Helitak Firefighting Equipment, an Australian aerial firefighting tank manufacturer, outlined plans to expand in the United States. The company secured the lease of a 20,000-foot property at Camarillo Airport in California.
This facility, explains Helitak, will mirror the production facilities of its Australian base in Lake Macdonald, Queensland, where the company currently produces a range of tanks. Its external tanks are exported around the world for customers involved in type one, two and three helicopter aerial firefighting operations.
Expansion of the company facilities to in the United States will primarily focus on tanks for the recently FAA-certified FT-11K CH-47 tank, the FT4500 tank for the Sikorsky UH-60, and the soon-to-be-certified in the United States FT-1300 tank suitable for the Airbus H-125/AS-350.
“Continuing to expand has always been a goal for the company, and the recent acquisition of the Camarillo property will greatly expand our capabilities to service our customer base in the United States and Europe,” said Helitak CEO Jason Schellaars.
“Being able to duplicate our production efforts in Australia and double our production capacity with the new facility will greatly improve the delivery time of our tanks to our customers.”
The facility will open in early March and, once fully operational, it will house various production elements of the tank building process, including a cutting station, assembly area, fiberglass shop, design facilities, and office space to accommodate the U.S. expansion.
“Our team has worked incredibly hard for many years servicing our customers in the United States from our Australian headquarters, and although we have had a small facility in California for several years to assist with customer deliveries, installation, and repair, we are looking forward to the expansion in Camarillo to serve our customers better locally,” said Helitak Business Development Manager, Nick Noorman.
