Leading engineering company opens in Townsville

JCU’s new collaborative agreement with Advanced Technology Testing and Research (ATTAR) will see the Melbourne-based company open its Northern Australian Office at JCU in November.

JCU’s Head of Engineering, Daniel Christie, said the announcement is great news for Townsville and JCU’s engineering students.

“ATTAR’s decision to set up and invest in Townsville is a vote of confidence in this city.

“ATTAR is a niche, high-tech engineering firm that specialises in Non-Destructive Testing and materials science, which will complement JCU’s expertise in the field.

“The collaboration with ATTAR will grow the capabilities of JCU in addition to creating a close connection with industry that will benefit the region,” he said.

Mr Christie said ATTAR will help train mechanical and electrical engineering students at the Townsville campus as a component of their engineering studies.

“The partnership will provide local training and consulting services that would otherwise require travel to the capital cities to obtain. It’s laying the foundation for a more expansive relationship, and I believe, especially given the critical skills shortage in North Queensland, this is just the start for JCU and ATTAR’s collaboration within the region,” he said.

ATTAR CEO, Mr Glenn D’Costa said it’s an exciting development for the business. “We are looking forward to making a solid contribution to the region. The partnership with JCU will enable its students to gain specialist knowledge and skills whilst also facilitating greater local industry engagement. It is all part of our vision to engineer a safer world by sharing our expertise.”

Mr Christie said the collaborative model underpins the philosophy of JCU’s soon to be built Technical Innovation Complex (TIC).

The five level, 10,000m² TIC will be the centrepiece of an innovation hub in which engineering, IT and science students and researchers will learn and work closely together and will also attract more industry partners, generate jobs and retain graduates within the region.

Background:

ATTAR has over 30 years of experience in delivering both Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) training, engineering consulting and specialist materials testing services to Australian and overseas industry.