Rheinmetall Canada has begun enlarging its plant in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec, in a project meant to strengthen the industrial base needed to produce, integrate and maintain advanced autonomous unmanned ground systems on Canadian soil.
The company, which belongs to Germany’s Rheinmetall group, is celebrating 40 years of operations in Canada this year. Its facilities in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Ottawa and Edmonton employ close to 400 people.
The Quebec work adds 4,830 square metres of manufacturing floor and 2,230 square metres of storage space. In 2019 the firm acquired Provectus Robotics Solutions, a business specialising in autonomous navigation, which made it a global leader in autonomous land solutions.
Rising appetite for unmanned ground systems
Construction in Quebec starts as Rheinmetall adapts to growing demand for its land autonomy portfolio. Within the last year alone the company launched three centres of excellence to speed up delivery of those systems.
The foundation for this expansion is Rheinmetall’s PATH technology and its Mission Master family of unmanned ground systems (UGS). Both were developed in Canada and the firm now describes them as ready for scalable domestic production and long-term support.
– Expansion of this plant is more than just an infrastructure project – said Pietro Mazzei, president and chief executive officer of Rheinmetall Canada.
– It is an investment in the domestic defence ecosystem and in our valued partners from across the country. Canada has a sovereign autonomous capability that is ready for production – said Pietro Mazzei.
More than 20 programmes and a supply chain of nearly 1,000 firms
Over four decades of activity in Canada the company has completed more than 20 programmes for the Canadian Armed Forces, generating economic benefits worth over C$1.5 billion.
Since 2024 alone it has put more than C$150 million into advanced technologies and capability development. Its national supply chain covers almost 1,000 Canadian small and medium-sized enterprises, and more than 600 of them are headquartered in Quebec alone.
Rheinmetall Canada says it will continue to stimulate innovation with Canadian suppliers, research bodies and technology companies, and to open export possibilities through its worldwide network.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Materiały prasowe / Rheinmetall
