Business Weekly - Cambridge, UK

The contract represents a repeat order from Marshall Specialist Vehicles Ltd (MSV) for systems that are expected to be used across the world by a number of military organisations from several northern European countries.

Though a highly prestigious contract and of MSV’s largest export orders of recent times, the deal is not expected to create any new jobs at the historic Cambridge business.

Marshall Group support executive, Terry Holloway, said: “There is intense competition in the world market and this contract will be sustaining existing skills in the workforce, which is very good news.”

As prime contractor, MSV will supply the state-of-the-art systems to Norway’s defence procurement agency, the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation (NDLO), and provide a 10-year support package.

Each of the systems comprises a complex of Marshall MATRIX expandable shelters, housing emergency care, surgical, intensive care, radiography, pharmaceutical, laboratory and other key clinical elements.

In addition to the medical complex, the system will be capable of autonomous operation with the provision of power, ablutions, medical gas generation and maintenance facilities. The support package includes spares provision and intensive training on the deployment, maintenance and operation of the system and its sub system.

MSV supplied NDLO with its first field hospital in 2002. It has twice seen operational service in Afghanistan and is currently being serviced in Cambridge having only recently returned from its second visit to Afghanistan.

Marshall believes this new contract consolidates MSV’s position as a major global provider of mobile hospital systems, maintaining MSV at the forefront of hospital design, integration and deployment and lifting its profile on an international stage.

“There are two aspects to this,” said Holloway. “Firstly it is very good news because it is a repeat order from a foreign government. MSV is putting out products, winning work and people are coming back for more.