MELBOURNE, Australia, Sept. 29, 2014 – Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT] has announced it is establishing an Asia Pacific Information Communications Technology (ICT) engineering hub in Melbourne in close partnership with the government of Victoria. The new engineering hub is expected to generate up to 150 new ICT jobs in Lockheed Martin Australia’s operations in Melbourne, more than doubling its current workforce.
The new Asia Pacific ICT engineering hub will be operated by Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems and Global Solutions (IS&GS) business. The facility will be equipped to provide a full 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 cyber security, data management, applications development and larger scale ICT services.
Lockheed Martin IS&GS Vice President for Global Solutions, Anne Mullins, said $8 million will be invested to establish the Asia Pacific ICT engineering hub in a new facility at Clayton, a suburb of Melbourne. “This investment adds to our existing footprint in Dandenong and Glen Waverley, and will accommodate 190 staff primarily servicing ICT systems development. At least 150 of these will be new personnel, doubling our presence in Melbourne and providing high technology jobs to service local customers and capability to expand export opportunities”.
A financial support package from the Victorian Government focused on infrastructure enhancements, training and upskilling was instrumental in supporting the business case for a Victorian location. The support package will be used to assist Lockheed Martin deliver to its expanding workforce world class skills in key global technologies in cyber, mobility and big data. “Following the recent signature of an $800 million contract to transform the ICT environment for the Australian Department of Defence, Victorian staff will play a key role in not only advancing that capability, but also providing support for the customer over the next decade,” said Anne Mullins.
Lockheed Martin Australia and New Zealand Chief Executive, Raydon Gates, said “establishment of the Asia Pacific ICT engineering hub builds on a 20-year history of Lockheed Martin undertaking high technology development work in Victoria. This business has successfully delivered dozens of programs to State and Federal Government organisations and commercial customers since the original contract with the Department of Defence to develop the Jindalee Over-the-Horizon Radar Network (JORN), which remains one of Australia’s largest indigenous technology national security projects.
Lockheed Martin is a global leader in complex ICT systems delivery and support, and has been the largest supplier of ICT services to the U.S. Government for twenty years in succession. At Lockheed Martin Australia’s headquarters in Canberra, the company currently supports demanding ICT requirements for the Australian Tax Office, and operates an Australian Cyber Capabilities demonstration and operations centre.
“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” said Raydon Gates. “This investment in Victoria will not only extend the skill base of our Australian cyber centre, 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.”