Full-scale vehicle testing
Our prototype and validation department employs 80 people on 3 sites: Versailles-Satory, St-Nazaire, Marolles en Hurepoix. Prototyping, carried out in close collaboration with the design department, is used for the qualification phase. It is based on:
- customer requirements,
- special military needs,
- Arquus in-house standards,
- vehicle specifications,
- the applicable regulations.
Full-scale vehicle tests are carried out under very stringent conditions (weather, road holding, cross-country, endurance, etc.) as well as on the test bench. The teams then provide customer support through to operational deployment.
Uncompromising technical and protection standards
All our vehicles must meet various technical and regulatory standards:
- ballistics protection standards (CEN 1063 standard for armored glazing, IED proof, etc.),
- crew protection standards (stanag 4569 - NATAO Standardization Agreement covering standards for protection levels for occupants of logistics and light armored vehicles),
- standards to meet specific military needs such as air-transportable vehicles (A400M and C130),
- strength properties standards for materials.
Our industrial system gives us the flexibility we need to deliver the goods when business triples in the same year.
A global quality approach
Our quality policy is based on 3 main strategic aims:
- customer satisfaction: we measure the quality perceived by customers (feedback, complaints, etc.),
- employee engagement: we measure our level of operational quality (in design, purchasing, manufacture, etc.),
- improvement of our processes: we regularly assess our quality management system (internal and external audits).
The company’s process performance is measured and improvement plans are implemented accordingly.
Stringent requirements in terms of export controls
We ensure the strictest compliance of our business with the export control regulations:
- manufacture and sale of war material in accordance with the authorisations obtained (PFC for classes A2 and B war material),
- import and export of the associated vehicles, equipment and technologies under the national and international authorisations required (war material and similar, dual-use equipment, etc.), *
- traceability of all controlled goods (sale, assignment, loan, intermediation and subcontracting, importation, introduction, exportation, transfer, reexportation and retransfer, transport and storage, etc.)
For the purposes of ongoing improvement, we have established rigorous internal procedures:
- an export control unit, in relation with export control coordinators, decentralised within key departments,
- internal audits and regular assessments of our control system in order to identify non-compliancy risks and improve our practices in the field,
- awareness-raising among our employees in relation to export control regulations and widespread use of best practices.
Over and above our regulatory commitments, we wish to be a responsible engaged partner:
- respect of commitments made, over and above the regulatory requirements, within the scope of our certification under directive 2009/43/EC of the European Parliament aimed at simplifying transfers within the Community,
- application of the Group’s own compliancy rules,
- transparency and total cooperation with the control authorities.
“We understand that the aim of export control is to guarantee the security and national sovereignty of democratic nations and combat the proliferation of massive destruction arms and terrorist and criminal threats.”
