Six SMEs get capability boost

Six Australian small businesses will boost their competitiveness with the award of the latest tranche of Defence Global Competitiveness Grants.

Laserdyne, Heat Treatment, Acacia Systems, Intellidesign, UNEEK and SMETEC Services will share in $837,000 to invest in building their export capabilities.

Minister for defence industry Melissa Price said: “Supporting the export capability of Australian small-to-medium enterprises strengthens their international competitiveness and drives innovation.

“It allows them to provide cutting-edge and cost-effective capabilities to the Australian Defence Force.”

Metal engineering business UNEEK, based in Dandenong South in Victoria, will receive $216,389 to help prepare it to join the F-35 fighter program and bring more production onshore.

UNEEK specialises in complex metal bending, rolling and welding.

Also part of the F-35 program, Heat Treatment of Brisbane will receive a $131,447 grant to establish a cleaning and assembly facility for the aircraft’s components.

SMETEC Services will use its $208,332 grant to establish an advanced manufacturing facility to process specialised Australian armoured steels and composite products.

Laserdyne of Molendinar near the Gold Coast will receive a grant worth $180,125 to cut lead times to meet increasing global demand.

Laserdyne specialises in lasers, laser rangefinders, electro-optics and microelectronics.

Grants of $40,944 and $59,908 respectively will assist Acacia Systems of Hendon, South Australia and Intellidesign of Seventeen Mile Rocks, Queensland to upgrade their security systems.

The government ammended the grants program last year, increasing the grants’ value and reducing the co-contribution rate for companies.

Picture: Laserdyne

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