Sunshine Coast business HeliMods has been awarded $150,000 by the Federal Government to help it expand overseas and create new jobs of the future here on the Sunshine Coast.
Announcing the grant during a visit to HeliMods this morning, Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace congratulated managing director Will Shrapnel and his team on this important next step in building a global success story. “The fantastic skills and ideas that the team at HeliMods already have make them true leaders in their field, not only in Australia but worldwide,” Mr Wallace said.
“But as a young business here on the Coast, HeliMods needs bigger and better equipment to help turn their great ideas into globally competitive products. This new federally funded equipment will allow the company to compete even more effectively on an international stage and pursue new opportunities in international markets.”
“By investing in local businesses like HeliMods, we are growing our local defence industry to create more jobs of the future and opportunities for our young people.”
The funding, delivered under the Defence Global Competitiveness Grant program, has allowed HeliMods to purchase, install and calibrate a Vertical Machining Centre at their facility at Caloundra Aerodrome. This equipment will deliver new large-format machining capability and allow HeliMods to create the high-quality products that overseas buyers need faster, cheaper and more reliably.
Helimods founder and managing director Will Shrapnel said the technology would allow the business to manufacture more complex, larger-scale aerospace products, such as complete replacement utility floors for helicopters. “We have already realised significant value from the machine, including a recent project where we produced and delivered large components for the Australian Defence Forces’s cargo helicopter, the CH-47 Chinook,” Mr Shrapnel said.
