© 2023 Author(s). This is an open access article licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). 128 ARCHIWUM INŻYNIERII PRODUKCJI PRODUCTION ENGINEERING ARCHIVES 2023, 29(2), 128-139 PRODUCTION ENGINEERING ARCHIVES ISSN 2353-5156 (print) ISSN 2353-7779 (online) Exist since 4 th quarter 2013 Available online at https://pea-journal.eu Civilian armored vehicle operations in Brazil – challenges and production processes improvements: a qualitative survey Guido Muzio Candido 1* , Paulo Carlos Kaminski 1 1 Mechanical Engineering Department, Polytechnic School of the University of Sao Paulo, Av. Prof. Mello Moraes, 223, ZIP 05508-030, Sao Paulo, SP, Brazil; guido.candido@usp.br (GMC); pckamins@usp.br (PCK) *Correspondence: guido.candido@usp.br Article history Received 29.12.2022 Accepted 10.03.2023 Available online 08.05.2023 Abstract Armoring civilian vehicles requires specialized knowledge and experience that many armoring com- panies lack as they are not direct or indirect suppliers of vehicle manufacturers. This limits their access to automotive quality and manufacturing certifications or detailed vehicle designs, which can result in loss or malfunctioning of automotive components during the armoring process. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the challenges faced by Brazilian civilian armoring companies and identify oppor- tunities for improvement in their production processes. Qualitative research was conducted using a questionnaire-based survey of eight specialized firms in Brazil, as well as literature related to DFMA, design for manufacturing and assembly, quality, automotive, and ballistic references. The study results include detailed armoring operation steps, qualitative survey reports, and helpful literature references for armoring practitioners to generate a standard armoring procedure for different vehicle models. Fol- lowing best practices in automotive and armoring procedures collected in the survey responses can standardize and enhance ballistic protection operations while preserving the original vehicle systems' functionalities and warranties. This work provides valuable information for armoring companies to improve their operations and interfaces with automotive systems and follow automotive and ballistic references. Keywords Automotive industry Ballistic protection operations DFMA, Design for Manufac- turing and Assembly Production processes improve- ments DOI: 10.30657/pea.2023.29.15 1. Introduction The practice of armoring civilian passenger vehicles has be- come increasingly significant in the automotive aftermarket sector, particularly in countries that experience high levels of urban violence, such as Brazil. In this country, the robbery rate is almost seven times higher than in the United States of America (USA) and 33 times that of Poland. According to the United Nations Global Report (UNODC, 2022), in 2019, Bra- zil had a rate of 561 robberies per 100,000 people, one of the highest in the South American area. In contrast, Mexico had a rate of 261 (in 2018) and 244 in Colombia (in 2017). On the other hand, in 2019, the USA had an estimated rate of 81, and Poland had a rate of 17. In this context, Brazil has the highest per capita number of civil armored vehicles (CAVs) with handgun protection, ahead of the USA, Colombia, and Mexico. According to Associação Brasileira de Blindagem [Brazil- ian Armoring Association] (ABRABLIN, 2023), since the be- ginning of the 2000s, the automotive armoring sector in Brazil showed continuous growth, reaching almost 26,000 new ar- mored units in 2022, evidenced by the increase in the vehicle protection service and ballistic materials companies installed in the country. Regarding the total number of new automobiles and light-duty commercial vehicles (local and imported) reg- istered in Brazil between 2011 and 2022, the production of CAVs has consistently increased its ratio related to the au- tomakers' production, with expectations of significant growth, as shown in Table 1.