Geelong’s Sykes Racing team welcomed State Member for Geelong, Ms Christine Couzens MP, to their “toolbox meeting” and hosted a factory tour last Friday after the company was awarded a $50,000 Victorian Government grant in support of manufacturing technology development.
Sykes has won a Technology Adoption and Innovation Program grant to help develop and commercialise a new process and technology capability to use in the manufacture of its carbon fibre composites boats.
This investment will deliver technology advancements, efficiency gains and potentially create new advanced composite market opportunities for the company.
Ms Couzens met with staff as part of their regular factory meeting and said she was excited to see such an innovative Geelong company succeeding globally against international competition. “Geelong has always been a manufacturing hub, and this shows how we are transitioning into a high tech manufacturing city” Ms Couzens said.
Sykes Director, Mark Nothnagel, said the company had an incredibly proud history in Geelong which has been built over 55 years’ of manufacturing. Sykes is recognised globally for its excellence and fantastic products for all levels of rowing.
“The new technology and capability we are investing in will take Sykes to the next level and allow us to stand out from our established global competitors.”
Mark Nothnagel | Director at Sykes
The TAIP grant will support Sykes in adding pre-preg. production capability to its proven, well established wet layup and vacuum infusion manufacturing processes.
“This new capability and technology will enable further growth for the existing customer base in Australia, and facilitate export growth in the USA and soon in Europe, Mr Nothnagel said.
“We hope to create some very attractive opportunities in new high-tech advanced manufacturing markets like Defence, Aerospace and Space.”
Jun 2021