News Review: Taylor Bros wins AWD hotel hardware contract | ADM Oct 2009

The contract will create 20 new jobs for the company over the life of the deal.

The company, based at Derwent Park near Hobart, will cabin and sanitary modules, on-board furniture and galley, pantry and scullery equipment.

The firm already has a long track record of supplying these items and other interior fitout services for commercial ferries, Antarctic re-supply vessels and offshore oil and gas platforms.

It also carries out ship refits and repairs.

"Taylor Bros were established in 1936 and has a long and successful history of working with both domestic and international marine-based industries," according to Greg Combet, Minister for Defence Personnel, Materiel and Science.

"It has won this contract in a highly competitive tender process again demonstrating that Australian companies can win crucial work in the AWDs, in this case supplying the accommodation in which our sailors will live and work,"
Combet said.

"Australian industry content in the contract is valued at about 70 per cent."

Construction of the ships' blocks which will make up the three air warfare destroyers will take place in Victoria, NSW and South Australia with the ships then being assembled at Osborne in South Australia.

Craning over
Combet has also announced that the AWD Alliance has signed a contract for the provision of what will be Australia's biggest crane.

"The crane with a capacity of more than 900 tonnes will be supplied by Manitowoc Crane Group Australia at a cost in the region of $14 million.

At ASC's shipyard in Adelaide the crane will be used to assemble the ships, bringing together the blocks which will make up the AWDs.

The blocks will measure up to 18 metres wide and weigh up to 250 tonnes.

"These two announcements show that the AWD project remains on track to deliver the first AWD in 2014," Mr Combet said.