PCB Connect

PCB Connect: Strengthening Australia’s Sovereign Manufacturing Future

On 26 February 2025, industry leaders, government representatives, and key stakeholders gathered at the Queensland Air Museum in Caloundra for PCB Connect – Enabling Sovereign Capability. This industry-led forum and expo explored the evolving electronics supply chain, with a focus on printed circuit boards (PCBs) as a foundation for Australia’s sovereign industrial capability.

Delivered as a collaborative effort between Regional Development Australia Moreton Bay and Sunshine Coast (RDAMBSC), the Australian Industry and Defence Network (AIDN), the Manufacturing Excellence Forum Sunshine Coast (MEFSC), and Elexon Electronics, the event addressed critical challenges and opportunities in strengthening domestic manufacturing and supply chains.

Read on to get highlights from this event and to see where this initiative is now headed as part of a drive to get sovereign capability in electronics, specifically PCB manufacturing, on the national agenda.

A Nationally Significant Conversation

As Australia’s manufacturing landscape shifts from a focus on cost and efficiency to resilience, agility, and collaboration, the importance of building sovereign capability has never been clearer. This event put the spotlight on local suppliers in the PCB value chain, underscoring the need to reduce dependence on external sources for essential electronic components.

PCBs are a fundamental building block in industries such as:

• Defence and aerospace
• Aviation
• Bio-medical and health
• AgTech
• Robotics and advanced manufacturing

By enhancing domestic capability in PCBs, new opportunities for future industries can be unlocked, strengthening Australia’s complex economy.

Event Highlights & Key Insights

The event attracted over 350 attendees, including 200+ full-day registrations and 155+ additional attendees at the AIDN-MEFSC ‘After Hours’ Networking event.

Event Highlights:

• 23 exhibitors showcasing cutting-edge innovations in electronics and PCB manufacturing
• 26+ expert speakers discussing industry challenges, opportunities, and trends
• 5 industry workshops covering critical themes in sovereign capability
• AIDN Micro-credential program offering specialised industry knowledge
• Leader’s Roundtable with over 35 high-level stakeholders from industry, government, and academia across the country
• 40 volunteers from NAB and the Qld Air Museum supporting the event
• Sponsored by AusIndustry, reinforcing the importance of government-industry collaboration

Additionally, 54 percent of attendees travelled from outside the Moreton Bay-Sunshine Coast-Noosa region, with 20 percent coming from interstate—highlighting the event’s national significance.

Driving Action: The Leader’s Roundtable & Communique

A key outcome of the event was the Leader’s Roundtable, which brought together over 35 national stakeholders to explore next steps for advancing Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capabilities.

The discussion aligned with the Federal Government’s Future Made in Australia initiative, focusing on:

• The urgency of strengthening local supply chains
• The role of PCBs in enabling broader sovereign manufacturing
• Strategies to position Australia as a leader in advanced manufacturing

The Communique

A major milestone was the signing of a Communique by the four event partners, formalising shared commitments to drive ongoing collaboration and industry growth. This document is now being shared broadly to continue the conversation and encourage further engagement from stakeholders across the country.

Its core call to action is that we seek to make electronic manufacturing a priority at the national level – for it to be recognised as a building block of our manufacturing value chain and an enabler of future security, jobs and prosperity.

Industry, government, and academia are invited to share this message within their networks and contribute to shaping the future of sovereign capability in Australia’s electronics manufacturing sector.

If this initiative empowers further conversations and actions, it has served its purpose.

Looking Ahead

PCB Connect – Enabling Sovereign Capability was more than an event—it was a catalyst for meaningful change. Through strategic collaboration, investment, and policy alignment, Australia can elevate electronic manufacturing to a national priority.

By recognising PCBs as a cornerstone of industrial capability, new opportunities for security, job creation, and economic growth can be unlocked, paving the way for a stronger, self-sufficient future.

Since this event the partners have moved into a second phase of the initiative, with our focus now turning to strategic planning, capability building, and activating new partnerships.

If you are interested and want to either get involved or stay up to date with progress, please download our latest Prospectus document and register your interest with the team

Thank You to Our Partners and Sponsors

This event would not have been possible without the support of AusIndustry, our event partners, exhibitors, speakers, and attendees.

We look forward to continuing this conversation and working together to build Australia’s sovereign manufacturing future.