Spotlight on SAGE.

SAGE Group has been shortlisted as a finalist in two categories, in the Australian Defence Industry Awards 2019.

The inaugural award recognises Australia’s top defence industry professionals and businesses, with SAGE nominated for ‘Manufacturer of the Year’ and ‘Defence Innovator of the Year’ for its contribution to the defence industry.

“This is fantastic recognition and really cements SAGE as a trusted, innovative ‘end-to-end’ defence supplier,” said SAGE Group’s National Defence Manager Paul Johnson.

It’s the first such awards program of its kind, designed to recognise leading professionals and businesses, rather than products and platforms, and is open to all industry stakeholders regardless of size or revenue - from primes to SMEs.

SAGE was chosen as a finalist for its work in 2018, during which time it implemented an Industry 4.0 Digitalisation Program. This program included a range of initiatives designed to transform the company into an innovative Industry 4.0 manufacturer.

This has had a profound effect on the business, allowing SAGE to produce a greater volume of work for the defence industry; faster and with better accuracy. As a result, SAGE has been able to defy the widespread challenges facing many Australian manufacturers, by continuing to manufacture high-quality components from within Australia, and even growing its team as a result.

In addition, SAGE undertook numerous large-scale defence projects throughout 2018, including a $2.8 million dollar contract to manufacture IPMS control panels for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Auxiliary Oiler Replenishment Ships (AOR). It also signed a major Through Life Support (TSL) agreement with Detegasa.

SAGE CEO Adrian Fahey said the company’s defence sector was thriving, with it now accounting for ten per cent of the company’s total revenue, and growing.

“With the Future Frigate and Future Submarine programs now rolling out, we hope to further increase our contribution in this sector and continue growing our defence and manufacturing teams,” he said.

Winners will be announced at a special event at the Australian Institute of Sport, ACT, in September.

You can view the full list of finalists and awards categories here.

To learn more about our work in defence, read our case study about how we upskilled the Royal Australian Navy in PLC: