Accelerating manufacturing

Exploring the First Building, Bradfield and beyond.

A person using augmented reality to inspect parts in an advanced manufacturing facility
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The evolution of manufacturing in Western Sydney

Western Sydney’s strong manufacturing heritage continues to evolve with the establishment of the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility (AMRF) in the First Building. 

Quick facts

  • 170+ years of manufacturing history
  • 1 in 5 NSW manufacturing businesses located in Western Sydney
  • Home to a third of Sydney’s skilled manufacturing workforce  
  • $300 million investment in the AMRF  
  • 14 cutting edge advanced machines in Stage 1
  • Stage 2 focus on advanced semiconductor packaging 
1:13

Bradfield City Centre The First Building - Accelerating Manufacturing

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Video transcript

Bradfield City Centre The First Building - Accelerating Manufacturing

Ben Kitcher

So the AMRF has been set up to bring together a range of tools, a full range of tools all the way from design through to validation of manufacturing methods, and make them available along with the skills necessary to implement those technologies to local manufacturing businesses.

In manufacturing, which is already a very strong part of the Western Sydney economy, we need to understand how do we make those jobs future proof, how do we add more value per job, and advanced manufacturing is a great part of it.

So along with that investment in the machinery, the infrastructure, the skills, we're putting it all into a place that actually allows a transparency actually to those processes that's brought together by the building itself.

It's accessible. People can see in, they can understand what it is we're doing here. We want people, we want companies and individuals to come and engage with the manufacturing technology. This is high-tech. This is actually where rubber meets the road in terms of application of AI technologies, digital tech, automation - it's really cutting edge and it's really exciting for a future career.

A history of heavy-engineering manufacturing in Western Sydney

4:53

A history of heavy-engineering manufacturing in Western Sydney

The AMRF and the future of manufacturing in Western Sydney

The AMRF is an innovation accelerator anchored in Bradfield City. It offers shared facilities with advanced technology, expertise, training, and networks to help manufacturing businesses grow.

0:48

Introducing the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility

The AMRF in action – the first project

Gareth Jones and Ben Kitcher
Gareth Jones, Director, Marley Flow Control with Ben Kitcher, Executive Director, Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility

Western Sydney engineering company Marley Flow Control was the first to benefit from the Advanced Manufacturing Readiness Facility. 

1:58

AMRF Marley Flow Control case study

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Video transcript

AMRF Marley Flow Control case study

Kalolo Matavesi

We are at Marley Flow Control. This is the workshop that we build our stainless steel cooling towers from.

Gareth Jones

We knew where we wanted to go, but we needed to go the next step, which was to get cost out of manufacturing, improve our manufacturing process. 

Maegan Baker

When we first started working with Marley Flow, we were really fortunate to be going into a fantastic manufacturing company. They had a great team and a great product. But to become more competitive on that global scale, we needed to figure out how we could best support them.

Nick Hurley

When we're working with the AMRF where they're sort of helping us innovate things. 

Maegan Baker

Part of that exploration was looking at how they do business now and really understanding where the greatest impact could be through changes recommended by the AMRF team.

Nick Hurley

And push it further. So we could be pushing it from a small scale to something much larger. 

Gareth Jones

Our long-term goal was to take our product internationally. We couldn't do that because we didn't have the production capacity until the AMRF came to us and made those recommendations. They want to push manufacturing in Australia, so they're helping us develop this to be even more, I guess you could say, efficient.

Kalolo Matavesi

The majority of us are from Western Sydney, so we kind of all have the same humour and same attitude. So I think that's why we connect really well and work together really well as a crew.

Gareth Jones

Here in Australia, we've lost a massive knowledge base of manufacturing, whether it be personnel, whether it be expertise, whether it be machinery. The AMRF can bring that all back to us. 

Nick Hurley

We've had blokes like Nathan and James who actually come from composite backgrounds. They know, you know, more than anyone really. We've definitely been teamed up with the right people.

Gareth Jones

All we've seen is cooperation. 

Nick Hurley

We're actually the first to deal with them in this manufacturing process they want to do. So yeah, they've been nothing but, you know, overly helpful. So it's been great.

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