WEW, a THIELMANN company, signed a teaming agreement with Australia’s Global Defence Solutions (GDS) at Eurosatory in Paris on 13 June 2018.

The long-term agreement brings together the expertise of two leaders in their respective fields to offer joint solutions for the global defence logistics support market.

GDS has been a trusted partner to the Australian Defence Force since 1998, providing a range of multipurpose shelter solutions, ranging from kitchens to operating theatres, and through life support. The companies will combine this expertise with WEW’s proven water and fuel container systems to provide complete logistics support solutions for emerging requirements in the Australian, European and defence export markets.

Components will be supplied by WEW to GDS’s facility in Nowra, New South Wales, where they will be integrated into complete base camp infrastructure solutions.

The agreement will see a two-way transfer of technology between the two companies. WEW will benefit from novel approaches to expandable shelter technology being pioneered by GDS, in order to target emerging military camp requirements in Europe and beyond. GDS will gain valuable know-how from the world’s leading fuel and water container systems solutions provider, to the wider benefit of the Australian defence industry and supporting the Australian government’s goals to grow defence exports.

“We are very happy to sign this agreement, as it really brings together two leaders in our respective fields to meet the needs of the global logistics market,” Bjoern Stolz, Managing Director of WEW said. “As our fuel and water systems are already deployed with military forces worldwide, we have taken the risk out of the equation for our Australian SME partner.

“This will be the first move into the Asia-Pacific region for WEW, and is in line with
THIELMANN’s globally expanding footprint. We look forward to developing this relationship for the long term and bringing our joint European-Australian expertise to the market.”

“For GDS this teaming agreement is an opportunity to get in at the ground floor to support the world’s armed forces with end-to-end camp logistics solutions,” Laurie Koster, Director, GDS, said. “Not only will the transfer of technology inject valuable know-how into the Australian defence industry, it means new skilled jobs at our Nowra site and a chance to boost exports and send Australian technology out into the export market.”