WFEL ties-up £57m Swiss order
MILITARY bridge manufacturer WFEL has sealed a £57m contract to supply the Swiss armed forces.
The Stockport company’s chief executive Ian Wilson signed the deal – first mooted in February – yesterday at a ceremony in Bern at the Swiss government’s procurement agency armasuisse
The deal, which follows a two-year international procurement contest, will see WFEL supply its next generation bridging system, the Dry Support Bridge (DSB), between 2013 and 2015.
During the tender process several delegations from the Swiss armed forces have inspected the firm’s advanced manufacturing facilities at its Heaton Chapel headquarters.
Ian Wilson said: “This is a landmark agreement for WFEL and one of the largest single orders in our near century of defence engineering success.
“The deal follows one of the biggest global bridging procurement contests in many years where the quality of our offering – from design and build through to training and ongoing support services – has helped to once again confirm us as the world leader in this field.
“We’re continuing to attract interest from armed forces around the globe in our bridging systems as a result of our long term strategic sales activity and collaborative engagement with potential users.”
WFEL, owned by privae equity firm Dunedin, supplies bridges to more than 40 different armed forces worldwide.
The DSB, is deployed from a launch vehicle to span gaps of up to 46 metres in less than 90 minutes and is capable of taking loads up to 120 tonnes and is used for a range of humanitarian and military operations.
