The Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), in conjunction with Engineers Australia and the Australian Society for Defence Engineering (ASDE), is holding an Engineering Conference at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, 2 Clarendon Street, South Wharf on Tuesday 7th to Wednesday 8th of August, 2012.  As part of this conference, we dedicate a day to involve both DMO and valued Industry members of the Defence engineering community (known as Defence and Industry Engineering Team day – DIET day) to share their knowledge, experiences and lessons. As a pre-conference activity, delegates and presenters are also invited to tour the Land Engineering Agency’s (LEA) test facilities and vehicle proving ground at Monegeetta Victoria on the afternoon of Monday 06 August 2012. The tour will expose delegates to one of the DMO’s primary means of assuring technical integrity of ADF Land materiel.

The theme for this year’s Conference is:

Safety in Engineering’ and has been more specifically categorised as how engineering has been used to improve safety, whether that has been through the:

• application of system engineering to identify and mitigate safety risks;

• application of process and procedures to reduce the likelihood of a mishap; and/or

• the conduct of tests and trials to establish the level of risk.

Key note speakers:

Ward Johnson, Senior Vice President, Jacobs Technology Inc.

R. Ward Johnson, Jr. is a Senior Vice President for Jacobs Technology and has more than 30 years of experience in the development, design, construction, and operation of advanced technical facilities. Since joining Jacobs Technology in 1990, he has been responsible for major programs for both domestic and international clients in the automotive, aerospace and energy markets.   Click here to learn more about Mr Johnson.

Philip J. (PHIL) Dunford, Vice President / General Manager, Operating Executive, Boeing Defense, Space & Security

PhilDunford was named vice president /general manager and operating executive, for Boeing Military Aircraft effective October 1, 2010.  Dunford is responsible for the Engineering, Manufacturing, Quality and Supplier Management functions within BMA and for technical and functional excellence across the organization’s four divisions. Boeing Military Aircraft develops and manufactures a full range of aircraft and services designed to meet the demands of the warfighter including fighter aircraft, airlift and tanker capabilities, rotorcraft and tiltrotor aircraft, surveillance platforms and innovative unmanned capabilities. Click here to learn more about Mr Dunford.           

The DIET day is a great opportunity for Defence and Industry to come together and discuss key engineering challenges and potential solutions that face major defence projects today. It also provides an opportunity for Industry to provide direct feedback and suggestions to the DMO on engineering and technical matters. Speakers include Ms. Shireane McKinnie, General Manager Systems, DMO (8 Aug), Head of Land Systems (7 Aug),  Mr Philip J. Dunford, Vice President / General Manager, Operating Executive, Boeing Defense, Space & Security, St Louis, Missouri (7 Aug )  and Mr Ward Johnson, Vice President Jacobs Technology USA (7 Aug).

The key objectives of the DIET day are to:

• Provide an opportunity for DMO Divisions and their Industry partners to demonstrate their efforts in delivering capability.
• Discuss current and contribute to future DMO engineering policy initiatives that may impact Defence Industry.
• Recognise and celebrate important Defence and Industry engineering successes,
• Share lessons learnt and identify opportunities to improve how Defence and Industry can better work together, and
• Discuss the current Defence environment and the impact it has on the Defence and Industry engineering interface

To view the full program please visit the website