Australian government to fund project allowing SMEs to advance their technology

The government-led Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre will finance small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Australia to enhance their technology.

The 17 selected SMEs will see their digital technology – especially work with robotics, cyber-physical systems, and automation – transformed, aiming to ultimately boost productivity.

The South-Australian engineering company, Dematec Automation, will be working on the project by supporting the firms with its sensors and monitoring devices.

The programme will also work as a hub for networking the SMEs with multinationals by joining the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre.

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The centre is part of a $248mn (US$186.3mn) initiative launched by the government’s Industry Growth Centres – a group of export-focused smart industries.

“Funding in the Budget of A$20 million will help Australian small to medium businesses to form local and regional business hubs so they can work together to access new export markets and global supply chains,” commented Michaelia Cash, Australia’s Minister for Jobs and Innovation.

“We’ve also extended funding for the current Industry Growth Centres by two years, enabling them to build on their initial success with Australian manufacturers.”

“Many innovative companies are already investing in digital technologies as part of their business planning and operations and projects like this will help others to boost their competitiveness,” noted Nicolle Flint, the Federal Member for Boothby.