Alstom's Görlitz Plant Sold to KNDS for Defence Production
(Reuters) - French train maker Alstom has agreed to sell its Görlitz plant in Germany to defence equipment maker KNDS, the companies said on Wednesday.
KNDS will start using the plant this year to produce assemblies for the Leopard 2 battle tank, the Puma infantry fighting vehicle and variants of the Boxer wheeled armoured vehicle, they said in a joint statement.
Alstom's production of trams and double-decker trains in Görlitz will either continue or be relocated during the transition, depending on the status of the project, they added.
Alstom and KNDS will continue to employ about 580 staff of the current 700 at the factory, either there or at alternative sites, they said.
"With the new Görlitz location in the KNDS production network, we are expanding our capacities with a highly specialised production facility," KNDS Chief Operating Officer Florian Hohenwarter said in the statement.
The companies did not disclose financial details of the deal, which they expect to complete by 2027.
(Reporting by Alessandro Parodi in Gdansk, editing by Milla Nissi)
