đź’ˇACS Australia was pleased to present at the Fishermans Bend Business Forum Advanced Manufacturing and Innovation Event and participate in the Thought Leadership panel on 21 February 2023 at the Oakwood Hotel (41st floor) in Port Melbourne. Murray Scott, Paul Falzon and Andre Duarte were among the Fishermans Bend innovators that night, with Murray as a panel speaker, as pictured below:
Murray’s thoughts on the geographical positioning of Fishermans Bend:
“The close location to the CBD, the Yarra and the Bay are all attractive attributes. For ACS
Australia, it Is highly desirable to have close proximity to major partners and clients, such
as DSTG (defence aerospace research and development) , BAA (world-leading aerospace
design and manufacture) and Creature Technologies (superb high-tech machines).”
It was a great evening to network and reflect on the many organisations that form the Fishermans Bend’s innovative precinct, and think to the future in growing the thriving advanced engineering region of Melbourne’s inner city. Here are a few images from the evening, including ACS Australia’s display:
This aerial view of lower Fishermans Bend circa 1954 shows the Government Aircraft Factories (GAF), Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC), Aeronautical Research Laboratories (ARL) and General Motors Holden (GMH), with the Fishermans Bend aerodrome behind these facilities, showing the north-south runway where Todd Road is now located:
In the Thought Leadership panel discussion, Murray provided a few ideas for the future vision of Fishermans Bend:
“Establish a significant central, multi-purpose business and innovation facility for local
organisations to use exclusively. Such a facility could include conference, training and
meeting rooms, a business resource centre, and even a café or club for business functions
and meetings.”
While also adding to the question of what is missing in the precinct currently:
“Good access and central facilities to foster innovation. Attracting both research and commercialisation organisations, together with the necessary support services, will help fast-track new products and services into the market.”
The vision for the future of Fishermans Bend with the addition of the innovation precinct as illustrated:
Murray’s thoughts on the future of Advanced manufacturing in Melbourne:
“We actually already have many of the attributes necessary to expand advanced
manufacturing in Fishermans Bend. Government investment in facilities and services will
enable this to be accelerated. For ACS Australia, we are investing in new facilities to
support the manufacture of hypersonic aerospace vehicle structures using ultra-high
temperature composites.”
Images source: Fishermans Bend Business Forum and Fishermans Bend Innovation Precinct
Murray shared his 45-year career experience in Fishermans Bend in an interview with Hyperlocal News Director Sean Car in Docklands May 2023, Issue 196 Newspaper on p.16 (below). Reflecting on the achievements of the engineers that have made this part of Melbourne an aeronautical powerhouse!​
​“The future of the Australian aerospace industry depends to a large degree on the organisations here in Fishermans Bend. Developing these will not only strengthen our impact on the world today, but enable us to tackle the challenges of tomorrow, such as national security, clean aviation and many other exciting high technology areas.” – Murray​