The acquisition will allow the long-established plant, founded in 1875, to continue operating with most of its workforce. GDELS said it will build on the site’s automotive technology and welding expertise, including the development and production of specialised small vehicle series.
GDELS plans to invest further in the Augsburg site. The company said it will make the plant its largest vehicle facility in Germany and the centre of excellence for the German Armed Forces’ EAGLE light tactical vehicles.
The company said several factors contributed to the decision to choose Augsburg. These included its location near new GDELS sites in Immenstaad and Oberpfaffenhofen, as well as the company’s main sites in Switzerland and Rhineland-Palatinate.
GDELS also cited favourable infrastructure links, the existing industrial cluster in the region and support from local authorities and the Bavarian state government. The company said the acquisition fits into its wider expansion of production and service capacities in Germany.
The German Armed Forces recently ordered several batches of EAGLE and PIRANHA vehicle families. GDELS said some of those vehicles will be manufactured by the new subsidiary GDELS-Fahrzeugwerke in southern Germany.
The expansion is part of the company’s Strategy 24/500, which was announced last year. The strategy includes increasing production and service capacities across Germany to support vehicle programmes.
“The Augsburg plant is a further step in our commitment to our German customer and impressive proof of our promise to fully meet their expectations regarding quality and on-time delivery,” said Giuseppe Chillari, GDELS Vice President and Managing Director of EAGLE OEM GDELS-Mowag. “We look forward to working with the highly qualified and motivated employees we have met at this attractive location. For us, this acquisition is also a commitment to sustainable growth for the workforce, the city, and the state of Bavaria.”
“The Augsburg location underscores our continued growth trajectory in Germany and Europe and fits seamlessly into our strategy of always operating close to the customer,” said GDELS President Antonio Bueno. “It sends a clear signal: GDELS remains a reliable partner of our armed forces in all aspects of protected land mobility.”
