Rheinmetall has begun serial delivery of 342 roll-off tipper vehicles to BwFuhrparkService GmbH (BwFPS), the state-owned enterprise in charge of the Bundeswehr’s fleet of non-tactical vehicles. The order, issued at the end of 2019, is worth a figure in the two-digit euro million range, making it the largest single order for commercial (“white fleet”) trucks in company history. By supplying these hook lift-equipped TGS 8×4 trucks, Rheinmetall is making another important contribution to bolstering the Bundeswehr’s operational readiness. Delivery is expected to be complete by the middle of next year. Rheinmetall and its truck specialist Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMV) have thus emerged as major suppliers of commercial trucks to the Bundeswehr, augmenting the Group’s long-established role as a source of state-of-the-art combat vehicles. The first 69 logistic vehicles were transferred, to be followed by up to eight more trucks per week.
Now in serial production, these vehicles will give the Bundeswehr the ability to quickly transport a massive amount of materiel using its own trucks when Germany takes over the Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF) in 2023, NATO’s sharp end. The vehicles will be stationed all over Germany, primarily with logistics units. The order deepens an already well-established partnership, one which recently earned RMMV a supplier reliability award from BwFPS. Delivery of the TGS trucks will thus significantly expand the Bundeswehr’s logistic capabilities when it comes to the rapid handling of materiel. Led by Rheinmetall, the joint venture occupied first place in the truck and special vehicles category for joint projects last year. Germany’s Federal Ministry of Defence holds a 75.1% stake in BwFPS, with the remaining 24.9% held by Deutsche Bahn, a German railway company. Besides on-time delivery, clear communication with the customer in current projects played a decisive role in maintaining the company’s top ranking.
