New portal aims to cut machinery costs for manufacturers through shared access

The Advanced Fibre Cluster (AFC) and the Australian Composites Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (ACM CRC) have launched a Machine Sharing Portal to connect manufacturers needing expensive equipment with owners of underused industrial assets. The platform aims to lower capital investment barriers for startups and research firms while allowing equipment owners to generate revenue from idle machinery, according to ACM CRC chief executive Luke Preston.

Why are manufacturers moving toward shared equipment models?

High capital costs often prevent small companies from scaling production or conducting research. Luke Preston stated that the portal addresses “eye-watering capital costs” associated with scientific and production equipment. By shifting from ownership to access, companies can avoid the financial burden of purchasing machinery that may not be used at full capacity.

David Buchanan, chief executive of the AFC, noted that significant “sunk capital” exists even in small regional hubs like Geelong. He cited equipment at Gordon TAFE as an example, noting that advanced, expensive machinery often remains unused outside of student hours. This underutilization creates a market opportunity for a sharing economy within the industrial sector.

How does the industrial sharing economy work in practice?

The platform functions as a directory and booking system. Users browse available assets and then negotiate commercial arrangements directly with the owners. This removes the middleman from the pricing process, allowing for flexible, win-win agreements between the renter and the provider.

The system is designed to be self-sustaining via subscription fees. According to the project data, the portal was developed for $79,800, which included $50,000 in co-funding from the ACM CRC. At the time of its rollout, the portal listed over 120 assets from six different organizations, including RPC, Carbon Revolution, and Sykes Racing.

Which assets are most viable for shared access?

The most viable assets for sharing are those with high purchase prices but intermittent usage patterns. David Buchanan highlighted several specific examples currently relevant to the composites and manufacturing sectors:

• Large-scale 3D printing machines: High-cost equipment used for prototyping.
• Autoclaves: Specialized pressure vessels used for curing composite materials.
• CNC lathes: Precision machining tools that may have significant downtime between contracts.

What happens next for regional manufacturing clusters?

The ACM CRC believes this model can be replicated across other Australian industrial clusters to solve issues regarding “visibility on who can do what for whom,” according to Preston. This suggests a trend toward “Manufacturing-as-a-Service” (MaaS), where the physical location of the machine is less important than the digital ability to book its time.

This shift allows for a more fragmented but flexible manufacturing base. Rather than one company owning every tool in the chain, a network of small businesses can share a collective pool of assets. This reduces the risk for individual firms and increases the overall productivity of the region’s industrial infrastructure.

For more information on industrial collaboration, visit the Australian Government Department of Industry or explore our guides on advanced composite materials.

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