Under the partnership, the companies are expected to collaborate to build a stronger sovereign supply chain by identifying synergies and local businesses that can support the respective companies, while advancing broader interests regarding the Australia-Korea relationship.
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To achieve this, the companies have agreed to engage one another throughout a number of workshops with the hope of finding synergies between their supply chains and sharing critical industry insights.
On the agenda at the workshops will be identifying Australian businesses that can support the respective companies across manufacturing, project delivery and through-life support to achieve scalability while enhancing the Australia-Korea relationship. The companies then hope to facilitate introductions with one another, and undertake uplift initiatives for the businesses including skilling and workforce development.
“Downer has a proud history of delivering local industry participation in Australia, and we are excited by the opportunity to broaden our capability and deepen our relationship with Korean industry partners in Hyundai Rotem and Hanwha Defense Australia,” Grant Fenn, chief executive of Downer Group, said.
The move was applauded by Il Yeon Cho, managing director of Hyundai Rotem in Australia.
“We’ve watched Hanwha Defense Australia’s activity in the Australian market and we’ve been impressed by what they have achieved in the past couple of years. We are fortunate to be able to leverage their recent and highly relevant experiences in the Defence market place to support our teams and our projects,” Cho said.
Richard Cho, managing director of HDA explained that building a resilient supply chain was critical for the company’s support of the Australian Defence Force.
“One of Hanwha’s objectives for Australia is to develop a resilient and competitive supply chain that is there to support us and our key customer, the Australian Defence Force, over the decades to come. To expose our supply chain to opportunities in other sectors, and to facilitate adjacent business opportunities and continued collaboration with Korean industry, enables us to deliver on this objective,” he explained.
[Related: Downer wins airfield works contract]