The Future of Manufacturing in the New England & North West.

On the 30th & 31st of March, The UNE SMART Region Incubator hosted the NSW Commissioner for Modern Manufacturing, Lisa Emerson.

The Commissioner's visit to the New England highlighted the potential for innovation and growth in the manufacturing sector in our region, with a particular focus on agtech.

One of the key highlights of the visit was a tour of Optiweigh in Armidale, where UNE SRI Founder Bill Mitchell showcased his company’s Blue-Box.

The Blue-Box is a revolutionary new device capable of collecting accurate weights of livestock in the paddock. With the potential to transform the livestock industry, the Blue-box is just one example of the cutting-edge agtech being developed in the region.

The Commissioner also met with a number of other manufacturing leaders from our region, including representatives from Photo Create, Boss Engineering, Bindaree Food Group, Costa Group, ICT International, SierraTek, Crawford Boots, Fabers Weld NTools, Sundown Pastoral Company, and many others.

Through these meetings, the Commissioner was able to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing the manufacturing sector in the New England North West.

The SRI was thrilled to host the Commissioner and support her mission to strengthen connections across the region and champion the innovation happening in the area.

‘Having the Commissioner presenting on the Modern Manufacturing strategy strengthens the connections across the region. It means that we can tackle some of the challenges we share and continue to champion the innovation happening in this region’ said Lou Conway, Director of the UNE SMART Region Incubator.

The event was supported by the Armidale Regional Council and Moree Plains Shire Council, with special thanks to Samita Rai, Rebecca English, and Mark Connolly.