Avon Technologies
A British defense and industrial-technology company specializing in respiratory, ballistic and related protective equipment.
Last updated October 14, 2026
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Overview
Avon Technologies is a British industrial and defense company whose principal business is the engineering and manufacture of protective equipment. Its products are aimed primarily at military personnel, law-enforcement agencies, firefighters, industrial users and other first responders. The company is best known for respiratory-protection systems, including respirators, powered and supplied-air systems, self-contained breathing equipment and associated accessories. Through acquisitions and portfolio changes, it has also developed capabilities in ballistic protection, tactical helmets and related personal-protection equipment. The business originated in Wiltshire in 1885, when E. G. Browne and J. C. Margetson acquired a former cloth mill at Limpley Stoke on the River Avon. The site had previously been associated with timber trading and rubber-product manufacture. By 1890 the operation had moved to Melksham and was trading as The Avon India Rubber Company Limited. Its early output included solid tires, conveyor belts and railway components. Bicycle pneumatic tires followed by 1900, and the company advertised its first car tires under the Avon name in 1906. This early rubber-manufacturing base established the technical and production capabilities that later supported the company’s move into specialized protective products. Avon expanded through acquisitions and diversification during the twentieth century. It acquired the Sirdar Rubber Works in 1915 and was admitted to the London Stock Exchange in 1933. The 1956 acquisition of George Spencer, Moulton & Co. added manufacturing sites in Bradford on Avon and a jointly owned facility in Paris. The corporate name was shortened to Avon Rubber in 1963. Alongside tires and general rubber goods, the company manufactured diving suits, Wellington boots, inflatable boats and other technical products. Its respiratory-protection history included the S6 nuclear, biological and chemical respirator used by British forces from the 1960s and the S10 respirator introduced during the 1980s. From the 1990s onward, Avon progressively sold or separated businesses outside its strategic focus. The Avon Tyres operation was sold to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in 1997. The company later disposed of its automotive, aerosol, rubber-compounding and marine-related activities, while retaining selected technical-product operations. Its acquisition of International Safety Instruments in 2005 strengthened its position in self-contained breathing apparatus and thermal-imaging systems for fire, law-enforcement and industrial customers. The company began supplying the M50 respirator to United States forces in 2009, marking an important expansion of its defense position in the United States. A major portfolio transformation took place in 2020. Avon acquired Ceradyne’s advanced ballistic-protection business and the Ceradyne brand from 3M, then divested its milkrite | InterPuls milking-equipment business to DeLaval. The proceeds and strategic focus from those transactions supported a concentration on respiratory and ballistic protection. Avon also acquired Team Wendy, a specialist in helmets for military and first-responder users. The company changed its name from Avon Rubber to Avon Protection in 2021 and later adopted the name Avon Technologies in 2024. The business has experienced both expansion and execution challenges. In late 2021 it announced the closure of its body-armor business after bullet-resistant vests failed United States regulatory testing. In 2022 it warned that annual profits would fall short of market expectations, causing a sharp one-day decline in its share price. Despite these setbacks, the company continued to develop its defense and respiratory-protection activities. In 2025 it received a £10.2 million order from the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence for NATO-standard FM50 respirators intended for Ukraine. Avon Technologies therefore represents the current defense-focused successor to a muc…
History
Avon Technologies traces its origins to 1885, when E. G. Browne and J. C. Margetson acquired a former cloth mill at Limpley Stoke in Wiltshire. The site stood beside the River Avon and had previously been used by timber merchants who had diversified into rubber goods. By 1890, the business had moved to Melksham and was operating as The Avon India Rubber Company Limited. The early company was a diversified rubber manufacturer. Its products included solid tires, conveyor belts and railway components. Pneumatic bicycle tires were added by 1900, and the first car tires advertised under the Avon name appeared in 1906. The company acquired the Sirdar Rubber Works at Greenland Mill in Bradford on Avon in 1915. It became a listed company on the London Stock Exchange in 1933. Avon expanded through the acquisition of George Spencer, Moulton & Co. in 1956. That transaction brought the Abbey Mills and Kingston Mills sites in Bradford on Avon into the business, together with a jointly owned plant in Paris. The corporate name was shortened to Avon Rubber in 1963. During this period the company continued to make rubber products while developing specialized technical lines. It produced military back-entry dry diving suits, including the Typhoon suit publicized in the late 1950s, and also manufactured Stonehenge-branded Wellington boots. Production of inflatable boats began in 1959. The company’s marine business was separated and sold in 1994. Avon Inflatables subsequently became part of Zodiac Marine in France. In 1997, Avon sold Avon Tyres to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company. The disposal marked a shift away from consumer and general rubber manufacturing toward automotive components, technical products and protective equipment. Avon moved its manufacturing and head-office activities to Hampton Park West, south of Melksham, in 2000. In 2005 it acquired International Safety Instruments of Lawrenceville, Georgia. The acquired business manufactured self-contained breathing apparatus and thermal-imaging equipment for fire services, law enforcement and industrial users, strengthening Avon’s presence in North America and in professional respiratory protection. The company continued to reduce its non-core activities. Avon Automotive was sold in 2006 to a United States-based management team and became Avon Automotive Holdings. The aerosol division was sold in 2008 to the unrelated Avon Group of Bristol, while the Westbury mixing plant was sold later that year to ATR Compounding, a division of SPC UK. These transactions helped concentrate the group on protective equipment, dairy technology and rubber extrusions. Respiratory protection became increasingly central to the company’s defense identity. Avon had a long history of producing military respirators, including the S6 NBC respirator used by British forces from the 1960s and the S10 respirator associated with the 1980s. In 2009, it began supplying the M50 mask to United States forces. This development gave the company a significant role in the supply of contemporary military respiratory-protection systems. The most important modern restructuring occurred in 2020. Avon acquired Ceradyne’s advanced ballistic-protection business and the Ceradyne brand from 3M. In the same year it sold the milkrite | InterPuls milking-equipment business to DeLaval and acquired Team Wendy, a specialist helmet manufacturer serving military and first-responder customers. Together, these transactions moved the portfolio toward personal protection, combining respiratory equipment with ballistic and head protection. The company changed its name from Avon Rubber to Avon Protection in July 2021 and adopted the name Avon Technologies in August 2024. The transition reflected its evolution from a general rubber manufacturer into a focused defense-technology company. The strategic shift was accompanied by difficulties: in December 2021, Avon announced the closure of its body-armor operation after bullet-resistant vests failed United States regulatory tests. In April 2022, the company warned that annual profits would fall below City forecasts, causing a one-day share-price decline of nearly 20 percent. Avon remains listed in the United Kingdom and is included in the FTSE 250 Index. Its current business is centered on respiratory protection, ballistic products, tactical helmets and associated protective technologies for military, law-enforcement, fire-service and industrial customers. In June 2025, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence awarded the company a £10.2 million order for NATO-standard FM50 respirators intended for Ukraine, demonstrating the continuing importance of defense procurement to the company’s present operations.
- 2025
FM50 order for Ukraine
[1]The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence awarded Avon a £10.2 million order for NATO-standard FM50 respirators intended for Ukraine.
- 2024
Renamed Avon Technologies
[1]The company adopted its current Avon Technologies name.
- 2021
Renamed Avon Protection
[1]The company changed its name from Avon Rubber to Avon Protection.
- 2020
Ballistic-protection acquisition and portfolio refocus
[1]Avon acquired Ceradyne’s advanced ballistic-protection business, sold milkrite | InterPuls to DeLaval and acquired Team Wendy.
- 2009
M50 respirator supplied to United States forces
[1]Avon began supplying the M50 military respirator to the United States armed forces.
- 2005
International Safety Instruments acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded Avon’s self-contained breathing-apparatus and thermal-imaging capabilities.
- 1997
Avon Tyres sold
[1]The tire business was sold to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, supporting a strategic move toward technical and protective products.
- 1963
Name shortened to Avon Rubber
[1]The company adopted the shorter Avon Rubber name.
- 1956
Acquisition of George Spencer, Moulton & Co.
[1]The acquisition added manufacturing facilities in Bradford on Avon and a jointly owned plant in Paris.
- 1933
London Stock Exchange flotation
[1]The company became publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Products and positioning
A specialist defense and first-responder protection supplier positioned around mission-critical respiratory protection, ballistic protection and tactical head protection rather than mass-market industrial products.
Military respiratory protection · 2009
M50 respirator
The M50 is a military respirator supplied by Avon to United States forces beginning in 2009. It represents the company’s transition from legacy British service respirators toward contemporary protective-mask systems for modern military users.
Military respiratory protection
FM50 respirator
The FM50 is a NATO-standard respirator in Avon’s defense portfolio. In 2025, the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence ordered FM50 systems for delivery to Ukraine, making it one of the company’s publicly identified current defense offerings.
Nuclear, biological and chemical protection
S6 NBC respirator
The S6 was a legacy nuclear, biological and chemical respirator manufactured for the British armed forces from the 1960s. It is an important part of Avon’s long respiratory-protection history and established the company’s association with military protective masks.
Military respiratory protection
S10 respirator
The S10 was a later-generation military respirator associated with British service use from the 1980s. It continued Avon’s role as a supplier of protective masks for defense and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear environments.
Ballistic and tactical head protection
Team Wendy helmets
Team Wendy produces helmets and related head-protection equipment for military personnel, law-enforcement officers and first responders. Avon acquired the business in 2020 as part of its expansion beyond respiratory protection into broader personal protection.
Fire and industrial respiratory protection
Self-contained breathing apparatus
Through its acquisition of International Safety Instruments, Avon developed a product presence in self-contained breathing apparatus for firefighters, law-enforcement agencies and industrial users. These systems provide respiratory protection in environments where ambient air cannot be safely breathed.
Controversies
2021
Body-armor business closure after failed United States testing
Avon announced that it would close its body-armor business after bullet-resistant vests failed United States regulatory tests. The episode constrained the company’s ballistic-protection expansion and led to the withdrawal of that body-armor activity.
Brand decisions
2024
Corporate rebranding as Avon TechnologiesStrategyBackground
The company had evolved from a general rubber manufacturer into a focused supplier of defense and protective technologies.
Action taken
Avon Protection changed its name to Avon Technologies.
Aftermath
The new name broadened the corporate identity beyond respiratory protection while retaining the historic Avon brand.
2021
Closure of body-armor businessStrategyBackground
Avon’s bullet-resistant vests failed United States regulatory tests.
Action taken
The company announced that it would close its body-armor business.
Aftermath
The decision reduced Avon’s direct body-armor activities while leaving the company focused on respiratory protection, helmets and selected ballistic technologies.
2020
Acquisition of Ceradyne ballistic-protection businessM&ABackground
Avon sought to broaden its personal-protection portfolio beyond respiratory products.
Action taken
The company purchased Ceradyne’s advanced ballistic-protection business and the Ceradyne brand from 3M.
Aftermath
The transaction strengthened Avon’s presence in ballistic protection, although the later closure of its body-armor operation showed that the expansion encountered product and regulatory difficulties.
2020
Acquisition of Team WendyM&ABackground
Avon was reshaping itself around personal protection for military and first-responder customers.
Action taken
The company acquired Team Wendy, a manufacturer of military and first-responder helmets.
Aftermath
Team Wendy added tactical head protection to Avon’s respiratory and ballistic-protection activities.
2020
Divestment of milkrite | InterPulsStrategyBackground
Avon was narrowing its portfolio to focus on personal-protection equipment.
Action taken
The milking-equipment business was sold to DeLaval.
Aftermath
The disposal allowed Avon to concentrate on respiratory and ballistic protection. The reported net proceeds were approximately £160 million.
Net proceeds. approximately £160 million (2020)
1997
Exit from tire manufacturingStrategyBackground
Avon had historically manufactured bicycle and automobile tires alongside a broad range of rubber products.
Action taken
The Avon Tyres business was sold to Cooper Tire & Rubber Company.
Aftermath
The divestment enabled the group to concentrate more heavily on automotive components, technical products and protective equipment.
Recent events
- 2025
Avon receives United Kingdom order for FM50 respirators for Ukraine[1]
Product launch · Other
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence awarded Avon a £10.2 million order for NATO-standard FM50 respirators intended for Ukraine.
- 2025
Avon wins Ministry of Defence order for FM50 respirators for Ukraine[1]
Product launch · Other
The company received a £10.2 million Ministry of Defence order to supply NATO-standard FM50 respirators for Ukraine.
- 2024
Company changes name to Avon Technologies[1]
Leadership change
Avon Protection adopted the name Avon Technologies, reflecting its broader defense-technology identity.
- 2024
Company adopts Avon Technologies name[1]
Other
Avon Protection changed its corporate name to Avon Technologies, reflecting its broader portfolio of protective technologies.
- 2022
Avon warns on profit expectations[1]
Other
The company warned that annual profits would miss City forecasts, contributing to a share-price decline of nearly 20 percent during one trading day.
- 2022
Avon warns on profits and experiences a sharp share-price decline[1]
Other
The company warned that annual profit would fall short of City forecasts; its share price declined by nearly one-fifth during the day reported.
- 2021
Body-armour business scheduled for closure after failed U.S. tests[1]
Regulation · Other
Avon announced that it would close its body-armour business after its bullet-proof vests failed relevant U.S. regulatory tests.
- 2020
Avon acquires Ceradyne advanced ballistic-protection business[1]
M&A
Avon purchased Ceradyne’s advanced ballistic-protection business and the Ceradyne brand from 3M.
- 2020
Avon divests milkrite | InterPuls to DeLaval[1]
M&A
The company sold its milking-equipment business to DeLaval, allowing it to focus more narrowly on respiratory and ballistic protection.
- 2020
Avon acquires Team Wendy[1]
M&A
Avon acquired Team Wendy, a maker of helmets for military and first-responder users, adding tactical head protection to its portfolio.
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