Gun production
Armor’s industrial association Quinted number of members
Whether Panzerbauer Rheinmetall, tank fist manufacturer DND or rifle manufacturer Heckler & Koch: They have all been a member of an industrial association for a long time. Numerous new members have been added.
The boom in the armaments industry since the Russian attack on Ukraine has set up the number of members of an industry association. “In the meantime, 340 companies are members of us and thus 100 more than at the end of last year,” said the general manager of the Federal Association of the German Security and Defense Industry (BDSV), Hans Christoph Atzpodien. When he took office in 2017, the BDSV had only 70 members.
The new members wanted advice on how they could do business in the armaments industry and which rules were relevant to them. And they hoped for networking with customers.
Atzpodia did not give a specific names of new members. Several companies come from the car industry, where they were previously active as a supplier or service provider. Due to the crisis of the German auto industry, some companies are now oriented and focus on compensating for the weaknesses in the car business with orders from the armaments industry. He cited engineering offices as an example, whose expertise was less in demand among car manufacturers than before.
Industry has its own rules
With regard to the increasing military expenditure, to which the NATO countries have committed, the association representative said: “For decades, the public sector had to hold back on arms expenditure, which has now been completely turned: it is an incredible dynamic in the entire economy, also because of our threat situation.”
Germany’s armaments companies basically need new service providers and suppliers, but the industry and the Bundeswehr procurement office have their own rules.
Certain employees need a so -called secret protection authorization in order to be able to participate in weapons production. Such an authorization must be requested, the applicant is checked and examined by state actors.
Such a procedure lasts, said AtzPodia. “This is a first tip to the companies: expand the circle of your employees with secret protection authorization and qualify in the shopping portals of your possible customers.”
Germany’s largest armaments company Rheinmetall, whose CEO Armin Papperger is also President of the BDSV, reports on increasing demand from suppliers. It is often companies from the car industry.
dpa
Source: Stern
