Exelis — a leader in engineering and technical services, critical networks and information maintenance — is establishing its Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Melbourne with the new St Kilda Road facility, expected to create 68 new jobs in Victoria.
According to the media release by the Premier of Victoria, the new research and development, product development and systems integration facility, which is set to open in June, is designed 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,” said Minister for Manufacturing David Hodgett while speaking at Exelis’ Washington DC headquarters.
“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.”
A group of the top defence and aerospace companies are currently in the USA, with Mr Hodgett, showcasing their capabilities in the biggest aerospace market in the world.
“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,” said Exelis CEO and President David Melcher.
“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.”
With over 40 years of experience, Exelis has around 17,000 employees globally and a 2013 annual revenue of US$4.8 billion.
According to the article on Australian Aviation, the company already has an established Melbourne presence through the acquisition of C4i Pty Ltd in January 2013, which makes communications software for various applications including air traffic management.
