The cancelled French submarine program didn’t just dampen relationships between Australia and France, it also left some Australian companies with a sunken feeling. Companies like Australian Welding Solutions or AWS.

AWS secured the contract to train the welders for the now defunct submarine program. A contract that would have seen the company’s reputation rise to significant heights if the program had gone ahead. However, AWS’s Managing Director Neville Cornish says AWS has now moved on and are looking at the positives.

AWS Won the Contract Welder training

“The fact is that we did secure the contract to train welding supervisors, welding trainers and welders,” Mr Cornish says. “We demonstrated to the French and the Australians that we were the best company to train welding personnel for the technically advanced project. “We won the contact despite much of our competition being government funded, not for profits and other leading welding companies.”

The excitement of finally winning the project after an extensive bidding program was of course, dashed. In fact, AWS was just two weeks into the initial two-year program when the contract was cancelled. “It was a bit of a kick in the guts, of course, but we know there are a lot of positives to take from the experience,” Mr Cornish adds.

The most advanced and complex welding project Australia had ever seen

“This would have been the most advanced and complex welding project Australia had ever seen and we were given the responsibility to undertake the work. Had the project gone ahead, AWS’s reputation for delivering globally recognised, highly technical welding training would have skyrocketed.

“The project won’t go ahead, but the reasons AWS won the contract in the first place have not diminished. We are still the best welding training providers in Adelaide and across Australia.  “We may not have received the plaudits or financial reward the contract would have provided, but our reputation and professionalism still stands.”

Australian Businesses have been impacted

100’s of Australian Businesses have been impacted by the sudden cancellation of the Naval Group project.
Michael Slattery’s LinkedIn post provides more evidence of this cancellation’s impact

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Neville Cornish

Neville Cornish established Australian Welding Solutions in 2006, after he recognised a need for quality control and technical compliance in welding and inspection industries. From humble beginnings, AWS has grown into a company that operates in Australia and overseas. As well as welding training, AWS also provides welding engineering and welding inspection services.