Following successful contract negotiations with the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) MAN ERF UK Ltd has been awarded an order for just under 5200 trucks.

Following successful contract negotiations with the British Ministry of Defence (MoD) MAN ERF UK Ltd has been awarded an order for just under 5200 trucks.

The contract is worth ˆ 1.5 billion and also provides for an option for approximately 2100 further vehicles. Deliveries of the vehicles will commence in 2007 and be completed in 2013. In October of last year MAN ERF UK Ltd was given the status "Preferred Bidder", thereby beating three international competitors.

The vehicles are models from the high-mobility off-road ranges HX and SX with two and three/four axles respectively. The chassis will be assembled at the Vienna plant of MAN Nutzfahrzeuge Osterreich AG in Austria. The order ensures a continuous workload for the Vienna plant and thus helps to safeguard jobs. The high local content of the vehicles comes from the bodies, which will be completely produced in the UK. The local body manufacturers involved include Marshall SV Ltd, EKA, Fluid Transfer, Andover Trailers and Atlas Cranes.

This year MAN Nutzfahrzeuge is celebrating 90 years in military vehicle production. Right from the start the armed forces with their specialised requirements relating to the engineering of the vehicles were among the company's customers. Military vehicles from MAN are in operation in more than 65 countries. The high-mobility SX and HX ranges were developed specifically for off-road use in the military sector. They prove themselves in civilian duties too, however, for example in disaster relief or as expedition vehicles.

Wieland Schmitz
04.04.2005