Following the government's $ 1.5 billion investment in its advanced manufacturing strategy, the number of locally manufactured components and machinery is expected to grow.
This investment will improve the availability and safety of consumer products in Australia.
As of this month, the federal government has made its investment available to two of the six priority manufacturing sectors.
Manufacturers can apply for a grant to strengthen their local supply chain, handle mass production, train employees, increase competitiveness and improve.
"Worldwide restrictions have resulted in a lack of availability or delivery delays of goods as parts and components are included in international supply chains," says Saeid Nikdel, quality management expert at SAI Global.
“The slowdown in production lines has meant that Australians who want access to goods have a flow-on effect. The problem has highlighted the deepest vulnerability of our manufacturing industry: our reliance on overseas markets for the supply of machines, tools, parts and product components.
"Most of the machines we bring to Australia come from the US and Europe, while product components and parts come mainly from China."
Look local
According to Nikdel, some manufacturing customers have told SAI Global that they are now trying to make their own product components in Australia.
This is in line with what most Aussies want. Almost nine in ten consumers believe that we should produce a higher proportion of essential products locally.
Mr. Nikdel is optimistic that the government's $ 1.5 billion investment will improve target space markets.
"As the demand for Australian suppliers increases, our local manufacturers also need to expand their workforce and facilities to grow operations," he says.
“There is currently a lack of qualified machine operators in the manufacturing sector. Direct government funding of the sector will not only lead to new areas of production, but also to an increase in the number of skilled workers and production facilities. "
