NAVANTIA reinforces its presence in Australia with its new Operations and Design Center in Adelaide
21 June 2016 | Adelaide (Australia)
- The company hires Mr. Warren King as an expert on defense policy
- NAVANTIA improves its position in Australia for winning the program for the future frigates SEA 5000
NAVANTIA Australia inaugurated today its new Operations and Design Center in Adelaide (South Australia). The Center will constitute the core of the Company’s engineering and design capabilities in that country. NAVANTIA has been growing in Australia during the last few years, and this landmark means a new step for expanding even more its presence, putting its technological capabilities, its experience and commitment at the service of that country.
Besides of the Operations and Design Center, the Company has also a great team of highly skilled technicians who are working on the building of the AWD destroyers, having proved their capability for the correct progress of the program.
As one of the shipyards selected on the short list for the SEA 5000 program for the future frigates, NAVANTIA regards that both the inauguration of the Operations and Design Center and the work on the AWD program, will be able to provide to the Australian shipbuilding industry a highly trained human team, in keeping with the commitments taken.
Inauguration of the Operations and Design Center
During the Center’s inauguration it was announced that Mr. Warren King will become a member of NAVANTIA Australia, in the capacity of advisor. Mr. King is one of the most influential persons within the field of defense purchase material, an area in which he has a long experience. Mr. King stated that he has joined NAVANTIA Australia “because I wish to achieve the best for this country” and acknowledged that “NAVANTIA has got the resources and capabilities for becoming Australia’s preferential partner and form making true the Government’s plans for the growth of the shipbuilding industry”.
This hiring provides to the Company a great added value, since Mr. King has experience, knowledge, and leadership, and he has already worked in many naval programs, such as the Anzac.
NAVANTIA Australia’s Head, Mr. Francisco Barón highlighted that “with the inauguration of this operations center, NAVANTIA achieves in Australia a very significant structure which will be useful for strengthening its position in the face of the new projects”.
NAVANTIA’s Chairman, Mr. José Manuel Revuelta, reiterated that “Australia constitutes an absolute priority for this Spanish company, which is making a strong, decided and permanent commitment with this country”.
Finally, Spain’s Ambassador in Australia, Mr. Manuel Cacho, pointed out the pride of seeing how a Spanish company competes in such an important market with such technologically advanced products and capabilities.
About NAVANTIA
NAVANTIA constitutes a world reference in the design, construction and integration of warships with a high-technological content, as well as ship repairs and upgrades. Furthermore, its activity lines include the design and manufacturing of combat and command and control systems, integrated platform management systems, firing control systems, propulsion engines and the Life Cycle Support for all its products. Although its main activity is in the naval field, NAVANTIA also designs and manufactures systems for the Army and the Air Force.
NAVANTIA belongs to Grupo SEPI, a corporate holding which includes a total of 16 state-owned companies in which it has direct, majority shareholding participations, with a workforce of around 73,000 professionals in 2014; the Spanish state-owned television and radio corporation, Corporación Radiotelevisión Española, which is attached to SEPI, and one public foundation. Equally, SEPI has direct minority shareholdings in a further ten companies, and indirect shareholdings in more than one hundred companies.