A Unanderra company has beaten the best armour-makers to land a defence contract.
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The contract, worth almost $1 million, will see Bisalloy Steel making armour for armoured fighting vehicles being built by Israeli company Rafael Advanced Defense Systems.
Bisalloy Steel’s business manager for armour Justin Suwart said the competition for contract was worldwide.
“We’re the only ones who do what we do in Australia so all of our competitors are global,” Mr Suwart said.
“We compete with suppliers that come out of the US, France, Germany and Japan. We’re talking about the best steelmakers in the world and we’re competing against them to win these types of contracts.”
He said the project would use around 200 tonnes of steel from BlueScope, see extra staff hired and work in shifts around the clock.
We compete with suppliers that come out of the US, France, Germany and Japan.
- Bisalloy Steel's Justin Suwart
“This is really the launch pad for us to start developing this market a lot more and working with this company a lot more as well,” he said.
Federal Defence Minister Christopher Pyne was pleased with Bisalloy Steel’s success.
“This contract demonstrates Australian defence industry’s world-class capabilities, creating and securing jobs and opportunity in regional areas as well as urban ones,” Mr Pyne said.
Glen Humphries
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
I'm an award-winning senior journalist with the Illawarra Mercury and have well over two decades' worth of experience in newspapers. I cover the three local councils in the Illawarra for the Mercury, state and federal politics, as well as writing for the TV guide. If I'm not writing, I'm reading.
