WFEL wins £40m bridge system contract from US DoD
Stockport-based defence engineering group WFEL, today announced that it has won a new order worth £40m from the US Department of Defense (DoD) to supply a further tranche of its next-generation military bridging system.
Above: A WFEL Dry Support Bridge in action.
The order, which is the fourth phase of a framework agreement originally agreed with the US in 2000, is for the supply of new WFEL Dry Support Bridges (DSB).
To date, the US has ordered almost 100 DSB’s, worth a total value in excess of +450 million.
The business, which earlier this year unveiled a £200,000 investment programme into its Stockport manufacturing facilities, remains one of the few prime contractors to the US Department of Defence which is wholly UK based.
This next suite of bridging systems will go into production in 2012 with the delivery of the first units expected in 2013.
The agreement follows just four months after the firm secured a £60 million order with the Swiss armed forces, also for its DSB systems.
Over the past four decades the firm has sold over 700 of its bridges to 40 different armed forces worldwide.
Its systems are used by armed forces in conflict zones and civilian disaster emergency relief operations.
Ian Wilson, WFEL’s Chief Executive, said: “The US has been a close partner to our business for over a decade during which we have established ourselves as their primary provider both of new systems and support services for their existing bridges.
“These links with the DoD, together with the UK MoD, have been key to building our reputation internationally and unlocking opportunities with new markets for the DSB in territories such as Switzerland and Turkey.”
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