What is Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Growth Voucher System (AMIG)?
The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Growth Voucher System (AMIG) is a program that provides manufacturing businesses with funding for innovation and growth projects that improve their competitiveness.
Background
The Advanced Manufacturing Innovation and Growth Voucher System is designed to encourage Tasmanian advanced manufacturing enterprises to choose a pathway to undertake innovation and growth initiatives thereby improving their competitiveness.
The program may provide assistance to (but not limited to):
- Quality Assurance systems including ISO 9000, 1401, 1345, HACCP and AusDefCon
- designers in industry – industrial product design, design for manufacturing
- disruptive technologies – specialised expertise to assist the implementation and adoption of disruptive technologies
- engineering and applied research – to identify embedded innovation, redesign, new product development and other.
Objectives
The objective of the AMIG is to support advanced manufacturing enterprises to:
- undertake innovation and growth initiatives and/or
- improve their efficiency and productivity and/or
- increase their capacity and capability
- in a way that leads to increased investment, export and import replacement activity in Tasmania
Funding
Grants of $5000 to $15,000 are available to cover up to one-half of the project costs. Applicants are expected to contribute to at least half of the project costs in cash.
Eligible Projects
The Program provides a reimbursement of up to half of approved expenses for projects that meet the Program objectives, to a maximum of $15 000. Eligible expenditure cannot be retrospective.
As a guide, by way of example, but not limited to, the following expense items are eligible for up to half reimbursement, to a maximum of $15 000 in total, per activity:
- Quality Assurance Systems
- For example: ISO 9000, 1401, 1345, HACCP, AusDefCon.
- The systematic measurement, comparison with a standard, monitoring of processes and associated feedback loop that facilitates error prevention. It differs from quality control which is focused on process outputs. A suitable quality system is determined by product users, clients or customers.
- Designers in industry – industrial product design, design for manufacturing
- Allows companies to have a specialised expert in their business for a period of time to identify poor or outdated design which has been proven to be one of the most costly issues for businesses, not just in market share, but also internal cost to manufacture. Designers could work with key external customers to value add the supply chain capability of the enterprise and could also include technical specifications around products/guidance materia
- Disruptive technologies
- Specialised expertise to assist the implementation and adoption of disruptive technologies, including automation, robotics, simulation, rapid prototyping, 3D modelling additive manufacturing and sensor networks. While highly specialised, much of these concepts are intuitive with very advanced front ends which allow ease of use and integration into business. It is critical to work with key external customers to add value to them as well as capability into the enterprise.
- Engineering and applied research
- A suitably qualified technologist with fresh eyes to assist manufacturers to identify embedded innovation within their firms through redesign and/or application of machinery to open up opportunities for potential new products or services which could generate other sources of income.
- Further assist manufacturers with new product development which requires significant resources such as finite element analysis (FEA), vibration analysis, material science, new generation digital interfaces, corrosion management, whole of life management, systems integration, etc.
- Business review, planning and strategies
- Advice on issues such as profitability, cash flow management, equity attraction, joint venture arrangements or financial analysis associated with growth oriented initiatives, governance and business reviews, strategic and viability assessments.
- Advice on improving business sustainability through benchmarking and the identification of cost benefits by implementing carbon and waste reduction initiatives.
- Increasing efficiency and/or productivity
- Advice on strategies associated with new processes or systems, workforce planning, lean manufacturing, change management or supply chain efficiencies.
- Supply chain integration and management, product/service innovation plans for existing products
- Succession planning, business reviews, strategy reviews, growth strategies, identification of skills needed to support managing growth
Eligible Applicants
To be eligible for financial assistance from the Program the applicant:
- must demonstrate that they operate an advanced manufacturing enterprise, as defined by this program, to the satisfaction of the department;
- must have an Australian Business Number and be registered for GST;
- cannot receive in excess of $15 000 per financial year under this Program;
- must have annual sales turnover greater than $300 000 and less than $20 million;
- applications must be lodged a minimum of one calendar month prior to the commencement of the planned activity;
- must not be a consultant or intermediary; and
- must not be subject to any legal disability, including bankruptcy or liquidation.
Timing
Applications open on an ongoing basis.
More Information
- Source
- AMIG Guidelines
