In 1979, the Australian Navy ordered the multi-product replenishment oiler, HMAS Success. It was to be built at Cockatoo Island dockyard in Sydney to the same design as the French Navy ‘Durance’ class.Bob Dussol, a French businessman, monitored the situation very closely. He had connections with some of the companies contributing to the Durance build in France and he was well known in the maritime fabrication industry over here. He also knew that HMAS Success would need through life support and realised that a good proportion of the spares would come from France. It was the perfect business opportunity, so he created SOFRACO.His foresight was rewarded. HMAS Success was launched in 1984, the largest vessel to be built for the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) in Australia and the last vessel to be built at Cockatoo Island dockyard. She was awarded battle honours for Kuwait in 1991 and East Timor in 1999 and is still giving sterling service.In common with all military vessels, she has needed maintenance - to keep her serviceable and seaworthy, and systems updates – to ensure she benefits from the latest technology. SOFRACO became a major player in this maintenance and update process. Since 1984 we have been providing mechanical, electrical and structural engineering support to HMAS Success, building a strong relationship with the RAN in the process.The success of Success gave the company the confidence to branch out and tender for work on other vessels. We soon made significant contributions to projects on HMAS Tobruk, HMAS Cerebus, LPA Class amphibious landing ships, FFG Class frigates, ANZAC Class frigates, DDG Class guided missile destroyers, Collins Class submarines, Huon Class Minehunters, RHIBs, oil rigs and numerous onshore engineering projects. By 2006, our reputation had grown to the point where the Navy was tasking us directly, often needing our experience to overcome a specific problem on a specific vessel.At this point, it became apparent that there was a gap in the market for a company that could provide not just the parts and expertise for an installation project, but one that could expand its contribution to the project - a company that could carry out the detail design work that comes before fabrication and also create the operational and maintenance documentation that comes after. Thus, the engineering design and technical documentation departments were born.This expansion allows us to offer an end-to-end service for each project:  From assessing the proposed concept, to detailed engineering design, to fabricating the parts, to installation and integration, to providing technical support documents, to through life support. We are truly a full service provider!The majority of our business now comes from clients who need the extra capabilities that SOFRACO offers – the turn key solution; a bespoke training package; comprehensive documentation or wide ranging post-project support. Although most of our work will always be in the marine environment, we enjoy taking on projects outside that field knowing that we give every task 100%. SOFRACO means engineering design, fabrication and installation, project support. Call us and find out how we can contribute to your project.Sofraco are a wholly Australian owned turn-key engineering supplier. Our capability includes design engineering, manufacturing (including a casting and machining), fabrication and installation, maintenance, test & trials & commisioning, documentation & training, spares support.Sofraco has third party quality assurance and are a Defence Recognised Supplier.Rod: When you work with SOFRACO, you are dealing with a company known for its reliability, honesty and integrity. With over 20 years serving  industry, we know our strengths and only commit to projects where we can deliver 100% to the customer.Dave: “We have a committed and dedicated workforce who are not just experts in their own fields but know how to leverage the experience of their colleagues. We are a formidable team.Over the last 25 years, SOFRACO has designed, created and installed over 1000 items of naval and commercial hardware. We are best known for delivering anything from small to large sized naval maintenance and refurbishment projects, but we are always adding to our list of achievements. You will find our work on oil rigs, in remote desert locations and in enlightened parts of Sydney CBD.Our core capability. Our experienced team of naval architects, engineers, technical writers, illustrators and trades people are there to transform your ideas into reality. Our team of skilled workers are experienced in all aspects of small and medium scale fabrication. All projects will be considered and nothing is too specialized for our can-do crew.Do you need assistance with the finer points of integrating your equipment with other systems? Is your project certified to the latest standards? Call SOFRACO and benefit from our experience in systems integration.Our relationship does not end when your system is installed and working. We understand that ongoing support is needed throughout the life of a project. For training, documentation and on-call maintenance, SOFRACO will provide the solution.