For the past 30-plus years, Quebec’s family-owned Cambli Group has led the way in designing and building armoured trucks — aka ‘cash-in-transit’ (CIT) vehicles — for Brinks and other secure transportation companies. In recent years, Cambli has harnessed this expertise to serve the defence market with its ‘BlackWolf’ tactical response vehicles. Available in a number of configurations, the BlackWolf is rugged and reliable, with the mix of toughness and technology that today’s warfighters need on the battlefield.
Armoured Ambition: Cambli Group’s Strategic Move into Defence Innovation
BY JAMES CARELESS
CAMBLI GROUP’S HISTORY
Although Cambli Group was founded by Claude Tougas — the father of current President, Véronique Tougas — on July 1, 1993, the family’s roots in armoured vehicles goes back to the late 1950s. It was back then that André Tougas, Véronique’s grandfather, introduced armoured trucks into Quebec when he signed his first contract with Brink’s Canada. André and his son Claude worked together until 1993, at which time Claude struck out on his own and founded Cambli. Véronique Tougas succeeded him as President in 2010.
“I was completing my accounting studies when I joined the company, and it was clear in advance that I was the future President,” said Tougas. “Still, to be honest, I didn’t expect that it would happen so quickly. I was just 33 when my father said, ‘here are the keys; go and manage the company’. As a result, I learned on the job, weathering the 2008 financial crisis and COVID-19 along the way. And over the years, I’ve surrounded myself with the best possible team. They’re my strength.”
WOMEN-OWNED LEADERSHIP
As the second Tougas generation to lead Cambli Group, and its majority shareholder,
Véronique Tougas takes her role extremely seriously. She also understands her trail-blazing position as a woman owner/leader in the Canadian defence industry. “My aim is to pave the way for more women to enter the defence sector, to give them access to the kinds of opportunities that I have enjoyed,” Tougas told CDR. “At the same time, I don’t see any difference between a woman’s good work and a man’s good work. It’s the results that matter.”
Véronique Tougas is also committed to promoting diversity and inclusion at Cambli Group. “Diversity is wealth,” she said. “You have to do business differently if you want different results and that’s what diversity gives us. It’s a basic observation, but it’s very, very true, in my opinion.”
Tougas is dedicated to preserving Cambli Group’s legacy and commitment to ethical business practices. “My aim as president is not to alter my company, but to preserve its values of family, values and ethics. This is why we do a lot of due diligence with respect to our suppliers and customers. We only sell products to countries who are friendly to Canada, even if we lose opportunities. Greed is not a part of our culture.”
“We have a set of values that are very important to us, as leaders of the business,” agreed Benoit Lemay, Cambli Group’s Vice President and General Manager. “We also respect values that are deeply embedded in Cambli’s culture such as agility, creativity, engagement, ethics, and eco-responsibility.”
In recognition of Véronique Tougas’ service to the Canadian military — specifically through her work on the IGLU project, a Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School Association (CFLRSA) initiative to support military families settling in the Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec region — she was made an Honorary Captain (Navy) of the Canadian Forces Leadership and Recruit School in September 2024. “Sometimes it’s difficult for people from other parts of Canada to settle here, because it’s a French-speaking region and housing is limited,” Tougas said. “IGLU, which is a private project that I set up, is meant to help these families settle here.”
Tougas’ willingness to help even extends into the business world, where she is willing to establish partnerships with rivals when doing so makes sense. “We can be competitors and real partners too,” she explained. “For example, we have a great partnership in France with our competitors. It’s a model that we believe in.”
HOW CAMBLI GROUP WENT FROM CASH-IN-TRANSIT TO DEFENCE
Given Cambli Group’s strong position in the CIT vehicle market, one might ask why the company decided to move into defence. According to Benoit Lemay, the company chose to diversify ten years ago for a variety of reasons.
“First, we needed to diversify as a business because we didn’t want to be solely reliant on the CIT industry when the industry was reshaping,” said Lemay. “Cambli did have several North American CIT clients in the past, but industry consolidation had narrowed that base down to just three: Brink’s, Garda, and Loomis. So that puts us at risk due to the consolidation of the CIT market. Second — to be plain and simple — the increasing use of electronic payments means there is less cash needing to be physically transported. Now there will always be a CIT industry in some shape or form, but it made sense a decade ago for Cambli Group to start diversifying our products and make sure that we’re looking towards the future, rather than being solely dependent on one market and a small customer base.”
Given their similar needs for rugged security and resistance to attack, the CIT armoured vehicle market was an excellent launchpad for Cambli Group to move into defence. “In fact, I’d say the CIT industry was the best playing field to learn how to start working in the tactical/ defence industry for us,” Lemay told CDR. “Why? Well, because hey, we’re armouring trucks. We’re integrated sophisticated technology into our trucks. We already understand the vehicles and the platforms. We provide MRO services to the CIT industry, and operating a CIT fleet is very similar to operating a tactical/defence fleet. This is why defence customers were knocking on our door when we started.”
This being said, moving into the defence vehicle market has posed some challenges for Cambli Group. “Compared to the CIT industry, the sales cycle is very drawn out for the Department of National Defence and the large OEMs,” said Lemay. “In CIT, it’s fast: You have a need, I’ll innovate with you. I’ll create a prototype, and I’ll deliver the truck. It’s a very fast cycle as well. So, from a sales perspective, from a business development perspective, and from the way we manage the business, defence is very different. There’s a lot more certifications and testings and investments to do in the defence industry. Thankfully, we’re masters of manufacturing vehicles, so we were good at that part.”
Cambli Group has also taken the time to understand ITB Canada’s Industrial and Technological Benefits (ITB) policy and where its products/services can fit into this process. “We really evaluated that program by hiring an ITB specialist to structure an understanding of what it is and how it works, and also to see how we can leverage the ITB policy to promote ourselves within the defence industry,” Lemay said. “I think we did that very successfully. We have an agile engineering team and a deep Canadian supply chain that can be of use to non-Canadian companies needing to meet ITB requirements. We also invest heavily in R&D and are structured to serve as an agile partner for larger OEMs in many areas of engineering, not just manufacturing armoured trucks.”
CAMBLI GROUP’s BLACKWOLF VEHICLE & ITS SPECS
In order to make its mark on the defence industry, Cambli Group has tapped into its wealth of CIT expertise and R&D innovation to create the BlackWolf, a tough tactical/defence vehicle.
“The BlackWolf was conceived as a fast, light and reliable truck able to deftly handle the most demanding missions and operating environments,” said Tougas. “It fills a gap in the range of armoured vehicles available to commanders, offering the same joint operations capabilities and multi-mission options as heavier platforms, but specifically targeting the low to medium-intensity needs of the combat spectrum. With those parameters already configured in the baseline design, the BlackWolf was easily adapted to meet military needs and standards.”
A case in point: Superior vehicle handling is a cornerstone of the BlackWolf design. For that reason, Cambli Group placed a premium on the height and placement of the center of gravity of the vehicle (CoG). “Additionally, Cambli optimized the user experience inside the vehicle,” Lemay said. “This includes enhanced visibility for both the driving crew and passengers, and a more ergonomic interior configuration that improves situational awareness from any position in the vehicle. Advanced electronic and systems integration also give the BlackWolf an edge in the operation and handling of its onboard mission systems. Furthermore, this layout facilitates the scaling up to multiple systems to meet customers’ individual needs for vehicle specialization.”
Mindful that the defence vehicle market is always evolving, Cambli Group always focuses on new ideas and what’s coming next. “For us it’s about constant R&D,” said Tougas. “We’re always looking to the next build and what’s going to be different in the years to come. Cambli is also big on customizing our platforms to meet our customers’ diverse needs, such as different armouring for different missions. CIT forced us to be a great customizer of trucks. And I think it’s the same when it comes to defence.”
“We don’t make military tanks,” said Lemay. “So when it comes to providing armoured trucks that the defence world needs, it’s not just about customization, but the tight configuration for the right missions. As our defence customers’ needs evolve, — such as needing trucks to provide counter-drone capabilities, for example — our designs and product lines will evolve too.
All told, Cambli Group has designed the BlackWolf to deliver a trifecta of high operational effectiveness, affordability and maintainability. “Our success in achieving this ideal balance is the result of relentless and focused engineering prowess invested in the design of the vehicle,” said Tougas. “This is a true reflection of Cambli’s innovative spirit. The BlackWolf is a multi-mission vehicle that can thrive in harsh operational environments and that can be adapted to perform a wide variety of missions. It is amongst the most versatile offerings on the market, with an impeccable reputation for reliability and maintainability. Furthermore, Cambli’s armouring design, unique in the market, substantially reduces weight and minimizes battlefield repair times. This improves vehicle handling, reduces wear and tear and facilitates deployed maintenance.”
CAMBLI GROUP: LOOKING AHEAD
With its roots deep in CIT armoured trucks and its forward motion tied to tactical/defence vehicles, Cambli Group is ready for whatever advances occur in the ever-changing world of military technology. It’s an approach that has guided three Tougas generations to success, and seems likely to do so for the foreseeable future.
Speaking of the future, Véronique Tougas has some very clear ideas of what is coming next in the armoured vehicle space. “The industry needs to strive for lighter and more resilient and adaptable armoured technology,” she said. “This is why Cambli favours hybrid protection solutions that rely on different protection schemes arranged in a smart layout around the vehicle, that can have different, focused areas of protection. For instance, the operator and passenger cabins are the most acute areas of protection. The protection used in those areas does not need to be the same as that for secondary mechanical systems. Hence, a mix of passive and adaptive technologies could perhaps yield greater weight and performance gains. As well, advanced materials combined with harder, thinner steel could produce lighter protective plates. Whatever happens, layered solutions, weaving multiple techniques and materials need to become the cornerstone of cutting-edge, protective solutions for tactical vehicles.”
The bottom line: When it comes to armoured defence vehicles with the strength, ruggedness, and resiliency to protect their occupants across a wide range of missions and hostile environments, Cambli Group’s range of BlackWolf trucks has what it takes to do the job each and every time. In a world that seems to be becoming more dangerous on a daily basis, being able to ride and shelter in a BlackWolf is the kind of protection our soldiers need.
James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief
