Call for more manufacturing

Returning from several key international meetings in the Greater China Region, Angus Robinson, chief executive of Australia's ICT, electronics and electrical manufacturing industry body has today welcomed the AiG's recent call for a national manufacturing strategy.

"The AiG's scorecard report on the state of our manufacturing sector today is a crucial input to the debate about the future of the industry in these times of fierce global competition, a drop in export market share and diminishing skills base," he said.

Australian manufacturers are calling for greater Australian government recognition of the importance to economic growth of a robust and innovative manufacturing sector. Australians need to appreciate that a number of countries in the European Union (which derives some 21% of its GDP from manufacturing, twice that of Australia) are now rebuilding their manufacturing industries," he said.

Robinson also pointed out that in our own backyard "“ the Greater China Region, economy leader, Japan has returned to a buoyant economy through a resurgence in "˜value add' manufacturing.

He said that Japanese electronics manufacturers are focusing on the strategy of "˜product realisation', the high value end of manufacturing and outsourcing the lower value assembly to other countries.

"In fact over the past five years the total value, globally, of knowledge embedded in manufactured goods and services has doubled," Robinson added.

He also said that AEEMA believes that Australia, with its comparative advantages of a solid R&D capability base, particularly in the areas of new and advanced materials, its well educated skills base, and its excellent public R&D infrastructure, can be viewed in a more favourable light in the emerging area of "˜minimal manufacturing'.

Robison said that Australian designers are innovative and creative and Australian engineers excel at technology integration. He believes that Australian contract electronics manufacturers are agile and are globally competitive in small volume, complex product systems.

"However to succeed Australian hi-tech manufacturers do not need to become the "˜best of breed' in creating and delivering customer solutions and value through tangible goods," Robinson added.