Private companies in the engineering sector can tap a lucrative business potential by becoming more involved with academia and other technical development bodies through ‘applied engineering’.
And – according to Australian Consulting Engineers design and development company Soto Group which is actively demonstrating as such – collaboration should be initiated without waiting for government incentives.
It all comes down to properly analysing your own capabilities and identifying ‘value propositions’ for universities and think tanks, followed by affirmative steps and dialogue with the institution, says Managing Director, Mr Frank Soto.
“Australian industry is on the cusp of being re-defined as we settle into our position in an increasingly global market, so a consulting engineering firm like ours has taken stock of its core strengths and looks for ways to infuse this into emerging opportunities.
“We looked at our long track record, and moved into new areas such as collaboration with industry to help commercialise new technologies to market.
“For example, we do ‘return engineering’ for UniNSW where Soto Group comes in with extensive engineering input to their research studies and concepts, with thorough theoretical testing and analysis in the digital simulation environment.
“We are doing this across many industries including mining, manufacturing, renewable energy and agriculture – anywhere there is challenging engineering required.
“We support our local industry through the efforts of the i3Net Group in the Illawarra region but we focus nationally, as through the tertiary education channels we not only increase our collaboration we also discover good engineers to enhance our own growth.
“We have been proactive and developed understandings with tertiary education bodies as well as quasi-government bureaux to fill in niches, mainly because we are prepared with the suitable value propositions most engineering firms don’t have.”
The timing could not have been more apt. Only recently, in its Innovation in Engineering Report June 2012, highly respected body Engineers Australia identified concern over Australia’s limited level of innovation, stating that in the absence of sustained innovation, the rate of growth in labour-constrained economies will ultimately fall to zero.
It went on to note that ‘innovation can drive productivity improvement across all industrial sectors. Many industries essential to the economic growth of the country such as construction, mining, telecommunications and manufacturing require significant engineering’.
Tellingly, it is a strong statement that focusing on engineered innovation in industries is the best way to increase productivity and contribute to the economic prosperity of the nation.
This has not been missed at Federal Government level either. A recent Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research Report titled Strengthening Links Between Industry and Public Sector Research Organisations made the following, powerful recommendation:
‘That mechanisms be put in place to capture the benefits of research and to direct research to problems of national importance including the support of those industries providing employment to Australians, especially emergent industries that will generate the next wave of employment.’
“Our advantage is having a ‘value proposition’ to give to a university like UoW or UNSW and any other tertiary body or think tank,” said Mr Soto.
“We invest considerable revenues in software and work closely with software developers to the level where predictive capabilities are so close to reality that the risk is greatly reduced.
“With software suppliers as innovation partners of Soto Group, not only are our designs more detailed than average, they are prepared quickly rather than slowly and always tested in great detail.”
