Elphinstone Pty Ltd and Hanwha Defense Australia have signed a teaming agreement for the manufacture of vehicle hulls for the Redback Infantry Fighting vehicle. Elphinstone is a private, family-owned business based in Burnie, Tasmania and has over 45 years of experience in advanced equipment manufacturing for the global mining industry. The Redback, designed by Hanwha Defense headquartered in South Korea, is under consideration by the Commonwealth under an ongoing tender process for Project LAND 400 Phase 3, which is an $18 billion to $27 billion project tasked to acquire up to 450 Infantry Fighting Vehicles for the Australian Defence Force.
Work to be conducted by Elphinstone as part of this teaming agreement will initially centre on hull structure fabrication and machining for the Redback vehicles, with the teaming agreement also including open opportunities to participate in other Hanwha Defense programs in Australia and overseas, and other opportunities outside the Defence sector.
“I am delighted that Hanwha has entered a teaming agreement with such a highly credentialed and reputable Australian manufacturing company,” said Richard Cho, managing director of Hanwha Defense Australia. “There are significant cultural similarities between the two entities, particularly when it comes to on-time delivery of top-quality equipment. Hanwha will help expand Australia’s defence industry base through our involvement with Elphinstone, and we will also introduce them to other parts of the broader Hanwha Group which may also benefit from Elphinstone’s proven manufacturing capabilities,” Cho said.
“Australia’s growing Defence Industry sector represents an opportunity to further diversify and strengthen our manufacturing business. Our significant heavy vehicle design and manufacturing expertise lends itself perfectly to these Commonwealth Land programs and we are excited to have secured this opportunity with Hanwha,” said Kelly Elphinstone, Executive Director of the Elphinstone Group. “Elphinstone have been exporting heavy vehicles to remote locations across the globe for over 40 years, which also positions us well to work with Hanwha through this teaming agreement to expand well beyond Australia and the Defence sector alone. We look forward to growing our relationship with Hanwha and are optimistic about the opportunities this Agreement will provide for our people, our local supply chain and the Tasmanian economy. I am a firm believer that manufacturing remains viable in Australia,” Elphinstone said.
The production of the large, armoured steel structures for the Redback vehicles will require significant investment in new specialist plant and equipment. It is hoped a Grant application completed by Elphinstone under the Federal Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative will be successful to assist with this expenditure, which will also introduce new technology and skills to the Region. The work to be completed by Elphinstone for the Redback program, and other projects under this teaming agreement, is expected to create substantial long-term employment opportunities in the region.
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