The LVM contract is a big win for the Power Team led by General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada (GDLS-Canada; the prime integrator) and Marshall Canada. Under the contract, Marshall Canada will produce a range of interchangeable light/heavy 10ft/20ft ‘mission modules’ that will be mounted onto Mercedes-Benz Zetros trucks, which are serving as the LVM’s common vehicle chassis across all of its configurations. The mission modules will be built at Marshall Canada’s new 82,000 sq ft (7,600 sq m) production facility in Moncton, New Brunswick. The company opened this facility last October to help broaden its global reach and customer base.

Mission Modules for LVM – MARSHALL CANADA

BY JAMES CARELESS

On May 29th, 2024, Department of National Defence Minister Bill Blair ended the suspense around who won the much-anticipated Logistics Vehicle Modernization (LVM) Contract with the Canadian Army. Speaking at CANSEC 2024 in Ottawa, the minister announced “that we are investing $2.58 billion with General Dynamics Land Systems-Canada and Marshall Canada in a joint venture for a new fleet of light and heavy logistics vehicles, equipment and in-service support for the Canadian Army. In total, this investment is going to deliver over 1,000 light trucks and approximately 500 heavy trucks to our military, as well as associated equipment such as armoured protection kits, containers, trailers and interchangeable mission modules that can be turned into ambulances, command posts, and much more.”

            Marshall Canada is part of the Marshall Group, a family-owned UK engineering company that has been in business for over a century. Marshall Canada has been in operation since 2006. It is currently configured into three business units: Land Systems, Aerospace, and the Marshall Skills Academy.

             Given that Marshall Canada opened its new Moncton facility last year, a person might think that the company was confident about winning the LVM contract. Such a person would be correct: “We weren’t surprised because I think the Power Team offers an excellent solution for the Canadian Army,” said Alain Gauthier, Marshall’s VP for North America. “All of the Power Team partners certainly put a lot of work into our bid: Along with GDLS-Canada and Marshall Canada, Mercedes-Benz (Daimler Trucks) brings a strong level of capability with the vehicle itself, while Manac Inc. and SOFRAME are assisting with LVM trailers and LVM integration respectively.”

MONCTON UPDATE

Marshall Canada’s Moncton production facility is certainly a jewel in the Marshall Group crown. Built to modern standards and equipped with the latest production technology, the plant has been producing a range of specialist containers for the global market. A case in point: Even before the Power Team won the LVM contract, the Moncton facility was producing containers for the Royal Netherlands Army under its Defensiebrede Vervanging Operationele Wielvoertuigen (DVOW) and Netherlands Specialised Containers (NLSC) programs.

            “At present, the plant is running probably at about 40% capacity,” Gauthier told CDR. “Our intention is to ramp up the processes and procedures in 2024 and 2025. This will prepare us to be ready for sustained operations on the LVM program where we anticipate a slow rate of production starting in late 2025 and then ramping up into 2026, 2027, and 2028.”

            Under the LVM contract, Marshall Canada’s Moncton plant will be responsible for building the truck mounted modules from start to finish. “Essentially the modules would come here in parts, some of which will come in with a frame preassembled at our entry point,” said Gauthier. “They go through an entry inspection, and then to an assembly station to build, prep, and paint the outside shell. From there, the completed module shells will be outfitted with interior equipment in line with the 14 variants specified under the LVM contract. Once complete, they will be shipped to the final integration facility, whose location has yet to be determined by the Power Team.”

            Worth noting: By the time the Moncton facility is in full production, Marshall Canada expects it to provide more than 500 new jobs directly. It also expects production at this plant to help boost New Brunswick’s fabricated metal manufacturing sector GDP by as much as 15% as soon as 2026, and increase the province’s export revenues, at a time when New Brunswick is experiencing a trade deficit in this market sector.

MORE THAN MODULES

Although Marshall Canada’s module production for the land systems market is impressive in itself, it is not all that the company does. The Aerospace side of Marshall Canada’s Aerospace business in Abbotsford, BC has been providing design and support services for the past 17 years. This includes the company’s subcontractor support of the RCAF’s CC-130H Hercules Search and Rescue (SAR) aircraft, under the Primary Air Vehicle Optimized Weapons System Management (PAV OWSM) program.

             As well, the Marshall Skills Academy is offering apprentice-level “earn as you learn” training programs to mitigate New Brunswick’s manufacturing and engineering skills gap. Under a five-year pilot program launched in partnership with New Brunswick Community College, and the University of New Brunswick Saint John and backed by close to $7 million in funding from the Government of New Brunswick, Marshall Canada Skills Academy courses are being marketed to high school students, underrepresented groups in the industry, and people changing careers.

            Beyond this, Marshall Canada is seeking defence sales opportunities for its Moncton facility across North America. “There’s significant potential for growth in this market, because there’s an increasing demand on deployed infrastructure,” Gauthier said. “This includes

ruggedized and hardened shelters on the back of trucks — anything from a workshop to an ambulance or a command post. We also have the ability to equip them with 3D printers for on-site parts production, if need be; or to outfit them with ground control stations for aerial drones.”

“Frankly, Marshall Canada has the capability to put anything inside a truck module that our clients need, and to support the ever-changing nature of missions that our clients will face in the years to come,” concluded Gauthier. “As we look at the emerging threats on the global market, more and more military and non-government organizations are looking for rapidly deployable solutions to address any type of crisis. Marshall Canada builds the truck mounted modules that make that possible.”

James Careless is CDR’s Ottawa Bureau Chief