New program to connect SMEs with trillion-dollar global supply chains

An Australia first program designed to help SMEs get a foothold in global markets and supply chains for the trillion-dollar defence, advanced manufacturing and cyber security sectors has launched. Team.eX is a specialist business program that helps SMEs develop business maturity and come together to build the capacity and capability often needed to realise export success. Developed by the Defence Teaming Centre, at the core of Team.eX is an eight-month executive education style program, which SMEs can join at varying levels of participation. Depending on the level of involvement, participants will have access to face-to-face workshops, online modules, networking opportunities, legal templates, facilitated introductions, market research and one-on-one export coaching. Defence Teaming Centre Chief Executive Officer Audra McCarthy said Team.eX will enable businesses to take on larger projects, diversify their revenue streams and achieve export success, as well as capitalise on the massive growth in the defence, cyber security and advanced manufacturing sectors worldwide. “For Australian SMEs wanting to access global markets and the supply chains of large, multi-national organisations, it isn’t as simple as picking up the phone and talking to the right person,” she said. “To be considered, even the amount of paperwork required can be overwhelming. It requires a huge amount of preparation and commitment from a business. The teaming concept will bring together like-minded SMEs with complementary capabilities to offer an improved, integrated solution to global customers and overcome many perceived risks such as size. Combined, the knowledge, skills and relationships provided by the program will build capability and scale, making it easier for SMEs to compete domestically and globally for work across a range of sectors.” Tony Martin, the Global Access Program Manager at BAE Systems Australia, said the Team.eX program supports the company’s existing efforts to build the capability of its supplier community. “There are significant opportunities for Australian industry in the BAE Systems’ global supply chain,” he said. “We strongly believe Team.eX will support businesses to mature and compete domestically and globally for work. We find within the Australian supply community, there are many SMEs with a niche – unique capabilities which they apply very well in their own selected field. But bringing together companies with complementary capabilities, as Team.eX aims to do, can often achieve a far greater effect.” Simon Kennedy, Managing Director of specialist steel fabricator Smart Fabrication and a Foundation Participant of the Team.eX program said he was excited to be one of the first companies to join the national program. “Defence is a sector we’ve been working in for over a decade now, but one thing we haven’t looked at seriously enough is the opportunity to compete in global supply chains,” he said. “We know we can do it; we’ve got what it takes, but Team.eX will help us get there much faster. It’s exciting – we know it’ll give us the knowledge, connections and implementation support we need to take that next step and forge even stronger relationships with global defence primes.” Team.eX has multiple levels of participation, providing access to a range of business growth and professional development opportunities. There are a range of Federal and State Government grant funds available which participants may be able to access to offset their organisation’s cost to participate in the Team.eX program. Foundation Partners of Team.eX are Adelaide Business School (The University of Adelaide), Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), Department for Trade and Investment, De Stefano & Co, Jones Harley Toole and Knowledge Perspectives. The Team.eX program has received grant funding from the Australian Government’s SME Export Hubs Initiative. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Kym Bergmann at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Director of Sales Graham Joss at [email protected]