An Australian advanced manufacturing council has been established to progress Australia’s struggling manufacturing sector.
Australian Industry Group (AI) yesterday announced Australian companies leading in global supply chain transformation and technology have joined forces with global technology giants to launch Australia’s first industry-led Australian Advanced Manufacturing Council.
The newly formed CEOs’ group formally met yesterday to chart the direction for Australian high-value manufacturing.
The council hopes to drive national priority and policy change to foster Australia’s comparative advantages in advanced manufacturing.
The group is a private sector initiative aimed at re-focusing Australia’s approach to investment and industry to deal with contemporary global dynamics.
Founding members, including the Dow Chemical Company Global CEO Andrew Liveris, Pacific Brands CEO John Pollaers, and Cochlear CEO Chris Roberts formally launched the initiative at an inaugural meeting supported by AI.
Pollaers says the private sector is in the best position to present a coherent view of Australia’s competitive advantages.
“We’ve allowed some of these advantages to languish or be compromised,” Pollaers says.
“This group will provide the leadership to advance Australia’s world class potential in high-value manufacturing and help to redefine manufacturing in the public imagination.”
Liveris has led the conversation in the United States that is enhancing a US manufacturing resurgence and a re-shoring of capabilities.
He was co-Chair of President Obama’s Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, and was recently appointed Chairman of the US Business Council.
“Since 2010, manufacturing has been a bright spot in the US, as the economy continues to recover from the financial crisis,” Liveris says.
“Nearly 500,000 manufacturing jobs have been created since January 2010.
“Australia can benefit from this country’s highly skilled and trained workforce, like Germany and Singapore, and be as competitive as the US on input costs. Australia has the ingredients for a dynamic advanced manufacturing economy – we just need to foster the right environment.”