Rheinmetall is further expanding its position as a manufacturer of military vehicles by becoming the majority shareholder in Romanian vehicle manufacturer Automecanica Mediaș. This strengthens the German armaments group’s footprint in Central Europe and opens up significant sales growth and new, promising customer countries in the region, according to a recent press release.
With locations in the eastern NATO alliance area, Rheinmetall is also currently present in Hungary and Lithuania. In addition, Rheinmetall recently won a major order in Romania in December 2023 major order in the field of air defense with a volume of 328 million euros. won. The company, in which the Düsseldorf-based Group will hold 72.5 percent of the shares via Rheinmetall Landsysteme GmbH, will operate under the name Rheinmetall Automecanica SRL in Romania. The remaining shares in the company will remain with private owners. The execution of the corresponding contractual agreement is still subject to official approvals. Rheinmetall believes that the new acquisition has an annual sales potential of around €300 million in the medium term and expects incoming orders in the triple-digit million euro range as early as the 2024 financial year. Armin Papperger, CEO of Rheinmetall: “The acquisition of Automecanica Mediaș into the Rheinmetall Group is an important milestone for our strategic orientation in Central Europe and will help to further strengthen the defense capability of the EU and NATO on the eastern flank. We look forward to supporting the Romanian customer in future programs – be it in the vehicle sector or with other technologies from our company. Involving local partners and strengthening the domestic economy in Romania are key concerns for us. We want to fulfill the expectations that politicians and the military have of us in the best possible way.”
“The acquisition of Automecanica Mediaș into the Rheinmetall Group is an important milestone for our strategic orientation in Central Europe and will contribute to further strengthening the defense capability of the EU and NATO on the eastern flank.
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Rheinmetall-Chef Armin Papperger
Automecanica Mediaș is a traditional manufacturer of special vehicles, truck bodies and trailers for both civilian and military applications. Rheinmetall’s cooperation with Automecanica was established in 2022, when both partners agreed to operate a maintenance center for military vehicles in Satu Mare, Romania. The site in Mediaș, Romania, will play a central role in maintaining the operational readiness of the vehicles deployed in Ukraine (-> current news on the war in Ukraine) Western combat systems deployed in Ukraine and their logistical support. Rheinmetall’s presence on the ground will thus ensure shorter response times and greater security in the supply chain for the armed forces on NATO’s eastern flank. https://militaeraktuell.at/wanted-neuer-advanced-jet-trainer-gesucht/ The acquisition of the company further expands Rheinmetall’s global production network in vehicle manufacturing, which already has locations in Canada, the USA, Australia, the UK, Austria, the Netherlands and Germany. This will also significantly increase production and repair capacities. At the same time, Rheinmetall is expanding its product portfolio in military vehicle construction with this step.
Truck bodies and trailers and other special vehicles developed and produced by Automecanica complete the range of logistics trucks with which Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) is successful in the global markets. Rheinmetall Automecanica thus becomes part of Rheinmetall’s global production network. In addition to the overhaul of combat vehicles, chassis for anti-aircraft guns of the Romanian armed forces will also be serviced here in the future.
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