Rheinmetall sells off more divisions in the internal combustion engine sector

Drive Rheinmetall is withdrawing from the internal combustion engine sector

2023-01-30 Von Thomas Günnel 1 min Reading Time

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As planned, Rheinmetall has sold its large pistons business unit. Next up is the small pistons division. The internal combustion engine plays only a downstream role in the civilian business.

As announced, Rheinmetall has sold its large pistons business unit to a Swedish company.(Image: Rheinmetall) — As announced, Rheinmetall has sold its large pistons business unit to a Swedish company.
(Image: Rheinmetall)

Rheinmetall continues to withdraw from the business of internal combustion engines. The company "has transferred its activities in the production of large pistons as planned to the Swedish corporate group Koncentra Verkstads AB (KVAB) Göteborg," a company spokesman announced. The purchase agreement includes Rheinmetall's large piston division with three production plants in Neckarsulm, in Marinette, USA, and in Kunshan, China; as well as a steel piston line from the small-piston plant in Marinette.

The supplier had already announced the sale in October 2022. The background is the realignment of the company in the civilian sector towards "new technology fields and alternative forms of propulsion". Accordingly, Rheinmetall intends to sell off more areas of piston production, particularly the small piston business.

Staff are to be taken over

According to Rheinmetall, the KVAB Group intends to invest in the long term in the market for large engines. Additionally, the company "expressed the desire to take over the entire workforce". In October, approximately 290 people were employed in the business unit.

The brands Kolbenschmidt and KS will remain with the company "KS Large Bore Pistons". For the German plant, the new company KS Large Bore Pistons Germany GmbH was founded. The two existing companies in the USA (KS Large Bore Pistons LLC) and China (KSLP China Co. Ltd.) will transfer directly.

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