Α series of business meetings took place on the second day of DEFEA 2025.
In this context, METLEN announced that it is swiftly advancing its initiatives in the defense sector, aiming at greater participation in the defense programs of Greece and Europe. After the two strategic agreements with KNDS of France and the Italian IVECO DEFENCE VEHICLES, the Greek company is in discussions for additional collaborations with international defense companies, always in direct relation to the production capacity of its factories in Volos.
Meanwhile, METLEN had the opportunity to present, within the framework of DEFEA 2025, its collaboration with IVECO DEFENCE VEHICLES in the category of tactical trucks for the transport of personnel, combat equipment and health purposes. As Claudio Catalano, CEO of IDV, emphasized, “METLEN and IDV celebrate their strategic alliance for the modernization of the military truck fleet of the Hellenic Army. The recently signed MoU marks the beginning of a close collaboration for their joint participation in the upcoming program of the Ministry of National Defense concerning the renewal of the existing fleet of armored and civilian trucks for all three Branches of the Hellenic Armed Forces.”
He added that “this strategic partnership combines the know-how and experience of the two companies, with the common goal of providing military trucks ‘Made in Greece’ to the Greek Armed Forces, contributing to the strengthening of the domestic defense production base and the promotion of the country’s defense autonomy and industrial self-sufficiency.”
According to George Economou, Director of the METLEN Plant in Volos, “the Volos plant is the defense activity unit of METLEN and has a long history of demanding projects. With IVECO DEFENCE VEHICLES we are examining the joint production of tactical trucks and I would like to point out that IDV exports these vehicles to Germany – the ‘heart’ of Europe, with the strictest specifications.”
40% of these new vehicles are expected to be manufactured in Volos, which means an increased number of new jobs at the same time as the decision has been taken to expand the production units from 2, which are currently 2, to 5. The aim is to submit a proposal from the Greek company for the renewal of the fleet of military trucks – armored and not – of the three branches of the Greek Armed Forces. The design concerns a large number of vehicles, amounting to a four-digit number, to replace the already existing obsolete vehicles in all three branches.
Exports
The prospect for defense equipment exports that METLEN opens up through its collaboration with the Italian IVECO DEFENCE VEHICLES and the provision of advanced defense solutions to the Armed Forces and other European countries is equally important. The company’s factory, which was founded in 1963, with the aim of producing light metal structures, has already developed great specialization in particularly demanding metal applications and in heavy and complex metal structures, with an exclusive export orientation for 100% of its production to European countries.
On her part, Viviane Bouzali, Chief Corporate Affairs and Communications Officer of METLEN, pointed out that “METLEN, for more than 25 years, has been producing high metallurgical precision components – always on time and always to the highest standards. METLEN and IVECO, through their collaboration, will combine world-class expertise to serve the critical mission of modernizing and strengthening the fleet of the Greek Armed Forces, while at the same time strengthening Greece’s industrial footprint in the European defense space.”
