Login
iscover
Australian manufacturer of advanced carbon fibre composites Quickstep Holdings has announced it will be a supplier for Lockheed Martin’s new LM-100J commercial freighter.
To continue reading the rest of this article, please log in.
Create free account to get unlimited news articles and more!
The LM-100J commercial freighter recently made its global debut at the 2017 Paris Air Show. It is based on the C-130J Super Hercules military tactical airlifter and is expected to deliver the proven workhorse capabilities of its military counterpart.
Speaking from the Paris Air Show at Paris-Le Bourget Airport in France, Quickstep’s recently appointed chief executive and managing director Mark Burgess said, "The Quickstep team is extremely proud to be the supplier of wing flaps for the LM-100J in addition to the C-130J military version of this aircraft. The introduction of the LM-100J signifies a new chapter in Hercules operations and we are proud to be a part of this new platform that will truly change the commercial freighter marketplace."
Burgess, who joined the Quickstep team in May, said he is excited about the company's future within the aerospace industry.
"I am genuinely excited about Quickstep’s future. We are generating positive cash flow from our aerospace operations and, having concluded a significant capital expenditure program at Bankstown, are successfully supporting very significant increases in Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) production volumes with existing funds that meet our ongoing working capital requirements," he said.
"Quickstep has a number of additional activities underway beyond our core aerospace growth. We will invest substantially in business development to leverage our value proposition more effectively in both aerospace and new technology. Whilst growth remains our priority, our business will also be focusing more clearly on costs and returns.
"We expect to implement a series of actions to deliver efficiencies over the coming months. This will improve productivity and cash flow, and accelerate group profitability. The outlook for Quickstep is strong, and we anticipate improved efficiency from our growing JSF production program. In addition, we have opportunities to deliver incremental growth across the portfolio."
Quickstep operates from state-of-the-art aerospace manufacturing facilities at Bankstown Airport in Sydney, NSW; a recently established site for the advanced manufacturing of composite parts and R&D/process development centre in Waurn Ponds, Victoria; and a development and customer support operation in Munich, Germany.
