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.

Barrie Hayter, Supply Chain & Programmes Director said: This is a great opportunity for Rockford to further show our ability to deliver both on fast turnaround small projects and the major production contracts.

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.

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