CANBERRA, Australia, June 29 (UPI) -- Northrop Grumman has signed a deal with Australia to identify opportunities for Australian industry to compete within the company's global supply chain.
The Global Supply Chain deed is part of the GSC program designed to assist entry by the Australian defense industry into global supply chains of multinational primes and will provide the mechanism that will enable the Australian government to fund Northrop Grumman to assist smaller Australian companies to compete for work within the corporation.
"Northrop Grumman recognizes that small and medium enterprises, or SMEs, face challenges in gaining access to the global supply chains of multinational corporations," said Wes Bush, chief executive officer and president. "The Australian government's innovative approach ensures opportunities for SMEs to compete globally while giving prime manufacturers greater visibility into the talents and capabilities of innovative Australian companies."
The global supply chain deed concept was outlined in the Australian Government's 2010 Defense Industry Policy Statement and is, in part, in response to the continued globalization of the defense industry.
"International collaboration is very important and we are looking forward to assisting with this important initiative," Bush said. "We plan to work closely with the Australian Department of Defense to identify opportunities for Australian companies."
