Honeywell aims to create a better local presence

Honeywell is a diverse company with interests in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance materials and technologies, and safety and productivity solutions.

Over the duration of the Avalon Airshow the company made several announcements one of which concerned Rosebank Engineering. Honeywell and Rosebank Engineering signed three agreements to appoint Rosebank Engineering as a Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) Authorised Service Centre for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Wheels and Brakes program in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region.

As the Product Support Provider this will strengthen the sovereign capability of Rosebank Engineering and its ability to deliver on customer requirements.

The establishment of the Honeywell MRO Authorised Service Centre will be exclusive to Rosebank Engineering in the APAC region. This is the first of several F-35 sustainment assignments to be awarded to the company. To meet its agreement, Rosebank Engineering will transition its skilled and experienced defence and aerospace technical staff from current legacy programs into the F-35 Global Support Systems. Rosebank Engineering has a long history of partnering with Honeywell on various Defence platforms and programs.

During the event the company also announced an agreement with BAE Systems Australia to supply aircraft parts and component repair services for 33 Hawk 127 aircraft.

The five-year, non-exclusive agreement will be exercised for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Hawk 127 fleet. It will support the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of the fleet to meet the training requirements of the RAAF’s military modernisation program.

We talked with John Guasto Vice President, Defense and Space International for Honeywell Aerospace who was at the show about the opportunities for engineers with Honeywell.

“We have everything from aerospace products, we have our building technologies, we have our safety equipment and then we have our petrochemicals and they could possibly have everything from chemical and process engineers to electrical and aeronautical engineers,” he said.

“We’re putting a lot of focus around alternative aircraft fuels and so a lot of hydrogen capabilities. And so we see a very large demand for chemical engineers and electrical.”

Mr Guasto said that the company was continuing to look at Australia as a growing market and sees the need for a larger footprint.

In Australia the company is focused on providing systems to manufacturers, he cited as an example the Boeing Loyal Wingman stating that the company is bidding to put content onto that platform and being a “successful partner on that platform is to have Australian development”.

Another focus Mr Guasto described centred around aftermarket support saying that the company sees a need to increase the amount of MRO capability in Australia.

“And as part of doing that, not only does it create jobs for technicians or engineers, depending on the complexity of the part to be able to do those repairs. But there’s also engineering requirements for folks that basically design the sub component,” he said. Engineering resources will be needed locally to support the growing MRO capability.

“And number one is around our auxiliary power units, which is a small engine that used to provide auxiliary power ... It’s basically a mini jet engine,” Mr Guasto explained.

“So, we’ll need a lot of engineering resources to support the repair and overhaul of those components. And then also we have the engines, basically on the Abrams tank and on the Chinook helicopter. And we already do some of the AGT 1500 here locally but we’re looking to do T-55, as well. And so, we will need propulsion engineers and process engineers … It’s really about creating a local presence.”