The company behind the famous Hills Hoist is to set up two technology development centres in Adelaide aimed at creating new products and businesses.
Hills Limited and the South Australian government each will provide $2.5 million over three years for the centres.
Hills will collaborate with UniSA and the Flinders University on projects at The Lane Hill Design Centre (LHDC), named after the Hills Hoist inventor, and the Digital Research and Commercialisation Centre.
Hills CEO Ted Pretty, who announced the initiative with Premier Jay Weatherill on Friday, said the centres could create up to 50 new highly-skilled local jobs.
They will focus on design and commercialisation of high-tech products.
Mr Weatherill said the initiative was a great example of a long-established manufacturing business making a transition into higher value manufacturing.
"These centres will drive innovation in the fields of medical devices, healthcare and assisted living," he said.
Mr Pretty said Hills was undergoing a major transformation to meet the challenges of the global marketplace, as was South Australia.
"We both need new opportunities for renewal and growth," he said.
"We are optimistic that creating the two centres in Adelaide will act as a catalyst for new products and businesses to be incubated from within the State."
