This year’s National Manufacturing Week (NMW) will be held at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park from 11-13 May, providing a buoyant meeting place for businesses looking for ideas, technologies and solutions that can help their businesses get ahead.
NMW is Australia’s largest, longest-running manufacturing event, bringing the industry together to see, touch and discuss new and innovative manufacturing solutions. This year’s event takes place against a solid backdrop of manufacturing industry growth; the AI Group’s March figures show that Australian manufacturing has grown for eight consecutive months and is now at its strongest point this decade.
NMW 2016 will showcase hundreds of products and services from around the world, laid out in 12 Product Zones, ranging from Automation & Robotics to Digital Manufacturing, Intralogistics, Advanced Materials and more. Among dozens of firsts for NMW 2016 will be innovative materials handling systems from Magnet Sales and Millsom Materials Handling, next-generation LED lights from LEDified, as well as new 3D printing technologies – from Konica Minolta, Amaero Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing Systems, 3D Printing Studios, Sydney 3D Printing and more – that can help boost your production capabilities.
NMW also gives you the opportunity to see new and innovative technologies in action: with a rolling demonstration program of next-generation robotics, welding and super-fast weld cleaning, CNC routing and more.
As Kevin Smith, GM of Millsom Materials Handling describes it: “You can tell people that our vacuum lifting technology means you effectively require only one person for a lifting task, but when you demonstrate vacuum lifting, people really get its potential for delivering OH&S and productivity gains. There’s just nothing like a physical demonstration, which is why we’re going to be part of NMW 2016.”
Alongside its impressive exhibition showcase, NMW will also present a powerful seminar program featuring industry leaders sharing new ideas and strategies that have delivered proven success. Among the high-profile speakers will be Dr Keith McLean, CSIRO’s Manufacturing Flagship Director, who will be outlining some of the ways in which 400 Australian manufacturers have leveraged CSIRO research to help them target new, high-value niche markets. CSIRO, says Dr McLean, stands ready to partner with more businesses to develop new products, processes and materials that can give local businesses an edge.
Also at the NMW Seminar Theatre, Sam Bucolo, Professor of Design Innovation at UTS, will share his passionate interest in Design-Led Innovation, the approach used by global brands such as Apple, Nintendo & Alessi to generate creative product innovations.
There will also be a clear focus on reducing operational waste. Speakers including Peter Meakin from the Opie Manufacturing Group will outline strategies for streamlining production, transport and even innovation processes, to free up time and/or resources for new programs.
NMW 2016 will also focus on emerging opportunities through its co-location with the Safety First Conference & Expo, Australia’s one-stop workplace safety event, as well as the Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo, the Sydney edition of the world’s largest 3D printing event.
NMW gives business professionals the most comprehensive, focused showcase of new ideas, technologies and strategies for being at the forefront of change and industry growth. So don’t miss out! Entry to the exhibition is free for trade visitors and registration is now open at the NMW website. By registering now, you’ll access a range of services, including updates via the NMW website for this year’s game-changing event.