World leader in rapidly-deployable military bridges hosts UK Defence Minister

As one of Britain’s leading military equipment suppliers, WFEL was delighted to host Defence Minister Guto Bebb during a visit to our Stockport manufacturing facility yesterday.

The Minister was keen to discover more about WFEL’s technical capabilities within the defence sector and took the opportunity to tour the defence manufacturing facilities and meet with the engineering teams.

Guto Bebb saw first-hand the latest developments across a full range of rapidly deployable bridging systems, including many products destined for export to overseas military customers.

During the tour, the Minister and his team were given a demonstration of the complete build and launch of a DSB Dry Support Bridge, which can be deployed in under 90 minutes by a team of only 8 personnel and can support an MLC of 120 whilst spanning a 46 metre gap. This bridge is currently being evaluated by the UK MoD as part of their Tyro Bridging Capability Project.

Defence Minister Guto Bebb said, “WFEL provides world-class bridge systems that enable UK Armed Forces to be rapidly deployed across the globe and project military power in any eventuality.

“Defence suppliers are at the heart of British industry and the MOD will ensure that our home-grown companies continue to develop, thrive and export their innovative products to our international partners.”

WFEL’s Managing Director, Ian Anderton, also took the opportunity to demonstrate to the Minister the broad spectrum of WFEL’s engineering expertise, including recent technology transfer projects for both UK and overseas customers, which includes the Leguan Close Support Bridge, as well as highlighting recent capital investment in the latest state-of-the-art equipment. Ian Anderton said, “Having been a proud supplier to the UK MoD for over thirty years, we are delighted to welcome Minister Bebb to our facilities. This has allowed us to further showcase our defence manufacturing facilities, including the latest technological investments and we are pleased that the Minister was keen to meet with our employees across the various departments. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the UK MoD for many years to come.”