Catalyst Manufacturing Benchmark Program

The Catalyst Manufacturing Benchmark Program provides a clear benchmark of your business's performance and practices against comparable manufacturers in Australia and overseas.

The program will support participants to:

understand their business performance against their chosen peer group
identify opportunities for growth
enhance competitiveness in today's global market.

Benefits of manufacturing benchmarking

You'll receive a comprehensive report on your business, which includes a baseline of where you are at now and identified opportunities for continuous improvement. The report will:

examine 4 key perspectives: financial, customer, internal processes and organisational capacity
provide a clear benchmark of your business’s performance and practices against comparable manufacturers.

You'll also receive tailored business support from our Queensland Manufacturing Hubs.

Eligibility criteria

To qualify for the program, your manufacturing business must:

be registered for GST and hold an active Australian Business Number (ABN)
maintain a manufacturing enterprise in Queensland with at least 5 full-time equivalent employees
conduct the majority of manufacturing activities within Queensland
not be tax exempt or undergoing insolvency or facing criminal prosecution.

How to participate

If your manufacturing business meets the eligibility criteria and is ready to participate, complete our expression of interest form. This should take about 10 minutes.

We will contact you to confirm your participation within 2 weeks of receipt of your expression of interest.

What happens next

Stage 1: Readiness assessment

We start with an initial conversation to ensure your business is ready to participate.

Stage 2: Preliminary questionnaire

This captures quantitative data, such as financial and production metrics to establish a business baseline.

Stage 3: Benchmarking session

A collaborative, half-day facilitated session with your business’s manufacturing team, where we gather qualitative insights based on employee perspectives.

Stage 4: Benchmarking report

Based on the information provided, you'll receive a detailed, tailored report highlighting your strengths, areas for improvement, and how you compare to others in your industry.

Stage 5: Action planning session

Together, we'll identify practical steps to address challenges and leverage opportunities.

Stage 6: Improvement activities

Over the next 12 months, you'll work on implementing these changes, with access to Queensland Government support services if needed. A repeat benchmark can then be used to identify critical changes in practices and performance.

Costs

The department fully subsidises this program for eligible businesses, so there is no cost.