Manufacturing
Issue No. 40 - April/ /
Electric future based on knowledge
by Ronald Grill
For Adelaide to maintain and improve its already high standard of living, our fast growing ‘knowledge-age’ manufacturing industries will have to replace traditional manufacturing industries that are under relentless pressure from low-cost overseas competitors.
Adelaide has a vibrant mix of ‘knowledge-based’ industries, including aerospace, biotechnology, electronics, information technology, and telecommunications. In 2007 these industries collectively produced revenue of $7 billion and today employ more than 26,000 well-trained and well-paid South Australians.
Our biotechnology industry employs more than 1000 people on research and development of new discoveries, from their own research and from our universities and research institutes. This industry also has a significant manufacturing sector with global markets. The small local aerospace industry produces sophisticated components and systems for the world’s largest aerospace companies.
The IT sector employs more than 11,000 specialists in 700 businesses that create and distribute educational, multimedia and business software and provide technical services to government and commercial customers, while the local telecommunications industry is predominantly a service provider to government, industry and community.
SA’s electronics industry is the largest of our knowledge-based industries, employing more than 13,500 people in more than 400 businesses.
About 300 are small and 80 are medium enterprises and about 20 employ more than 100 staff each. Adelaide’s electronics industry revenue in 2007 was $4.2 billion and its productivity is more than $300,000 per person per year. About 80% of its revenue is produced by SA-owned and managed businesses.
Electronics is also the fastest growing of our knowledge-based industries, increasing its revenue tenfold in the past 15 years at an average of 17% growth per year. Measured employment growth a...
