German defense contractor Rheinmetall is converting its automotive parts factory in Berlin to manufacture casings for 155-millimeter artillery shells, expanding the company’s ammunition production network.
Formerly operated by the corporation’s automotive subsidiary Pierburg, the factory will shift development of engine pumps and valves to the assembly of steel projectile bodies.
More than 200 employees from the site have already moved to Rheinmetall’s Waffe Munition segment as part of the transition, according to IG Metall Berlin.
Work at the center will include shaping of steel billets into shell cases that will be transferred by rail to other manufacturing hubs or explosive filling and final assembly.
Union representatives said the conversion will help stabilize jobs as the automotive sector struggles with declining orders, particularly due to the effects of the ongoing tensions in Europe.
“This change gives us job security,” Chairman of the Works Council Bernd Benninghaus said, adding that Rheinmetall sees “security for the next decade” at the site.
Growing Ammo Supply Chain
The shift comes as Rheinmetall increases its artillery ammunition output following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The corporation aims to reach an annual rate of 1.1 million 155-millimeter shells by 2027, up from roughly 100,000 rounds before the conflict.
Rheinmetall’s main production hub remains its Unterlüß facility in Lower Saxony, where the company has invested in a new production complex known as “Werk Niedersachsen.”
That site is expected to produce up to 350,000 shells each year.
Additional capacity comes from Rheinmetall’s Spanish subsidiary Expal, adding about 300,000 rounds annually to its output.
Meanwhile, the firm is scheduled to open a new ammunition plant in Hungary this year, while another facility is under development in Lithuania.
