Production Recommences in Line with Government Guidelines

Showing that very little – if anything – can suppress the spirits of Texelis for very long, the Limoges-based vehicle systems specialist restarted its production line on 21 April, conforming strictly with the guidelines laid out by the French government.

The production lines are gearing up again in support primarily of key customers such as the French Army, which remains heavily committed to ongoing operations, including Opération Résilience in France and Opération Barkhane in the Sahel.

As a strategic supplier to the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) – the French defence procurement authority – Texelis has ensured continuous supply of critical spare parts for the French Army’s operational vehicles throughout the COVID-19 emergency to date, while maintaining the schedule for the Nexter SERVAL 4×4 programme. The company was also able to restart general serial production on 6 April and has now added a second shift at the Limoges site. Production for other priority customer programmes, including new axles for ARQUUS and Alstom, as well as deliveries for key export customers, is well underway.

All work at Texelis facilities complies with official French government guidelines and is being undertaken in full consultation with the company’s Staff Committee, in order to keep all staff and customers safe. This includes adherence to all safety measures, the use of masks, gloves, social distancing, sanitisers and rearranged work-flows to minimise risk. Processes have also been put in place to enable remote working where possible across the Texelis business structures.

“Despite the current serious and unprecedented circumstances our customers, such as the French Army and the DGA, rely on us to remain operational and are in need of the critical equipment we produce here at our Limoges facility,” commented Jean Vandel, Managing Director at Texelis Defence. “We are working to continue production to support them in line with government guidelines, while prioritising the safety of all Texelis staff and customers […] We will continue to monitor the situation closely and adapt our processes to suit the evolving situation.”

Texelis remains on track for its new T750/700 production line, opened in February, to reach full-rate production next year. The production line will be capable of producing 2,000+ axle units per year as part of its work, providing the full vehicle driveline – including T750, powerpack, suspension, steering, cooling, exhaust and electrical systems – for the SERVAL 4×4 expeditionary combat vehicle selected to fulfil the Véhicule Blindé Multi-Rôle-Léger (VBMR-L or Light Multi-role Armoured Vehicle) portion of the DGA’s SCORPION programme.