Hodgett – US aerospace, defence and technology giant to set up Asia Pacific HQ in Melbourne (Media release) EMBARGOED

· Victorian Coalition Government welcomes announcement that American defence technology services company Exelis will build base in Victoria
· Exelis will establish its Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Melbourne, creating 68 jobs and planning to double its local workforce
· Coalition Government supporting investment in Victoria to create jobs and build a better Victoria

The Victorian Coalition Government has welcomed the news that leading US-based defence, aerospace and technology services company Exelis, is establishing its Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Melbourne.

Exelis’ new St Kilda Road facility is expected to create 68 new jobs in Victoria, with plans for future growth already under way.

Speaking at Exelis’ Washington DC headquarters, Minister for Manufacturing David Hodgett said Exelis is building a new purpose designed facility for R&D, product development and systems integration for both local and export opportunities.

“Exelis’ decision to establish its headquarters in Melbourne is yet another example of Victoria’s attractiveness as a destination of choice for North American companies seeking an Australian base to grow their businesses in the Asia Pacific region,” Mr Hodgett said.

“The Victorian Coalition Government has worked with Exelis to build a case for moving to Victoria and has encouraged the company to choose Melbourne as its headquarters over other interstate and Asia Pacific options.”

Mr Hodgett, on behalf of the Victorian Coalition Government, is currently leading a group of Victoria’s top defence and aerospace companies to showcase their capabilities in the USA, which is the world’s biggest defence and aerospace market.

Exelis CEO and President David Melcher said the company had chosen Victoria due to the depth of its engineering talent pool, strong intellectual property environment, growing market opportunities and the support it has received from the Victorian Coalition Government on both sides of the Pacific Ocean. The company already has an established Melbourne presence through the acquisition of C4i Pty. Ltd. in January 2013.

“The new Exelis regional presence in Australia will further our continued research and development of emerging solutions in the areas of critical networks, electronic warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and analytics for the global aerospace, defence and resource industries,” Mr Melcher said.

“Paired with our more than 40 years of history serving the Australian market, this expansion represents our company’s continued commitment to growing our presence in the Asia Pacific region and our focus on global opportunities.”

Exelis was recently ranked as the top performing US defence company by Aviation Week, in the $1 billion to $5 billion revenue category. It is a leader in engineering and maintaining critical networks and information and technical services, supplying military, government and commercial customers in the United States and globally.

Exelis currently employs about 17,000 people globally with 2013 annual revenue of US$4.8 billion. The company has over 40 years of experience supplying high-technology solutions to the Australian Government.