Hills wins big DFAT contract

Troubled manufacturer Hills Holdings has won a multi-million dollar contract to provide satellite communications for the federal Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

STEP Electronics, part of Hills' expanding electronics and communications business, will design, supply and install a global satellite network for 51 Australian embassies and other department offices around the world.

The four-year contract win was a major breakthrough for Hills' electronics division, managing director Ted Pretty said.

Other areas of its business are set to be scaled back under a restructure announced last week, including its roofing business Fielders, Orrcon Steel and the company's lifestyle and sustainability businesses, which includes brands such as the Hills Hoist.

The changes are expected to cost the company as much as $110 million, and are being made due to slower economic conditions and weak construction activity.