About Maxwell & Higgs

Sovereign Australian Engineering Since 2007

An established Australian manufacturer with nearly two decades of engineering excellence, now bringing defence-literate leadership and full-cycle production capability to the national defence industrial base.

Our Story

Built on Engineering. Driven by Sovereignty.

Maxwell & Higgs Pty Ltd was founded in 2007 in Moorabbin, Victoria, with a clear mission: to design and manufacture high-quality engineered products entirely on Australian soil. Over nearly two decades, we have built an ecosystem of brands spanning automotive protection, marine accessories, and towing solutions.

Our journey has taken us from CNC-machined automotive components to ruggedised protection systems trusted by thousands of vehicle owners across Australia and internationally. Every product we produce is designed in-house, manufactured in our own facility, and backed by rigorous quality processes.

Now, we are applying that same engineering discipline and sovereign manufacturing capability to the defence sector -- bringing proven production systems, defence-literate leadership, and a facility purpose-built for precision work to Australia's defence primes as a trusted local content partner.

Maxwell & Higgs manufacturing facility
Company Overview

At a Glance

business

Company Details

  • Legal Name Maxwell & Higgs Pty Ltd
  • Headquarters Moorabbin, VIC 3189
  • Founded 2007
  • Ownership 100% Australian-Owned
  • Structure Owner-Operated
precision_manufacturing

Operations

  • Focus Design, Engineering & Manufacturing
  • Sectors Defence, Automotive, Marine
  • Facilities Full-cycle production, Moorabbin VIC
  • Global Reach Australia, NZ, Middle East, SE Asia
Leadership

Defence-Literate. Industry-Proven.

military_tech

Defence Programme Experience

Our leadership team brings direct experience from the Rheinmetall LAND 400 Phase 2 programme — one of Australia's largest and most complex armoured vehicle projects. This includes hands-on work across the full defence manufacturing lifecycle.

  • check_circle Rheinmetall LAND 400 Phase 2 (Boxer CRV)
  • check_circle PFMEA, PPAP, FAI & ITP processes
  • check_circle AIC, DISP & SICPs frameworks
engineering

Automotive OEM Pedigree

Before defence, our leadership honed manufacturing discipline within the exacting standards of global automotive OEMs. This pedigree underpins our approach to quality, process control, and supply chain management.

  • check_circle Toyota, Volkswagen & Ford supply chains
  • check_circle Tier 1 & Tier 2 supplier management
  • check_circle Tolerance analysis & process validation
"We understand what defence primes need from their supply chain -- because we've sat on both sides of the table. Our job is to make sovereignty easy for our partners."

— Maxwell & Higgs Leadership

Portfolio

Our Brands

shield

D-Flector

Featured Brand

Ruggedised vehicle protection systems designed and manufactured in Australia. D-Flector products are engineered for extreme conditions, protecting critical components across 4WD, commercial, and military-adjacent platforms. Our flagship brand and the foundation of our defence transition.

directions_car

Zivor / Zivor Automotive

Precision-engineered automotive components and accessories. Zivor Automotive serves the aftermarket and OEM-adjacent segments with products designed to meet or exceed original equipment specifications. A proven revenue stream demonstrating our manufacturing consistency and market reach.

anchor

Australian Tow Spares

Specialist towing and marine hardware manufactured for the Australian market. Australian Tow Spares supplies critical coupling, safety, and accessory components to the towing and marine sectors -- demonstrating our breadth of capability across diverse mechanical engineering applications.

Manufacturing

Our Facility

Full-cycle production capability housed in our purpose-built facility at Moorabbin, Victoria.

manufacturing

CNC Machining

Multi-axis CNC milling and turning centres for precision metal components to tight tolerances.

content_cut

Laser Cutting

High-precision laser cutting for sheet metal and plate work across a range of materials and thicknesses.

local_fire_department

Welding Stations

MIG, TIG, and robotic welding stations for structural and cosmetic weld applications.

view_in_ar

Moulding & Tooling

In-house tooling design and injection moulding for polymer and composite components.

build

Assembly Cells

Dedicated assembly cells with workholding fixtures and torque-controlled fastening systems.

format_paint

Powder Coating

In-house powder coating line for durable, corrosion-resistant surface finishes on metal parts.

draw

CAD/FEA Suite

SolidWorks CAD and finite element analysis for design validation, simulation, and GD&T.

science

Quality Lab

Inspection and metrology equipment for dimensional verification, material testing, and FAI documentation.

Foundations

IP & Stability

verified

Intellectual Property

All Maxwell & Higgs designs, tooling, and manufacturing processes are developed and owned in-house. Our IP portfolio includes registered designs, proprietary tooling, and trade secrets accumulated over nearly two decades of continuous product development.

This sovereign IP base means we can adapt, iterate, and scale without dependency on foreign licensors or offshore design houses -- a critical advantage for defence programs requiring Australian-controlled technology.

trending_up

Financial Stability

Maxwell & Higgs is a privately held, debt-managed business with consistent revenue generated across multiple commercial brands and market segments. Our diversified revenue base provides the financial resilience that defence primes require from their supply chain partners.

We maintain strong supplier relationships, conservative inventory management, and reinvest profits directly into capability development -- ensuring long-term stability and the capacity to support multi-year defence programmes.

See Our Facility First-Hand

We welcome defence primes, program managers, and procurement teams to visit our Moorabbin facility and see our sovereign manufacturing capability in action.

Schedule a Visit Download Capability Statement