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The defence contractor has received a multimillion-dollar award to support the expansion of its national facility.
Saab Australia has announced plans to expand its South Australia-based defence infrastructure after securing $22.6 million in funding from the latest round of the Commonwealth government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative.
This is in addition to Saab’s own $55 million investment, helping to increase the size of the current Adelaide facility by up to 80 per cent over an 18-month construction timeframe.
The expansion is set to include the establishment of a new Sovereign Combat System Collaboration Centre.
Other key features are expected to include a Combat Systems school, production and prototyping facilities, and system integration and test facilities.
This forms part of Saab’s internationalisation strategy as the company looks to bolster its global market footprint.
Saab Australia managing director Andy Keough said the expansion reflects growth in local demand for its defence offering.
“After three decades of commitment to Australia, and twenty years after we built our Mawson Lakes headquarters, we are proud and excited to invest further in our continued evolution and the growth of Australian defence and manufacturing,” he added.
Keough said the project would support the local industry by generating new work and employment opportunities.
“The larger facilities will create over 450 long-term jobs, which include Saab employees, small and medium-sized enterprises’ employment and flow on through the industry eco-system and supporting services,” he continues.
“It will also support over 500 jobs during the construction process across the next 18 months.”
Construction of the new facility is scheduled to commence later this year.
This latest announcement comes just months after Saab Australia opened a new office in Victoria.
The facility, tipped to generate 50 new local jobs, was co-funded by the state government and Saab.
The centre is expected to serve as Saab’s Asia-Pacific hub for integrated communications systems – creating software and systems engineering roles.
As a result, Saab’s global Deployable Health Care Centre of Excellence will be relocated from Sweden to Victoria.
The arrangement includes the transfer of technology and IP to Victoria.
[Related: Saab Australia connects Aussie SMEs with global export market]
Charbel Kadib
News Editor – Defence and Security, Momentum Media
Prior to joining the defence and aerospace team in 2020, Charbel was news editor of The Adviser and Mortgage Business, where he covered developments in the banking and financial services sector for three years. Charbel has a keen interest in geopolitics and international relations, graduating from the University of Notre Dame with a double major in politics and journalism. Charbel has also completed internships with The Australian Department of Communications and the Arts and public relations agency Fifty Acres.
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