Two Toowoomba manufacturers awarded $1.1 million in MiQ grants

Two manufacturers based in Toowoomba, Obadare Group and Tanuki, have been awarded grants totalling approximately $1.1 million under the state government’s Made In Queensland program.

Obadare would hire 15 in its transition from manufacturing rig components to entire rigs for the oil and gas industry, assisted by a $937,000 grant. According to a statement from the state government, the company would invest in equipment including augmented reality headsets for customer support applications and robotic steel profiling machinery.

“Obadare is a leading Queensland advanced manufacturer, nationally recognised as a regional employer of choice supported by cutting-edge, advanced robotics, technologies and systems within a modern manufacturing facility,” said the company’s Group Operations Manager Stephen Lucht.

“Australian manufacturing is such a tough industry and government support is really crucial for success. You’ve got to go to market with the most efficient tools and machinery available – nobody gets handed work by chance.”

Manufacturing minister Glenn Butcher, who announced the grant at Obadare’s site on Monday, said: “Rigs for the oil and gas sector are currently manufactured overseas and imported to Australia. Obadare is transitioning from being a component manufacturer to a whole-rig manufacturer, providing Australian designs and innovation to customers – that’s a major step and one to be congratulated and I am so pleased we have been able to support them with this grant,”

Fertiliser products company Tanuki was awarded a $198,849 grant. The company said this would assist in buying an automated packaging machine to solve “a serious bottleneck problem” and which would help create eight new roles. 

Managing Director Durell Hammond said, “We’re tapping into a new area, distributing this product to customers throughout Australia, and this grant has allowed us to smooth out the last mile of the production process – distribution – which is often the hardest part in a country as large and spread-out as Australia.”

Picture: www.obadare.com.au

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