Labor pledges funds for ‘factory of the future’

Labor should it be elected at the upcoming South Australian state election has pledged $4 million to bring together up to 100 South Australian companies with university students and researchers to develop new manufacturing processes and products.

Labor plans a Manufacturing Growth Accelerator program (MGA) at Flinders University’s Factory of the Future facility which will help SA businesses tap into the opportunities presented through the naval shipbuilding program.

The MGA will support companies to work with researchers and students in the Factory of the Future to develop new manufacturing processes and products to help leverage the opportunities for SA manufacturing companies linked to the construction of frigates and, potentially, submarines.

Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor John Spoehr said the funding to create a Manufacturing Growth Accelerator program (MGA) would be supplemented by a $2 million investment by Flinders University.

Professor Spoehr, who’s also Director of Flinders University’s Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, said: “The Factory of the Future at Line Zero at Tonsley Innovation District is driving industrial transformation and positioning South Australia to be at the forefront of industry 4.0 technologies.

“This investment will be welcomed by small and medium enterprises and large business alike for making available a “real world” industrial scale test bed at the former automotive manufacturing plant.”

The MGA is the latest in a number of initiatives proposed by Professor Spoehr at Tonsley which is situated in the former Mitsubishi vehicle assembly plant.

The district boasts leading technology companies such as Sage Automation, Siemens, Carl Zeiss and Micro-X, as well as large university and TAFE campuses of students.

The proposed MGA would focus on:

• Innovative applications of advanced joining technologies including welding and adhesives
• Advanced additive manufacturing technologies
• Advanced materials such as lightweight metals, polymers and composites
• Worker centric digital technologies for safety, productivity and quality
• Human-machine teaming to support growth of advanced manufacturing
• And skill formation in support of digital transformation.

Picture: Flinders University/Tonsley Innovation Precinct

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