AMTIL has established an Export Hub in partnership with AusIndustry (through the Federal Government’s SME Export Hubs Grant Program) to help local companies in the rail and road, passenger and freight supply chains find new customers and new export markets. The AMTIL Export Hub will help local manufacturers build their export capabilities, discover export opportunities and showcase their products, technologies and services to international audiences.

The AMTIL Export Hub is a vibrant community of SMEs in the Australian rail, road passenger and freight supply chain (encompassing trams, trains, trucks and buses). The Export Hub will enable participating small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to collaborate on projects and address specific supply chain gaps identified by OEMs and work together to lift the capability and performance of their businesses and provide a path to global markets.

The Export Hub will enable SMEs to:

  • Collaborate to leverage individual business strengths, assets and resources.
  • Share resources that an individual SME cannot access alone.
  • Improve local supply chain capability and competitiveness.
  • Develop new technologies and service offerings.
  • Leverage collective strengths and capabilities in supplying to a low-volume, high-quality, customised vehicle design and assembly customer base.
  • Work with Australia’s research & development community on industry innovation.

Export Capability Audit

Each Export Hub Participant will be required to undertake an export readiness audit. This audit may be a self-assessment audit through Austrade, an Entrepreneurs’ Programme audit or an Export Capability Audit through partners such as the Export Council of Australia.

The outcome of the audit will be to assess the participant’s export capability level and identify improvements required for them to collaborate with consortia members and become export-ready.

Export-ready improvement

Each participant will be provided with a personalised assessment and a tailored approach to building capacity and capability through training, facilitation, and engagement with other group members. The Export Hub will engage specialist providers of consortia development services for each participant. These programs will help participants develop the knowledge, capability and capacity to successfully collaborate and export their products and services.

Participant Export Plan

Each participant will engage in a process to deliver a Participant Export Plan. This will contain a tailored approach including product strategy, foreign marketplace analysis, entry strategies, international law, financial analysis, risk management, external assistance requirements and implementation schedules.

Export hub activity

Each participant will be invited to join Hub and consortia activities including facilitated member meetings, networking and engagement events, planned workshops, one on one mentoring sessions, plant visits, business breakfasts and progress reviews.

Trade missions

Trade mission activity is dependent on the outcomes from the export research phase and the specific participant opportunities identified in their individual export plan. However, initial plans include a rail- and urban transport-focused trade mission to InnoTrans, the world’s largest trade fair focused on the rail transport industry, in Berlin, Germany, in September 2020.

Marketing/collateral

Each participant will have access to AMTIL’s marketing, communications and graphic design team to develop material that will assist in the promotion and marketing of the participants in export activities. In addition, “team approach” marketing material will also be developed to showcase the capabilities of the consortia as an entity.

Participant contribution

Each participating SME will be asked for a contribution of $20,000 per financial year (pro-rata), to cover Export Hub activities.

Benefits of Export Hub participation include:

  • Export readiness audit.
  • Subsidised business improvement training, consortia and export plan development and mentoring by specialist providers.
  • Journey to export – Export Hub networking events and seminars.
  • Market opportunity study – conducted by Austrade (or equivalent) for participant’s priority market.
  • Subsidised trade mission and business matching at relevant trade shows.
  • Development of marketing collateral for Export Hub consortia.
  • Access to advice regarding export grants, Export Finance Australia, market entry strategies.

If your company is interested in participating in the Export Hub program or would like further information, please contact Phil Bourke, Export Hub Manager, at pbourke@amtil.com.au or on 0411 773 243.

www.amtil.com.au