Defence industry gearing supplier David Brown Santasalo (DB Santasolo) will support BAE Systems Australia in its Global Combat Ship tender for the Commonwealth's Sea 5000 Future Frigate Program.
The manufacturer of main propulsion gearboxes for the Royal Navy's Type 26 ASW frigate, upon which the Global Combat Ship design is based, has had a significant presence in Australia, acquiring key engineering heritage brands Richardson Gears, Sonnderdale and John Welsh several decades ago.
The supplier is a leader in mechanical power transmissions for assurance critical applications in the mining, power generation, oil and gas, land and naval defence industries and operates from a manufacturing centre in Bulli and three service centres in Mackay, Melbourne and Perth.
DB Santosolo MD Australia Dean Leydecker said the company of 52 employees would maximise local Australian industry participation in its support offering and added that more than 50 per cent of its existing supply chain is already based here.
“David Brown Santasalo has operated in Australia for more than eight decades and has provided gearing products and services to a multitude of customers, from local process industry SMEs to multinational corporations. We are excited to support BAE Systems with their Global Combat Ship-Australia (GCS-A) offering as it represents significant opportunities for local industry development and employment for our future generations.”
With the downturn in the mining sector, the company faced a tough transition period in recent years as it sought to diversify further into other industries. In 2013, the manufacturing centre in Bulli was forced to offer voluntary redundancies to workers as it shifted its business model.