EKA has completed the first stage of a multi-million pound defence contract with financial backing from NatWest. Funding has allowed EKA to produce the initial tranche of five recovery units for MAN ERF, the primary contractor to the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD).

 

A further 283 are to follow under a contract agreement with MAN ERF. This is part of a multi-million UK government programme to upgrade the MoD’s logistic vehicles over the next seven years.

 

EKA designs and supplies heavy recovery systems, container transfer equipment, and winches for a range of military and civil applications. An approved supplier to the MoD for over 25 years, EKA recovery equipment is regularly used by the British Army in the UK and in operational and training theatres abroad. EKA has also supplied recovery vehicles and equipment to government bodies outside the UK.

 

The latest EKA Recovery System ‘SuperCompact” (the third, consecutive, generation of recovery systems supplied by EKA) is fitted to MAN ERF 8×8 trucks as part of the Support Vehicle Programme for the MoD. For EKA, this was the culmination of over 10 years of work and represents another major milestone in the company’s history.

 

In addition to many smaller low volume contracts, MAN ERF has supplied and supported the MoD with 135 Low Mobility Recovery Vehicles fitted to the Scammell Crusader chassis, 333 Medium Mobility Recovery vehicles (known as “The Compact ‘) as a sub contractor to Foden and 24 Simple Rail Transfer Equipments (SRTE) as part of the DROPS logistic system. Over the past 25 years EKA has supplied more than 1000 heavy winches to UK MoD and their contractors.

 

The deal was structured by Nick Jones, senior manager, for NatWest’s Commercial Banking and Carl Wood, manager, international banking services, for the bank. NatWest provided EKA and its suppliers with an effective structured solution to work with EKA’s suppliers and customers. NatWest also provided import credit letters to guarantee payment to suppliers importing components from Europe.