Quantum computing has long been framed as a future technology challenge, but growing investment from governments and industry is beginning to shift the conversation toward its economic and operational implications for industrial sectors.
For manufacturers, mining companies and defence suppliers, the discussion is increasingly focused on how emerging quantum capabilities may affect supply chain requirements, cybersecurity standards and the long-term value of proprietary data.
Against this backdrop, Dallas-based La Force International (LFI) has established its first international entity in Australia, launching LFI Asia Pacific Pty Ltd. in Newcastle to work with manufacturers and industrial companies across the region on quantum-related economic strategy and risk management.
New Asia Pacific base for industrial and manufacturing clients
LFI said the Newcastle office will serve clients across Australia, Singapore and the broader Asia Pacific region, with particular attention on sectors such as mining and resources, aerospace and defence, advanced manufacturing, energy and chemicals, automotive and logistics.
The company described the move as part of a broader international expansion strategy, with additional regional entities planned in Germany and Japan.
In an exclusive interview with Australian Manufacturing, Shayne De la Force, managing partner and CEO of LFI, said the firm’s work places greater emphasis on the economic impact of quantum technologies on industry rather than on the technical development of the technology itself.
“The framing matters enormously because as soon as you move from a technology conversation to an economics conversation, the urgency changes completely,” De la Force told Australian Manufacturing in an interview.
Global forecasts highlight the scale of potential economic change. Boston Consulting Group estimates quantum computing could generate between AUD $643 billion and AUD $1.22 trillion in economic value globally by 2040, while McKinsey’s 2025 Quantum Technology Monitor suggests industries most likely to benefit could see up to AUD $2.86 trillion in accumulated value by 2035.
“For manufacturers, the question is not whether this value shift happens, but which side of it they end up on,” De la Force said.
Manufacturing supply chains and procurement pressure
One of the most immediate areas of exposure for manufacturers, according to De la Force, is the emergence of quantum-readiness expectations within industrial procurement frameworks.
“The cascade has already begun in defence and aerospace, and it is moving faster than most second and third-tier suppliers realise,” he said.
Large defence, aerospace and resources companies are beginning to incorporate quantum-related considerations into supplier qualification processes, particularly around cybersecurity and data protection. These requirements do not necessarily require suppliers to deploy quantum technologies, but they may involve demonstrating preparedness for future developments.
“Defence, aerospace, and resources primes are beginning to embed quantum readiness requirements into their procurement frameworks,” De la Force said. “They are not asking suppliers to deploy quantum technology. They are asking them to demonstrate structured preparation.”
For manufacturers with revenue heavily concentrated among a small number of major clients, these procurement thresholds could become commercially significant.
“For a Tier 2 manufacturer with sixty to seventy percent of revenue concentrated in one or two primes, losing a qualification threshold is not a compliance inconvenience, it is a direct hit to the P&L,” he said.
De la Force expects formal quantum readiness requirements to appear in second-tier defence supplier contracts within 12 to 18 months, with mining and resources supply chains likely to follow over a slightly longer timeframe.
Cybersecurity and the ‘harvest now, decrypt later’ challenge
Beyond procurement considerations, the firm also highlights cybersecurity as a growing concern for manufacturers with long-lived operational data.
The risk centres on what security agencies describe as “harvest now, decrypt later” activity, in which encrypted data is collected and stored with the expectation that future quantum computers could eventually break current encryption methods.
“Nation-state actors are systematically collecting encrypted industrial data today — process formulations, tooling specifications, extraction methodologies, proprietary logistics data — storing it against the day when quantum computers can break current encryption,” De la Force said.
Experts widely place the potential arrival of cryptographically relevant quantum computers — sometimes referred to as “Q-Day” — between 2030 and 2035. Because much industrial data retains commercial value for decades, companies may need to consider the long-term implications of that timeline.
“The most useful reframe I offer manufacturers is to start thinking about their data in terms of its value horizon,” De la Force said. “A defence supplier whose tooling specifications support a platform with a thirty-year service life is holding data that will still be sensitive in 2050.”
He said the economic question facing many manufacturers is therefore straightforward: “What is that intellectual property worth, and can we afford to lose it?”
A staged approach to quantum readiness
LFI’s advisory work centres on its Quantum Value Stages™ framework, which the company says is designed to help industrial companies evaluate where quantum technologies may intersect with their commercial operations.
The framework begins with “Quantum Readiness,” where businesses assess supply chain exposure, cybersecurity risk and the potential financial impact of inaction. The next stage, “Quantum Security,” focuses on migration toward post-quantum cryptography and protection of sensitive operational data.
Later stages — Quantum Utility and Quantum Advantage — address the longer-term operational use of quantum technologies, including applications in areas such as sensing, optimisation and process monitoring.
“The output is not a technology roadmap — it is a commercial risk register with dollar values attached,” De la Force said.
Regional manufacturing outlook in the Hunter
The decision to locate the Asia Pacific headquarters in Newcastle reflects the region’s concentration of industrial sectors that may encounter early quantum-related pressures.
The Hunter region combines significant mining activity, defence supply chain participation and a growing advanced manufacturing base, creating what LFI describes as a concentrated industrial ecosystem.
“The sector that moves first is the sector that experiences the earliest procurement pressure from above,” De la Force said.
“In the Hunter Valley, that vector points clearly to defence.”
Large defence programs such as the Hunter-class frigate project are expected to generate long-term supply chain demand across Australian manufacturers, potentially bringing new technology and security requirements along with them.
De la Force said manufacturers that begin assessing quantum-related risks now may be better positioned to adapt as those expectations evolve.
“A manufacturer who establishes demonstrated quantum readiness in the next twelve months gains the differentiator advantage in tenders today and completes the compliance work before it is required,” he said.
LFI said its Newcastle office will coordinate the company’s work with industrial clients across the Asia Pacific region as interest grows in how emerging quantum technologies may reshape manufacturing competitiveness, supply chains and cybersecurity practices in the coming decade.
This article contains information provided by La Force International (LFI) and is intended for general use only. It does not take into account your personal, professional, or business circumstances.
