A new digital platform backed by the Australian Composites Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (ACM CRC) aims to help manufacturers access costly equipment without the burden of major capital investment, while enabling owners of underused machinery to generate additional value from existing assets.
The Machine Sharing Portal, developed by the Advanced Fibre Cluster (AFC) with support from ACM CRC, is designed as a nationally relevant model that connects organisations requiring capital-intensive machinery with those that have equipment available for use.
Users of the platform can browse, book and access machinery through the portal, while commercial arrangements are negotiated directly between machine owners and renters.
ACM CRC chief executive Luke Preston said the initiative could help manufacturers overcome barriers created by the high cost of specialised equipment while improving utilisation of existing assets.
“As someone who has worked at advanced composites manufacturers in the region, I know that what’s often needed is what’s often unused and sitting in universities, TAFEs, other companies and elsewhere,” Preston said.
“The Machine Sharing Portal will create very useful, win-win-based, commercial outcomes. It can save companies the often eye-watering capital costs attached to production, scientific and other equipment, see machine owners get paid instead of clocking up downtime, as well as create new relationships between companies.”
The portal was developed through a $79,800 project, including $50,000 in co-funding from ACM CRC.
AFC chief executive David Buchanan said there was significant untapped value in underutilised manufacturing assets, even within regional industrial centres.
“There’s a lot of sunk capital, even just within the small region of Geelong, where assets are really not fully utilised,” Buchanan said.
“That goes from everything from small CNC lathes through to autoclaves and large 3D printing machines. Some of the equipment at the Gordon TAFE, for example, is just not utilised other than for students, though is very advanced and very expensive.”
Buchanan said the platform could support a broad range of users, including startups developing prototypes, established businesses undertaking research and development, and university researchers.
The concept originated from AFC’s Maxime Maghe, drawing on his experience as a university researcher. It also received input from the Australian National Fabrication Facility, developer and science communications consultancy Miscible, and AFC members.
At the time of writing, the portal listed more than 120 assets from six organisations, including Sykes Racing, Carbon Revolution and RPC.
The Machine Sharing Portal is scheduled to officially launch on 1 July and is intended to operate on a self-sustaining basis through subscription fees.
Preston said the model had the potential to be replicated elsewhere in Australia.
“We would be happy to see this copied in other parts of Australia, which has its fair share of industrial clusters, fragmented manufacturing capabilities, and issues around visibility on who can do what for whom,” he said.
Buchanan said ACM CRC’s support had been instrumental in bringing the project to fruition.
“We are a small, collaboration-based, not-for-profit organisation, with 20-odd businesses – mostly on the small side – making up our membership,” Buchanan said.
“This project wouldn’t have happened without the CRC’s support, which has been pivotal as well as rapid, helping us launch a great idea on a small budget within a year of it first being proposed.”
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