Modern manufacturing event shares NSW manufacturing commitment

The Modern Manufacturing Town Hall, held on 30 March at Sydney Olympic Park, marked the beginning of a strengthened partnership between the NSW Government and industry on advanced manufacturing.

The event opened with an address from the Minister for Enterprise, Investment and Trade Stuart Ayres as he shared the NSW commitment to modern manufacturing. He emphasised that this is an exciting time to be involved in the manufacturing sector and that NSW has “really stepped out into a leadership role in this crucial area,” and progressed in a way that will benefit not only the NSW economy, but the entire nation.

He highlighted that as climate change and the pursuit of a decarbonised economy come to the fore, a strong and sustainable modern manufacturing strategy will recalibrate the competitive nature of Australian business and “present us with an amazing array of new opportunities”.

The address also introduced the members of the recently formed and NSW government-backed Modern Manufacturing Taskforce, a team made up of key industry stakeholders and led by businessman Tony Shepperd. The Taskforce will provide advice to government on their modern manufacturing strategy and improve the linkages between government and industry.

“We believe that collaboration between government, academia and the manufacturing industry is essential to democratising access to the latest in modern manufacturing technological advancements, particularly for smaller manufacturers who may not have the resources necessary to implement these advancements on their factory floor,” said Marie Kinsella, CEO, International Exhibition and Conference (IEC) Group organisers of the Town Hall. “Having an event like the Town Hall supported by Minister Ayres, the University of Sydney and our other prestigious Modern Manufacturing Foundation Partners enables us to directly connect manufacturers with a network that will nurture their growth and efforts to strengthen the economy.”

The Town Hall program placed a spotlight on the possibilities unlocked by linking local manufacturers with the University of Sydney, through presentations from Professors Gwénaëlle Proust as well as Business Development Manager at the university, Adeline Williams. Key topics included the introduction of the new Sydney Manufacturing Hub, a state-of-the-art facility that offers local manufacturers the opportunity to engage with researchers and utilise the university’s world-leading research infrastructure. According to Williams a third of all R&D in Australia is done in universities, yet only 10% of companies have chosen to partner with them. Professor Simon Ringer, Director, Core Research Facilities for the University of Sydney, closed the presentations with an invitation to manufacturers to utilise the university as their R&D partner and to embrace the skills, technology and expertise the university has to offer.

Other highlights from the day included presentations from industry-leading manufacturers: 3rd Axis, the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, Thales Australia, Stryker, CSIRO, Romar Engineering and Equinox Orthopaedics, who shared how adopting new technologies has changed the way they manufacture.

The speakers echoed the sentiment that manufacturers need to challenge ‘the way they’ve always done it’, to embrace modern manufacturing in order to see transformation in the sector.

Town Hall attendees also got a first look at the launch of the Modern Manufacturing Expo which will take place on 20–21 September 2022 at Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.

The exhibition aims to help companies stay competitive and boost effectiveness through smart manufacturing. It will also offer educational streams to showcase practical steps on how digitisation can be implemented by giving manufacturers clear and direct pathways to the latest technologies.