SVI Engineering, leading specialist manufacturer of armoured products in South Africa, is pleased to announce that a complimentary driver-training course is now included as standard with the purchase of every B6 discreet armouring package.

Thanks to the added mass that comes with comprehensive 360-degree B6 (assault-rifle) armouring solutions, operating a bullet-resistant vehicle requires a degree of recalibration on the part of the driver. As such, SVI believes driver training is critical, particularly for those who lack experience with armoured vehicles.

“Since more and more new customers are joining the SVI family, we’re now including a full-day driver-training course with the purchase of every B6 discreet armouring package. This initiative will help new owners to better understand the capabilities of their armoured vehicles, equipping them with the skills to handle – and ultimately escape – potentially hostile situations,” says SVI Business Development Director, Nicol Louw.

“We believe that offering a complimentary full-day driver-training course with every B6 discreet sale is an important first for the local armouring industry. It’s also yet another example – along with many others under our broader #WhySVI? campaign – of how SVI strives to cover all the needs of its clients,” adds Louw. 

BOTH THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL TRAINING

Held at SVI’s impressive Bashewa headquarters outside Pretoria, the complimentary single-day course – which is valued at R3,500 – includes a theoretical component designed chiefly to educate participants on armoured-vehicle dynamics. Thereafter, these learnings are put into practice, with drivers taking to SVI’s newly revamped test track.

Practical training is carried out in the client’s own freshly armoured vehicle, allowing them to become familiar with its dynamics in a controlled environment (including on SVI’s dedicated off-road track, should the vehicle in question be fitted with 4×4). The central theme of the programme is to help owners to first understand and then experience the impact of the extra mass on their vehicles.

“Adding somewhere in the region of 600 kg of B6 armouring components to a double-cab bakkie, for example, results in a change to the vehicle’s centre of gravity. This, in turn, has an effect on various aspects of the vehicle’s dynamic performance, each necessitating specific adjustments to driving styles,” explains Louw.

FACTORY TOUR (AND LUNCH) ALSO INCLUDED

In addition to the theoretical and practical instruction, the single-day programme includes a tour of SVI’s extensive manufacturing facility, allowing clients to witness the company’s factory processes first-hand (and indeed see the armouring components that were earlier applied to their own vehicles). Since the programme runs from 8am to 4pm, lunch is also served.

Each training group will be limited to between 3 and 9 customers, affording participants the benefit of individualised attention from SVI’s team of expert instructors, which boasts vast experience coaching private clients, security crew and even military personnel.

It’s also worth noting that SVI separately offers a comprehensive 5-day driver-training programme that comprises as many as 5 distinct modules (including a practical-training module fully accredited by SASSETA). This all-encompassing course is pitched primarily at the broader security industry, with a particular focus on the valuables-in-transit, law enforcement and mining sectors.