The inaugural Smart Manufacturing ’16, which was held this week, raised hope that despite the overwhelming setbacks to the automotive and other manufacturing sectors, Melbourne’s South East could still become the largest manufacturing centre in Australia.
Some of the region’s leading innovators such as Jayco, Bombardier, CSIRO, and Chisholm, as well as nearly 60 exhibitors lined the streets around the Dandenong Civic Centre during the event.
Aside from the 25 meter VLocity DMU train that flanked exhibitors, some of the other hot picks that were on show at the one-day event included a 3D printed working bicycle, the world’s smallest ultrasound machine, and emergency housing that can be deployed in a flat-pack.
During his speech at the event, Committee for Dandenong Chair Gary Castricum took the opportunity to point out the biggest threat to Australian manufacturing: a “crisis of confidence”.
According to him, if this issue remains unchecked, it will most certainly “curtail investment, destroy jobs and hinder ambition.”
“We have to be ambitious when it comes to manufacturing. We have to champion people and growth,” Mr Castricum.
“Unfortunately, our perception of manufacturing is often distorted by headlines of closure, relocation or sale. The reality is that Australian manufacturing is in many instances a success story of leadership, innovation, commercialisation and local and global expansion. As a nation, we should be encouraging, celebrating and investing in this story to help the sector truly fulfil its potential and the benefits it brings to people’s lives.
“Smart Manufacturing ’16 shines a defying light on the status of Australian manufacture by presenting some of the region’s leading innovators such as Jayco, Bombardier, CSIRO, and Chisholm, as well as nearly 60 exhibitors lining the streets around the Dandenong Civic Centre,” he said.
Over half of Victoria’s manufactured product come from Dandenong and Melbourne’s South East.
According to a media release to Australian Manufacturing, the Committee for Dandenong and its alliance members stated that they intend to turn the region into a “magnet for investment into the Victorian economy, the centre for smart manufacturing in Australia, and a renowned centre for manufacturing excellence on an international level.”
Click here for more info about Smart Manufacturing ’16 – Dandenong and South East Melbourne on Show.
