TO PROTECT LIVES IN URBAN ENVIRONMENTS WITH CIVIL RISKS Surforma [ https://www.surforma.com/pt/ ]has launched on the world market CompactShield, a ballistic plate for use in urban environments with civil risks, aimed at more demanding markets for the protection of people, especially in countries in regional blocks such as America, Africa, and the Middle East. The Efanor group company – which owns the Sonae group – affirms that the new solution is the result of 3 years of research and development in partnership with Beyondcomposite, gaining a great advantage over existing ones, essentially in its applicability as a decorative solution, thereby not needing two components: ballistic protection and surface design, in addition to weight, durability, price. With level IIIA, III, and IV protection, according to the NIJ standard 0108:01, the new ballistic CompactShield is mainly intended for the sectors of construction (public buildings, police stations, banks, etc.) and transport (armoured vehicles, bus driver barriers, shipping containers, etc.). "It is a technological revolution where, in addition to protecting human lives, we incorporate the decorative factor in a single solution, allowing its application to have different uses, namely in the transport and construction sectors," says Miguel Nogueira, Surforma CEO. The company has, this way, started a process of globally repositioning its Laminates and Compacts business, both structurally, with the introduction of new raw materials, and technically, by investing in new ranges with improved performance. "With our new innovation strategy and product pipeline, sales can grow by 10% in the next 5 years, essentially through exports, and resulting in a forecasted increase of Euro 7M in business by 2025," he states. ABOUT SURFORMA Set up in 1959, the company is the origin of the Sonae Group, a Portuguese multinational that is present in 62 countries and which manages a diversified portfolio of businesses in the areas of industry, retail, financial services, technology, shopping centres, and telecommunications. In 2021, the group's turnover exceeded Euro 8 billion. With over 60 years of innovation and leadership in the sector, and with the aim of creating its own identity and holding a prominent position in the production and distribution of Laminates and Compacts, SURFORMA(R) was set up in 2018: a global brand focused essentially on the Furniture, Construction, and Decoration industries. The company operates in over 30 countries, in 5 continents. Contact: Ricardo Rodrigues - r@pressmediaonline.com Photo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1853380/Surforma_Image.jpg Logo - https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1852908/Surforma_Logo.jpg Source: SURFORMA SA