Lockheed Martin Australia has awarded Marand Precision Engineering Pty Ltd (Marand) a contract to support the delivery of work under the Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance (GWEO) Enterprise. Under the contract’s terms, Marand will engage its Australian industry supply chain and assess the economic challenges of sourcing raw materials.
“This is an important body of work in our ongoing commitment to delivering the Australian Government’s objectives under the GWEO Enterprise,” said Ken Kota, Lockheed Martin’s Australia Vice President of International Integration. “We welcome the opportunity to collaborate with experienced Australian companies like Marand as we continue the work to establish a guided weapons production capability in Australia.”
Marand is a global supplier of precision-engineered solutions to a range of industries, including aerospace, defence, rail, automotive, mining and energy. Lockheed Martin expects this work will assist the Commonwealth to understand the effect of current raw material pricing on the competitiveness of the domestic Defence industry upstream suppliers.
“Lockheed Martin have been a valued customer of Marand’s for over 20 years, and it’s a privilege to continue our partnership with this initial GWEO contract,” said Marand Group CEO Rohan Stocker. “We are excited about using our expertise to assist Lockheed and the Commonwealth deliver this critical capability.”
Lockheed has contracted Marand to conduct an assessment to identify and establish a material supplier listing. Lockheed Martin’s intent is to propose a list of preferred defence industry forum participants for Commonwealth consideration. Under the contract, Marand will provide administrative support and technical advice in support of a Lockheed Martin report on recommended options for the path forward for the Commonwealth.
“Strong partnerships across governments, defence, industry and academia are critical to the success of the GWEO Enterprise,” said Kota. “Working with our industry partners, we are aiming to build a more advanced, resilient and collaborative.”
