The Brisbane Olympics could mean gold for Australian manufacturing

Think of the Olympics, and it is likely incredible sporting feats, stadiums and medal ceremonies that come to mind. But for the host country, the event has the potential to create positive, lasting impacts long after the athletes have gone home.

While much has been written about the cost of staging the Games, with the right vision and plan in place, they can be an economic boon — including for local manufacturing.

“The Olympics is a significant opportunity for us to really showcase the Australian manufacturing brand,” said Engineers Australia Fellow Shay Chalmers FIEAust, Director at Strategic Engineering Australia.

“We can leverage this exposure to show that we are technology leaders, that we have innovative design solutions and that we can design sustainable products. We have a 10-year runway to make sure we demonstrate the Australian-made brand in a really positive light.”

Chalmers will discuss this in a webinar held by Engineers Australia next week (10 February), alongside Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre CEO and Managing Director David Chuter.

The pair are passionate about the potential of the Games to help grow Australian businesses.

“It’s a once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase new technologies, new businesses and really look to take some great Australian technology and products to the world,” Chuter said.

“It’s also a great opportunity to attract young people to engineering, as those who are soon to be trained or are starting out on their careers could become quite involved, not just in manufacturing but also things like design, software and data sciences.”