Babcock Australasia’s manufacturing and maintenance facility was successfully delivered by the Commercial & General Group from inception through to completion. This project reflects the Group’s unwavering commitment to excellence in the defence sector, allowing this development to strengthen Australia’s national defence capabilities while contributing to our state’s economic growth.
Built on strong partnerships, we are proud to have delivered this state-of-the-art 4,000m² facility which was subsequently expanded to 6,000m² in Stage 2. The project incorporates a custom-built manufacturing workshop and warehouse, high-quality office space, and central town hall-style conference area, with modern amenities such as end-of-trip facilities and outdoor staff areas.
With 200 construction roles and 70,000 hours of on-site work, this achievement reflects the collaborative efforts of our integrated team, delivering tailored development and construction solutions to provide Babcock Australia & New Zealand with a sector-leading facility.
Aligned with Babcock’s Plan Zero 40 roadmap, the facility is designed with enhanced sustainability in mind, with key features including rainwater harvesting, large-scale rooftop solar, all electric plant and equipment, and charging facilities for electric fleet vehicles.
The $45million Defence-accredited precinct is home to more than 100 Babcock engineers and technical experts working across nationally significant Defence programs including:
- Collins Class in-service sustainment and future Life of Type Extension (LOTE) support
- Systems on the Hunter Class Frigates
- Counter Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive (C-CBRNE) asset management and future AUKUS endeavours.
The Woodville North facility features a 4,000m2 custom-built manufacturing workshop and warehouse, equipped with state-of-the-art technology to increase operational throughput, along with an additional 2,000m2 of office space.
The environmentally green building, which replaces Babcock’s operations at Osborne, has been flexibly designed to expand so it can easily cater for the future needs of Australia’s submarine program, along with a broader pipeline of activities, including, for example, the substantial work required to successfully execute AUKUS Pillar 1 and 2.
The opening of the high-tech facility signals a significant uplift in capability for Babcock and its defence operations in South Australia, by providing additional space to engineer, assemble and test equipment under simulated conditions as well as deliver a full suite of high-quality asset management services.
“Commercial & General and their construction division, Tandem, delivered directly against the requirements that we had set out for our our facility. Communication throughout the process between all stakeholders was seamless with any issues resolved via swift discussion and amicable resolution for all parties achieved. The timing, scheduling and planning was excellent making it an enjoyable journey for those involved." Andrew Cridland, CEO Australasia, Babcock International Group
“The expanded facility provides additional space to maximise the production, integration and testing of the new Enhanced Defence High Frequency Communications System before it is transported to each node site.” Andrew Cridland, CEO Australasia, Babcock International Group
“Preparing the infrastructure and skills to support this defence capability is critical, and it relies on strong partnerships such as this one.” “I’ve never seen a project like this start and finish within 13 months of a sod turn. So this is magnificent to see...to be able to now be home to one of the state’s leading defence facilities is a great credit to the C&G team.” Peter Malinauskas, Premier of South Australia
