Global Defence Solutions - proudly Shoalhaven
Nowra’s Global Defence Solutions is a 100% Australian owned company that builds and supplies mobile field shelters for Australian Defence.
Formed in 1998, the company provides Defence, as well as other government agencies and industry, with a range of deployable buildings to be used in the field as hospitals, kitchens, operations centres and accommodation. It also supplies air-conditioning and generators in the field.
Marketing Director and business partner Fran Koster said Global Defence Solutions (GDS) supplied systems to the specifications of the customer to deliver a bespoke solution to whatever was required.
The deployable shelters are available as soft-sided tent structures, or a tailored containerised system that links together.
Fran said the shelters were environmentally controlled, and therefore equally suitable for hot or cold conditions.
“The container is protected from all the elements, whether it be wind, dirt, dust and the weather and can take as little as 20 minutes to set up a container with everything inside for a hospital or a kitchen,” she said.
GDS supplies and maintains the systems both in Australia and overseas.
“There are a few companies that do this, but we are the only 100% Australian owned company that builds and supplies shelters to the Defence Force” Fran said.
GDS is the Australian supplier and maintenance support for Swedish company, Dantherm Air Conditioners, which provides transportable environmental control units, developed primarily to provide air conditioning in temporary or transportable buildings, and tents.
Another innovative service offered by GDS is Liquid Repellent Technology (LRT), which, as the name suggests, delivers liquid repellency to products including electronics, lenses, hard surfaced equipment, fabrics and footwear.The liquid repellent nano-coating is physically bonded at a molecular level, so that it provides long-lasting protection, increasing product life and reliability.
GDS is currently testing the product on various equipment for military use, but says the technology offers great benefits for other emergency organisations such as State Emergency Service, police and firefighters.
While the Shoalhaven’s thriving defence support industry made the region an obvious base for GDS, the real reason Fran and her husband Laurie settled in Nowra was simple.
“We loved the area so we started the business down here - it’s as easy as that,” she said.
“It’s only a couple of hours to Defence offices in Sydney or Canberra and we have access to all the skills we need in the Shoalhaven.”
Fran said the Shoalhaven Defence Industry Group had been invaluable in bringing defence industries together to talk about how businesses could support each other, and how to develop the industry going forward.
“We want to assist the local industry and local people - we want the best for people in the area.
“We want to bring in young folk, new folk and engage women to be more involved in the industry. Thirty per cent of our staff are women and we employ graduates, trainees and unskilled labourers - we cover all bases.
“We love living in the Shoalhaven and want the same opportunities to be available to all other people in the area.”
Contact: Fran and Laurie Koster
Phone: +61 2 4423 7959
Email: info@globaldefence.com
Website: www.globaldefence.com
