High value
manufacturers in Victoria and South Australia have been encouraged to apply for
the Next Generation Manufacturing Investment Programme.
The $60
million scheme is administered by AusIndustry, with $12 million each coming
from the SA and Victorian governments.
It is part
of the federal government’s Growth Fund, designed in response to end of
manufacturing in Australia by Ford, Holden and Toyota in 2016 and 2017.
“Across Australia, industry is entering a new era and a
third wave of development based around internationally competitive advanced
manufacturing,” said federal industry minister Ian Macfarlane yesterday, launching the programme at Seeley International’s Meridian Test Laboratory yesterday.
“This transition is particularly important in South Australia and Victoria as the car manufacturing industry winds down.”
Grants between
$500,000 and $5 million under the programme cover capital investment worth up
to 50 per cent of a project, for a period of up to three years.
Projects
can include investing in new machinery, changing or extending premises and
training to use new machinery. The projects must be worth $1 million or more.
High-value
manufacturing can include the following:
focus on niche manufacturing
require a highly skilled workforce
compete on quality, uniqueness, reliability
and prestige
use innovation
use new composites and high performance
materials such as bio-based sources
use new technology in production processes
such as computer-aided design and manufacturing.
Applications
opened on October 16 and will be accepted until January 9 at 11:59 pm AEST.
To read a
factsheet, click here.
Image: http://www.themotorreport.com.au/