The SIMMT (Structure intégrée de maintien en condition opérationnelle des matériels terrestres) hasawarded Nexter and CKP Engineering a contract to test predictive maintenance on the Leclerc tank.
The project was born in March 2020, a few months after the Forum Entreprises Défense (FED), duringwhich CKP Engineering was hosted by the MCO-T and the GICAT in the show's innovation area. TheSIMMT wanted CKP to join forces with a military vehicle manufacturer to carry out a predictivemaintenance experiment on the oil circuit of a vehicle. Wishing to instrument the engine of the Leclerctank, CKP logically turned to Nexter to collaborate on the project.
In concrete terms, after the launch of a pre-study phase, this order enables the integration of HUMS-type sensors and post-processing algorithms supplied by CKP Engineering on the engine oil circuit of aLeclerc demonstrator. After several days of testing, the data collected will be analyzed jointly by teamsfrom CKP and Nexter’s Customer Services Department (CSD), who will publish their results in the fallof 2021. This type of collaboration, where a French industrial prime contractor and a young Frenchcompany share their skills, is one of the objectives promoted by the SIMMT as part of the MCO-T 2025strategic plan.
CKP Engineering, an innovative company founded by Julien Ferrazzo, is recognized for its powertrainarchitectures (engine, gearbox and transmissions). In addition to its network of experts and agile, high-performance industrial partners, CKP brings to this project more than 15 years of expertise inoperational predictive maintenance solutions.
For its part, Nexter is relying on the technical expertise and experience acquired over the past ten yearsin the in-service support of the Leclerc tank. By taking part in this experiment, Nexter also intends tocapitalize on its investments made as part of the ERMES program (2019-2021), which consisted ofdeploying HUMS sensors on a fleet of 40 VBCIs in the Mourmelon and Canjuers training grounds. Theanalysis of the field data is now shared with the French defense procurement agency (DGA) and theSIMMT in order to optimize the management of this vehicle fleet.
Julien Ferrazzo, Founder of CKP Engineering, is delighted with this partnership: “We are bringingtogether the best of both worlds. More than a vehicle, Nexter brings us architects who have experiencein the field. Together, we are sure to succeed. Thanks to this fusion of know-how, we are able to adaptmaintenance to each tank. Nourished, unfiltered exchanges with total confidence from experts whoknow the vehicle’s constraints perfectly.”
Michel Fornos, Head of the Innovation and Training Department within Nexter’s Customer ServicesDepartment, believes that "this experiment has the great merit of predictive maintenance, which makes it possible to consider its deployment on all or part of the fleets in service.”
Nexter, the leading French land defense company and third European player in the ammunition sector is part of the KNDS Group. The scope of its business includes as well the supply of weapon systems and ammunition for air and naval forces. Nexter also provides systems and protection solutions in the field of homeland security. The group continues to apply its international development policy with several order intakes in 2020 intended for the export market.
In France, Nexter is fully committed to meeting the objectives of the SCORPION program, through the upgrade of the Leclerc tank and the development of the VBMR GRIFFON and EBRC JAGUAR vehicles within the temporary business venture between Nexter, Thales and Arquus, as well as the Lightweight VBMR SERVAL.
The group’s range of products also includes TITUS® and VBCI armored vehicles, CAESAR® and 105LG1 artillery systems, smart ammunition (BONUS), robots, many equipment, as well as customer service, support and revaluation. KNDS’s 2020 turnover amounted to €2.4 billion.
In 4 years, CKP has built a solid, agile and winning strategy with a focus on R&D. Consequential investments have enabled the company to design, industrialize and market its own products. At the same time, major clients have positioned themselves on patented demonstrators in the fields of safety, predictive maintenance and mobility. With its global turnkey solution, from study to industrialization, the JEI has become the armed wing of industrialists in terms of open innovation.
