The French factory Forges de Tarbes, which was on the brink of closure in 2021, is now experiencing a surge in orders, mainly due to the increased demand for 155mm shell casings for Ukraine and European armies.
The company Europlasma, which operates the factory, has significantly ramped up artillery shell production to meet the growing demand.
This factory is the only producer of shell casings in France, which are then sent to the company KNDS (formerly Nexter) for further processing and loading with explosives.
According to the company, by 2024, production volumes reached 60,000 casings, with a target of 15,000 shells per month by the end of the year.
This marks a significant growth compared to almost a complete halt in production in 2022.
Europlasma manufactures NATO-standard (155mm) and Warsaw Pact-standard (152mm) shells for Eastern Europe, including major contracts with Ukraine and the Czech Republic.
Today, to ramp up production, Forges de Tarbes is facing difficulties in recruiting workers and acquiring machine tools.
“We are struggling to find skilled or highly skilled labor, we are lacking boilermakers, blacksmiths, and welders,” regrets the CEO of Europlasma.
As for the machines and molds needed to produce the warheads, the issue lies primarily with delivery times, which are often doubled due to the high demand.
Since the beginning of the conflict, France has delivered 30,000 shells of this type to Kyiv, with the goal for 2025 being to deliver 80,000 units, according to the French Ministry of Armed Forces in January.
Despite challenges with hiring qualified workers and long equipment delivery times, the company intends to expand production at new sites to produce additional shells of various calibers.
