Minister inspects progress of Chemring Australia’s Countermeasures Capability
17th December 2009
State Minister for Industry and Trade, Martin Pakula, visited Chemring Australia to view the progress of the Countermeasures Capability development. The Minister was accompanied by the local State Government member John Eren.
The Minister received a briefing on the progress of the project and toured the construction site. The Minister was impressed with the design and philosophy adopted by Chemring in the establishment of the facility. The capability will provide the Australian Defence Force in country manufacture of countermeasures and will place the Company in a strong position to win export contracts through the Joint Striker Fighter program. It also means that the Company will be increasing its workforce substantially over the next twelve months. Minister Pakula commented “These are not just any old jobs; these are highly skilled, well-paid jobs which is a fantastic opportunity for the region.”
Mr Michael Flowers, Chemring Australia Managing Director, commented “We will need people that are skilled in operating automated facilities and in addition to production workers we will need a broad range of highly skilled staff ranging from scientists and engineers to production support staff. As this is a completely new capability for Australia, Chemring globally will be supporting the training of the local workforce”.
The Minister further commented “This kind of investment gives Chemring the opportunity to really embed itself with the Joint Strike Fighter project and if that occurs the opportunities are exponential”.
