The Team
When ADI Live Fire Target Systems in Albury decided to sell its manufacturing business, the Manufacturing Manager, David Cooper and partner Wendy Cooper, saw an opportunity and established Milspec Manufacturing Pty Ltd.
ADI sold the intellectual rights for their products to a Swiss company, Polytronic, and the Coopers saw an opportunity to take on the manufacturing capabilities.
It was apparent that ADI was going to see out existing contracts and then close the facility. This would have meant that everyone would lose their jobs, so it was a great opportunity to start afresh.
'ADI was very good to us and the terms of the agreement were second to none as they were keen to see that we got the business up and running. So everyone received a redundancy package and then started anew with a new company.'
The site has operated for over forty years. Mr. Lindsay Knight founded Australasian Training Aids and developed the business into a world-class operation, selling products to more than eighty countries around the world.
Over the years the business has gone through several ownership changes, however its core business has remained the production of computer controlled target systems for marksmanship training.
Now, more than seven years after purchasing ADI's manufacturing facility the company has a substantial team of skilled employees and is looking forward to the future.
Today Milspec Manufacturing is still manufacturing target systems, which are sold through one of its largest customers, Polytronic of Switzerland.
The change of ownership has also brought about a new diversity in both products and customers that the company supports.
David�Cooper said he had been keen to see the company expand its product base for some time but it was not until he bought the company that such a move had become a viable option.
Milspec is accredited to ISO 9002 and expect to be accredited to AS: 9100 by April 2010.