Exail Picks ST Engineering's Manufacturing Base for Belgian-Dutch Navy Program

ST Engineering iDirect’s Manufacturing Competence Center (MCC) has been selected by Exail to deliver the electronics for the underwater drones of the joint Mine Counter Measure Program (MCM) of the Belgian and Dutch navies.

ST Engineering iDirect’s MCC located in Erpe-Mere, Belgium, delivers electronic high-reliability assembly, testing and repair services.

Its capabilities were awarded the esteemed Factory of the Future title four consecutive times since 2015.

Factories of the Future invest in digitization, personnel, smart processes and products, as well as in world-class manufacturing.

The replacement Mine Counter Measure program (rMCM) was awarded to Belgium Naval & Robotics, a Naval Group-Exail consortium initiated to provide Belgium and Dutch navies with new mine warfare capabilities based on a unique stand-off approach, including surface, underwater and aerial drones.

"We are delighted that Exail has chosen us to manufacture the electronics for its underwater drones, bound for use by the Belgium-Dutch Naval groups.

“This partnership recognizes MCC as a leading manufacturer of electronic high-reliability assemblies, and we look forward to showcasing the immense capabilities of our state-of-the-art facilities, like our Erpe-Mere plant, to build critical solutions for the EU government and defense markets,” said Danny De Smet, Sales and Marketing at ST Engineering iDirect’s Manufacturing Competence Center.

By collaborating with another Belgian-based enterprise, not only are we working to enable more autonomy in the EU supply chain, but we are also illustrating the talent we have to offer in such critical and demanding markets here in Belgium and across Europe,” added Steven Luys, Chief Executive Officer at Exail.