In February 2023, it was announced that Spring Solutions had signed a three-year agreement with Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) in support of the British Army’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle (MIV) Boxer Programme. The Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) based in West Lothian, Scotland, is delighted to share the news that it is the first supplier to deliver stock in support of the agreement, delivering more than 700 individual items ahead of schedule and in a very short turnaround time to support the first major milestone in the project.
Jonathan Ward, Managing Director of Spring Solutions said: “We are delighted to work with RBSL to implement the next generation of Kanban solutions in support of this project. Being the first supplier to have all stock in place to support the production was a huge milestone for us and one which we’re extremely proud of. It is a credit to all the exceptional qualities of our team. We are honoured to partner with RBSL, and we’ve already experienced huge growth on the back of this partnership. We look forward to opening our very own RBSL warehouse at Spring HQ early next year.”
The announcement comes after the company implemented an on-site stocking solution for products such as standard fastenings and washers as well as other fixing items. The Vendor Managed Solution (VMI) includes a state-of-the-art racking and Kanban system based in Telford, which supports the different production stations required to build Boxer vehicles. The contract award has enabled Spring Solutions to further invest in its team and UK supply chain technologies. It has created two new roles at its site and is planning to open a brand new warehouse facility dedicated to supporting the work of RBSL later this year.
The Boxer programme will deliver more than 600 vehicles to the British Army. Production has been subcontracted equally between RBSL and Stockport-based KNDS. Both companies are undertaking fabrication of the armoured vehicle structures together with assembly, integration and testing of the complete vehicles at their respective facilities. RBSL is playing a key part in delivering the Land Industrial Strategy through the Boxer programme, as well as through its Challenger and In-Service Support contracts. The multi-million pound investment in its Telford facility, and the creation of jobs within RBSL and the UK supply chain, contributes towards national industrial resilience, and the social value and ‘levelling up’ aspirations the UK Government has set out.
