A funding of A$250,000,
through the government’s Advanced
Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC), will be given to small Australian
manufacturers so that they can increase their use of digital technology and at
the same time, boost their productivity.
Senator the Hon
Michaelia Cash, Minister for Jobs and Innovation Senator for Western Australia
together with Member for Boothby, Nicole Flint MP had the joint media release
detailing funding for small to medium-sized Australian manufacturing
businesses.
This industry-led
project will give 17 small and medium-sized Australian businesses the
opportunity to upgrade their current technology in order to include robotics,
cyber-physical systems and automation to their manufacturing process.
At the forefront
of the project is Dematec Automation Pty
Ltd, a South Australian-based engineering and design company. With its
suite of sensors and monitoring devices, it can support manufacturing companies
in advancing their industrial processes.
AMGC is an
industry-led, not-for profit organisation, which supports the development of a
world-leading advanced manufacturing sector in Australia. A team of leading
industry experts comprise its board and management. Being connected with a
nationwide network of research and development hubs allows the Centre to
discover new commercial opportunities and drive innovation in Australian
manufacturing. They also collaborate with industry enterprises and the
scientific and research community in addition to consolidating existing
linkages.
Becoming a member of AMGC has its perks:
(1) Small and medium-sized enterprises can connect with
multinationals to strengthen their reach vis-a-vis large enterprises have the
opportunity to discover agile and innovative supply chain partners.
(2) No need to pay royalty or licence fees in order to gain
access to intellectual property when collaborating in projects.
(3) AMGC will co-fund projects that are implementing
identified priorities for the sector.
(4) Knowledge sharing of advanced manufacturing techniques
and characteristics.
(5) Increased media reach because AMGC will work with the
businesses to publish content through AMGC media channels.
Along with five other Growth Centres, Food and Agribusiness;
Medical Technologies and Pharmaceuticals; Mining Equipment, Technology and
Services; Oil, Gas and Energy Resources; and Cyber Security, AMGC is a part of
an A$248-million initiative of the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Centres. These are all smart, high-value and export-focused
industries where Australian ingenuity and expertise have the potential
to compete on the world stage.
According to the
Minister for Jobs and Innovation Michaelia Cash, the Australian government
believes that this will help the manufacturing businesses in adopting new
technologies which will allow them to innovate, expand and provide more jobs.
Furthermore,
she said, “Funding in the Budget of A$20 million will help Australian small to
medium businesses to form local and regional business hubs so they can work
together to access new export markets and global supply chains.”
She also
added, “We’ve also extended funding for the current Industry Growth Centres by
two years, enabling them to build on their initial success with Australian
manufacturers.”
The
Federal Member for Boothby, Nicolle Flint, was encouraged to see local South
Australian manufacturing companies taking advantage of technology to remain
competitive. She
explained, “Many innovative companies are already investing in digital
technologies as part of their business planning and operations and projects
like this will help others to boost their competitiveness.”