Rolls-Royce expands Marand partnership, opens Canberra headquarters

Rolls-Royce has announced it is expanding its partnership with Marand Precision Engineering into a new export venture, supplying naval gas turbine propulsion packages to the Type 26 Global Combat Ship programme. Alongside this, Rolls-Royce has opened a new regional Defence Headquarters in Canberra, Australia, the company said. 

Following a competitive international tender, Rolls-Royce selected Marand to build three additional gas turbine acoustic enclosures and corresponding ship interface systems for the Type 26 programme. Marand will manufacture and assemble the enclosures at its Melbourne facility and supply them to Rolls-Royce.

This builds on an existing contract under which Marand supplies the same systems for the Commonwealth of Australia’s Hunter-class Frigate Programme, and the completed propulsion packages are delivered to the shipbuilder, BAE Systems Australia. Rolls-Royce supplies the MT30 gas turbines under both contracts, while mtu power generation solutions also support the Hunter-class programme as part of Rolls-Royce’s broader naval power and propulsion portfolio, Rolls-Royce said.

“This is a transformative step in our partnership with Marand Precision Engineering,” Alex Zino, Defence Director of Business Development and Future Programmes, UK and International, Rolls-Royce, said. “Marand was selected from an international field, a testament to the quality of Australian engineering, and it underscores our commitment to bolster Australia's sovereign capability.”  

“It is a privilege for our team to manufacture and assemble the gas turbine acoustic enclosure and ship interface systems for Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems Australia and ultimately for the Commonwealth,” Rohan Stocker, CEO of ASDAM Group and Marand, said. “The partnership with Rolls-Royce has been an opportunity to learn from, and deliver an outstanding product with, a global leader in Defence Engineering.”

The new, dedicated defence headquarters will serve as the strategic hub for Rolls-Royce Defence Pacific Rim operations, servicing markets across Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, the company said. 

“Establishing our regional Defence headquarters in Canberra is a critical step forward for Rolls-Royce in the Pacific Rim. While we have long maintained a strong footprint in Australia, this permanent base brings us closer to the heart of the Australian Government and Australian Defence Force leadership,” Thijs Miedema, Senior Vice President for Defence Pacific Rim, Rolls-Royce, said. “It ensures we can provide immediate, collaborative engagement to better support the vital programmes that safeguard Australia and our regional partners.”