Australia’s Biggest Manufacturing Sector Is Being Squeezed, Here’s How to Fix It | Angeline Achariya

About this episode

The episode discusses the challenges facing Australia's food manufacturing sector and offers insights on how to improve competitiveness and resilience.

Food manufacturing is Australia’s largest manufacturing sector, yet it’s under pressure from every direction, squeezed margins, rising costs, global competition, and ongoing underinvestment. In this episode, Paul sits down with Angeline Achariya from Innovation Gamechangers to unpack what’s really happening inside the industry and why it matters far beyond food. They explore why manufacturers keep falling into the cycle of cutting costs instead of investing, how this is eroding long-term competitiveness, and why the real challenge isn’t a lack of capital, it’s a lack of understanding around ROI and strategic investment. Angeline shares a clear pathway forward, from mapping supply chain vulnerabilities and rethinking partnership strategies, to shifting Australia’s focus from volume production to high-value manufacturing that captures more margin. They also dive into the global landscape, including how China is reshaping food production through technology and biomanufacturing, and what Australian manufacturers can learn from it. If you’re in manufacturing, this episode is a wake-up call and a practical guide to building resilience, unlocking growth, and staying competitive in a…

People in this episode

Hosts: Shane Williams, Paul Mason

Guest: Angeline Achariya

Topics covered

• food manufacturing
• manufacturing sector challenges
• investment in technology
• supply chain vulnerabilities
• high-value manufacturing
• global competition

Keywords

• food manufacturing
• investment
• ROI
• supply chain
• high-value manufacturing
• global competition
• Australia
• technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Innovation Gamechangers

Places: Australia, China

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