Collaboration and automation key to revitalising Australia's industries

Improving the efficiency of existing manufacturers and businesses in Australia, and taking advantage of the opportunities afforded by the defence procurement process, will lead to a renaissance in Australian manufacturing, says Kristian Wolf, executive director at the German Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce.

“For us as a German entity, we believe the manufacturing sector is something that all governments need to focus on, and Australia will be a stronger economy if we foster innovation through collaboration,” Kristian said.

Of particular interest to Kristian is collaboration between Australian and German businesses and governments to improve the efficiency of manufacturers via advanced manufacturing systems like Industry 4.0 and the Industrial Internet of Things, which Germany has embraced as a smarter way of working.

According to Kristian, the key to ensuring a healthy economy and retaining jobs in Australia is to ensure policies like the Innovation Statement provide financial and legislative benefits not just to start-ups and IT companies, but also to existing manufacturing operations.

“It is very important that the government also focuses its efforts via the Innovation Statement on these existing companies that represent thousands and thousands of jobs across Australia, to protect those jobs by making these companies more agile,” Kristian said.

By incentivising upgrades and improvements to local manufacturing operations and processes, and training the next generation of the workforce to fully utilise advanced manufacturing technologies, Australia’s industries will gain the efficiency needed to compete globally and develop more export markets, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.

The transition to advanced manufacturing will also allow local companies to grab hold of a greater slice of work from the defence sector, which will in turn help revitalise the Australian industry.

“Over the next 30 to 50 years, some of these defence projects, particularly the submarine projects, will create sustainable manufacturing jobs that will also bring skills to Australia and maintain skills in Australia, particularly in some of the areas that have been hardest hit by the downturn in the automotive industry, the steel-making industry and the maritime sector,” he said.

The German Australian Chamber of Industry and Commerce is one of the leading partners in the Automation Innovation Summit, to be held on 25 May 2016 in Sydney and which will be preceded by the Profibus and Profinet Global Forum in the morning, which is free for industry attendees.

Many of the organisation’s member companies will also be attending the summit, participating in the discussions and contributing their opinions and case studies.

The summit will bring together experts and doers from industry, research institutes and government, all of whom have a hand in steering the revitalisation of Australia’s industrial sectors.

CEOs and managers will find the summit invaluable, as highly informed and experienced speakers cut through the confusion and jargon to show you how to transform your business to achieve the next level of competitiveness, ensure skill retention, maximise returns on investment, benefit from government incentives and improve innovation.

Register now to secure your place at this transformative learning and networking experience.