In April, Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price announced that Frontline Manufacturing would be awarded an SICP as part of the Land Combat Vehicle and Technology Upgrade Priority.
Specifically, the grant was awarded for the creation of ‘an integrated processing armour plate capability in Australia, supporting Land 400 all the way from the manufacturing phases through to maintenance and future upgrades’.
The grant funds the purchase and commissioning of a 1500 tonne brake press with an automated angle correction system able to accurately bend heavy armour plate.
The company has now confirmed the timeline for installation, commissioning a brake press at a cost of $1.42 million, of which the Commonwealth is contributing 50 per cent. The press, being made by the Belgian company Deratech, is in production and due for installation at Frontline’s Meadowbrook (predominantly) defence manufacturing plant in November 2020.
The grant was awarded to ‘close the loop’ in Frontline’s in-house manufacturing capacity, allowing the company to bend the high cost and complex armour plate which will be required for sovereign manufacture of the CRVs and IFVs under Land 400.
“High tolerance bending has been a key part of Frontline’s internal capabilities for many years through our CNC controlled brake presses," Matthew Ellis, the founder of Frontline and current Special Projects Manager said. "However, the complexity in folding heavy armour plate, and the high cost of error, meant it was not viable for Frontline offer a fabricated armour plate solution without this level of control.
"The Commonwealth’s support in this has been instrumental in us having the integrated fabrication capability – not just at Frontline, but as far as I am aware, in Australia. All of us at Frontline take this responsibility gravely and we will put everything into justifying Defence’s faith shown in us.”