Defence inWest Unites Defence and Industry in Fyrbodal Region

– This conference is important because it brings together small and large companies in a way that, in my view, has not been done before in Sweden. It also gives defence authorities the opportunity to collaborate directly with companies and clearly communicate our needs as we must now accelerate the process from innovation to production, says Henrik Bjelkow, UAS, the Swedish Armed Forces.

From Need to Business

Defence inWest combined a conference and exhibition. Companies gained a clearer understanding of the needs of the Swedish Armed Forces and how to become a supplier, while authorities and research actors such as the Swedish Defence Research Agency (FOI) were able to explore concrete solutions from companies in the region.

– We started from the capabilities required in Sweden’s total defence and linked them to the region’s strengths. The focus was on demonstrating how innovation and industry can be translated into concrete solutions here and now, with the aim of preparing more companies to become part of the defence industry value chains, says Robin Mashallah, Business Region Väst, one of the organisers.

During the conference, particular emphasis was placed on the strengths of the automotive industry – its ability to rapidly adapt and scale up production – as a key asset in meeting the needs of total defence. This is especially relevant in the development of autonomous and remotely operated drones, where several companies are already contributing to defence capabilities in both Sweden and Ukraine.

The exhibition also created a direct meeting place for dialogue, new collaborations, and deeper partnerships.

– It was a great opportunity for us to build new local connections for future collaboration and to showcase our capabilities to other companies in the area. We have previously delivered to the defence industry, but are now mainly focused on understanding the processes and how to work going forward. This means we are well prepared when the first contract comes, even though the lead time to enter the sector is long, says Johan Olsson, Technical Project Manager at UFAB, who participated as an exhibitor.

International Perspectives

Participants from Ukraine contributed with experiences of how innovation and production can be rapidly adapted in real-world conditions, and opened up for future collaborations with Swedish companies, particularly in areas such as drone technology.

AMCC – a Joint Initiative

The establishment of AMCC at the Production Technology Centre (PTC) is an important part of this development. The initiative aims to strengthen the capability to produce critical spare parts through additive manufacturing and marks the beginning of deeper collaboration between Trollhättan and the Swedish Armed Forces.

A Growing Role for the Region

With strong industrial expertise and established collaboration environments, the Västra Götaland region is well positioned to contribute to Sweden’s defence capability. Defence inWest demonstrates how companies, authorities, and academia can come together – and how new partnerships can take shape.

Read more about the conference, programme and speakers here:
https://innovatum.confetti.events/defence-in-west/program-25-mars