Rheinmetall Automecanica SRL is the youngest subsidiary of the technology group Rheinmetall. It is the first in Romania. According to its own information, the company is expanding its footprint in Central Europe with the strategic acquisition of the majority shares in the Romanian vehicle supplier Automecanica Mediaș. The new location in Romania is next to those in Hungary and Lithuania, with which the company is already present in NATO's eastern alliance area.
The Düsseldorf-based group will hold 72.5 percent of the shares in the joint venture through Rheinmetall Landsysteme. The rest remains in private hands. Before the contractual agreements can be implemented, official approvals must be granted.
Rheinmetall attributes the new acquisition to annual sales potential of around 300 million euros in the medium term and expects order intake in the three-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 a significant 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. The integration of local partners and strengthening the domestic economy in Romania are our central concerns. We want to best meet the expectations that politicians and the military have of us.”
According to Rheinmetall, Automecanica Mediaș is a traditional producer of special vehicles, truck bodies and trailers for both the civil and military sectors. Rheinmetall's collaboration with Automecanica was established in 2022 when both partners agreed to operate a maintenance center for military vehicles in Satu Mare, Romania.
The location in Mediaș, Romania, will play a central role in maintaining the operational readiness of the Western combat systems used in Ukraine and their logistical support, writes Rheinmetall. The Rheinmetall presence on site guarantees the armed forces on NATO's eastern flank shorter reaction times and greater security
With this step, Rheinmetall is expanding its product portfolio in military vehicle construction. Truck bodies and trailers and other special vehicles developed and produced by Automecanica complete the range of logistical trucks with which Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) is successful in global markets. Rheinmetall Automecanica will thus become part of Rheinmetall's global production network. In addition to the repair of combat vehicles, chassis for anti-aircraft guns for the Romanian armed forces will also be serviced here in the future. In December 2023, Rheinmetall received a 328 million euro contract to modernize Romanian anti-aircraft artillery systems.
Editorial staff / gwh
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