Swinburne and OMRON collaborate to accelerate advanced manufacturing and future-ready automation and robotics workforce development
Melbourne, Australia – Swinburne University of Technology and global industrial automation leader OMRON have signed a strategic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to build manufacturing capability and develop a future-ready workforce through advanced automation, applied research, and industry collaboration.
The partnership will support applied research, education, and industry training across key areas, including robotics, AI, edge computing, and next-generation manufacturing technologies. It will also focus on upskilling the workforce and accelerating the adoption of advanced automation solutions across the industry.
The agreement builds on a long-standing relationship of more than 15 years, including collaboration through Swinburne’s Factory of the Future, where OMRON technology enables hands-on learning, applied research, and industry collaboration.
Swinburne’s Vice-President, Innovation and Enterprise, Dr Werner van der Merwe said Swinburne is committed to partnering with industry leaders to co-create industries of the future.
“This partnership with OMRON reflects our focus on working with industry to take new technologies to market – combining research, education and industry insight to accelerate adoption and deliver impact across advanced manufacturing and related next-generation technologies.”
Henry Zhou, Managing Director, OMRON Automation and Robotics Oceania, said the partnership reflects a shared commitment to innovation and skills development.
“This MoU marks an important milestone in a partnership that has already delivered strong outcomes, with even greater potential ahead. By combining Swinburne’s research and talent with OMRON’s automation expertise, we can accelerate innovation from concept to deployment and deliver tangible outcomes for industry while strengthening future workforce capability.”
Brendan Corrie, Swinburne alumnus and Customer Solutions Manager at OMRON, said the partnership highlights the importance of industry-connected education.
“As a Swinburne graduate, I’ve seen firsthand how valuable it is to apply what you learn in a real-world environment. This partnership will help ensure future engineers graduate with practical skills that industry truly needs.”
Professor Emad Gad, Swinburne Executive Dean of the School of Engineering added, “by working as one team and bringing together the complementary strengths of
Swinburne and OMRON, this partnership enables deep-tech capability to be translated into real-world impact with applications in AI robotics. It creates a strong foundation for scalable solutions, skills development, and sustained economic and social benefit.”
Aligned with Swinburne’s Ad Astra 2030 strategy and OMRON’s Shaping The Future 2030 vision, the partnership reinforces a shared vision of bringing people and technology together to build a better world.
About Swinburne University of Technology
Swinburne University of Technology is defined and inspired by technology and innovation. Swinburne brings people and technology together to build a better world, and our people are driven by a shared purpose: to create tomorrow’s technology and the human capital and talent required for a digital, tech-rich future.
For more information, please visit https://www.swinburne.edu.au/
About OMRON Corporation
OMRON Corporation is a leading automation company with its core competencies in Sensing & Control + Think technology, and is engaged in a wide range of businesses including industrial automation, healthcare, social systems, device & module solutions. The company transcends the value creation by leveraging diverse data acquired through these businesses and linking it to the data solutions business. Established in 1933, OMRON has about 27000 employee worldwide, working to provide products and services in more than 130 countries, contributing to the creation of a better society.
For more information, please visit https://www.omron.com/global/en/.
About OMRON Automation in Oceania
OMRON is a global leader in automation, robotics, and smart manufacturing solutions, empowering businesses to solve societal challenges through innovation. With over 90 years of global expertise and 38 years of local presence in Australia and New Zealand, OMRON supports manufacturers in food & beverage, medical & pharmaceutical, logistics, agriculture, and education, delivering tailored automation solution to meet evolving business needs. For more information, please visit:
OMRON Automation and Robotics Australia
OMRON Automation and Robotics Australia Store
LinkedIn
Group Photo Information
Left to Right
Back Row: 1. Joe Glesta, Swinburne Senior Manager, Business Growth Services 2. Sharad Menon, Swinburne Director Business Growth Services 3. Henry Zhou, Managing Director of OMRON Automation and Robotics Oceania (OMRON), 4. Dr Werner van der Merwe, Swinburne Vice-President, Innovation and Enterprise 5. Leon Georgiou, OMRON Senior State Manager (VIC, SA, TAS) 6. Mark Allen, OMRON Senior Automation and Robotics Solutions Manager
Front Row: 1. Jiong Jin, Swinburne Associate Dean Research, 2. Prem Prakash Jayaraman, Swinburne Director, Factory of the Future and Digital Innovation Lab, 3. Suresh Palanisamy, Swinburne Director, Manufacturing Futures Research Platform , 4. Brendan Corrie, Swinburne University of Technology, Graduate in Bachelor of Engineering (Robotics & Mechatronics) and OMRON Customer Solutions Manager 5. Emad Gad, Swinburne Executive Dean, School of Engineering
