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Centigon
Centigon is today a division of Carat Duchatelet Holdings but it traces its roots back to coach builder O'Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt.
O'Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt was a specialty vehicle manufacturer based in Fairfield, Ohio in the United States. The company became part of Armor Holdings, Inc a world leader in security products and services which in late 2005 reorganized its mobile security division under the Centigon brand name. Centigon was originally founded in 1998 as the O'Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt subsidiary located in Colombia to service the Andean Pact area. It mostly produced armored versions of civilian vehicles. In 2007 Armor Holdings was purchased by BAE Systems. BAE sold Centigon to Carat Duchatelet Holdings in February 2008.
History
O'Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt was established in 1876 as a coach builder. The company built its first motorcar body in 1906. In 1942 they began the production of commercial armored vehicles and a few years later prepared a bullet-resistant car for then President Harry S Truman. O'Gara has provided mobile security for more than sixty international heads-of-state, every American President since 1948, numerous U.S. government agencies, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Air Force. O'Gara armors a variety of vehicles, including limousines, sedans, sport utility vehicles, and cash-in-transit vehicles, to protect against varying degrees of ballistic and blast threats. The company also builds armored personnel carriers, mobile water cannon and pursuit vehicles. The company is the prime contractor to the U.S. Military for the supply of armoring and blast protection for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV or Humvee).
During the 1990s manufacturing subsidiaries were opened in Mexico, Brazil, France, Russia, Colombia and the Philippines. In 2000 O'Gara introduced IMPAKтм, the world's first aramid bullet resistant fabric designed for passenger vehicles.
On 23 April 2001 Armor Holdings agreed to buy the security products and security group of The Kroll O'Gara Co. including (O'Gara-Hess and Eisenhardt).<ref>{{#if: Jacksonville, Fla.-Based Armor Company Buys Armored Car Maker
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