The visit is part of the third annual industry showcase hosted by Wollongong’s manufacturing cluster.

The Illawarra Innovative Industry Network (i3net) is hosting the event with the help of Wollongong City Council and many sponsors.

i3net chairman and Transfield Services operations manager Emilio Salucci said it was about bringing business opportunities to the region.

Mr Salucci said the quality of delegates this year was very high.

He described i3net as a not-for-profit organisation that went looking for opportunities outside the region and tried to tap into them by showcasing the capabilities of individual companies or businesses working together.

Mintrex representative Fiona Morgan, of Perth, said the Western Australian company was an engineering consultancy to the mining industry.

It was her first visit to Wollongong and she described what she saw on the industry tour as fantastic.

‘‘There is a lot of engineering capability and they [i3net members] are obviously very keen to market themselves,’’ she said.

‘‘This trip has been a real education for me and I am very impressed. We are building a goldmine for Alkane Resources at Tomingley NSW for a client we have worked extensively for. They also have a Dubbo zirconia project, which is a $1billion project.’’

Leussink Engineering director Raymond Leussink said the Unanderra engineering firm welcomed the opportunity to take part in the industry tour because it felt it was good for the Illawarra and a chance to show off its facilities, capabilities and services.

‘‘i3net is all about business for the Illawarra,’’ Mr Leussink said.

The showcase started on Wednesday with a University of Wollongong Innovation Campus hosted dinner where delegates heard how the university could help them to grow their business.

An i3net Wollongong Industry Showcase industry dinner was then held with a keynote address by Tom Matinca, of Bisalloy Steel. It concluded with an industry breakfast and expo.