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Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions (RNM) has announced that BADGE Constructions has been appointed as the builder for a $60 million state-of-the-art munitions facility in Maryborough, Queensland. The announcement is a boon for local business, with up to 100 full-time jobs slated for the Fraser Coast community.
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Onsite works will begin this week for a forging facility that will produce munitions for supply to the Australian Defence Force and for export to allied nations around the world via Rheinmetall’s global supply chain. BADGE estimated local industry content for the project at approximately 70 per cent of the project’s work. A large grant from the federal government has seen $28.5 million committed towards the facility from the Regional Growth Fund.
"It’s exciting to take the next step in this project with the first site works about to commence," said Werner Kraemer, chairman of Rheinmetall NIOA Munitions.
"We opened our Project Office last year in Maryborough in preparation for a facility that we hope will have a long-term positive impact on this region. Regional jobs and the building of sovereign capability are extremely important for RNM."
Robert Nioa, managing director of NIOA and director of RNM, said the component of work to flow to the local region was an important factor when the successful builder was chosen for the project.
“We underlined the importance of local input for this work when we appointed a local in Jeff Crabtree as our project manager. We want to create as many local opportunities as possible and we’re excited to reach this next step,” Nioa said.
He thanked the federal member for Wide Bay Llew O’Brien for his continued support while also acknowledging the contributions of the Queensland state government through its Jobs and Regional Growth Program and the Fraser Coast Regional Council.
BADGE Sunshine Coast manager Andrew Lanskey said the construction firm would bring its commitment to the highest-quality work to this project.
"We are delighted to be appointed to a project that will be so important to its local community," Lanskey said.
"We estimate that, at the peak of construction, we will have 90 workers on site each day, with many coming from the local region."
The forging facility, including an office and warehouse, will be fully operational by 2022 on a four-hectare site. Hyne and Son's timber – grown locally in the region – will be used to construct the office, to reduce the project's carbon footprint.
