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November 12, 2014

NEC Australia to invest $25m into ¾«¶«´«Ã½ region

Leading global technology solutions and services company NEC Australia has today signed an agreement with UOW that will trigger an investment of $25 million in the region and the creation of more than 100 jobs.

The Hon John Ajaka MLC, Minister for the Illawarra and NEC managing director Tetsuro Akagi at UOW's Innovation Campus

will invest approximately $25 million into the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ initiative through a new corporate office at UOW’s and will hire an additional 110 staff to enable new service capabilities to regional NSW.

The investment marks a major boost to existing capabilities and resources dedicated to serving customers in NSW.

NEC managing director Tetsuro Akagi was joined today (12 November) by The Hon John Ajaka MLC, Minister for Ageing, Disability Services and Minister for the Illawarra, as well as representatives from UOW, ¾«¶«´«Ã½ City Council, Illawarra Business Chambers and NSW Trade & Investment for a ceremony to mark the signing of the lease.

“Securing the new NEC Australia office at the Innovation Campus is a great result for the Illawarra – it is expected to bring a whopping 110 jobs to the region,” Mr Ajaka said.

“I’d like to take this opportunity to thank the hard work of the Advantage ¾«¶«´«Ã½ partners for their role in facilitating this investment.

“Advantage ¾«¶«´«Ã½ is a partnership between the NSW Government, UOW and ¾«¶«´«Ã½ City Council which promotes ¾«¶«´«Ã½ as a place to do business and invest, with the aim of creating jobs and bringing investment to the region. The partnership has been running for more than five years and this is a great example of what can be achieved.”

As part of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ launch, NEC Australia has also announced a new partnership with UOW that will include a graduate program to build ICT careers in the region and encourage growth in the sector in regional NSW.

The partnership with UOW strengthens NEC Australia’s integrated approach to enhancing service capabilities while developing skills in regional Australia to support the industry’s continued growth.

The addition of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ site to existing offices in NSW offers NEC Australia the foundation to deliver services for new and existing customers in regional NSW while directly delivering jobs growth to the area.

NEC Australia NSW State Manager Peter Boyd said: “This is one of our largest investments in NSW and gives us the space to add significant numbers of new permanent jobs in regional NSW.

“We’ve already created hundreds of new jobs to support our continued growth in South Australia and the Northern Territory and with the addition of ¾«¶«´«Ã½, NSW is now on the same trajectory in terms of new jobs and investments.”

Since 2008, has worked together to facilitate more than 70 business attraction and expansion projects, creating thousands of jobs and bringing millions of dollars of investment to the region.

“Securing the global technology firm NEC is a major boost for the region and the state of NSW and we welcome their investment,” UOW Corporate Relations Director Craig Peden said.

“By moving into UOW’s Innovation Campus NEC will not only be part of a dedicated research, development and business precinct, they will have the opportunity to recruit UOW’s world-class ICT graduates and collaborate with leading researchers. At the same time current and future students have increasingly exciting career prospects right here in ¾«¶«´«Ã½."

“The unique combination of state-of-the-art real estate, access to talent by way of UOW’s student and graduate pool and the wonderful business and lifestyle benefits of a ¾«¶«´«Ã½ location makes for a very compelling business case for the Innovation Campus as a business destination of choice.”

UOW is one of Australia’s largest information and communications technology institutes with more than 2500 students enrolled in 2013.

Graduates enjoy the enviable position of achieving one of the highest employment rates nationally, along with typically higher starting salaries compared to graduates from other institutions.

Through the strategic partnership with UOW, NEC can provide a wide range of solutions to current and future customers that extends beyond ICT contracted services. NEC will look to bring global capabilities to the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ region by introducing its advanced innovation programs being led out of Japan.

¾«¶«´«Ã½ City Lord Mayor Councillor Gordon Bradbery OAM said this was good news further cementing the city’s growing role in providing an innovative and welcoming city for information technology and communications staff.

“We have one of Australia’s foremost research and commercial precincts, the ¾«¶«´«Ã½ of ¾«¶«´«Ã½’s Innovation Campus. The decision by NEC to house their IT staff in this campus will bring dividends for the company as well as for our city.

“Situated just one hour south of Sydney the Innovation Campus offers a perfect opportunity for organisations that require a centre for innovation and research excellence in high quality and modern offices. Let me also congratulate Advantage ¾«¶«´«Ã½ which has been liaising with NEC on the best solution for their IT services.”

Media contact
Grant Reynolds, UOW Media & PR Officer on +61 417 010 350 or grantr@uow.edu.au. Enquiries about NEC should be directed Kara Jecks, Max Australia, on +61 433 033 135 or kara.jecks@maxaustralia.com.au.

About NEC Australia
NEC Australia is a leading technology company, delivering a complete portfolio of ICT solutions and services to large enterprise, small business and government organisations. We deliver innovative solutions to help customers gain greater business value from their technology investments.

NEC Australia specialises in information and communications technology solutions and services in multi-vendor environments. Solutions and services include: IT applications and solutions development, unified communications, complex communications solutions, network solutions, display solutions, biometrics, research and development services, systems integration and professional, technical and managed services. For more information, visit NEC Australia at .