Roshel, a Canadian producer of armored vehicles, plans to invest tens of millions of dollars in its plant in Ukraine and even bring back some Ukrainian migrants from Canada to work in it, as per Ukrainska Pravda.
The company’s CEO, Roman Shimonov, believes that the future plant will not only compete with local manufacturers in the Ukrainian market but also sell armored vehicles to Europe, thereby bringing foreign currency into Ukraine.
Roman Shimonov lived in Israel and served in the military before moving to Canada 12 years ago. In 2016, he founded the Roshel company, which sells armored vehicles. The new manufacturer quickly established a presence in the US market with clients such as the Texas police, the US State Department, the Customs and Border Protection, and even NASA. The space agency needed armored vehicles to protect their astronauts, and technology was worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The company has clients from Canada, Israel, and several multinational corporations. Until 2022, Roshel produced 1,200 vehicles annually. Now, it plans to increase production to 2,000.
There is also a huge demand for armored vehicles in the Ukrainian Defense Forces. They are used for medical evacuation, personnel transportation, cargo delivery, and even assaults.
At the beginning of the large-scale war, the Canadian government bought the first eight vehicles for Ukrainians. Later, the Czech Republic funded the purchase of another 70 units.
Currently, Roshel’s factories assemble 140 armored vehicles monthly, half of which are sent to Ukraine. By the end of May 2024, 1,140 armored vehicles have already been delivered.
After the war, Ukraine will become a central player in the region and attract investments. Shimonov noted that companies that can establish themselves in the country will become highly competitive in the European market.
Read more:
- Canada becomes the second country to commit to funding Ukrainian weapons production
- Rheinmetall sending prototypes of 100km shells to Ukraine
- Canada to provide Ukraine with over $ 2.3 mn for drone production
- Canada to provide Ukraine with night vision equipment, allocate nearly $30 million for shell initiative
