Member News

Ampcontrol Burn Brite Pty Ltd (Burn Brite) is a member company of Ampcontrol Pty Ltd. Based in Ringwood in Melbourne’s east, Burn Brite is a designer and integrated manufacturer of lighting and power supply systems. It supplies to the underground coal, tunneling and infrastructure markets throughout Australia and South-East Asia. Employing 40 people, Burn Brite has been in operation for 63 years. Burn Brite’s operation is a classic manufacturing operation. From raw materials such as polymers, metal sheeting and electronic components, Burn Brite processes, fabricates and assembles to detailed in-house designs that require strict Group 1 and 2 certification compliance. Most of these products are safety-critical in their application. Burn Brite is essentially an independent operation, providing sales, R&D and manufacturing functions. As Burn Brite’s products have been designed in-house, the role of R&D is critical to the ongoing success of the business. The challenge Burn Bite planned to design and develop new integrated safety…

As the country’s leading producer of recreational vehicles (RVs) and caravans, Jayco is is an iconic Australian manufacturing business. Since commencing operations in 1975, the company has built more than 200,000 RVs, all manufactured in Victoria. Still a locally-owned family business, Jayco today employs 900 staff, most of them at its manufacturing base in Dandenong South, Victoria. When the COVID-19 pandemic reached Australia early in 2020, official measures aimed at containing its spread had a significant impact on Jayco’s operations. There was also understandable concern among staff about the risks posed by the virus, both for their safety and that of their dependants. The situation worsened in August, as a second wave of infections surged in Victoria. With the State Government imposing Stage Four restrictions to combat the outbreak, Jayco was forced to close down its manufacturing plant for eight weeks. “Stage Four restrictions were pretty tough,” says Gerry Ryan OAM, Jayco Australia’s owner, founder and…

After receiving the highest ever ranking for an additive manufacturer on the Inc. 500 list of fastest growing private companies, GoProto has capitalised on this momentum by expanding even further into the digital manufacturing landscape. The acquisition of 3D Systems’ Australian facility, the largest digital manufacturing service bureau in the region, coupled with the earlier acquisition of WYSIWYG 3D, sees GoProto become the largest digital manufacturer in the Australian market. Further emphasising its global reach, GoProto’s North American facility in San Diego, California, has also installed two new HP 5210 Multi Jet Fusion printers. Adding these two high-productivity 3D printers to its existing six 4200 MJF printers increases GoProto’s production capacity at that location by approximately 50%. As of 1 December, GoProto acquired 3D Systems’ Australian on-demand manufacturing facility, the largest 3D digital manufacturer in the APAC region. Located in Melbourne and commissioned just two years ago, the state-of-the-art facility houses a full range of 3D Systems production-ready 3D printers and a highly experienced management and…

The Mazak VARIAXIS C-600, which is the successor machine to the highly successful Mazak VARIAXIS j-600/5X, is being marketed at an attractive price point to provide a high-performance and cost-effective five-axis solution. The VARIAXIS C-600 is characterised by its highly agile performance, with no compromise on rigidity. The compact machine, capable of machining workpieces up to 730mm in diameter x 450mm in height and 500kg in weight, has been designed with a large machining envelope and a high-rigidity structure, featuring a 600mm fully-supported trunnion table, with roller gear cam on the B- and C-axes. Exceptional high-speed performance is delivered with 42 metres/min rapid traverse rates in the X-,Y- and Z-axes, and a chip-to-chip time of just 4.5 seconds to reduce non-cutting time for faster cycle times. Most importantly, the new Mazak VARIAXIS C-600 comes with a class-leading range of specification options, enabling users to configure the CNC machine tool to match their specific application. The machine’s high-rigidity spindle can perform heavy-duty cutting of steel,…

The $200m investment, leveraging cash and other contributions from industry, research organisations and the Federal and State Governments, has financed more than 40 transformative and industry-led projects that will help increase the global competitiveness of the Australian manufacturing industry and incentivise others to similarly invest. Of the 40 projects commenced, six projects have been completed so far, allowing the businesses to evolve and strengthen their positions in their markets: SPEE3D “Machine vision for Industry 4.0 high-speed 3D printing” as well as the follow-on project “Automated part repair using 3D scanning and supersonic 3D deposition” SuperCool “Smart electric compressor for refrigeration and air conditioning on electric vehicles” BluGlass “High performance normally OFF GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMT)” RUAG Australia “Application of additive metal technology to operational aircraft” Mineral Technologies “Revolutionising Mineral Separation using Additive Manufacturing” IMCRC also acted as a catalyst for broader sector spin out investments including the $18m Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing…

SHOC is an Australian-owned and operated business that provides sports industry after-market polycarbonate helmet visors for American football and lacrosse. The company has been providing its products for just over five years. The challenge SHOC’s 2.0 Lightning Visor football-helmet visor was suffering some fitting issues, which were causing premature cracking of the visor. The reason for this was that the 2.0 Lightning product was designed as a one-size-fits-all visor. While it fitted most helmets okay, on one helmet, the Riddell Speedflex, it had to be bent to fit the mask. This was a major issue because the Speedflex is the most popular helmet in the sport currently, meaning failure issues for the visor were exacerbated. SHOC pulled the 2.0 Lightning visor after several issues arose and the company did not want to risk any further problems for its end customers. The solution SHOC engaged the team at product design and development specialists ONEPOINTSIX in late 2018 to begin the redesign…

All seven activity indices in the Australian PMI declined from the October results, but four remained in expansion in November (readings above 50 points indicate expansion in activity, with higher results indicating a faster rate of expansion). Finished stocks fell into contraction (down 6.9 points to 44.3) while exports were largely stable across most manufacturing sectors (down 2.7 points to 50.0). Four of the six manufacturing sectors in the Australian PMI expanded in November, but the building materials, wood, furniture & other products sector (down 11.7 points to 43.8) and the large food & beverages sector (down 20.8 points to 43.1) slid steeply into contraction – the latter’s large decline due to various factors including falling supermarket sales, low demand in tourism regions and flat export markets. “The manufacturing sector was broadly stable in November after a return to positive territory in October,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Growth was strongest in the diverse textiles, clothing, footwear, paper & printing group, the…

“Stainless” and “corrosion” steel are generally used synonymously, along with other terms such as rust-resistant steel, inox steel, and non-corrosive steel. Stainless, originally meaning “free of red rust stains”, was developed as a result of iron oxidising. Corrosion is caused by chemical and physical-chemical reactions. There are different types of corrosion. Stainless steel can be divided into the following groups, according to their main functional features: Corrosion-resistant steel: resistant to corrosion under normal conditions. Oxidation or rust-resistant steel: resistant to corrosion under high temperatures in aggressive environments. Heat-resistant or high-temperature steel that does not change its strength under high temperature stress. Therefore, corrosion-resistant steel can be considered a type of stainless steel. The functional features of these stainless-steel groups determine the choice of a steel grade as a material for cutting tool design. For a manufacturer involved in machining stainless steel, the key…

Under the program, targeted advice and guidance is available to help small businesses navigate the economic challenges posed by the ongoing COVID-19 market changes. Through a panel of experienced Business Mentors, businesses can get help in the specific areas of business planning, strategy development and deployment, market transformation and supply chain diversification. Importantly, having been in lockdown for some months, this business recovery program is funded by the Victorian government and is available at no cost to the participating business. BizAdviser, an association of consulting professionals, is an approved Business Mentor provider under the program. BizAdviser Principal Mal Clark said: “With around 90 years combined executive management experience in private industry and over 30 years collective experience supporting SMEs, our BizAdviser mentors have helped many businesses to grow and prosper across a broad spectrum of industries”. The program’s aim is to mitigate business risks and financial exposure. Where possible it will connect to other government support and local professional services. Through the program, eligible business owners can receive up to…

The Early Adopter Program (EAP) aims to accelerate technology adoption among SMEs in a range of industries, including manufacturing, supply chain, mining, energy and construction. The program provides technologies that are easily adoptable, translatable and reasonably priced to deliver fast ROI. The first of this tech being made available to SMEs is Wildcat. Developed by CSIRO’s Data61, the technology enables ground robots and drones to autonomously map and navigate complex environments, such as mines. Wildcat can help boost safety and productivity for companies in mining, agriculture and defence that rely on robots to navigate complex and unstructured environments where there are no GPS systems or pre-existing maps. It is being trialled by commercial partners in Australia including CSIRO spin-out Emesent, BIA5, AutoMap, Stealth Technologies, as well as GeoSLAM in the UK. It is part of a push by CSIRO’s Data61 to make low-cost, easily adoptable technologies available for SMEs in a range of sectors, including manufacturing, supply chain, mining, energy and construction, to…

Australian Made Campaign Chief Executive, Ben Lazzaro, said the instantly recognisable (99%) and widely trusted (92%) green and gold kangaroo logo is the easiest way for shoppers to identify authentic Aussie products. “When you buy Aussie made and grown products, you know what you are getting – products grown in our clean, green environment and made to the highest of manufacturing standards,” said Lazzaro. At the same time, you are pumping money back into the economy, which helps to keep Aussie jobs, strengthen local industries and supports local communities. Remember, you can be sure it’s a genuine Aussie product by looking for the Australian Made, Australian Grown logo. “This Christmas, we are urging consumers to think about the knock-on effects of their purchases. When you buy Australian Made products you are helping to support Australians at all stages of the supply chain, from the local makers and growers to wholesalers and retailers, the flow-on effects from your purchases can be extremely impactful.” Australian Made retail supporter Remarkable Humans is…

Founded in 1978, Evolve Group’s status as a company at the very forefront of competitive Australian manufacturing has never been more apparent than in its response to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. In a vivid demonstration of the benefits of manufacturing in Australia, Evolve Group was able to provide an advanced design and a commitment to manufacture 100,000 P2/N95 respirators and medical face masks per day, with the construction of a clean room and production commencing within just two weeks. Working closely with local Queensland hospital surgical teams, Evolve Group’s design of a new face shield is now being heralded as the most comfortable face shield in the healthcare industry. Studying how a face shield is used by medical professionals has delivered the outcome of a shield featuring a comfortable gel pad relieving pressure on the forehead of the wearer, a removable vent cap for ventilation, an easily replaced shield with anti-fog and scratch properties, and an ergonomic design for all-day comfort. With…

AMT: Does every company that manufactures need a product lifecycle management (PLM) strategy? Reece Moore: I believe they do. A PLM system brings data together and provides a single source of truth. Every business needs that in today’s competitive manufacturing environment. I think companies – even if they don’t have a PLM system today, and they are paper managing their product information and product lifecycle – eventually they are going to need to move to deploying a PLM strategy. Usually companies start to realise they need a formal PLM System when they notice they’re actually doing the basics of a PLM system through various different systems and spreadsheets already, and not getting any benefit from the data. Basically, they’re doing the work anyway. Deploying a PLM system brings all that data together to make the data more usable; in turn, it makes doing business that much easier. Most…