Innovation once again focal point of Austech 2012
Announcement posted by Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL) 17 Oct 2011
Following the success of innovateAustralia 2011, Austech 2012 in Sydney is once again set to host a special stand promoting innovation and opportunities for Australia’s advanced manufacturers.
Organisations will display typical manufactured components in their industry, providing Australian component manufacturers, precision engineering firms, toolmakers, advanced manufacturers or general engineering companies visiting the stand with a unique opportunity to discuss their manufacturing capabilities and to network.
“At innovateAustralia 2011 Thales was able to showcase its supply base, but it was a great opportunity to also discuss our supplier strategy in the broadcast workshop forum,” comments Alistair Beaton, Industry Engagement Director, Thales Australia. “This interactive approach was very effective in getting key messages out there about the capabilities we are looking for in our Global Supply Chain, not just in Australia."
More investment in intelligent manufacturing techniques and prioritising key technologies are crucial if Australia is to avoid losing its competitive edge in manufacturing, innovateAustralia organiser AMTIL (Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited) points out, and innovation will play its part in ensuring Australia’s manufacturing productivity.
“Innovation is more than just the generation of novel ideas or the dissemination of knowledge,” says AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti. “It is about making a change or doing something in a new way. Innovation is a key driver of our economy and innovateAustralia 2012 will once again provide a forum for visitors to connect with government and industry and find out about some of the major projects that Australia is currently involved in. What we want to do is get more companies to a level of technical capability that allows them to access the supply chains of these projects.”
According to Mr Infanti, Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector is moving into new cutting-edge industries, including aerospace and defence, medical, as well as nanotechnology and renewable technologies.
For instance, there are opportunities to transition our economy to be cleaner and more resource efficient through eco-innovation. The emergence of new technologies such as nanotechnology has the ability to underpin an increasing number of breakthrough innovations in products, services, and processes. These technologies have the potential to transform the economy and achieve long term productivity enhancements to assist Australia face the impact of an ageing population, climate change and other pressures.
Sustainably manufactured products are increasingly important to consumers, and manufacturers who respond effectively to environmental challenges will have the advantage of being at the forefront of this new trend.
“Innovation also provides opportunities for new processing technologies and more competitive manufacture of existing and new products,” Mr Infanti adds. The implementation of new ideas, however, he points out, was just as crucial as the ideas themselves.
innovateAustralia's Opportunity Cafe area will once again provide a great forum for discussions and was a huge success in 2011. The Cafe provides an area for business owners and developers to interact directly with buyer decision makers and will feature a timetable for visitors to sit down and listen to industry leaders discuss relevant supply chain and major project topics in a relaxed informal caf setting.
The previous Opportunity Cafe featured discussions with AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti, the Victorian Government representative David Latina for the Department of Business and Innovation, representatives from HydroGen, Invetech, GippsAero, Thales, Enterprise Connect, FAPM, the Industry Capability Network (ICN) or the Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO), just to mention a few.
"This was our first real involvement in this event and found it to be a very worthwhile exercise,” Mr Beaton says. “Our purchasing people were really showing how much our suppliers support our efforts in key products such as Bushmaster and Hawkei, and how the capability of Australian SMEs and partnering was key to our success.”
The innovateAustralia showcase will be located within Australia’s premier advanced precision manufacturing and machine tool exhibition held at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park, from 8 to 11 May 2012.
Contact:
Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL)
Mr Greg Chalker
PR: com4tech
Ph: 03 9800 3666
Email: gchalker@amtil.com.au