March 13, 2025 (EIRNS)—Rheinmetall is considering taking over Volkswagen’s Osnabrück plant, which the group is planning to shut down in the next period. CEO Armin Papperger said that the decision will depend on securing more tank orders. The VW Osnabrück plant is fit for producing military trucks, he said.
In an interview with Financial Times, Papperger said that Rheinmetall currently has 10 factories being built simultaneously around the world. In the last three years, Rheinmetall has acquired capacities and become the main supplier of 155mm shells to Ukraine. His company started to expand before getting government orders.
Rheinmetall’s largest shareholder is BlackRock, followed by Societé Generale. Here is the list of main institutional shareholders: BlackRock, Inc.: 5.78% (as of March 18, 2024); Société Générale S.A.: 5.33% (as of Feb. 19, 2024); Wellington Management Group LLP: 4.99% (as of Jan. 30, 2024); The Capital Group Companies: 4.99% (as of June 12, 2023); FMR LLC: 4.99% (as of July 6, 2021); Goldman Sachs: 4.45% (as of March 13, 2024); UBS Group AG: 3.83% (as of May 31, 2022) ; Fidelity Investment Trust: 3.04% (as of Jan. 23, 2024).
