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The munitions company has officially unveiled its new $11 million facility in Brisbane.
Minister for Defence Peter Dutton has opened defence company NIOA’s new Brisbane office tower, unveiling a commemorative plaque.
The five-storey Eagle Farm facility — built to house NIOA’s corporate headquarters, warehouse and distribution centre — is designed to accommodate more than 100 staff including project managers, engineers, administration and operational personnel.
This follows the doubling of NIOA’s Brisbane workforce since it first moved to the Eagle Farm facility in 2014.
Minister Dutton congratulated the company, noting the Commonwealth government’s continued investment in the local defence industry.
“The Morrison government has committed $270 billion over the next decade to make sure the men and women in our defence force have the equipment, the resources and the capability they need to perform their role to the best of their ability,” Minister Dutton said.
“We can only achieve these outcomes by working with our defence industry partners across Australia and around the world, and I commend NIOA for their vision to expand that industry here in Brisbane.”
According to NIOA CEO Robert Nioa, the new Brisbane tower has added 1,445 square metres of space, in addition to the existing 8,000-square-metre facility in the Brisbane Airport precinct.
“We are delighted to open this building which will give us the capacity to grow into the future,’’ he said.
“Not only is it a significant moment in our near 50-year history, but it also creates the best environment for our loyal employees and is a clear demonstration to all our customers of NIOA’s long-term commitment to delivering world-leading products and technologies.’’
The building, designed by Brisbane architects KIRK, includes a glazed central courtyard for staff, with the upper levels to house the executive team, project managers, weapons and munitions engineers and the dedicated LAND 159 Lethality Systems team.
The new facility forms part of a $130 million capital investment by NIOA, which includes a $60 million artillery shell forging plant in Maryborough with joint-venture partner Rheinmetall Waffe Munitions, as well as a $13 million upgrade of the Australian government-owned munitions plant at Benalla in Victoria and a $2 million refurbishment of its Canberra office.
[Related: Australian Missile Corporation to host working group]
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