Stockport manufacturer secures £150 million British Army contract

Stockport-based manufacturer KNDS (which rebranded from WFEL in 2023), has been awarded a £150 million contract to supply military-grade support bridges to the British Army.

KNDS will deliver its Dry Support Bridges to the British Army in a move that will support 300 jobs at the Stockport manufacturer’s Heaton Chapel site. Extending up to 46 meters and able to carry the weight of the Challenger 3 tank, the bridges can be used to cross both wet and dry gaps, to enabling the safe movement of personnel and equipment to resupply forward fighting elements and deliver humanitarian aid in disaster relief situations.

The Stockport manufacturer has a long history of manufacturing military bridge systems for armed services around the world, and is also a partner on a major contract to deliver new Boxer armoured vehicles for the British Army.

Minister for Defence Procurement James Cartlidge said:

“This is a fantastic example of this government delivering on our Land Industrial Strategy – investing in UK industry and delivering world-class bridging capabilities to our Armed Forces.

“Securing hundreds of jobs in Stockport, this contract is a crucial step forward in our military capability, improving interoperability with our NATO allies as we work closer together.”

Managing Director, KNDS UK, Ian Anderton said:

“We are delighted that the British Army will join the ever-growing community of Dry Support Bridge users. The Dry Support Bridge is a proven capability that is manufactured in the UK and exported globally.

“Project TYRO also marks over 50 years as a prime contractor to the UK MoD and we remain very proud to support the UK Defence Capability.“