Managing director of the technology company VINCORION in Wedel, Dr. Stefan Stenzel, is looking forward to 2024 with a positive outlook: “We have a lot of exciting projects in the works and have already delivered for major Bundeswehr armor projects. Our company’s turnover and net income will continue to increase,” explains Stenzel. He expects sales to grow in 2024.
VINCORION specializes in the provision of military energy supplies and has been operating independently since mid-2022. The company offers a range of modern generators for mobile use in the armed forces. VINCORION also supplies the energy systems of the PATRIOT and IRIS-T air defences. Important components for power supply and weapon stabilization in armored vehicles such as the Leopard 2, the Puma, and the Boxer are also manufactured by the medium-sized industrial company, which has sites in Wedel, Altenstadt, and Essen.
Air defence in the “European Sky Shield Initiative”
For Stenzel, a currently important project in the defence sector in Europe is the development of the “European Sky Shield Initiative”: “Protection against air attacks, whether by fighter aircraft, long-range missiles and ballistic missiles, or cruise missiles, artillery, and drones, is of outstanding importance,” says the Managing Director.
“The European Sky Shield Initiative is developing an integrated, multi-layered ground-based air defence system for as many European countries as possible. From a German perspective, it will be based on three platforms: IRIS-T, the PATRIOT system, and Arrow 3. VINCORION plays an important role here by supplying both IRIS-T and PATRIOT with tactical electrical power and enabling these systems to operate completely independently of public infrastructure in the field.”
Stenzel emphasizes that VINCORION’s new energy supply solutions follow the guiding principle of “Green Defence”: In addition to the benefits in terms of CO2 emissions, “green military solutions” ensure a reduction in logistics requirements, which in turn saves emissions, means less capacity is tied up, and increases the safety of soldiers.
The “Zeitenwende” must continue
Stefan Stenzel urges politicians in Germany to stay on course with the “Zeitenwende” and the equipment of the armed forces. “Politicians are still not turning all the signals green. The defence industry in Germany is still in a state of uncertainty. Big announcements are followed by cuts. In this nebulous situation, the industry still has no planning certainty. We would like to see more stringency and clarity from politicians for 2024.”
However, there are also positive signs: “The demand for tanks remains high with new technologies,” Stenzel notes. “The second batch of Puma has now been finally ordered, and other countries are also ordering the Leopard 2 and the Boxer.” It is also important to continue to reduce bureaucracy in procurement, even if great progress has already been made at the Federal Office for Procurement.
Attractive jobs for skilled workers
VINCORION is also planning further recruitment in the new year and offers attractive jobs. New employees are being sought at the sites in Wedel and Altenstadt in particular. In 2023, 90 new employees could be hired. “The shortage of skilled workers is affecting many industrial companies. VINCORION is no exception, but we still manage to attract talented employees and recruit new talent with very good social benefits and exceptional products,” says HR Manager Nina Römhild. The company has around 800 employees, 480 of whom work at the Wedel site. The low fluctuation rate among employees fell further over the course of the year – and is now only around three percent.
