The German Bundeswehr has contracted with the new Rheinmetall subsidiary Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH (ZMS) to supply and integrate state-of-the-art medical technology for the field hospital at Camp Castor, the Bundeswehr’s forward operating base in Gao, Mali. In all, the order is worth a figure in the lower two-digit million-euro range. The material will be furnished in the second half of the year, with integration slated to take place at the end of 2022 on location in Mali. Besides furnishing and integrating high-quality medical technology into the fixed infrastructure of the forward operating base in Gao, ZMS GmbH’s scope of performance includes training of personnel, comprehensive documentation as well as a service and maintenance package. ZMS is already supporting the Bundeswehr as a direct or indirect supplier in several projects.
Rheinmetall bought Zeppelin Mobile Systeme GmbH in November 2021, a company based in Meckenbeuren near Lake Constance in southwest Germany. The takeover reflects the strategic decision of Rheinmetall’s International Projects and Services business unit to significantly expand its range of activities in support of customers’ foreign deployed operations. Here, ZMS brings to bear its longstanding expertise in medical technology and mobile field medical care. Beyond the medical realm, ZMS is a leading maker of individually customized shelter solutions for a wide variety of applications in the security and military sector. Its high-quality shelters are frequently used in a military support context, e.g., as field kitchens, decontaminations systems, mobile maintenance and repair facilities, and for housing military communications equipment.
“As a subsidiary of Rheinmetall, we at ZMS are eager in these challenging times to be the Bundeswehr’s first choice for high-quality medical technology in mobile field hospitals”, states Hauke H. Bindzus, managing director of ZMS GmbH. “Here we offer wide-ranging capabilities for integrating highly advanced medical technology, with an extensive array of products enabling us to supply complete turnkey field hospitals. In the contract just awarded, we will be equipping the field hospital at the forward operating base in Gao with state-of-the-art medical technology. We are keenly aware of the importance of this mission, which is to ensure that our troops deployed in Mali get the best-possible medical care.”
The Group’s new International Projects and Services business unit, to which Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH and ZMS GmbH both belong, serves a key international market. Going forward, the business unit will bundle Rheinmetall’s capabilities in areas such as operational support, depot organization and the disposal of expired munitions. It seeks to support customers by providing specific long-term services during deployed operations, positioning itself as a “one-stop shop” in the process. For example, Rheinmetall can plan and construct troop accommodations for forward operating bases, including hardened facilities; take charge of surveillance, including state-of-the-art sensor systems and robotics; take over day-to-day running of the base, including logistic services and provision of support personnel; and dismantle the base when the mission ends. Cooperation agreements with other companies and additional acquisitions are planned in order to further expand the portfolio.
