Flender welcomed Paul Höller, State Secretary in the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate Protection and Energy of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, to its headquarters in Bocholt. The discussion with Flender CEO Andreas Evertz focused on how mechanical and plant engineering companies in North Rhine-Westphalia can benefit from the growing defence sector and what support the state government is providing in this regard. The exchange underscores the strategic importance of cooperation between business and politics in strengthening the regional security industry.

Building a stronger security and defence architecture
The security situation in Europe requires a significant ramp-up of defence and security capabilities. According to the European Defence Agency, EU defence spending grew from €251 billion (2021) to an estimated €381 billion (2025). For Germany, the budget for the Bundeswehr (including special funds) for 2025 provides for total expenditure of around €86.4 billion. And the trend is rising. As an indispensable supplier, the mechanical and plant engineering industry bears an important responsibility in building up the production capacities necessary for the security and defence industry. This challenge must be tackled together.

Andreas Evertz, CEO of the Flender Group, was recently elected chairman of the newly founded VDMA Forum Security & Defence Industry (SDI). In this role, he presented State Secretary Höller with the initiative, which aims to represent the interests of mechanical and plant engineering companies and contribute to the development of a stronger security and defence architecture. “The VDMA supports its member companies with its network and cross-sector production knowledge in maximizing these opportunities—combined with the responsibility to contribute to the development of a stronger security and defence architecture,” emphasized Evertz after the election.

Flender strengthens its focus on the security industry
Flender itself has been increasingly focusing on solutions for the security industry for some time now. The company, which has been recognized for decades for its gear and coupling technology and complete drive systems, is specifically expanding its expertise for the security industry. The focus is on four areas: marine propulsion systems for the navy, gearboxes for military land vehicles, couplings for safety-related applications, and component manufacturing as an additional capacity for certified manufacturers.

“We see considerable growth potential in the defence sector and want to become more visible in this sector,” explained Andreas Evertz. “Our many years of experience in the manufacture of high-precision mechanical components and our manufacturing expertise are exactly what the security industry needs. We aim to significantly expand our activities in this area.”

State Secretary for Economic Affairs Paul Höller emphasised the importance of cooperation between the state government and industry: “North Rhine-Westphalia is an important industrial location and has a broad base of innovative companies in mechanical and plant engineering. The state government supports the expansion of the security and defence industry in North Rhine-Westphalia in this strategically important field of the future. With the defence.nrw platform, flanked by the Defence Round Table, we are bundling our activities and networking companies, science, and politics.”