Canadian armored vehicle manufacturer Roshel has completed its transaction to bring Centigon into Roshel Group, creating a broader transatlantic industrial network spanning Canada, France, Mexico and Colombia.
The integration combines Roshel’s armored vehicle manufacturing capabilities with Centigon’s expertise in civilian and law-enforcement armored vehicles, heavy-duty truck cabs, ballistic glass and protection engineering.
The expanded group will serve defense, law enforcement, diplomatic security and commercial customers while increasing its ability to develop and manufacture protected mobility and survivability solutions across multiple vehicle categories.
“Governments can make security and defence commitments, but it takes industry to deliver on them,” Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov said. “Welcoming Centigon connects the people, engineering and manufacturing capabilities needed to meet that responsibility, so we can respond with greater depth, greater scale and a shared commitment to protecting lives, from civilians to the women and men in uniform.”
Centigon Brings 150 Years of Protection Engineering
Centigon traces its industrial heritage to coachbuilding operations dating back to 1876, giving the company approximately 150 years of experience in vehicle engineering and protection.
Its portfolio includes discreetly armored civilian vehicles, tactical platforms, protected military truck cabs and vehicles designed for government and presidential fleet applications.
The company also maintains industrial operations across France, Mexico and Colombia, providing Roshel Group with an established manufacturing and engineering presence in Europe and Latin America.
The Latin American operations are particularly significant for the combined company because of the region’s established demand for protected civilian, commercial and security vehicles.
Roshel Group Expands Protected Mobility Capabilities
Following the transaction, Roshel Group’s industrial capabilities will extend from protection materials and components to complete armored vehicles.
Centigon’s Colombian operations manufacture ballistic glass for vehicles and buildings, strengthening the group’s control over key survivability components.
In France, Centigon designs and manufactures armored cabs for heavy-duty military trucks and modifies vehicles according to customer requirements. Its Mexican operations produce armored civilian vehicles, cash-in-transit platforms and tactical vehicles for regional customers.
Bringing these facilities under Roshel Group could support more integrated product development, manufacturing coordination and supply-chain management across the group’s different markets.
Centigon’s ballistic testing range and laboratory in France will also become available as a shared engineering resource within Roshel Group. The facility is expected to support the development and evaluation of armor materials and new vehicle protection concepts.
Canada-Europe Defense Industrial Cooperation
The acquisition also expands Roshel’s industrial presence in Europe at a time when Canada and European countries are seeking closer defense-industrial cooperation.
According to Roshel, combining its Canadian manufacturing base with Centigon’s established operations in France will provide the group with a platform for joint development, coordinated production and access to European procurement opportunities.
The company highlighted Canada’s participation in the European Union’s Security Action for Europe, or SAFE, initiative as an important part of the evolving industrial relationship between Canada and Europe.
The combined organization intends to use its industrial presence on both sides of the Atlantic to strengthen supply chains, increase production capacity and provide longer-term support for customers throughout the operational life of their vehicles.
Broader Global Manufacturing Network
The transaction gives Roshel Group a more geographically diversified industrial structure.
Roshel’s Canadian armored vehicle manufacturing operations will now be supported by Centigon’s European protection engineering expertise and its Latin American production infrastructure.
The combination also broadens the group’s addressable market beyond dedicated military armored vehicles, adding expertise in diplomatic protection, civilian security, law-enforcement platforms, cash-transport vehicles, ballistic glass and heavy-duty military truck protection.
For Roshel, the integration represents a significant expansion of its manufacturing and engineering footprint as demand for protected mobility continues to grow across defense and security markets.
