Work being done in Ipswich to develop an advanced manufacturing ecosystem with the defence sector at its core has captured global attention.
Ipswich City Council’s Office of Economic Development team recently hosted a roundtable with a visiting delegation from the World Economic Forum.
Representatives from the Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur also attended.
Ian Cronin is the World Economic Forum’s project lead for the future of advanced manufacturing and production.
He travelled from Geneva to Ipswich as part of a broader tour showcasing Queensland’s advanced manufacturing technology.
During his visit, the City of Ipswich Defence Industry Development and Attraction Committee showcased the work it has been doing to promote advanced manufacturing.
The group discussed the importance of regional synergy, connectedness, industrial strategy as well as collaboration and how it can be used to attract global manufacturers and scale up opportunities.
The World Economic Forum is an independent, non-government organisation committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic and other leaders of society to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
It has a strong interest in advanced manufacturing.
Director of the Office of the Queensland Chief Entrepreneur, Craig O’Kane, praised the Ipswich roundtable participants and complemented council on its “first-class”, collaborative approach to working with government, industry, startups and academia.
Tamana Monem, Industry Development Lead for council’s Office of Economic Development, said collaboration was key.
“Our work to support the development of a capable manufacturing sector will be done through collaboration with partners and we are willing, open innovators seeking to collaborate with like-minded manufacturing bases across Queensland,” she said.
For more information on defence and manufacturing activities in Ipswich visit www.ipswich.qld.gov.au/business and www.defenceipswich.com.au
