It's been 16 years since the German technology house Rheinmetall and South African defence player Denel joined forces and formed a joint venture, establishing Rheinmetall Denel Munition. Over these years, Rheinmetall Denel Munition has consistently grown, improved operations and increased its market footprint, firmly establishing South Africa as a global contender in the defence industry. Rheinmetall Denel Munition produces advanced ammunition, competing with the world's best manufacturers. It is supported by the Rheinmetall Group, an integrated technology group with over 30 000 employees and 167 sites worldwide in 28 countries. The Rheinmetall Group's product range spans automotive components, logistics and tactical vehicles, advanced air defence systems, and simulation and training systems for maritime, land and air applications. 

At Rheinmetall Denel Munition, its primary focus is advancing defence technology to safeguard nations' sovereignty and enhance national security. It is committed to investing in innovation and product development, ensuring it maintains a competitive edge in defence technologies. Rheinmetall Denel Munition is dedicated to investing in cutting-edge technology establishments to sustain its industry capabilities and deliver state-of-the-art ammunition.

Rheinmetall Denel Munition is a vertically integrated company with expertise in various chemical technologies, explosives, for example RDX and PBX, and particularly energetic materials such as nitro-guanidine, nitrocellulose and nitro-glycerine. With the ability to tailor its energetic materials, it can manufacture a vast range of propellants such as single-base, double-base and triple-base gun propellants, as well as double-base rocket motor propellants; using this capability, Rheinmetall Denel Munition can include advanced propulsion technology in its ammunition products. The manufacturing processes are designed and maintained by our plant engineering capabilities, including designing and fabricating new plants for its global partners.

The Rheinmetall Denel Munition headquarters are in Somerset West, in the Western Cape, and its operations are in Boskop, Boksburg and Wellington. Rheinmetall Denel Munition specialises in designing, developing, manufacturing and demilitarising medium- to large-calibre ammunition. It is particularly proud of its status as the world leader in long-range artillery and its reputation for excellence in artillery suites, rockets and warheads for missile and other applications, mortar bombs, tank ammunition, air-launched munitions and infantry munitions. 

Propelled by its purpose of “Taking responsibility in a changing world”, it is committed to continuously developing South Africa's defence capability worldwide.

The company boasts a strong legacy as the primary developer and producer of solid propellant rocket motors in South Africa. This expertise has also been used to integrate associated technologies into its other product lines. Rheinmetall Denel Munition continues to offer extensive knowledge in systems engineering and the development of solid rocket motors, warheads and other subsystems for tactical missiles and other applications. Rheinmetall Denel Munition’s in-house production and testing capabilities provide a highly vertically integrated single solution for developing, qualifying and producing an extensive range of missile subsystems.

The company is promoting skills development in the defence space through its academy, which offers various courses in explosives management. Rheinmetall Denel Munition ensures succession planning and knowledge transfer by creating an environment where mentorship is a priority between employees.  Rheinmetall Denel Munition’s ultimate goal is to ensure that the company retains its technology baseline and continues to make advancements in the defence industry in South Africa.

Through its Accelerated Graduate Programme , Rheinmetall Denel Munition is constantly looking for talented engineers and scientists in their final academic year and provides them with valuable exposure to the defence industry, particularly defence technology, while fostering a conducive working environment for innovation. Moreover, it collaborates with academic institutions to develop South Africa's defence, space programmes and energy sectors. These initiatives, mainly with technical, engineering or science backgrounds, are designed to nurture and develop the next generation of scientists and innovators. This ensures a dynamic talent pipeline to drive South Africa's technological advancement.

One of their Mechanical Engineer graduates said: “I'm  part of the Process Engineering team at Somerset West, focusing on pyro, 40 mm, mortars, rockets and missiles. What I find most gratifying in my current role is the exposure to a diverse range of products. From mastering intricate technical details to understanding large-scale manufacturing processes, I embrace the challenge of maintaining quality standards while continually innovating. The dynamic nature of my work fosters a continuous learning environment where every day presents fresh opportunities for growth and problem-solving.”

Rheinmetall Denel Munition offers a wide range of exciting career opportunities and benefits. These include competitive remuneration, a positive working environment, global career growth prospects and training opportunities. Whether you are interested in an internship, its graduate programme, a specialist or a management role, Rheinmetall Denel Munition provides excellent career prospects.

Rheinmetall Denel Munition employs over  2000 personnel committed to manufacturing world-class defence goods. Through its 1 500 domestic suppliers, Rheinmetall Denel Munition will invest R4-billion in 2024, providing valuable supply chain opportunities to benefit more than 250 000 South African people. Rheinmetall Denel Munition wants the defence economy in South Africa to thrive and attract increased investment in research and development of new defence technologies, leading to high job creation and a high increase in military exports.

“Rheinmetall Denel Munition is on a growth path, continues to serve as a strategic global partner, and actively contributes to developing defence technology in South Africa. The Rheinmetall Group continuously invests in increasing Rheinmetall Denel Munition’s production capacity in response to the escalating demand for defence goods. We have started expanding within Rheinmetall Denel Munition, including acquiring land to expand one of our operations.  We expect our growth to double by the end of 2025. In order to achieve this growth path, we are constantly looking for skilled candidates who are eager to become part of this success story,” says Rheinmetall Denel Munition CEO Dr Frank Dirksen.

Rheinmetall Denel Munition will give a glimpse into its operations at AAD 2024. It invites you to visit its exhibition stand, see its products and meet its friendly team, who will be thrilled to take you through some of its innovations.

Written by Rheinmetall Denel Munition CEO Dr Frank Dirksen

https://www.rheinmetall.com/en/company/subsidiaries/rheinmetall-denel-munition

Phone: +27 21 850 2911