Government funding for automotive industry transition Thursday, 21 January 2016

Industry Minister Christopher Pyne has announced an investment of $4.8 million for ten Australian automotive component manufacturers to help them move into new industry sectors before local car manufacturing ceases in 2017.

Minister Pyne said the funding represented round three of the Automotive Diversification Programme and would generate a total of $15.1 million in investment into the industry.

“This investment enables our manufacturers to move to a new model that’s characterised by the kind of innovation and spirit the Government is fostering through its new National Innovation and Science Agenda,” Pyne said.

“This is key to our commitment in ensuring a strong and sustainable high-value, globally-competitive, manufacturing industry in Australia.”

The two largest investments were worth $1 million each and were awarded to Robert Bosch Australia and Maxiplas Injection Moulding.

The Bosch investment was part of a $6.2 million project to develop and install a state-of-the-art high precision assembly line to produce High-Efficiency Diodes for export, new customers and new applications.

The Maxiplas investment was part of a $2.5 million project to commercialise a new range of nestable, stackable and folding transport solutions for the logistics market.

Other recipients included Harrop Casting Technologies for a facility to produce copper heat exchanger castings, ZF Lemforder Australia for equipment for the mining, construction and agriculture industries, Multislide Industries for advanced product forming capabilities, Orbital Australia for testing equipment, Backwell IXL for equipment for manufacturing gas log heater components, Quality Plastics & Tooling to manufacture plastic food apparatus, Luna Nameplate Industries for new machinery, and Premcar for a milling machine.

The Automotive Diversification Programme has so far supported 31 diversification projects and is expected to drive almost $50 million investment in Australian manufacturing. It is part of the Australian Government’s $155 million Growth Fund.

 

A Bosch show car demonstrated at CES 2016 in Las Vegas. Photo: Bosch