Applications open for regional NSW lean manufacturing pilot program

The NSW government has launched a pilot program budgeted at $800,000, providing lean manufacturing audits to regional SME (between 20 and 200 full-time employees) companies.

The Lean Manufacturing Pilot Program opened on Thursday and will accept applications until March 31 at 4 pm.

According to the program info on the NSW government’s website the pilot also seeks to identify potential for lean manufacturing adoption “across regional NSW manufacturing sectors”, and funding is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The size of each grant was not given in the program guidelines.

A joint statement from agriculture minister Tara Moriarty and industry minister Anoulack Chanthivong on Thursday reads, “The audits, undertaken as part of the program, will offer tailored recommendations to help businesses identify inefficiencies, streamline operations, reduce waste and increase productivity, while also highlighting training opportunities for staff.

“…Many regional NSW companies such as the Bega Group in Bega, Donaldson Australia on the Central Coast, Belmore Engineering at Tamworth, Flavourtech in Griffith and Tyree Transformers at Braemar have also successfully used lean manufacturing principles.”

Guidelines for the pilot, administered by the NSW department of primary industries and regional development, are available here. 

Picture: credit Flavourtech