CASE STUDY: Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL) - A growing force for opportunities

18th May 2023

Telford’s long association with the defence industry will continue for many years to come as Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land’s expanding local workforce builds the latest generation of military vehicles.

Hadley Castle Works in Telford – whose links to the defence industry stretch back to the 1940s when Spitfire fuselages were built for the war effort – looks set for a productive future.

Now the home of Rheinmetall BAE Systems Land (RBSL), it will soon see state-of-the-art military vehicles roll off the production line.

Its success is creating a wide range of opportunities for local people, from entry-level jobs to high-tech engineering positions.

A joint venture between BAE Systems and German firm Rheinmetall, RBSL was set up in 2019 and has thrived in Telford, winning contracts to build Challenger 3 tanks for the British Army and Boxer vehicles for the Ministry of Defence’s Mechanised Infantry Vehicle programme.

It is investing £40m in the 29-acre site to transform it into a world class manufacturing facility while also equipping it to provide lifetime support to the vehicles it produces.

By the end of 2023 it is set to see its workforce swell to 800 – double the number it launched with – and over the coming years that growth is set to continue.

For Simon Fletcher, who is the RBSL lead for recruitment and talent management, Telford is the ideal location to grow the company.

‘There are a lot of manufacturing organisations here so we get both the volume and quality of applicants that we need. Also, there are a lot of ex-forces people in the area and we target them for recruitment because they have transferable skills and very often have actually used these kinds of vehicles.’

A burgeoning partnership with Telford College is enabling RBSL to offer a growing number of apprenticeships. The college has designed and delivered an assessment programme tailored to the company’s specific requirements that puts local students through their paces to see whether they have what it takes to join the company. The first tranche resulted in 15 being shortlisted for interviews.

Having grown up close to Telford, Simon has seen the way the town has transformed in recent years and believes it’s just one of the ways the council has played a key role in creating the right environment for businesses.

‘Over the last five to 10 years it’s become a different place and the amount of investment is clear to see. The town centre looks and feels like a vibrant, fresh place to live and work. We’ve had people relocate to Telford and it hasn’t been a hard sell – I’m not sure I could have said that 20 years ago.

‘The council are always there for us and often reach out, whether it’s to involve us in recruitment events or giving us a heads up when a local firm is making redundancies so we can match people with any vacancies we have.’

Having operated largely as a repair base for the last 30 years, the new contracts have created a sense of excitement among the workforce at Hadley Castle Works, says Simon.

‘There’s a real buzz about the place and everyone is looking forward to seeing the first vehicles come off the production line.’