The Queensland government is calling on local manufacturing leaders to apply for its Manufacturing Benchmark Program, an initiative that would help businesses understand the industry landscape and their opportunities to further develop their operations.
The program is intended to help businesses understand what their customers need, identify what costs they could reduce, and set realistic expectations and goals for the future.
Participating businesses would also be equipped with data that would allow them to forecast the impact of any market changes.
The benchmarking service is part of the Queensland government’s commitment to fostering Industry 4.0 processes and practices to develop a sustainable and globally connected advanced manufacturing industry in the state.
Under the program, the Department of Regional Development, Manufacturing, and Water will subsidise 50 per cent of the manufacturing benchmark cost performed by the ECO Efficiency Group, which is the current authorised supplier of manufacturing benchmark service.
Should the manufacturer choose to proceed with the benchmarking, the vendor will invoice the manufacturer for 50 per cent of the benchmarking cost.
The service targets Queensland manufacturers who are seeking to benchmark their businesses’ resource use, waste, and carbon emissions and develop a detailed action plan to reduce costs and their environmental footprint on their journey towards Industry 4.0.
Businesses eligible for the program must have an Australian Business Number and at least five full-time equivalent employees.
These enterprises must also be registered for the goods and services tax and have manufacturing operations or the majority of it located or based in Queensland.
Interested enterprises must submit their interest through the expression of interest form on the Queensland government’s Manufacturing Benchmark Program page.
