The
Advanced Manufacturing CRC has said its history so far has been characterised
by successful collaboration.
The CRC has put in a combined re-submission for funding with the Manufacturing Industry Innovation CRC. If this bid is successful, the new organisation will
be known as the Innovative Manufacturing CRC.
“We’ve invested in bringing together the best minds
and the greatest ideas with the aim of building a viable future for Australian
manufacturing – and we’re proud of what we have achieved in the period,” said
CEO Andrew McLellan in a statement.
“The collaborative approach will continue in the future entity.”
The CRC program began in 1991 under Bob Hawke’s Labor government. The AMCRC
was established in 2008 with $35 million in funds.
On May 20 the AMCRC won a CRC Excellence in Innovation award for the Polycrystalline Diamond Machining (PCD) project with ANCA, which was named the Manufacturer of The Year at Manufacturers’ Monthly‘s Endeavour Awards in 2013.
“The Excellence in Innovation award is just one example of the successful
support extended to our industry and research partners,” said McLellan.
The PCD project is useful for in titanium/composites, which are used in aerospace for
weight reduction and are tough on tools.
Despite the $80 million in CRC funding cuts over four years in the federal budget, McLellan said he understood the federal;
government was committed to the continuation of the CRC program.
Parliamentary secretary to the industry minister Bob Baldwin said earlier in the year that CRCs would in future need to be self-sustaining.
“Industry and others need to know that the funding that has been
provided isn’t there forever,” Baldwin said in May.
Success stories among AMCRC partners include Endeavour
winners this year Rode Microphones (Exporter of The Year), Marand Precision Engineering
(Manufacturer of The Year) and Amaero Engineering which – with the AMCRC – was a
finalist at the awards.
Image: ANCA