Month: June 2016

Mining, so long a key driver of Australia’s economic prosperity, has hit a slow patch. The boom of the 2000s is long passed. Following a wave of investment in construction and equipment, the industry has entered a production and sustainment phase, employing fewer workers and spending less. In 2014-15, revenue and exports both dropped substantially, as increased production resulted in global oversupply and depressed commodity prices. However, grounds for optimism remain. According to the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science’s Resources and Energy Quarterly for the March Quarter, Australia’s resources and energy sector enjoys broadly positive prospects in the medium-to-long term. Earnings from exports are forecast to decline by 7% to $160bn in 2015-16, but will average annual growth of 3% to 2020-2021, reaching $208bn in real terms. Although challenging market conditions are likely to persist in the short term, consumption of most commodities is projected to increase as Asian economies urbanise. The post-boom years have to some degree forced Australian mining to up its game. Mining companies and manufacturers supplying…

Co-presented by Austrade, the Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and CPA Australia, the AEA honours the hard work, commitment and innovation of Australian businesses that deliver world-class business capabilities, products and services. Enter you company, for the chance to: Boost your profile and reputation among local and international customers. Distinguish yourself from your competitors as an AEA winner / finalist. Increase your profile with the Australian Government and your state/territory government. Attend a masterclass hosted by business experts and top exporters. Critically review your business during the application process and uncover ways to improve export strategies and operations. Gain media exposure for your achievements. Network with other exporters. You can enter the AEA through your state or territory’s export awards program. Entry is free and the application process is straightforward. You can apply in 12 national award categories. State and territory winners will automatically progress as national finalists in their category. The Australian Exporter of the Year will be…

AAMC Chairman John Pollaers said on Monday that the Council was urging the major parties to respond to this call for clarity on their policy positions. “It is important that we understand where all the major parties stand on these issues – all of which will impact the success or otherwise of advanced manufacturing in Australia,” he said. “Australia’s economic future depends on stability, clarity and responsible stewardship of our high value industries and the creation of meaningful employment for the future. “Our advanced manufacturers are among leaders in the world in their fields. Our policymakers must understand the imperatives of global business in order to maintain and grow these businesses here for future generations of Australians,” he said. The AAMC has asked all parties where they stand on the following issues: Where do you stand on continued support for the Industry Growth Centres? The AAMC’s position: “We believe bipartisan…

South Australian company IMP technologies (IMPTEC) has developed a super fine crusher that reduces comminution costs. The company is currently trialling a semi-commercial unit at Hallett Concrete in Adelaide, South Australia’s capital. The machine is being used to turn the waste from black sand or iron sand into a replacement for Portland cement. IMPTEC Director John Doherty said the crusher was a game-changing invention that could eventually be at the forefront of the industry: “What we’re involved in is reducing the amount of energy, which is usually electrical, and the cost of media. You can also include lower maintenance costs because it’s just one machine. The energy density of the crusher is greater than other machines and reduces around 30% of energy costs.” Comminution is the essential processor of minerals into cement, more commonly Portland cement, a known producer of a number of greenhouse gases. It also accounts for almost 40% of total mining costs and 3% of the world’s energy consumption, prompting the search for a more efficient solution. Conventional methods include breaking down large rocks…

A previous edition of AMT magazine included a first-rate article on how software systems such as ERP platforms assist businesses in driving innovation. Done correctly they do; and I am sure that the majority of business today would agree with this. However, most business are also faced with conflicting messages and confusion in regard to ERP success. To add to the drama, in 2013 Gartner told us that 75% of all ERP projects fail and more recently have stated that until 2018 that 80% of enterprises will lack the capability to successfully deliver a “postmodern” ERP strategy – “postmodern” representing a fundamental shift away from a single-vendor (on-premise) mega-suite, toward a more loosely coupled, federated and cloud-based ERP environment. Consequently, when businesses embark on an ERP project the fear of choosing poorly has a profound effect on both the length of time and quality of the ERP selection and evaluation process –so much so that we actually have a term for…

AMT: How did Bolts & Industrial Supplies start out in the industry? Andrew Rodgers: Bolts & Industrial Supplies has been in business for over 40 years. Incorporated in 1973 by founding partner John Rodgers, the business is still in the Rodgers family to this day. Since then we’ve served the engineering community of Australia with a strong sense of pride and customer service that simply cannot be beaten. The company has been moulded into what it is today by providing high-quality Australian-made products at a respectable price, top-notch service and reliable, timely delivery. No matter which industry you’re in – aerospace, automotive, die & mould, general engineering, construction or just day-to-day hardware – we’ve got you covered with a tool to suit your needs. We have over 60 staff specialising in various fields, working hand in hand with over 200 suppliers, providing the best technical information possible to enhance performance and productivity. AMT: And what about more recent developments? AR:…

Lamborghini prides itself on a 50-year heritage that has seen its brand become synonymous with extreme and uncompromising automotive design. The company has created a series of extraordinary cars that include the 350 GT, Miura, Espada, Countach, Diablo, Murciélago, Gallardo and Aventador, as well as several limited series such as the Reventón, Sesto Elemento, Aventador J and Veneno. Lamborghini meets this objective partly through 3D printing, which the company uses throughout the entire lifecycle of its parts, from rapid prototyping applications to production parts. Today Lamborghini is owned by Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. With its image and value proposition as important as ever, the company relies upon pioneering technologies to uphold its reputation for automotive excellence. Fabio Serrazanetti of Lamborghini’s car body technical department says the company’s engineers first explored FDM technology and Fortus 3D Production Systems in order to meet demand for high-strength production parts tough enough to endure the rigors of high-speed racing, as well as the need to create complex geometries in…

The launch event was attended by customers, partners and suppliers of Integra, as well as various industry figures and representatives of the media. They enjoyed speeches from the leadership team at Integra as well as from Frank McGuire MP, Local Member for Broadmeadows and Parliamentary Secretary for Medical Research in lieu of Lily D’Ambrosio Victorian Minister for Industry, Energy and Resources, and Hume Mayor Cr Helen Patsikatheodorou. McGuire also did the honours in cutting the ribbon to officially launch the new machine, a Salvagnini L5 fibre-optic laser cutter. Along with refreshments and networking opportunities for the guests, there were opportunities for everyone to watch demonstrations of the new machine in action up close. “This event is a celebration of the progressive thinking amongst everyone here today,” said Erika Hughes, Integra’s Marketing Director. “It is a demonstration of the power of disruptive technology to make things happen in a highly competitive world. And with the number of people here today from all areas of industry,…

Broadmeadows-based CSL Behring was named Large Manufacturer of the Year, Coburg North-based Thycon Industrial the Medium Manufacturer of the Year, while Campbellfield-based H&H Machine Tools Australia took out the Small Manufacturer of the Year award. A number of companies were also recognised for their excellence in sectors driving Victoria's economic growth and jobs. Stuart Payne, from Mount Waverley-based food processing company GP Graders, was announced as this year’s Honouree. Under Payne’s direction, GP Graders has become a global market leader in research and development, design, quality assurance, marketing and sales. The Young Manufacturer of the Year prize was awarded to Dr Ashley Denmead from Carbon Revolution. Denmead is one of the inventors of the technology that led to the world’s first commercialised carbon fibre wheel. Paz Group (construction), Morgan Advanced Ceramics (advanced material), RF Industries (technology), Close the Loop (recycling), EBM Papst (refrigeration, heating and IT), Cablex (aerospace, defence, transportation, electronic and telecommunications) were all inducted into the Hall of Fame. The winners in the Growth Sector Awards…

Turnbull and Pyne are right in what they say. Australia needs to be known as an innovation incubator in the Global Village in order to form a competitive edge and attract premium (read: highly profitable) projects from overseas. We have almost given up manufacturing, but we can retain our creative edge if we ensure that the next intake of engineers, technicians and designers have the right expertise. One organisation has put its heart on its sleeve – a not-for-profit organisation founded by an engineer, Dr Michael Myers OAM, who has dedicated almost two decades to pursuing his dream to see Aussie children become world-class thinkers and producers of their ideas. His Re-Engineering Australia Foundation (REA) has placed space-age technology into the hands of over 400,000 students and encouraged them to think outside the square via a series of highly competitive national programs. True, a few large companies in the engineering-manufacturing space…

The magnitude of the IoT’s evolution is momentous, with more than 80bn internet-connected devices projected to be in use in 2024, up from fewer than 20bn in 2014. When we then couple the data produced, and processes involved in the interaction among things and with people, what results is a powerful model upon which to drive the digitisation and transformation of companies, industries and whole nations. The ability to use standard internet technologies throughout an enterprise, right down to individual field devices, enables new levels of connectivity for people, processes, data and things, ultimately providing greater productivity, better utilisation of assets, and improved decision-making to industrial companies. “The IoT is connecting people in more relevant, valuable, and meaningful ways, delivering the right information to the right person or machine in real time,” says Michael Boland, Distinguished Systems Engineer at Cisco. “Data is being leveraged in more useful ways for better decision-making. It has applicability across all markets, the private sector and governments.” The mining…

It’s frustrating to me that many people still reference manufacturing as having an image problem and the mainstream headlines still proclaim the death of manufacturing because our passenger vehicle production is leaving our shores over the next year or two. It’s frustrating because I see great companies, great people and great opportunities every day and I wish the people who write negatively about the manufacturing sector had the same chance as I do to witness these stories. I see companies that are leveraging the latest thinking in technology and design. I see companies transforming their business through innovation and leadership. I see young people that have chosen career paths for themselves in manufacturing and are going from strength to strength. I see major projects being announced that have great potential for Australian content. I see effort being put into local supply chain management. I look ahead and see revolutions like Industry 4.0 and additive technologies and wonder what positive impact they will have…

The MoU between Quickstep and DCNS covers the companies’ joint co-operation in the manufacturing of components and assemblies using advanced composite materials. David Marino, CEO and Managing Director of Quickstep said: “The application of Quickstep’s carbon fibre composites expertise for the marine defence industry is a natural extension of our technology. We are delighted to commence this partnership with DCNS, which is an acknowledged world leader in naval defence systems. The MoU provides opportunities for Quickstep to participate in DCNS’s supply chain and for the potential use of our technology in submarine platforms in Australia and overseas.” Sean Costello, Managing Director of DCNS Australia said: “DCNS has commenced building a supply chain in Australia that will support the submarine capability on a sustainable basis. Ultimately this supply chain will comprise several hundred companies across Australia and form the Future Submarine Enterprise.” Use of composite materials is increasing in surface ships and submarines, reflecting reduced material…