Matchmaking for Supply Chains Progress in defense upscaling: SVI‑Connect platform goes live

The year 2026 will bring further challenges for the German security and defense industry. To take all the necessary steps to ensure that the Bundeswehr receives the equipment they need in the coming years, the matchmaking platform SVI-Connect begins operations.

To this end, system houses in the industry such as Rheinmetall, KNDS, Airbus, Hensoldt, Diehl-Defence, MBDA, TKMS, and NVL are continuing to expand their capacities and production sites. The same applies to numerous suppliers who are already established in the system houses' traditional supply chains. At the same time, many companies from other industries, including the automotive supply industry, mechanical and plant engineering, the electrical industry, metal processing, and skilled trades, are preparing to participate in this upscaling by contributing suitable resources.

To support this process, the SVI-Connect platform, operated by the Bundesverband Materialwirtschaft, Einkauf und Logistik e.V. (German Association for Materials Management, Purchasing and Logistics, BME) and funded by the Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Energie (Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy), is now fully live. SVI-Connect is a cooperation project between the BME and the Bundesverband der Deutschen Sicherheits- und Verteidigungsindustrie (German Security and Defense Industry Association, BDSV).

Europe’s security landscape is changing rapidly

As defence budgets rise and EU programmes expand, civil technology providers are becoming vital contributors to Europe’s strategic autonomy. The event will act as a neutral platform for dialogue between technology suppliers, integrators, and decision-makers shaping the next generation of European defence capabilities and aims to open doors between civil industry and defence procurement, providing practical insights.

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Strengthening supply chains

The matchmaking platform is designed to support and accelerate the ramp-up of capacity in the security and defense industry (SVI) across all supply chains and across all sectors. The aim is to link the needs of the SVI in a structured manner with offers from other industrial partners, to diversify supply chains, and to support defense readiness. OEMs, suppliers, and industry partners can register on the platform at www.svi-connect.com.

"Strategic purchasing and partnership-based supplier management are important levers for getting Germany on track: Those who record requirements transparently, match suppliers in a structured manner, and scale capacities at an early stage shorten throughput times and increase reliability throughout the security and defense industry. SVI-Connect provides purchasing departments with the structured supplier information they need to work with industry to consistently achieve the ramp-up in 2026," says BME CEO Dr. Lars Kleeberg.

"We at BDSV initiated SVI-Connect in the belief that this matchmaking platform will make offers from other industries easier to see and use to support the urgently needed upscaling of defense in Germany. At the same time, it remains important for all interested companies to show initiative and, above all, ask themselves where they can contribute to the existing defense supply chains. Companies should already be qualifying themselves for this today, and the platform also offers suggestions and assistance in this regard," explains BDSV CEO Dr. Hans Christoph Atzpodien.

To accompany the launch of the platform, information events will be offered for interested companies and associations. Details and dates will be announced at www.svi‑connect.com.