Kongsberg speeds construction of manufacturing centre

Kongsberg Defence Australia has accelerated the construction of its $25 million Australian manufacturing headquarters at Technology Park in Mawson Lakes, Adelaide.

The company purchased 6,000m2 of land at Technology Park from stated-owned developer Renewal SA in October 2022, planning to complete the building in stages over a number of years.

However it now sees increasing opportunity in Australia past existing contracts for the Naval Strike Missile capability for Anzac Class Frigates and Hobart Class Destroyers, the CORTEX capability for Protected Mobile Fires and the sustainment of NASAMS Ground Based Air Defence systems and Protector Remote Weapon Systems.

Development of its 2,500m2 manufacturing and office by local company Tandem Building Group has accelerated delivery of the project.

General Manager John Fry said: “Current programmes combined with the nature of the technology transfer from Norway to Australia, has allowed us to commit to building the entire facility and all of its stages.”

Kongsberg is currently co-located with Raytheon Australia at the Centre for Joint Integration in Mawson Lakes because of our role on NASAMS for the Australian Army under Project Land 19 Phase 7B.

“However, the decision was made to invest in a new Kongsberg facility to support existing and future growth opportunities.”

The new standalone facility – which is first in the Asia‐Pacific region for Kongsberg’s Defence business – will support manufacture, assembly, integration, test, training, verification and maintenance, as well as software development and support.

The facility will house Kongsberg’s 30 local team members and has been designed to 150 staff in coming years in roles including systems engineering, mechanical engineering and software engineering.

The facility is expected to welcome employees in the second half of 2024 and is on track to achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum accreditation. If successful, the Kongsberg facility will be the first in Australia to achieve LEED Platinum status for sustainability.

Fry said: “We are hoping to achieve this both through the build and the ongoing management of the facility.

“For example, we’re limiting waste on site and are using a concrete produced with a lower carbon footprint than traditional concrete.

“We are also installing a 99kW solar system; we have maximised the amount of natural light; we’re installing electric vehicle charging stations; and we have reduced our reliance on air conditioning through reticulated environmental controls in the warehouse and heated flooring.”

Picture: Renewal SA