Thales Australia CEO Chris Jenkins and Cablex CEO Michael Zimmer today signed the contract for the delivery of electrical harnesses for Thales’s Hawkei Protected Mobility Vehicle-Light at the Pacific 2017 conference in Sydney.
The contract marks the beginning of a long term relationship that will create 40 new full time jobs and sustain 10 at Cablex’s facility at Bentleigh East in Victoria over the life of the project.
Chris Jenkins said the contract represents Thales’s confidence in Australian SME enterprises and their ability to deliver world class products that contribute to our sovereign defence industry capability.
“At the beginning of the Hawkei process we identified suppliers that could meet very specific quality, cost and technical requirements. We wanted SMEs like Cablex that could contribute design and manufacturing expertise, rather than just parts.”
“Cablex has been a long term partner on Hawkei and I delighted to sign this contract,” he added.
Cablex CEO, Michael Zimmer said he is extremely motivated by the opportunity to further develop the relationship with Thales on the Hawkei program and looks forward to supporting the delivery of a great capability for operational users in Australian and abroad.
In October 2015 Thales Australia signed a contract with Defence to supply 1,100 Hawkei light protected mobility vehicles, and is now preparing for low-rate production.