INKAS

This article is about the Canadian security and services company. For Inkas, see Inca (disambiguation).

INKAS Group of Companies is a group of privately held Canadian corporations that specialize largely in the security, manufacturing, and financial industries. Many of the company’s divisions and brands operate under the registered trademark of INKAS,^[2] and include armored vehicle and safe manufacturing, metal fabrication, aerospace and defense, financial services, and environmental protection services. The company was established over 25 years ago in Toronto, Canada, where it remains headquartered today.^[3]

INKAS Group of Companies

Company type	Multiple private corporations
Industry	Security Armored Vehicles Manufacturing Financial
Founded	Toronto, Ontario, Canada (1995; 29 years ago (1995))
Founder	David Khazanski Margarita Simkin
Headquarters	Toronto, Ontario , Canada
Key people	David Khazanski Co-Founder, CEO Margarita Simkin Co-Founder, Chairperson
Services	armored vehicles, limos, safes, manufacturing, metal fabrication, financial services, aerospace and defense
Revenue	$150 million (2016)^[1]
Number of employees	360
Website	https://inkas.ca/

INKAS has worked with federal and provincial governments, and numerous authorities worldwide. Some of their clients include the Haiti,^[4] Colombia,^[5] Nigeria,^[5] Azerbaijan,^[6] and Canada,^[7] the United States.^[8] INKAS also provides a number of products and services to financial institutions, corporations and individuals around the world.

INKAS Group of Companies

INKAS was founded in August 1995 in Toronto, Canada, by David Khazanski and Margarita Simkin as a single-truck armored courier service specializing in the secure transportation of cash and valuables. INKAS has established and grown various divisions^[9] and brands over the years, some of which have gone on be acquired by large players in their industries.^[10] The company’s divisions include armored vehicle manufacturing, safes manufacturing, security solutions and services, aerospace and defense, financial solutions, and environmental protection services.

In April 2014, INKAS acquired its new headquarters and manufacturing facility,^[11] and in March 2020, the company opened a second manufacturing facility in Toronto.^[12] The company also has offices, production facilities, and service centers internationally, including in Lagos, Nigeria.^[13]

Criticism

In July and August 2017, CBC News reported that INKAS signed a deal with Azerbaijan’s interior ministry under which the company had delivered several Canadian-made armoured personnel carriers (APCs) to Azerbaijan.^[6] This provoked strong condemnation from the Armenian-Canadian population which was concerned that the equipment would be used in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict or the Armenia-Azerbaijan border crisis. The Canadian government responded by promising to meet with the representatives of the Armenian community.^[14][15] Ramil Huseynli — Azerbaijan's Chargé d’Affaires in Ottawa — responded by saying "...the acquisition of armoured personnel carriers from a Canadian company does not pose such a threat [to regional peace and stability], as these vehicles are intended only for law enforcement and civilian transport. In this light, the hysteria of the Armenian community, who should put Canadian interests above the rest, is unintelligible.” According to the 2016 Report on Exports of Military Goods from Canada, Azerbaijan bought $378,705 worth of fire arms and ground vehicles in Canada.^[16]

In October 2023, 100 activists blocked the entrances of INKAS' Toronto offices, with five being arrested.^[17][18] The protestors criticized the company for helping arm the Israeli military.^[18] INKAS reports that the company “supplied the government of Israel with more command & control units than any other supplier in history”,^[19][17] and has also sold cyber warfare services and remotely controlled weapon stations.^[17] INKAS responded to the protest by stating that the situation caused the business to lose profits and was costly to their reputation.^[17]

References

1. CHASE, STEVEN "Canadian armoured-vehicle maker not flattered by foreign imitation (Retrieved 2017-03-24.)
2. "Industry Canada Trademark Registration". Industry Canada. 1997.
3. "INKAS New Facility and Armored Vehicle Show Room".
4. "Canadian armoured vehicles in Haiti". www.ploughshares.ca. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
5. Labbé, Stefan (2016-08-18). "Seven human rights violators buying Canadian military goods". Open Canada. Retrieved 2023-08-04.
6. Sevunts, Levon (Aug 14, 2017). "Armenian-Canadians urge Liberals to stop export of armoured vehicles to Azerbaijan". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
7. "Canada Border Services Agency Contract".
8. "US Department of State Contract".
9. "INKAS Divisions".
10. "3 Sixty Acquires INKAS Security Services Ltd".
11. "INKAS New Facility and Armored Vehicle Show Room".
12. "INKAS Announces New Manufacturing Plant in Toronto".
13. "INKAS History".
14. "ANCC Calls on the Canadian Government to Immediately Halt Azerbaijani Arms Sales". Armenian National Committee of America. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
15. "AGBU Protests The Delivery of Canadian-Made Military Vehicles to Azerbaijan". Montreal Chapter. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
16. International, Radio Canada (2017-08-14). "Canadian-Armenian community up in arms over Canadian defence exports to Azerbaijan". RCI | English. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
17. Paling, Tim Groves, Emma (2023-10-31). "Canadian company's Israeli subsidiary sold more deadly weapons than advertised ⋆ The Breach". The Breach. Retrieved 2024-01-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
18. "5 arrested during rally at Toronto factory that protesters claim helps arm Israeli military | CityNews Toronto". toronto.citynews.ca. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
19. Medjool (2023-10-30). "Immediate release: "Canada Stop Arming Israel": Workers block entrance to Toronto company arming Israeli military - Just Peace Advocates". Retrieved 2024-01-05.

External links

• Official website