The Professional Clothing Industry Association Worldwide (PCIAW®) is pleased to announce Michael Smith, Chief Executive Officer of Unisync Corp., as a speaker at the PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards 2026, taking place at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms in London on 21–22 October.
Michael will bring a strategic defence manufacturing and procurement perspective to the Summit, exploring how procurement frameworks, manufacturing capability and resilient supply chains can evolve alongside rapidly changing operational requirements.
Drawing on Unisync Corp.’s experience across defence apparel, technical product development and complex global supply chains, Michael will examine what is required to accelerate innovation without compromising the performance, compliance and reliability demanded by mission-critical equipment.
Can defence procurement keep pace with operational change?
The environments in which military and public-safety personnel operate are changing quickly.
New threats, technologies and operational requirements can create demand for different materials, protective capabilities and garment systems. Yet introducing these innovations into large-scale defence programmes can be constrained by lengthy procurement cycles and highly prescriptive specifications.
Michael will explore how defence procurement can retain the necessary levels of governance and compliance while creating greater flexibility for new technologies and materials to be evaluated and adopted.
The challenge is not to reduce standards, but to ensure procurement systems can respond effectively when operational needs change.
For industry, this requires closer collaboration with government and end users so that innovation is connected to genuine operational requirements from the beginning.
More than 65 years of defence apparel experience
Michael’s perspective is informed by the experience of Peerless Garments, one of Unisync Corp.’s two operating businesses.
Peerless has more than 65 years of experience manufacturing highly technical protective apparel for military and government customers.
Its expertise includes CBRN protective systems, high-performance rainwear, extreme cold-weather apparel and other mission-critical garments developed for demanding operational environments.
The company has supplied organisations including the Canadian Department of National Defence, NATO and other government agencies.
This experience gives Unisync a practical understanding of the relationship between technical specifications, product development, manufacturing capability, procurement and the reliability required when protective clothing is being used in critical environments.
Rebuilding resilient supply chains
Michael will also address the growing importance of supply-chain resilience.
Recent disruption and increasing defence demand have reinforced the strategic importance of maintaining sufficient manufacturing capacity and reducing vulnerability within critical supply chains.
For defence clothing, resilience is about more than simply having access to a finished garment.
Materials, specialist components, manufacturing capability, technical expertise and production capacity all need to be available when required.
Michael will explore why rebuilding resilient domestic supply chains requires long-term collaboration between government and industry, alongside sufficient capacity to respond when demand increases.
Maintaining that capability can also provide a stronger platform from which new products and technologies can be introduced.
Creating room for innovation
Defence clothing needs to meet strict requirements for performance, reliability and compliance, but procurement frameworks also need mechanisms that allow innovation to progress.
New materials and technologies can potentially improve protection, comfort, mobility and operational performance. However, those developments only create value if there is a realistic pathway for them to move from development into procurement and deployment.
Michael will examine how greater procurement flexibility and stronger collaboration between industry and government could help shorten that journey.
The objective is to create an environment where innovation can be assessed and introduced at an appropriate pace while maintaining the standards expected of mission-critical products.
Strengthening Canada–Europe defence cooperation
Michael will also bring an international perspective to the discussion, particularly around the opportunity for greater cooperation between Canada and Europe.
As defence and industrial relationships deepen, stronger collaboration could create opportunities around supply chains, manufacturing, innovation and interoperability.
For professional clothing and protective equipment, this raises important questions around how industry can share expertise, strengthen manufacturing capacity and respond collectively to changing defence requirements.
Building greater alignment across allied markets could support both resilience and innovation while creating stronger connections between specialist manufacturers and defence procurement communities.
From manufacturing to managed uniform programmes
Alongside Peerless Garments, Unisync Corp. operates Unisync Group, which specialises in complex managed-service uniform programmes for major corporate and government organisations.
Its capabilities span product design and development, global sourcing, inventory management, distribution, e-commerce and technology-enabled programme management for large and geographically dispersed workforces.
Together, these businesses give Michael a perspective spanning highly technical defence manufacturing and the management of complex uniform supply chains.
As CEO, he is responsible for Unisync Corp.’s overall strategic direction and performance, overseeing growth, customer strategy, operations and investment priorities across both businesses.
The Implementation Phase
Michael’s contribution reflects the wider theme of the PCIAW® Summit 2026 – “The Implementation Phase.”
Defence innovation cannot stop at identifying new materials, technologies or operational requirements. The industry also needs procurement structures, manufacturing capacity and resilient supply chains capable of turning those developments into equipment that reaches the end user.
Michael’s perspective will highlight the need to connect procurement flexibility, industrial capability, government-industry collaboration and operational readiness.
As defence requirements continue to evolve, the ability to innovate will increasingly depend on whether the systems surrounding product development can evolve with them.
Michael Smith will contribute his defence procurement and supply-chain perspective at the PCIAW® Summit, Exhibition & Awards 2026.
The event takes place at the De Vere Grand Connaught Rooms, London, on 21–22 October 2026.
