Liberal MP Ted O’Brien welcomed the Assistant Minister for Science, Jobs and Innovation, Senator the Hon Zed Seselja to visit a local manufacturer of innovative medical equipment on the Sunshine Coast.
Smartline Machinery is a Sunshine Coast based manufacturer beginning to transition from traditional medical cabinet production to manufacturing digitally enabled cabinets and supportive software.
The cabinets are used to dry and store endoscopes used in colonoscopy and gastroscopy procedures, and will be required to meet new standards coming into effect in 2022.
Smartline has received $150,000 in funding under the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre’s (AMGC) Project Fund, which will be matched by a $150,000 cash contribution from Smartline, as well as a $40,000 in-kind contribution, to support the joint project ‘Fast track development of CleanPath Servitisation Software’.
The AMGC is an integral part of the Coalition Government’s $248 million Industry Growth Centres Initiative to establish Growth Centre’s across six industry sectors. The joint project will fast track the development of Smartline’s CleanPath software to meet the standards that will be enforced in 2022.
Touring the manufacturer’s site Assistant Minister Seselja said that this project was an example of how the commercialisation of intellectual property can enable Australian manufacturers to transform their business and increase their access the export market, with Smartline estimating they have the potential to access $25 million annual revenue from the US market with this project.
“The Coalition Government is working to deliver on key aspects of our economic plan, including assisting Australian Industries to become globally competitive, with the support of organisations such as the AMGC.
“Today’s announcement is a brilliant example of innovation and science joining with business to create jobs and economic growth,” Assistant Minister Seselja said.
Mr Ted O’Brien, Liberal Member for Fairfax, said that funding support for local manufacturers was a great boost for the area, creating jobs of the future on the Sunshine Coast.
“Growth of local manufacturers boosts jobs in Fairfax, and will help ensure we have jobs of the future that will thrive in this era of technological change.”