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South Australia-based Supashock has announced the expansion of its operating footprint into the automotive and defence sectors in the US.
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Adelaide-based Supashock officially launched its next export-driven growth phase into the US with an announcement at America’s major land platform conference, AUSA (Association of the United States Army) in Washington, DC, that it has recently established an office in California.
The company is now exploring other locations to grow its presence in the defence and automotive sectors.
The company designs and manufactures for defence, commercial and automotive state-of-the-art passive and active suspension systems as well as autonomous motion systems that include advanced logistics handling systems.
These systems offer the customer a differentiator in improved levels of safety, performance and reliability. Supashock already exports its technology into the US market as an OEM supplier.
Supashock founder and chief executive Oscar Fiorinotto said establishing deeper roots in the US market was a natural next step for the company.
"The evolution of our suspension and motion technology from high end motorsport and supplier to automotive OEMs has enabled Supashock to move confidently into areas such as the defence and autonomous vehicles sectors," Fiorinotto said.
More than 5.3 million cars are sold in the US each year and, by 2020, the automotive aftermarket in the US is projected to reach a value of more than US$400 billion. Defence industry expenditure in the US is projected to reach US$742 billion.
Fiorinotto added, "Our fully active system is being used by an autonomous vehicle OEM that will move into production in 2020. Supashock is developing the suspension with the OEM and its technology will revolutionise the way we travel. We were identified following a global search they carried out in 2016 and secured the deal ahead of many much larger companies."
Defence is also a major focus for Supashock in the US market. AUSA features 700 exhibitors, representative companies from more than 80 nations and more than 30,000 attendees over a three-day exhibition and conference.
The Team Defence Australia delegation is led by defence export advocate David Johnston and has a number of senior Australian Defence Force personnel at the Australian Department of Defence stand.
Johnston officially launched Supashock’s expansion into the US at an event on the Team Defence Australia stand. Also in attendance at the opening ceremony were past and present senior Defence officials, including Major General (Ret'd) Simone Wilkie, Head Land Systems Major General Andrew Bottrell, and Head Land Capability and Head Force Integration Major General Kath Toohey.
Rheinmetall representatives included Rheinmetall global head of vehicle systems Ben Hudson. Rheinmetall acquired a share of Supashock in 2017.
Since its founding by Fiorinotto in 2005, Supashock has grown to employ over 50 highly skilled engineers and specialists in motion and vibration control.
Stephen Kuper
Steve has an extensive career across government, defence industry and advocacy, having previously worked for cabinet ministers at both Federal and State levels.
