Defence State lives up to its name with growing investment and job opportunities

Axiom Precision Manufacturing’s expanding defence portfolio has led to rapid growth over the past six years – with more to come.

With more than 20 years of experience in delivering projects, South Australia has earned its moniker as the Defence State. Now home to seven of the world’s top 10 defence businesses – operating across the maritime, aerospace, land, systems and cyber landscapes – the state is leading the way in delivering a world-class defence portfolio.

At Axiom Precision Manufacturing, a family-owned business based in Wingfield, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, defence contracts have generated rapid growth over the past six years. “In 2015 when I started at Axiom, we had about 40 staff and our work was about 60 per cent automotive,” general manager Craig Maynard says. “We are now probably 90 per cent defence work and have grown our workforce to around 68 staff.”

The business specialises in precision machining of metal and composite parts, and also offers electromechanical assembly. Its defence activities cross all platforms, including the Joint Strike Fighter (F35s), Collins submarines and LAND-19, a ground-based surface-to-air missile system with beyond-visual-range capability developed for the Australian Army.

And it’s only the beginning. “The defence sector has grown but not yet to the extent we’re anticipating with the big programs still to come along,” Maynard says. “We’re seeing more Australian suppliers and manufacturers used than in the past but I think the real growth will come in the next couple of years.”

Craig Maynard, general manager of Axiom Precision Manufacturing. Picture: Kelly Barnes

That growth has seen Axiom expand its manufacturing space from 2000sqm to 10,000sqm, creating new opportunities for South Australians to start a career pathway in defence. “We’re looking at hiring new staff and have a high focus on apprentices,” Maynard says. “We currently have nine apprentices and are looking to grow that to 20 over the next year or so, with the aim of putting on a minimum of four new apprentices every year.”

Engineering and mechanical apprenticeships are available, with a future focus on fabrication to support Axiom in growing its manufacturing capabilities.

“CNC programmers and operators are the main area we are training our apprentices in but within Axiom there is a range of career opportunities,” Maynard says. “It could be in the inspection area, the manual area doing assemblies, the project office, quoting, management or quality control.

“We promote from within. We have a previous apprentice who now runs the quoting area, another is running our BAE machining area. I did my apprenticeship with Axiom, as did the operations manager and the person who runs the workshop, so there are all sorts of opportunities to grow.

“You just have to be the right cultural fit and have a positive attitude and a passion for the industry. Good maths skills help but more important is a good work ethic and the right attitude of wanting to work and grow your own abilities. Because we can teach the skills but we can’t teach the attitude and work ethic, so that’s the real focus for us.”