Over the next four years and beyond, the future German government will face a number of momentous challenges and decisions. In this context, attitudes to and the development of defense policy – and therefore of the domestic defense industry – play a key role. This has become exceedingly apparent in the wake of the uncontrollable situation in Afghanistan, the European Community’s lack of operational readiness, its unclear positioning vis-à-vis Russia and China, its relationship with the US, and the dwindling competitiveness of key industries.
So where do we currently stand? The German Armed Forces urgently need to modernize. And this has long since ceased to be just about equipment for foreign missions, which we have become accustomed to for years. We expect the military to be ready for deployment in response to floods, disasters, and pandemics. We expect rapid and global readiness for evacuation missions and, of course, we are counting on its ability to perform its actual core task – defense of our own country and others as part of NATO. The latter, in particular, will require greater capacities in the coming years, especially due to pressure from our European and transatlantic partners. The overwhelming majority of policymakers and civil society also recognize this. What I don’t see, however, is the logical willingness to equip our armed forces for all these deployment scenarios. As an industry, we have always worked to provide our soldiers with the best possible, most reliable, and most efficient equipment in sufficient numbers. In the process, we are also increasingly focusing on conserving resources and protecting the environment. It is up to the politicians to provide the necessary financial framework – and to honor their commitments and stick to their plans.
Assuming a Leading Technological Role
This begins with smaller procurement projects and extends to major, pioneering, joint European projects. Learning and benefiting from each other is a lofty goal that promises a technological and economic boost for all of the countries and industries involved. I’m sure I speak for many CEOs and business owners when I say that we stand behind this 100%! But these collaborations must be based on the partners involved having an equal standing. When the agreements are being drawn up, we can’t allow ourselves as the German industry and, in particular, as German policymakers, to be outmaneuvered. This also means taking a bold approach to innovation and providing binding funding for technological leaps many years – if not decades – in advance as the basis for future projects. This is necessary to prevent the same situation from occurring as with the Future Combat Air System FCAS or my Main Ground Combat System MGCS.
Harnessing the Courage to Innovate for Exports as Well
At the present time, the German government is domestic defense companies’ largest customer. And it often leaves the corresponding SMEs in a state of uncertainty. Export restrictions and the associated high production costs are hampering the companies’ competitiveness. We should view the export of defense-related equipment as a pillar of German foreign and security policy. After all, companies that are only allowed to produce under strict conditions for one customer, who buys ever smaller quantities, will not be able to keep up with the price competition on the international market over the long term. Without a realistic prospect of receiving orders, however, companies rarely invest in new technologies. And that ultimately hurts the economy as a whole.
Whether the entrepreneurial risk is worth it in the end is, unfortunately, still decided by German bureaucracy far too often. The tediously long procurement processes for new material are just one example. Faster decision-making processes and greater freedom to make decisions are called for across the board every four years. Don’t sing it, bring it! The bureaucratic monster that is the German Armed Forces must become a beacon of debureaucratization in the coming years.
Finding European Answers
The escalation in Afghanistan in August once again underscored our heavy dependence on the United States in military matters. Europe knows that it must do far more. And Germany, as Europe’s largest economy and most populous country, must and will make a substantial contribution to the stability and sovereignty of the European Community. A key first step has already been taken – a consensus has been reached to intensify the joint development of military capabilities and technologies. The plan is to achieve this through a new defense fund that will support research and procurement across national borders.
Keeping International Commitments
Yet we must continue to strengthen our capabilities and find common ground not only within Europe, but also beyond its continental borders. This becomes especially clear in acute threat situations. This brings us to NATO, humanity’s longest-standing defense alliance. We need to continue to defend, and perhaps even strengthen what this alliance has achieved – peace, freedom, prosperity – in the future. The two-percent GDP target is an important component of this that has an impact both internally and externally. That is because, on the one hand, it’s about international commitments and collaboration, and on the other hand, about modern technical equipment for our soldiers. And last but not least, it’s also a question of boosting innovation and investment in the defense industry and suppliers – and thus the country’s overall technological and economic competitiveness. Despite all the broken china in the past, the United States remains an important, perhaps the most important, partner in economic, national security, as well as cultural respects. A future German government will understand this as well.
What does it take to transform a vision into reality? Technical expertise, tremendous dedication, and clear political backing.
Greater flexibility, greater power, greater connectivity – in the coming decades, defense systems will have to meet ever-increasing demands. This is mainly due to changing, globalized, and unpredictable deployment scenarios, high technology such as hypersonic weapons, and 360-degree missile technology. With the TLVS tactical air defense system, the German government and companies in the country have painted a vision of the future that could soon become reality. And some of this vision has already been developed by German companies, including mission-specific defensive missiles, enhanced sensor capabilities, advanced software algorithms, and increased cybersecurity. As a result, the system will be the first integrated air defense system capable of simultaneously tracking and intercepting multiple threats – at short and medium range – for comprehensive, 360-degree protection.
Autonomous and Uninterruptible Power Supply
This requires power supply systems that cover the tremendous power requirements efficiently and with flexibility. This is the only way to guarantee that the TLVS will always have a reliable supply of power in all future deployment scenarios, while at the same time minimizing fuel consumption and replenishment logistics – a considerable tactical and financial advantage over the system’s decades of use. In addition to particularly efficient diesel gensets, the commercial power interfaces, which enable parallel operation on existing power grids, are a highlight of our VINCORION power systems. Robust, field-tested, durable, and reliable, all of VINCORION’s power systems can therefore be used with the TLVS – both autonomously via a primary genset and without interruption via the public grid.
The heart of the TLVS is the new MC4IS command post. It needs to have reliable and sufficient power available in every situation. To ensure that this is the case, a genset converts all available power sources into the appropriate form and makes them available to the system. The decisive factor in this respect is that all of the components are designed to save space and weight so that the power system can share the limited installation space with other technical systems in the 20-foot ISO control container.
VINCORION Calls on Politicians to Strengthen Germany as Center for Technological Innovation
The expertise and the components behind this system come from VINCORION, among other companies. With its expertise in the field of power management of safety-critical systems and platforms, the company’s location in Altenstadt, Bavaria, can serve as a particularly reliable partner.
“Major German and European projects such as the TLVS are driving innovation in the German defense industry as a whole and make a significant contribution to NATO,” emphasizes Managing Director Dr. Stefan Stenzel. This is one of the reasons why the German government has declared its support for the project in the 2021 draft budget. “What’s missing is the financial backing for this declaration of support – a clear signal to companies and especially to the supplier industry to help strengthen the competitiveness of Germany as a center for technological innovation.” The message from Altenstadt, Wedel, and Essen, VINCORION’s locations in Germany, is clear – as a reliable partner to the German Armed Forces for safety-critical systems and infrastructure, as an innovative mechatronics specialist, and as an important economic factor at locations in three German states, VINCORION is ready for next-level defense systems.
The Customer Support Department of the Future Will Act as a Service Hub.
Manufacturing customized components for airplanes, helicopters, land and air defense systems, or rail vehicles is one thing. Technological solutions that focus on the customer extend far beyond development and production, however. Providing reliable and unlimited support, even years after the original project has been completed, is a core element of our business model. At the same time, digitization, globalization, and new application scenarios also require companies to fundamentally rethink what customer support means. VINCORION Insights spoke with Manging Director Dr. Stefan Stenzel about the customer support team of the future.
What do you think of when you hear the term customer service?
I think of reliability. In an ideal world, our customers would require as little support as possible – simply because our products work perfectly. Achieving this requires low-maintenance, customized solutions. But it’s also clear that this wishful thinking quickly reaches its limits, especially when dealing with products that have extremely long life cycles. That’s why it’s essential for us to take a holistic approach to MRO and consider all aspects of life cycle management right from the very beginning of the development process. This also encompasses spare parts and service technicians being available worldwide and around the clock. We need to already know how maintenance and service could ultimately be structured and implemented early on, during the development stage. It’s also important to ensure that the necessary spare parts and expertise remain available for maintenance and mitigating obsolescence. Preparing this process in an ideal manner is also a part of professional customer support.
It is also clear, however, that a workshop or a logistics system with customer support staff and spare parts is by no means the end of the process.
In what direction is customer support evolving?
The assembly was developed together and fits perfectly into the customer’s platform, the customer and contractor are satisfied, everything has come together perfectly. It goes without saying that our components and solutions are long-lasting and work reliably. But technology advances at a breathtaking pace. Energy management systems must become even more powerful, more rugged, lighter, and more modular. We continue to work on this while the solution is in the field being used by the customer. Or the other case – challenges arise in the field that were previously impossible to foresee. Even in this situation, it’s important to adapt the components to the conditions and not the other way around – and respond to this as quickly as possible. Or have the customer perform this work themselves under our guidance. Data analytics, sensor technology, intelligently connected components, stockpiling – all of these play a critical role right from the initial project planning stage.
What would this form of life cycle management look like in the real world?
We collect exactly the data needed for reliable life cycle management via our on-site and obsolescence service, via remote access, but of course also during development and production. When it comes to power electronics, for example, this means that we not only collect and utilize data and events from product testing and prototype engineering, but also directly from the field. The automotive industry is a trendsetter in this area. But our technologies also support remote and predictive maintenance. Take, for example, our new electronic rescue hoist – its modular design and built-in test equipment (BITE) give the system the ability to inform the user not only that a functional module needs to be replaced, but also exactly how to do so. The next step would be remote maintenance and advance warning long before the end of the life cycle as well as augmented reality access for maintenance purposes.
That sounds like a lot of data. How can you be sure that it will be stored properly and securely?
This is the tremendous advantage of having everything flow together into one service hub – from development to production to operation to analysis and ultimately to advancement. We impose the highest standards not only on our products, but also on the data behind them. That’s why compliance with international standards and specific industry requirements is a matter of course for us, and our numerous certifications are proof of this. In addition, we have decades of experience with security-critical infrastructure and in processing and saving data from the German Armed Forces. Moreover, we have the expertise and the will to integrate such innovative approaches and advanced systems into long-lasting platforms.