The Directorate of Defense R&D in the Israel Ministry of Defense (DDR&D), together with the IDF’s Ground Forces and Elbit Systems, revealed a precise, laser and GPS guided mortar munition named “Iron Sting“. The 120 mm mortar has recently undergone final trials in a testing site in southern Israel. The completion of testing enables the start of serial production ahead of the system’s supply to the IDF.

The series of tests was carried out using two networked Cardom mortar systems developed by Elbit Systems: a “Cardom” system, mounted on an M113 APC and a “Cardom Spear” system, mounted on a Hummer 4X4 SUV. The Iron Sting is designed to engage targets precisely, in both open terrains and urban environments, while reducing the possibility of collateral damage and preventing injury to non-combatants.

The Iron Sting Guided Mortar Munition offers a range of 1-12 km, depending on the mortar tube and hitting accurracy smaler than 1 m. Three modes of operation, GPS/IMU, SAL+GPS/IMU and SAL+IMU provide robust capabilities in all battlefield scenarios. Iron Sting features a seeker laser sensor capable of operating with standard pulse (NATO STANAG3722) and an encoded CW laser diode (lightweight and low-cost, suitable for small drones and UAS).

Head of Research and Development in the DDR&D, Brig. Gen. Yaniv Rotem, said it was a 10 years of research and development. “Todat we can provide the IDF’s ground forces with advanced capabilities made for the modern battlefield. This laser and GPS- guided mortar munition provides troops with a precise firing capability that has only been implemented in missiles and air munition systems.”

General Manager of Elbit Systems Land Division, Yehuda Vered: “The introduction of laser and GPS guided munition transforms the mortar system from a statistical fire power into a precision fire system, thus delivering a significant change in fire capabilities at the tactical level.”

Israeli workwear management company Polytex Technologies has witnessed explosive growth in the Spanish and French markets over the past year with multi-million euros in new contracts. The trend is continuing in both markets. Seven new hospitals throughout France and additional hospitals in Spain will be installing for the first time or expanding their use of Polytex’s solution that provides improved protection for health workers, which has become even more critical during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the technology leads to a significant operation efficiency with reduction in inventory levels and therefore lower expenses on uniforms.

Spain is currently the third largest market for Polytex outside Israel and France the fifth. The pandemic triggered a 90% increase in sales in Spain and a similar increase in France.

Two significant projects for Polytex were recently closed in Spain. One is the the extension of Polytex’s project with the Bellvitge University Hospital, near Barcelona, ​​and the second is a new project for the Servicio Navarro de Salud (SNS), which will equip the operating rooms of the Navarra Hospital, the Virgen del Camino Hospital, and the Reina Sofia Hospital with systems for the management of pajamas and clogs.

Polytex entered the Spanish market in 2007 and Spain has already become the company’s third country of reference in volume beyond the borders of Israel, only surpassed by the United States and Germany. More than 200 systems have been installed to serve more than 50 clients distributed throughout the country. The pandemic has led to a strong increase in sales, of which 40% comes from existing customers, who needed to increase their capacity to meet the increase in clothing consumption, and the remaining 60% were new customers, who quickly adapted Polytex’s service in order to increase hygiene and lower operating costs.

The French market has witnessed phenomenal growth as well. Over the past twelve months, Polytex has won contracts at major French hospitals in Rouen, Rennes, Pithiviers, Dax, Poissy, Ajaccio and at a large hospital laundry service in the Paris region. This is in addition to the eight hospitals and a pharmaceutical industrial site in various parts of the country, which have already installed Polytex’s workwear and scrubs management solution.

Hospital managers in both countries report that the Polytex system helps to simplify the distribution of workwear and led to a 40% on average reduction in expenses on uniforms and laundry. The actual volume of workwear needed was reduced substantially as was the amount of storage space required.

The Polytex solution is fully automated and enables hands-free dispensing and collecting of individual uniforms. The system itself is sealed, keeping garments in a clean environment that is opened only by laundry professionals during collection and restocking. The system is available on a 24/7 basis and often installed at multiple locations enabling staff to receive and return garments in seconds, thereby avoiding unnecessary crowding.

Refilling the machines with fresh clothing is very quick and takes only a couple of minutes.

The units can also be moved to special temporary wards dedicated to infectious diseases like COVID-19. The Polytex automated system is backed by a centralized cloud-based management and monitoring applications for end-to-end tracking.

“In the past year we have nearly doubled our sales in both Spain and France as the global pandemic has made hygiene an even more critical issue for hospitals,” said Yariv Matzliach, CEO of Polytex. He added that “both countries are currently among our largest and most strategic markets in Europe with tremendous growth potential in the coming years.”

Established in 2003, Polytex Technologies is a leading provider of workwear management solutions. Polytex supports the entire workwear laundry lifecycle with a wide range of automated machines backed by centralized cloud management and monitoring applications. Our solutions are used by hospitals and healthcare institutes, manufacturing sites, hospitality, and fitness centers. Polytex has over two decades of field-proven industry experience in the delivery of large-scale commercial laundry services. Polytex has over 3,000 installed machines located in North and South America, Europe, and Asia.

Polytex was established in Israel by the Poliner family. The co-founder Tomer Poliner served as the company’s CEO until Polytex received a major investment from the private equity fund Fortissimo Capital in 2019. He now leads the company’s technological and business development activities.