Belief that ‘Nothing Is Impossible’ Pushes ILC Dover Beyond the Boundaries of Expectation

Think back to 1961 (those of you who can) … when President John F. Kennedy announced that the United States was working to put a man on the moon. Did it even sound possible? I’m sure many thought it was a long-shot at best (no pun intended) and more likely a disastrous endeavor. But it happened… as you well know. And ILC Dover played a part in this amazing, historic event after winning a contract from NASA to design the  Apollo Space Suit.

Sometimes I reflect on how the ILC team built this remarkable product… how it faced such a daunting challenge that defined our nation’s history. Somewhat even more amazing is the fact that ILC Dover has continued to create innovative and life changing products. The team thrives on the challenge of achieving that which seems impossible. And it succeeds every time.

That success in turn presented me with a challenge. I hold the responsibility of letting the public know how amazing we are at ILC Dover. I intend to rebrand this company so that its brilliance is no longer a secret.

If we set limits for ourselves, we may never reach our full potential.

I can’t tell you if I heard those words or created them. Either way, I live by them. And each member of the ILC team lives by them as well. So, each element of our corporate rebranding reflects ILC Dover’s story and the tenacity of its people.

Our new tagline is  Beyond Boundaries… two words that perfectly describe what we do. We meet every challenge and push beyond the boundaries of expectation, making the seemingly impossible… possible. We even redesigned our corporate logo to feature the ILC Dover name extending past the boundaries of a square.

Yes, preconceived limitations exist. But at ILC Dover, we push beyond restrictions of time, space and even materials to create new services, products and opportunities.

And everyone at ILC loves a challenge.

I don’t often refer to the quotes of others, but this one from Richard Branson rings so true: “My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them.” Well said.

Here are just some of the ways the ILC Dover team has faced challenges and reached beyond preconceived limitations through the years:

• In the 1950s, no one knew if a pilot could survive the pressures of high-altitude flight. ILC created flight helmets for the U.S. Air Force that allowed pilots to survive and reach new heights.
• In the 80s, ILC brought valuable innovations to the marketplace, including the M-40 Gas Mask which provided first responders and healthcare providers ease of use in life-critical situations. This technology served as the basis for the  SCape protective hood that we supply today to hospitals and drug manufacturers to protect workers.
• In 1997, Eli Lilly Corporation was searching for a way to contain potentially hazardous materials used in pharmaceutical production and provide better safety for employees. The team at ILC Dover, in collaboration with scientists at Eli Lilly, designed an approach to use plastic film to address this issue. That effort led to our creation of the  ArmorFlex family of materials, which started a revolution in the pharmaceutical industry.
• A few years ago, Superstorm Sandy devastated the New York City subway system. So the ILC Dover team developed FlexGate and FlexWall, which provide high-strength closures to protect transit systems, buildings and equipment from floods.

All that said, our new core value proposition captures our mission:

ILC Dover’s core competencies enable protection of people and infrastructure.  We can take anything and protect it. From food to medicine. From shielding national infrastructure from natural disasters to safeguarding people from chemical and biological threats. From putting watchful eyes in the sky, to space suits for astronauts and transporting technology to Mars in search of discovery. Innovation and creative engineering are the hallmarks of its products and solutions. Since 1947, ILC Dover has pushed beyond the boundaries of what was thought to be possible.

Our branding has changed, but the heart and soul of our company remains the same: we use innovation, creativity and expertise to engineer high-performance products that solve customer problems. We specialize in moving Beyond Boundaries. 

Fran DiNuzzo

President & CEO