BAE Systems has announced it plans to discontinue the production of the Pinzgauer 1 vehicle and close its manufacturing facilities at Guildford and Fareham, with the potential loss of up to 102 jobs.
BAE Systems said the move followed a review of current and future potential workload, the current cost of Pinzgauer vehicle production, duplication of capability across BAE Systems sites, and how the product fits within its wheeled vehicle strategy.
The company plans to establish a new Pinzgauer support business at the Guildford site that will retain a core team of about 25 people to continue supporting Pinzgauer fleets, primarily in the UK and New Zealand.
BAE Systems acquired Pinzgauer in August 2007 as part of the Armor Holdings acquisition.
The development of the new Pinzgauer 2 vehicle will be transitioned to the BAE Systems South Africa business, which has the infrastructure to continue to develop, manufacture and market these light utility vehicles.
Assembly of the final Pinzgauer 1 and Vector vehicles for the MoD will be carried out at Guildford and Fareham, and will be completed at another BAE Systems site, which has not yet been confirmed.
BAE Systems said it would shortly begin consultation with employees on these plans and will attempt to mitigate job losses where possible with redeployment to other divisions.
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