New AMGC report highlights “depth and breadth of manufacturing” in Australia

The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has released its Project Reports 2022, giving an overview of the 141 manufacturing projects the group has supported, which are expected to generate a total of $1.62 billion in revenues and 430 new jobs.

According to an analysis from AMGC, returns are from a combined industry and government co-funded pool of $137.2 million. Of the 31 projects completed, these represent a return on investment of 9:1, or $188 million in additional revenues from co-funding investment of $20.26 million ($7.15 million from grants and the rest from industry in cash and in-kind.)

Federal Minister for industry Ed Husic said, “Since its inception, the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre’s (AMGC) contribution to Australia’s innovation landscape has been immense.

“I am looking forward to seeing more AMGC success stories in the near future, as we all work together to cement Australia’s reputation as a smart, skilled, innovative nation.”

The AMGC was founded in 2015 under the former Coalition government’s Growth Centres initiative. Labor in opposition was apparently hostile towards the Growth Centres leading up to its 2019 election loss, though came to support them after that.

According to the AMGC, its portfolio of co-invested projects demonstrates the “depth and breadth of manufacturing talent present in Australia, which has helped addressed local and global needs in resources, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries; transport; medical sciences; renewables, and low emissions technology; defence, space and, enabling technology – such as AI and robotics.”

AMGC Managing Director, Dr Jens Goennemann, said the successes outlined in the new report were proof of manufacturers’ readiness to invest, advance, scale, and export if highly targeted assistance is afforded to those who wish to commercialise and scale.

“AMGC knows what works, where opportunities exist, and how we can generate returns from investment. We can manufacture amazing things in Australia, provided we focus on being better, not cheaper, that we add value to our abundant natural resources, and we embrace advanced practices and processes – our 2022 Projects Report is proof that we can do so much better than Australia’s current ranking of 91st in global complexity rankings,” said Goennemann.,

“If the past two and a half years have taught us anything, it is that we are resourceful, we are resilient and we are innovative when we need to be, now we must be. By focussing on capability and what we do best, Australia has the potential to transform from being a lucky country to a smart country.”

Projects detailed in the report include smart shoe soles produced via additive manufacturing, green steel manufacture, a high-performance EV motorbike, bio-manufacturing of algae for food, agri and medical use, and Australia’s first locally manufactured lithium-ion batteries.

The project report is available here.

Picture: Sleeptite’s Professor Madhu Bhaskaran and Min Ed Husic (supplied)