Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This week I was pleased to announce a $1 million accelerating commercialisation grant for Tingalpa business Loadpro Australia. This grant will help Loadpro commercialise their state-of-the-art X60 mine haulage truck. Loadpro founder and managing director Ron Schlieb says that this grant will help them complete the final design of the X60 and commercialise it, achieving domestic sales and laying the foundation for global sales. This will be great for the local economy, creating exporting revenue.

The X60 is a fantastic truck design. Its features include high payload with low gross weight along with less fuel burn. It fills a product gap for off-highway trucks in the mining and construction industries, in particular for extended hauls that other off-highway and articulated trucks aren't suited for. Ron says the funded project will lead to a commercialisation production run. This will meet expected advance orders for the X60 in Australia and Indonesia from companies with already-established relationships with Loadpro.

This announcement follows another accelerated commercialisation grant provided to a Lytton company in my electorate last month. Advanced Robotic Technology received funding to develop a structural steel processing system. This system has the potential to help Australian firms better compete with cheap imported fabricators. ART director David White said the grant will help cover the costs of bringing the system to market.