The Prime Minister of Australia, Malcolm Turnbull, visited Quickstep???s Waurn Ponds facility in Victoria, to view the company???s new advanced composites manufacturing operations and to announce the Coalition Government???s commitment to a $20 million Jobs and Investment Package for the Geelong region.
David Marino, CEO and Managing Director of Quickstep said: ???We are delighted to welcome the Prime Minister to our Waurn Ponds facility which is now in production supporting automotive contracts for Ford, Thales and the Korea Institute of Science and Technology. We have also begun collaborative projects with several multinational companies using our patented Qure and resin spray transfer (RST) technologies. Our global R&D centre is making great progress as we invest to raise Qure???s volume production rate.”
Hawkei Light Protected Vehicle
Quickstep has completed the first set of composite parts for Thales Australia???s Hawkei light protected vehicle using RST. Quickstep is the exclusive supplier of Hawkei bonnet, side skirts and mud guards. The company will deliver ten sets of parts – comprising more than 150 individual components – for testing by end-September 2016. Thales Australia will supply 1,100 Hawkei military vehicles and 1,000 trailers for the Australian government.
Ford Falcon XR6 Sprint
Quickstep has now manufactured 325 carbon fibre air intake ducts for the Ford Falcon XR6 Sprint sportscar, and production is ongoing. The Falcon XR6 is the first mass-produced Ford passenger vehicle globally to have a carbon-fibre air intake duct factory-fitted.
Development Projects
Quickstep is engaged in development projects with several tier-1 industry suppliers including two leading vehicle manufacturers, a global aircraft manufacturer, and a French naval shipbuilding company (DCNS). These projects are co-funded by Quickstep and its collaboration partners and expected to lead to niche production contracts.
Waurn Ponds Activity
Quickstep???s automotive division has been supported by a grant of $1.76 million through the Geelong Region Innovation and Investment Fund (GRIIF), an initiative funded by the Federal and Victorian governments and Ford Australia. Relocation of Quickstep???s R&D Centre from Munich to Deakin University???s Waurn Ponds Campus in Geelong was supported by the state government of Victoria’s investment promotion arm, Invest Victoria. Quickstep???s relationship with Deakin University spans many years and is supported by a long-term Strategic R&D and Education Agreement.
Quickstep???s R&D Centre supports industrialisation of the Qure process, which offers significant economic advantages to manufacturers compared to autoclave and oven curing. The process is being improved to facilitate development of Rapid Qure, which will offer a fully automated, high volume manufacturing system for the automotive industry.