Focus On Defence Aerospace

Justin Struik, Managing Director of Aerobond, discusses the new opportunities in aviation maintenance and production in a COVID-impacted market.

How has your business been impacted by COVID?

Aerobond was proactive in managing the human and financial resources of the company to ensure we are here for the long haul. We have also been fortunate to have customers that have consciously sought to maintain their supply chain, which has assisted in managing the potential risk of reduced work flow. Furthermore, there has been a shift in competition, with some players exiting the market. This has opened up new business for us and will continue to be a source of growth as the industry re-boots and the specialist skill shortage becomes critical.

You are known for your commercial aviation work. What is your strategy with regards to defence?

Aviation maintenance and production has been the backbone of our business. To support our strategy into the defence sector we have secured ISO 9001:2015 and AS 9100D approval to validate the processes we have long used to support our aviation customers. We are focused on offering prototype development, modifications to current systems and sustainment support to our current and potential defence customers. As an Adelaide-based SME we offer local and national resources to our key defence partners, using our trusted and skilled team, dedicated to delivering not only quality but compliant product, with a strong safety focus.

What role has the DTC played?

The DTC create a proactive networking environment, which enables us to connect with current and potential customers. I would like to take this opportunity to thank them for their tireless commitment to raising the profile of SMEs, which has been made even more difficult during the pandemic.