you can see Alcon brake products fitted to a variety of different vehicles on display at the show, including vehicles from world-class OEM’s based in Europe, UAE, Finland, North America, UK and Turkey.

 

Alcon has over 25 years of experience in engineering brakes and clutches for specialist vehicles; from F1, World Rally and prestige performance cars to 30T-plus military armoured vehicles.  This places them at the forefront of developing and delivering high performance braking solutions for sectors where only the absolute best can be accepted.  Alcon’s off the shelf brake upgrade kits allow both OEM’s and vehicle modification companies to overcome the challenges posed by up-armouring vehicles for defence, security and specialist purposes. The kits are compatible with stock OEM actuation, so are easy to fit but have been fully “ruggedised” to ensure extreme levels robustness and performance balanced with the requirement to keep weight to a minimum.

 

Jonathan Simmonds, MD at MSW Auto Spare Parts said: “Being a fully independent entity, MSW has always been free to select best of breed manufacturing partners for all our product lines. In 2008 I selected Alcon as our partner for specialist braking systems for the security and armoured vehicle sector, based on a variety of factors, notably: their engineering excellence in the iron caliper sector, insistence upon delivering only application specific solutions that perform in the harshest possible environments and their enthusiasm to support MSW’s ambitions to become the market leader for specialist brake systems in the MENA region. Fifteen years on, MSW is the leading force in the supply of armoured brake solutions, with many thousands of brake systems delivered to numerous satisfied clients in the region, it’s clear that I made the right choice. Fifteen years of growth and continued success is worthy of celebration, and I thank Alcon for supporting our ambitions throughout this time and look forward to even greater achievements.”

 

Jonathan Edwards, Sales Director at Alcon said: “MSW Auto Parts are our biggest selling agency partner in the defence and security sector. Their access to the regional armoured and specialist vehicle markets is second to none and as a result, our partnership has been a hugely successful one and I’m proud of our 15-year collaboration milestone.” He added: “as well as the multiple vehicles on display at the IDEX show, we’re currently working with over fifteen other military and armoured vehicle manufacturers who have all turned to Alcon to develop and deliver a bespoke product to meet the demanding, specialist requirements of this sector. We look forward to meeting more interested companies at the event as we expand our global footprint yet further”.

The recently introduced Toyota LC300 has some large shoes to fill if it is to meet, let alone exceed, the success of its predecessor, the evergreen LC200 series, which, in its various guises (inc. the Lexus LX570), has been the de-facto choice of platform for most discrete armoured vehicle manufacturers and their clients since its launch in 2007, due to its compelling combination of durability, reliability and performance.

Early indications suggest that the new (circa 4%) lighter, more powerful, faster model is a worthy successor and will be a huge hit with clients, despite some initial reservations from the armoured vehicle manufacturing community over both the increased use of aluminium in its construction and the move from V8 atmospheric to V6 twin-turbo propulsion for the gasoline engine variants.

However, despite the increased performance of the new model, Toyota, having introduced an integrated parking brake into the rear calipers and changing the pad backing plates & shims and rotor off-sets to meet the NVH and packaging implication of the revised aluminium suspension components, have not deemed it necessary to upgrade the basic dimensions and specifications of the brake system.

As such, whilst the stopping performance, thermal efficiency, and consumable component life of the LC300’s braking system will be acceptable for civilian/recreational usage patterns, as with the LC200 before it, the OE braking system will prove to be the Achilles’ heel of the platform once armoured weights are factored in.

Simply put, the standard OE specification brake system is not up the task of managing the extreme demands placed upon it by an armoured vehicle. Even under light usage, consumable component life will likely be drastically reduced, necessitating more frequent service schedules for pad and disc replacement (i.e., higher costs and lower fleet operational efficiency). What is of more concern, however, is the significant reduction in braking power or even catastrophic brake failure and subsequent loss of vehicle stability/control that will likely be experienced after repeated high speed braking events, such as would be experienced in an attack or escape scenario, which is surely what these vehicles are designed to deal with, is it not?

MSW has long championed the importance of uprating the brakes on all armoured vehicles and offers a wide range of brake upgrades, including OE replacement rotors and friction solutions from EBC Brakes (suitable for soft skin or light armoured conversions) to complete brake system upgrades for heavy armoured vehicles from our UK based manufacturing partner Alcon Specialist Brakes & Clutches.

Alcon have supported full brake system upgrades for the LC200 since its launch in 2007 and have wasted no time in developing a solution for the new LC300 platform. As is always the case with any Alcon solution, this new brake system is application specific to the LC300.

The piston capacity and available torque of its 6-piston calipers have been increased yet remain safely within the acceptable limits of the OE master cylinder capacity and actuation system, and the dimensions & mass of the larger 365x36mm discs have been maximised within the packaging constraints of an 18” wheel rim (specifically MSW’s armoured heavy duty 18” rim developed for the LC300), with this size being the continued choice for armoured vehicle variants due to the availability of tyres with the requisite E load rating.

However, the Alcon development process goes way beyond capacities and packaging constraints. Alcon’s in-house testing and sign-off regime is exhaustive and includes not only performance related testing (i.e., how good are the brakes and how well do they perform) but also lengthy dyno tests for both caliper and disc prototypes which simulate extreme usage conditions unlikely to ever be experienced by the components in the field which measure caliper failure and disc strength and resistance to cracking and deflection.

This steadfast refusal to accept any kind of one-size-fits-all approach, despite the relative similarity between the LC200 and LC300, is unique to Alcon, which is the reason MSW have partnered with the company since 2007 and why our clients continue to trust us when we propose only the very finest braking solutions.

 

MSW Auto
Spare Parts

the certified and exclusive regional master distributor
of premium, globally renowned automotive brands.

+971 4 240 5553 info@mswasp.com

MSW Auto
Spare Parts

the certified and exclusive regional master distributor
of premium, globally renowned automotive brands.

+971 4 240 5553 info@mswasp.com

MSW Auto
Spare Parts

the certified and exclusive regional master distributor
of premium, globally renowned automotive brands.

+971 4 240 5553 info@mswasp.com

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