AMGC invests in Swinburne's manufacturing futures research institute

The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre’s chairman, Andrew Stevens, has announced funding of $250,000 towards the Swinburne Manufacturing Futures Research Institute to boost the adoption of Industry 4.0 processes to increase Australian manufacturing competitiveness. The investment will specifically target Industry 4.0 projects established at the institute in collaboration between Swinburne’s researchers and small and medium-sized manufacturing firms.

“I am very pleased to put our organisation’s support behind Swinburne’s new initiative. It represents a deep commitment to our manufacturing sector and shows that there is enormous potential in our country to increase our global competitiveness through adopting the latest manufacturing technology and processes,” said Stevens.

Swinburne’s Manufacturing Futures Research Institute opens today with the sole purpose of inviting Australian manufacturing firms to collaborate with Swinburne’s researchers to resolve complex business issues through the adoption of Industry 4.0 processes.

“We welcome the generous investment from the AMGC for Australia’s first Industry 4.0 TestLab at Swinburne that will enable us to work with small to medium-sized manufacturers to help them become more agile and productive,” said the director of the new Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, Professor Bronwyn Fox.

The announcement of the institute coincides with the dramatic transformation undergoing manufacturing globally. The convergence between humans and machines continues to grow, as does the power of collecting data from millions of devices and sensors. This collaboration between the AMGC and Swinburne offers a compelling opportunity to offer Australian manufacturing firms a way to explore and engage with the latest technology.

The AMGC has been established as part of the government’s $248 million Industry Growth Centres Initiative, with the purpose of providing Australian advanced manufacturing with a sustainable and globally competitive future. It also provides co-funding for innovation growth hubs and has recently invested $250,000 to support the Advanced Fibre Cluster Geelong, located at the Carbon Nexus Facility at Deakin University.