Schaeffler AG

The French government is stepping up efforts to produce military drones by leveraging the production capacity of the automotive industry. At least six defence-automotive partnerships have been announced this year, involving major players such as Renault, Valeo, and Forvia. Renault plans to mass-produce the Toutatis kamikaze drone with Thales from 2027 at a rate of 1,000 units per month, while Forvia is considering building capacity to manufacture 1,000 interceptor drones per month. Drone maker Delair is teaming up with Schaeffler to set up a production line capable of around 100 drones per day by November. If these plans materialise, total annual production capacity could reach 60,000 units, though that would still fall short of the production scale in Ukraine and Russia.

Bain Capital has agreed to acquire SupplyOn, a supply chain collaboration platform serving the automotive, aerospace and defence, and other advanced manufacturing sectors across Europe, from its shareholders Aumovio, Bosch, Schaeffler and ZF. SupplyOn operates a technology platform connecting more than 200 large manufacturers and tier-1 suppliers with over 140,000 suppliers globally, enabling collaboration across sourcing, purchasing, quality management, logistics, invoicing, and ESG compliance. Bain Capital will work with SupplyOn's management to strengthen product investment, including new AI capabilities, and increase sales and marketing focus to accelerate customer adoption, particularly in the defence sector. The firm noted that European supply chain digitalization remains significantly underpenetrated and committed to maintaining SupplyOn's European operational footprint, data residency, and governance structure. Financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.