Prototype previously produced at Uzina Moreni
The Ministry of Economy announced on Thursday that Uzina Automecanica Moreni and the German military technology provider Rheinmetall signed on Wednesday the articles of association for the Romanian Military Vehicle Systems (RMVS) joint venture.
The ceremony, according to the ministry’s press release, „took place under the aegis of the Ministry of Economy and in the presence of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea”.
The new company RMVS will mainly manufacture, sell and ensure the maintenance of the 8 × 8 armoured troops conveyor (TBT 8 × 8), jointly produced by the Romanian-German joint venture.
Romanian Military Vehicle Systems is a Romanian-German joint venture with equal share capital. According to the articles of incorporation, signed under the aegis of the Ministry of Economy and in the presence of the President of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, repeats the ministry of the resigning Mihail Tudose, any changes in the capital will be made only with the preservation of the 50% -50% shareholding.
In the first 5 years after the establishment of RMVS, neither of the two shareholders may transfer shares to a third party without the express agreement of the other shareholder.
The shareholders will propose alternatively the three administrators of the company, appointed by the General Shareholders Assembly for two-year terms. The first chairman of the Board of Directors will be appointed by UAM.
Thorsten Heinzen, Executive Director of Rheinmetall Defence (Eastern Markets): ” Uzina Automecanica Moreni and Rheinmetall have together more than 150 years of experience in manufacturing and developing armoured military vehicles. We can promise that together we will develop a new vehicle of this type, the most advanced in this category. From our perspective, it is time to do that in Romania, both for the local and foreign markets.”
Cord Meier-Klodt, Ambassador of Germany to Bucharest: „This year we celebrate 25 years since the signing of the Romanian-German friendship treaty. I believe we have just added a very important element to this jubilee.”
The future TBT 8 × 8 vehicle is a high-mobility amphibious armoured troops conveyor to be made available to the Romanian army and other interested customers. The UAM – Rheinmetall agreement to manufacture TBT 8 × 8 involves know-how transfer and the development of technology in common.
In the discussions preceding the signing of the articles of association, the German side assured the Ministry of Economy that the Romanian companies will participate to a great extent in the final integration of this state of the art product.
Rheinmetall AG is an integrated holding company, established in 1889, based in Dusseldorf, Germany. The listed holding is a market leader in the fields of environmental mobility and security technology. In 2016, the 23,000 employees of the holding generated annual sales of over EUR 5.6 billion. Rheinmetall AG has two divisions: Rheinmetall Defence and Rheinmetall Automotive. The defence division of the group, Rheinmetall Defence is the most important military technology provider in Europe.
Uzina Automecanica Moreni, founded in 1968, is the only factory in Romania that produces armoured conveyors on wheels. UAM has manufactured more than 15,000 products in 40 years, mostly for export. UAM products have been used in many security, stability, or peacekeeping missions in various theatres of operations. Since 2001, the unit is a subsidiary of ROMARM National Company.
