-Adam Sharman, CEO LMAC,APAC

As we look ahead to SouthMach 2025, it is hard to avoid the national and global context in which this year’s event is set.

Global volatility and uncertainty, combined with a slow domestic economy are providing significant headwinds for New Zealand’s manufacturing industry.

With the country’s industry coming together in Christchurch, we are provided with an opportunity to learn from each other, share ideas and collaborate for the benefit of the industry and country as a whole.

Having recently attended the Australian Manufacturing Week exhibition in Melbourne and hearing the themes of digitisation, diversification and decarbonisation as priorities for Australia’s manufacturers, we will be paying close attention to see if these themes are replicated in the attendees, speakers and visitors to SouthMach.

With the shift in the support landscape occurring in the last 6 months e.g. the disbanding of Callaghan Innovation and, with it, the Industry 4.0 Demonstration Network, at LMAC we are proud to be playing an active role in the continuing awareness and capability development of the industry.

With this goal front and centre, we are pleased to be collaborating with the EMA, ASB and AspectPT to bring the Smart Manufacturers Workshop to SouthMach on both days.

I will  be presenting, as part of the seminar series on ‘Getting Started with Digital Transformation’, providing a practical guide to the first steps of a digital transformation in manufacturing and how this can be achieved in cost-effective way.

The new addition of the Minister for Manufacturing Awards is a fantastic initiative and we congratulate all the nominees and finalists who have been recognised so far across all categories.

The announcing of the award winners at SouthMach is sure to be a highlight as we celebrate the amazing people and organisations working across our industry.

LMAC have been regulars at SouthMach for many years and we look forward to another great event in 2025.