Focused on building resilience in manufacturing

Over 2 dynamic weeks, the Central Coast Industry Festival will be presenting a series of 9 content-rich workshops designed to train and upskill manufacturing, food and beverages businesses to be better prepared for crises such as bushfires, floods and the COVID pandemic.

Topics covered will include strengthening supply chains, attracting skilled workers, creating agile businesses, innovating, operating sustainably, collaborating for growth and much more.

All workshops are free to businesses within the manufacturing and agricultural production sectors. Places are limited however so register today!

Registrations are now open for the Central Coast Industry Festival Workshop Program

- Workshops are FREE

- Numbers are limited and pre-registration is required

- All workshops to be held ‘in person’ at the Mingara Recreation Club, Tumbi Umbi

- Full catering provided for full day workshops

Click on RED links below for more details on the individual workshops, the presenters and TO REGISTER

19th August - Grants Workshop and Government Funding Opportunities - 8.30 am to 12.30 pm 

This face-to-face event is a half day workshop and will be in two parts" Understanding the grants process and educating you on how to prepare for grant opportunities: and knowing what grants are available from different government agencies. Presented by Keith Whelan, “The Grants Guy" and our state and federal government agencies.

19th August - Business Planning Through Difficult Times -1.30 pm to 3.30 pm

This workshop focuses on the basic components of what to do and how to do it in difficult times for your organisation. While there is no short-cut solution, there are some things you can manage do to manage your business, to position it to cope with the future. Presented by Keith Whelan.

22nd August - Turbo Charging Innovation in Your Organisation - 9.00 am to 4.00 pm 

Facilitated by Anton Kriz this one-day workshop will be a catalyst in setting the foundation for your future in innovation and how to lead and foster it in your organisation.

23rd August - Lean for Small and Medium Sized Business - 8.30 am to 4.00 pm 

Lean concepts are powerful tools for increasing productivity and enabling your business to reach its growth and profit potential. However, the challenge is to adapt these powerful techniques, so they are relevant to the challenges of a small to medium sized enterprise. Tim McLean from TXM will take you through the Lean principles and the steps to use these to drive your business growth potential. 

24th & 25th August - Collaboratory - Two-day event 8.30 am - 4.30 pm 

The Collaboratory is a transformational, social learning lab that introduces forward thinking business leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals to effective, science - based modalities that build capacity within individuals, teams and organisations to collaborate more effectively, to think creatively, act resourcefully, foster entrepreneurship and innovate faster. The workshop will be facilitated by Scott Winter from Brain Friendly Dynamic (USA) and Mark Jones from Jenark Business solutions.

26th August - Circular Economy Makes Good Business Sense - 12.30 pm to 4.00 pm

This workshop will provide insight into how the circular economy provides tangible benefits to business. You will hear from one of Australia's leading Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Professor, Veena Sahajwalla, an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor, two speakers from the University of Newcastle, Professor Alan Broadfoot, Director of Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources (NIER) and Professor Paul Dastoor and three local industry players; Mark Harry, R&D Manager at Mars Food Australia, Chloe Hyde, Sustainable Development & Public Relations at TrendPac and Graham Knowles, Group General Manager and Chief Operating Officer at iQRenew.

30th August – Customer-Focused Value - 8.30 am to 4.00 pm

How can you change the conversation with buyers to be more than just price?
Participants will learn how to identify the ways in which they can bring value to customers and to use this understanding to initiate relationships and offer solutions that create lasting value for both parties. Presented by Shipley Asia Pacific.

1st September - Lean Industry 4.0 - 8.00 am to 9.00 am

This presentation will discuss the essential role that both Lean and Industry 4.0 have in the success of your business and how you can apply these approaches together to deliver the maximum value for your customers. Presented by Tim McLean from TXM.

1st September - Secrets of On-Time-In-Full Delivery - Lean Supply Chain Simulation - 9.30 am to 4.00 pm

The most fundamental requirement for a manufacturing or distribution business is to deliver customers what they want, in the right quantity, when and where they want it. If your customers cannot get this, they will go elsewhere. So, what are the secrets to achieving on-time-in-full delivery? Through a practical and fun Lego simulation game you will learn what goes wrong in typical international supply chains and how to fix it. Presented by Tim McLean from TXM.