Victorian State Parliamentary Secretary for Industry and Employment Vicki Ward visited Lovitt Technologies Australia in December to meet workers and to see the progress in the company’s $1.5m capability expansion project under the Future Industries Manufacturing Program.
The Montmorency-based aerospace and defence company has been able to win lucrative global contracts and create new local jobs thanks to support from the State Government. As part of the Future Industries Manufacturing Program, Lovitt Technologies has taken on five new workers and acquired advanced manufacturing technology, including a next-generation computer to create precision aerospace components. The cutting edge technology has allowed the company to extend and secure major new contracts with clients in the aerospace industry such as Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
Lovitt Technologies was established in 1954 to manufacture tooling for Australia’s automotive industry. Over the ensuing six decades it has evolved continuously, anticipating the eventual decline of Australian car-making and acting decisively by branching into fields as diverse as communications, defence and food & beverages. Primarily, however, the company has developed a strong niche in the field of aerospace over the last 20 years. Today, aerospace components account for around 95% of the company’s business.
In the commercial aviation sector, the company is a key supplier to Boeing, manufacturing parts of the trailing edge for the most technically advanced commercial aircraft in the world – the Boeing 787 ‘Dreamliner’. It also produces components for the 747 and 737 airliners. It also supplies some components for smaller commercial aircraft such as the Gulfstream private jet.
In the defence space, the company supplies the floor structure, bulkheads and the engine mounts for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II joint strike fighter (JSF), as well as parts for the Boeing F/A-18 Hornet and F15 Eagle fighter jets, the V-22 Osprey V/STOL military transport aircraft, P-8 Poseidon and the CH-47 Chinook helicopter.
From its manufacturing facility in Montmorency, Lovitt Technologies produces a diverse range of complex structures, working primarily in aluminium and titanium – metals that are vital in aerospace applications owing to their lightweight properties. The company specialises in machining highly intricate components, with an emphasis on diagonal lines and slanted planes – characteristics that instil a greater degree of strength in a component than simple right angles would.
Supporting the Victorian economy
Transport, defence and construction technologies are a priority sector under the Future Industries Fund, which supports high-growth industry sectors that are critical to the Victorian economy. The State Government has committed over $100m in manufacturing support, which has created more than 3,000 jobs resulting in $939m in private investment.
“Our support for Lovitt Technologies has taken them to the world stage – creating jobs for locals and boosting our credentials as a world-leader in manufacturing,” said Ward. “The company has grown in recent years, creating more jobs for Victorians and boosting our manufacturing sector.”