Manufacturers and expert researchers from across Australia have come together to pledge their professional commitment to turning around Australia's manufacturing industry with an equivalent $2 million value-in-kind commitment to manufacturing body META.
META is a national, industry-led organisation that has been charged with the responsibility of re-injecting life back into manufacturing. META has recruited 300 manufacturers, researchers and partners who have committed their professional expertise (by way of $2 million in professional services) to build a prosperous future for Australian manufacturing.
META CEO Zoran Angelkovski said manufacturers are ready to attack the manufacturing slow-down.
"Every Australian manufacturer that is competing for survival in a global marketplace recognises the need to establish new collaboration opportunities for manufacturing, to build a solid future for our nation and our economy.
"Through the development of this national network, businesses are now gaining strong connections with universities and researchers, which will ultimately lead to increased innovation, greater productivity and a more agile workplace for Australian businesses," said Mr Angelkovski.
Phil Butler, chairman of Textor, one of Australia's peak textile manufacturers said an industry-led network with a focus on sharing knowledge was the biggest motivator for the company's involvement.
"In my view, manufacturers have to embrace change and learn from each other. We have to lead the future of our own industry – and we have the potential to be a more powerful force by creating products that rival the best or are better than the rest of the world. META provides that platform for us to work together to build creativity and to look outside of our immediate industry, to find the solutions we are looking for," said Mr Butler.
META has recruited every leading university and research institution around Australia into the network, including some of the largest ?manufacturing-focused researchers such as CSIRO, MonashUniversity, RMITUniversity, University of NSW, University of South Australia, FlindersUniversity and the University of Queensland.
Professor Milan Brandt, Professor of Advanced Manufacturing and technical director of the Advanced Manufacturing Precinct, said the network is a key ingredient for providing manufacturers with the capacity to identify new opportunities within research fields.
"The most successful manufacturing organisations around the world have two things in common: they focus on innovation and they rapidly diversify.
"Our goal is to help our leading manufacturers in Australia use research to challenge their current thinking and find new manufacturing frontiers to help them break into new markets that perhaps they had not even considered before," Professor Brandt said.
Leading companies involved in the META network include SME that are the backbone for successful MNC, as well as leading large organisations such as Boeing, Cochlear, Bombardier, Toyota, BASF, IVECO, Bosch and Thales.