Rockford selected for UK Armoured Vehicle Contracts by Lockheed Martin UK securing extra jobs for 6 years.

Rockford has been selected as a supplier of electrical cable assemblies and wiring for the work undertaken by Lockheed Martin UK in the delivery of the British Army’s AJAX and Warrior Capability Sustainment Programmes.  The contract is worth up to £20 million and will both create and secure jobs at a number of Rockford sites.

After a rigorous six month competitive process, Rockford has been chosen to partner with Lockheed Martin UK to review designs, identify cost saving initiatives and also provide cables for development and production vehicles.

Lockheed Martin UK is the prime contractor on the British Army’s Warrior Capability Sustainment Programme (WCSP) which is upgrading the vehicle and is also responsible for designing and manufacturing the turret for the new tracked reconnaissance vehicle, AJAX, which is being built by General Dynamics UK.  Rockford’s involvement in these two programmes will create jobs at all three of the company’s manufacturing sites in Rendlesham in Suffolk, Worksop in Nottinghamshire and Salisbury in Wiltshire, securing jobs in the UK until 2022.

Alan Lines, Vice President and Managing Director at Lockheed Martin UK’s Ampthill site said: “These are two key programmes to deliver future armoured vehicles to the British Army and we are working with a number of UK suppliers to provide state of the art capability. We are pleased to have Rockford Components on board and we look forward to working closely with them on both the Warrior and AJAX programmes.”

Defence Minister Philip Dunne said: “This contract, which is worth around £20 million, will bring essential capability to both our Warrior and AJAX vehicles, highlighting once again the vital role that the best of British SMEs play in the Defence supply chain across the UK.

The contract will not only both create and secure highly skilled jobs around the country, but also ensures that our £166 billion equipment plan is providing our Armed Forces with the very best possible armoured vehicles available.”

The Rockford supply chain tendering process has been supported by the Sharing in Growth Programme which helps companies look at ways to deliver lean manufacturing, production and financial planning. Over the coming months, Rockford will work with Lockheed Martin UK to finalise the details of the agreement before proceeding to contract award.

Peter Lion, Rockford Managing Director said, “Our vast experience in military vehicles going back over thirty years, coupled with extra skills gained from the Sharing in Growth Programme, enabled Rockford to submit a solid proposal to Lockheed Martin UK.”

Andy Page, CEO Sharing in Growth said: “We are absolutely delighted at Rockford’s selection. Sharing in Growth aims to help companies become more competitive by driving productivity improvements and the best measure of success is in contracts and jobs secured in aerospace and associated high value manufacturing sectors.”

Dr Thérèse Coffey MP, Suffolk Coastal and Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, Said: “This is fantastic news for Rockford, a great local company. They’ve been the beneficiary of the Government’s Sharing in Growth programme which has put them in a position to win this contact. I’m delighted with the high skilled jobs which are going to be created in Rendlesham, which is further proof that the Government’s long term plan is delivering for Suffolk Coastal.”

John Mann MP, Bassetlaw said: “This is excellent and very welcome news for Rockford and for Worksop. This is a first class company proven by their ability to bid for and win such a contract and my congratulations go to the management and to the workforce.”

Rockford

Rockford is a privately owned company that has been trading since 1978.  With over 200 employees in the UK over three sites and a presence in the UAE (Rockford Xellerix LLC), it is the largest independent provider of electro-mechanical and wiring assemblies in the UK serving the civil aerospace, defence and Industrial markets.
www.rockford.co.uk

Lockheed Martin UK

Lockheed Martin UK, headquartered in London, is the UK-based arm of Lockheed Martin Corporation, a global security and aerospace company. Lockheed Martin UK specialises in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services. Lockheed Martin UK employs more than 3,000 people across 21 UK sites, working on a wide range of major programmes spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors.
www.lockheedmartin.co.uk

Sharing in Growth

Rockford was selected for the Sharing in Growth programme in February 2015. Supported by the government’s Regional Growth Fund, the four year business transformation programme is valued at around £1.2 million to each beneficiary. So far the leading 22 beneficiaries have secured just over £900 million worth of contracts. The scheme provides concentrated training and development programmes tailored to the assessed needs of each supplier and targeted at world class standards of performance. The training and development will cover all relevant disciplines, including lean operations, manufacturing processes, purchasing, cost modelling and leadership.
www.sig-uk.org