Sydney leads the way to manufacturing’s high tech future
News that Sydney has overtaken Melbourne as Australia’s largest manufacturing centre speaks to the success of its many niche manufacturers, says Anthony Reed, Exhibition Director of National Manufacturing Week 2014 (NMW), in Sydney from 13-16 May. It is also good news for visitors to NMW, which is constantly evolving to reflect the latest trends. Designed to showcase technologies that help businesses build innovative, market-driven manufacturing capabilities, NMW is a significant opportunity for local manufacturers to arm themselves with the tools to maximise productivity, evolve their product offering and grow their business. Sydney’s manufacturing sector alone generated $21.7BN in 2012-13, with companies producing highly engineered medical and biotech products, as well as components for aerospace and advanced engineering sectors largely driving the growth. Other manufacturers are leapfrogging from their core local businesses to target the fast-growing Asian food and packaging markets, or diversifying to supply the mining equipment and services (METS) sector. Sydney is also building pools of highly skilled workers, especially in Greater Western Sydney where almost 100,000 – around half of Sydney’s manufacturing workforce – are employed. “Despite operating in a tough marketplace, Sydney’s manufacturers are gaining ground in global markets – and some are beginning to see a positive cycle where success builds on success,” adds Reed. NMW 2014 is bringing together transformative technologies from around the world for local manufacturing to see. NMW will present a record 15 Product Zones including dedicated areas for Sustainable, Digital and Additive Manufacturing, Machine Tools, Engineering Services and Advanced Materials. It will also incorporate Ausplas – Australia’s national trade exhibition for plastics technology – in Sydney for the first time since 1990. In an industry ‘first’ – and addressing the challenge for smaller companies to fund the research that underpins technological innovation – NMW will also put visitors in direct contact […]