Babcock Australasia (Babcock) has begun exploratory talks with dozens of international stakeholders in a bid to uncover commercial opportunities for its Australian-based supply chain.
Members of Babcock’s dedicated Global Supply Chain team have spent four weeks in the UK and Europe, where they have sought to identify specific export opportunities for Australian SMEs within Babcock’s international operations.
This follows Babcock’s recent selection into the Global Supply Chain Program (GSCP) – a Commonwealth initiative designed to help Australian suppliers access work in global markets, so they can diversify their revenue sources and remain viable through the peaks and troughs of domestic acquisitions.
The program’s 13 member primes work with competitive national suppliers to embed, develop, and scale their solutions so they can compete for international tender and export opportunities. Since its inception in 2007, the GSCP has unlocked $1.9 billion in contracts for more than 250 Australian suppliers.
“We are working across all Babcock business units, in all regions, and at all technological readiness levels to introduce the GSCP and advocate for the inclusion of Australian capability,” Babcock Australasia Global Supply Chain Program Manager Kellie Jenkins said.
“We work alongside these high-performing Australian businesses everyday as part of our inclusive Prime model, so we know the enormous value they bring. We believe we can create more opportunities for them through our global networks, including customers such as the UK Ministry of Defence.”
The Babcock team has also engaged with a number of economic development agencies including Austrade and Team Defence Australia to make strategic connections with Australian businesses already advanced in their pursuit of export opportunities.
The GSCP team joined Team Defence Australia’s delegation to the International Defence Industry and Military Technology Exhibition, MSPO, in Poland earlier this month, where it met with exhibiting Australian suppliers and potential international customers to promote the GSCP. It also discussed how the program may be able to value add to international supply chains through the offerings of Babcock’s Australian supplier base.
“This tour has been invaluable in understanding the needs of our international business and has already resulted in several active leads being pursued by the Babcock GSCP team,” Ms Jenkins said.
“Ultimately, we are all here to support our Australian supplier base and achieve the goals of our government customers. We want to create sustained in-region support to service both Babcock’s global business and visiting international customers so they have continuous access to a vast array of science, technology and engineering disciplines to achieve their outcomes.”
Members of the team will return to Australia this week to attend Land Forces 2024, where they will meet with suppliers in a bid to match local capabilities against global requirements, including innovation and technological advances in automation, repair and maintenances services and marine sustainment and shipbuilding.
Register your interest in joining Babcock’s Global Supply Chain Program: