Inline Engineering: Building Regional Manufacturing Capability in Western Australia
Client: Inline Engineering Services Pty Ltd
Sector: Heavy engineering, manufacturing and mining services
Location: Western Australia – Perth and Port Hedland
Support provided: Grant strategy, project planning, business case development, application writing and funding pathway support
About Inline Engineering
Inline Engineering Services is a Western Australian heavy engineering business operating across Perth and Port Hedland.
The business supports mining, resources, marine and heavy industry clients through machining, fabrication, equipment repairs, maintenance and engineering services. Its capabilities include CNC machining, polyurethane coating, shutdown support and equipment overhauls.
For a regional engineering business, staying competitive means continuing to invest in equipment, systems and specialised capability.
That is where NAVIGATE’s work with Inline has focused.
Rather than treating grant funding as a one-off opportunity, we have worked with the business to identify where government funding could support investments already aligned with its growth plans.
The challenge
Regional manufacturers often operate close to major mining and resources projects, but proximity alone does not guarantee supply-chain opportunities.
Businesses still need the right equipment, technical capability and capacity to compete.
For Inline, that meant continuing to strengthen its manufacturing capability while delivering specialised services closer to customers in the Pilbara.
The business identified several investment priorities, including advanced machining capability and a larger opportunity to expand polyurethane processing in Port Hedland.
Both projects made commercial sense.
The challenge was matching each investment to the right funding program and clearly demonstrating what the investment would enable for the business and the wider regional economy.
Building capability through staged investment
Inline’s funding journey shows how grant strategy can support business growth over time.
The first project focused on strengthening machining capability.
Through the Local Capability Fund – Supplying Key Projects Round, Inline secured $50,000 towards investment in a CNC lathe.
NAVIGATE’s project records show the total project value was approximately $206,500, with Inline making a significant co-investment in the equipment.
The CNC investment strengthened the business’s ability to undertake more advanced machining work and supported its broader capability to compete for industrial and major project opportunities.
The next stage was larger.
Inline identified an opportunity to establish integrated polyurethane conveyor component processing and curing capability in Port Hedland.
Polyurethane components are widely used in demanding mining and industrial applications where durability, wear resistance and reliability matter.
Developing more of this capability locally would allow Inline to expand its service offering while strengthening manufacturing capacity closer to Pilbara customers.
NAVIGATE’s approach
NAVIGATE worked with Inline to translate the technical investment into a clear business and regional development case.
The application needed to show more than the purchase of machinery.
It needed to demonstrate what the investment would change.
The business case was built around:
- stronger regional manufacturing capability
- improved supply-chain efficiency
- specialised services delivered closer to Pilbara customers
- increased production capacity
- investment in advanced processing equipment
- stronger capability to service mining and heavy industry
- future growth opportunities for the business
This is an important distinction in competitive grant programs.
Equipment is rarely the whole story.
Funders want to understand how that equipment supports productivity, competitiveness, regional capability and longer-term economic outcomes.
The Regional Economic Development Grant
Inline was successful through the Regional Economic Development Grants Program, securing $196,700 towards its polyurethane processing and curing upgrade in Port Hedland.
NAVIGATE’s project records show the broader investment at approximately $474,000.
The project will establish more specialised polyurethane processing capability in the Pilbara and strengthen Inline’s ability to manufacture and service components closer to the industries that rely on them.
For Inline, this was not simply an equipment purchase.
It was the next stage in building a broader manufacturing capability.
A bigger growth story
Across the CNC and polyurethane projects, Inline has committed approximately $680,500 in capability investment.
Importantly, grant funding represents only part of that investment.
Inline has also committed substantial private capital to the projects, demonstrating that these were investments the business was prepared to back commercially.
That is what makes the funding story stronger.
The grants did not create the growth strategy.
They helped accelerate it.
The earlier CNC project strengthened machining capability. The polyurethane project builds on that foundation with more specialised regional manufacturing capacity.
Together, they show a business progressively investing in where it wants to go next.
Why this matters for regional manufacturers
Many regional manufacturers are in a similar position.
They know where the business needs to invest.
It may be new machinery, automation, production equipment, digital systems or a new manufacturing process.
But a good business investment does not automatically become a good grant project.
The strongest applications clearly explain:
- what problem the investment solves
- what new capability it creates
- how it improves productivity or capacity
- why the investment is needed now
- how customers or supply chains will benefit
- what the business is contributing
- how the project supports longer-term growth
That is where early planning matters.
If the business strategy is clear before the grant opens, the application is much easier to build around evidence rather than urgency.
Supporting growth beyond the grant application
NAVIGATE’s role is not simply to identify a grant and complete the paperwork.
We work with clients to understand where the business is heading, identify which projects are strongest, test funding fit and build the commercial and strategic case around the investment.
For Inline, that has meant supporting different projects at different stages of the business’s capability journey.
The funding programs have changed.
The underlying direction has remained consistent: stronger manufacturing capability, greater competitiveness and more specialised services for industry.
Supporting businesses across Australia
Inline Engineering is also another example of NAVIGATE’s work extending beyond Queensland.
We support manufacturers, businesses and organisations across Australia with grant strategy, project planning and competitive applications.
Whether the project is in Western Australia, Queensland or another state, the approach remains the same.
Understand the investment.
Build the evidence.
Match the project to the right funding opportunity.
Then present a clear case for why the project matters.
Looking ahead
Inline’s latest investment strengthens its ability to continue building specialised manufacturing capability in Western Australia.
For other regional manufacturers considering equipment, technology or production upgrades, the lesson is simple:
Start with the business strategy, not the grant.
Know what investment will move the business forward. Understand what it will change. Build the evidence early.
Then, when the right funding opportunity appears, the project is already in a much stronger position.