A supply chain manager from international ship building company Navantia acknowledged Wollongong industry for putting on a great show this week.
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Speaking at an Illawarra Innovative Industry (i3net) Illawarra Industry Showcase breakfast Greg Keen said the manufacturers and engineering firms involved had been very welcoming. It is one of the reasons Mr Keen and representatives of many significant companies keep coming back to find out what the region’s innovative enterprises are doing. The Illawarra is recognised as having a highly capable and skilled industrial workforce spread across many innovative companies. And visiting delegates are always interested in their latest achievements and developments.
“Thank you to the industry of the Illawarra for making us feel so welcome. As a supply chain guy who goes to a lot of factories I can genuinely say the hospitality and warmth that has been displayed to us really has made it an inviting experience”.
Navantia is a Spanish company that specialises in building defence ships such as war ships and submarines. Mr Keen said while many ships are built in Adelaide the company sources nationwide. “There is a clear charter for us to maximise industry capability across Australia”. He said the important thing for Illawarra businesses was to provide goods that created value and contributed to ship building programs.
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Navantia Australia is opening an office in Melbourne in September, is headquartered in Canberra, has an office in Sydney and will soon open another in Perth. “One of the key things in the contracting model Navantia uses is to develop partnerships and collaboration with industry”.
Mr Keen said Australian suppliers have recently been exporting components to construction in Spain and “over time you are seeing an increasing trend of Australian input”.
He said the company was also about creating more ship building opportunities in Australia. With the Federal Government putting considerable money on the table for new ship building programs he said that was an impetus for the development of such an industry here.
“And I am passionate about involving Australian industry. Which is why I pestered a number of businesses I visited in Wollongong by asking where is their Australia content and where do they source their material from?”
Mr Keen said some only half answered the question and it was important for them to have all answers. “I expect you to be able to tell me what percentage of components and where you have sourced them from. If you are assembling and manufacturing that is what the government is looking for.”
He said one of his roles is developing a broader arrangement with local industry and the i3net showcase was so important in helping him create and maintain a network with suppliers. “I encourage you to call me and I encourage you to talk with me. Our goal is to maximise Australian content.”
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Greg Ellis
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
Almost four decades in electronic, print and digital media. A writer, presenter, emcee, photographer and videographer with degrees in business management, marketing and human resources and tertiary qualifications in photography.
