John Spoehr, Pro-Vice Chancellor, Research Impact and Director of the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute, welcomed a $20-million commitment from Australia’s federal Labor party, announced by Opposition spokesperson for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Senator the Hon Kim Carr.
“This is an initiative that transcends politics and is deserving of broad support in the state's and the nation's interest,” Spoehr said. “Advanced technologies are transforming manufacturing around the world, fuelling the growth of new and existing companies and generating thousands of well-paid and rewarding jobs.”
ACIM will be established with a mandate to create jobs and promote growth in areas of strategic importance to Australia, including defence and aerospace, construction, medical devices/assistive technologies, wine and food and minerals and energy.
"Step change strategies are needed to enable Australia to be at the centre of this technological revolution,” Spoehr said. “Large scale 'Factories of the Future' are playing a key role in accelerating this transition in the UK, Europe and the United States because they bring researchers and companies together in purpose-built facilities to explore innovation of existing technologies and experimentation with new technologies."
ACIM will be an affiliate of the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) in Sheffield, UK, an advanced manufacturing accelerator funded by the UK Government's Catapult Programme.
The centre will also work closely with the University of Strathclyde's Advanced Forming Research Centre (AFRC) to support the application of new manufacturing technologies for shipbuilding.
Economics of The Future Factory
The future factory is expected to generate $182 million in economic activity for South Australia and create more than 750 jobs.
The facility will also provide accredited courses in manufacturing, with advanced education and training for up to 1,000 students each year, plus accommodation for up to 50 post-graduate students.
ACIM is already attracting industry support, most notably in the shipbuilding sector where the benefits of advanced manufacturing practices will be significant. BAE Systems will explore the potential applications of robotics and automation technologies in shipbuilding, while SAGE Automation plans to co-locate its Skills Lab Head office and main laboratory in ACIM.
“We're helping to revolutionise the way we live and work, by placing Australia at the forefront of Industry 4.0 change to help accelerate the growth of advanced manufacturing companies and jobs,” said Flinders University Vice-Chancellor, Colin Stirling.
Flinders University will invest $10m towards land, capital and operational costs while $30m investment has been sought from the Federal and State Governments towards capital, equipment and operational costs. Industry investment is expected to exceed $10m over the short term.
For more information on factories of the future, check out What is Industry 4.0, Anyway?