South Australian-based company Cold Logic has signed an agreement with UK naval refrigeration supplier company Ernest West & Beynon to supply cooling equipment to the Australian Navy.

The new partnership will see the Adelaide refrigeration specialist become a local supplier for Ernest West & Beynon on Australia’s Hunter class frigates, to be built in South Australia from 2020 by BAE Australia.  

Ernest West & Beynon is currently supplying the provision cooling systems for BAE Systems UK Type 26 class, which is the baseline design for Australia’s Hunter class frigates.

Cold Logic managing director and founder Jeff Cannan says the deal will enable local support for the full life cycle of the equipment and boost Australian industry content on the naval shipbuilding project.   

“Through our agreement, we feel that we can ensure the design and manufacture of this project will not only have maximum Australian content and are compliant with additional in-country directives by the ADF,” Cannan says.  

“It will also provide BAE Systems Australia along with the Commonwealth of Australia confidence that the integration process will be as smooth as is possible.”

Cold Logic has years of experience in providing refrigeration applications in a broad range of industries and currently provides state-of-the-art upgrades to cooling equipment for the Australian Navy’s Collins Class submarines

Dr Michael Riese, Head of Cold Logic Defence Division says the company specialises in complex systems that need to have high energy efficiency and were reliable and easily

“We understand that the supply and install of the new systems on the Hunter class frigates are only the first step, but this will then be followed by decades of operation and maintenance and we want to ensure that this is cost effective as possible,” says Riese.

Ernest West & Beynon operations director David Vos says strong synergies between the two companies will ensure a smooth knowledge transfer ahead of the start of construction on Australia’s Hunter class frigates.

“It is important to us that we have an in-country partner that understands us and our equipment design strategies,” says Vos. 

“Knowledge transfer is one of the critical items of bringing the Type 26 design to Australia and ensuring that the build-up of sovereign capability and Australianisation of the design is linked to a minimisation of additional costs.”