Canberra, Australia (Nov. 18, 2022)

Through Raytheon Australia’s Capability Plus program, experts across the company have dedicated more than 10,000 hours sharing knowledge and building capability with local small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). This collaborative effort is focused on building sovereign capabilities for Australia’s defence and creating opportunities for real work for SMEs by enhancing their capability to support defence programs.

Capability Plus is a dedicated SME capability enhancement program, launched in April 2021 with the aim of building and nurturing Australian SMEs through tailored activities that meet SME requirements and objectives, including training and mentoring activities. This includes a focus on:
 

• Leadership development.
• Understanding of the ASDEFCON contracting framework.
• Engineering and program management.
• Quality and ISO certification.
• Marketing and communications.
• Cybersecurity support.
• Global trade compliance.
• Knowledge transfer (including access to Raytheon Australia’s Global Supply Chain Program).

“Our unique Capability Plus program is focused on helping local SMEs tap into the depth and breadth of expertise that we have heavily invested in developing here in Australia over the past two decades.” Said Michael Ward, managing director, Raytheon Australia. “Through the more than 10,000 hours that we have already invested in this tailor-made program in its first 18 months, we are proud to be building a foundation of sovereign defence knowledge and know-how across the broader defence ecosystem – aimed at supporting the Australian Defence Force as they realise the full operational capability of their assets.

“Our Capability Plus program has also generated meaningful and sustained current work for local industry,” he said. “As a trusted capability partner to the ADF, we have actively engaged with our SME partners to collaborate on major defence programs, such as LAND 19 Phase7B, JP 9347 and the Collins class submarines – delivering tangible business benefits for these companies.”

In addition to providing training and mentoring, the Capability Plus program also offers SMEs the opportunity to work alongside Raytheon Australia at the company’s state-of-the-art facilities. This approach has resulted in Capability Plus participant Daronmont basing a team of employees at Raytheon Australia’s Centre for Joint Integration in Adelaide to work on the LAND19 Phase 7B program.

“Daronmont derives tremendous value through participation in Raytheon Australia's Capability Plus program,” said Lee Stanley, Daronmont Technologies business development manager. “We have benefitted directly through access to Raytheon Australia business specialists for advice as well as professional development opportunities for engineers, program managers and emerging leaders in our business. In addition to these tangible Capability Plus outcomes, Daronmont has developed a closer, more transparent and strategic relationship with Raytheon Australia that is proving advantageous in a number of important Defence business opportunities we are teaming to pursue.”

In 2023, Raytheon Australia will build on the 10,000 hours of investment that has been made in the Capability Plus program, by expanding this initiative to include even more SME participants and enhance the value to participants. These companies will leverage access to experts across Raytheon Australia and Capability Plus alumni aimed at generating business outcomes through mentoring, training, access to facilities and skills transfer.

Current Capability Plus participants include Daronmont, Calytrix, archTIS, Coherics, AOS, Frontline Manufacturing, Plexsys, HEO Robotics, JEDS, Redarc, Silentium Defence and Willyama.

About Raytheon Australia

Raytheon Australia is a capability partner for Australia’s Defence, delivering whole-of-life solutions to the ADF. Since its establishment in 1999, Raytheon Australia has committed to developing a truly sovereign workforce and comprehensive defence capability for Australia, with a team of 1,500 employees delivering high-tech capability spanning across all domains. Raytheon Australia is a full subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies Corporation, an aerospace and defence company providing advanced systems and services for commercial, military and government customers worldwide. The Company formed in 2020 through the combination of Raytheon Company and the United Technologies Corporation aerospace business.