Lockheed Martin to open AU$8m IT engineering hub in Melbourne
Lockheed Martin Australia (LMA) is investing AU$8 million to establish an Asia-Pacific IT engineering hub in Clayton, a suburb of Melbourne, which is expected to create 150 new jobs over the next five years.
The regional hub will be operated by Lockheed Martin's information systems and global solutions business. The facility will be equipped to provide a range of regional research and development and program delivery service. The capabilities that will be based at the facility will expand existing local skills in online security, data management, applications development, and larger-scale IT services.
It is expected that the facility will secure Commonwealth government and international contracts, particularly in South Asia and the Middle East.
Lockheed Martin Australia chief executive Raydon Gates said the hub marks the company's progressive move to expand its presence in Australia, and welcomed its continued partnership with the Victorian government.
"Victoria was selected to establish the new Asia-Pacific ICT engineering hub based on the state's availability of highly skilled graduates, outstanding ICT education institutions, and the support provided by the state government," he said.
"This investment in Victoria will not only extend the skill base of our Australian cybercentre, but will also act as a hub to generate activity and engagement with small- to medium-sized companies, thus further expanding Lockheed Martin's Global Supply Chain initiatives, which have already generated multiple Australian export success stories."
LMA, a wholly owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation, already has two facilities that employ around 150 people in Melbourne — one in Dandenong and the other in Glen Waverley. Both facilities are providing services to the Department of Defence, and are working on advanced software development in areas including the aerospace, defence, and civil sectors.
Victorian Technology Minister Gordon Rich-Phillips said LMA's Asia-Pacific engineering hub will enhance Melbourne's reputation as the location of choice for global defence companies, while strengthening LMA's regional capability.
"Seven Victorian-based companies are also delivering components and support for Lockheed Martin's Joint Strike Fighter program, the world's biggest and most complex defence project," he said.
"The Victorian Coalition government is also working with LMA to secure the Department of Defence's AIR 5428 project to establish a new fixed wing Pilot Training System in Sale."
Earlier this month, LMA secured an AU$800 million contract with Defence to deliver a transformed centralised processing environment that will meet Defence capability requirements to 2022.
Defence chief information officer Dr Peter Lawrence said the project would consolidate infrastructure and applications, improving the overall effectiveness and efficiency of datacentre delivery in Defence.
"Centralised processing will deliver a smaller number of more reliable and resilient datacentres, from within 280 datacentres to 11 domestically and three internationally," he said.
"It will improve the availability, reliability, and security of Defence's computer processing capability.
"The partnership will deliver Defence with a robust and secure technology environment, while creating greater efficiencies; simplifying our service provision and speeding up our response to change."