Month: January 2017

A tillage system developed in the mid-north of South Australia is helping to boost the productivity of cover crop planting. The Kelly Engineering system combines a diamond-shaped tiller with an air seeder to allow the entire sowing process to be completed in one pass. The patented Diamond Harrow tillage machine, fitted with a Cover Crop Seeder, began testing in the US last month and is expected to be commercially available next year. The launch is a calculated response to the rise of planting of cover crops in the United States as farmers look to increase crop yields while reducing their reliance on pesticides and nitrogen fertilisers. The Diamond Harrow is made from Australian RHS steel, which is laser cut in Adelaide using a CNC-controlled machine enabling very specific profiles to be cut on the end sections. Plates are also laser or plasma cut for accuracy before components are MIG-welded. The diamond shape of the harrow includes a perimeter set of chains that allows the machine to pass the soil to…

Jenkins replaces Noel Cornish who had been Ai Group National President since November 2013. Jenkins was appointed CEO at Thales Australia in 2008 and has held senior roles with Thales locally and internationally for more than 20 years. He has been active in Ai Group for many years, including most recently as Ai Group National Vice-President; Chairman of Ai Group’s Defence Council; and Ai Group NSW Branch President. His other appointments include Advisory Member of the Centre for Defence Industry Capability and Adjunct Professor of the University of NSW. In 2013 he received the Insignia of Knight in the Legion of Honour, France’s highest decoration. “As President I look forward to working to ensure Ai Group is the premier industry body in Australia, representing our member interests and supporting policies that help our economy grow,” Jenkins said. “I very much share Ai Group’s ambition to make Australia the best place to do business. I am a passionate believer in the strength of local skills and a strong advocate for the global competitiveness of…

At the AMB trade show in Stuttgart in September, DMG MORI presented the implementation of an automated process chain from the web shop to the finished workpiece. The core of the integrated turning cell was Robo2Go, a new loading and unloading system for mobile use at up to four lathes. Robo2Go includes a six-axis robot with up to 35kg load, and features barrier-free safety technology, and is programmed via a special CELOS app with just a few entries. Sylvio Krüger and Jürgen Groß, managing directors at DMG MORI Systems, discussed the new system. How did you come to develop Robo2Go? Thanks to the use of robotic technology, investment costs in the field of automation have dropped drastically in the past few years, so that small and medium-sized enterprises are now also turning their attention more and more to the indisputable quality and cost benefits such technology has to offer. Nevertheless, a certain degree of reluctance was still noticeable in this customer segment, due to a lack of knowhow in programming in the companies…

It is common for employers to pay their employees an annualised salary on the assumption that doing so will satisfy the employer’s obligations under any applicable modern award. A recent decision of the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC) casts doubt over this approach, particularly for administrative or clerical employees covered by the Clerks - Private Sector Award 2010 (Clerks Award) who are not provided with a properly tailored employment contract. Employers paying their administrative or clerical employees pursuant to an annualised salary arrangement should consider reviewing the terms of their employees’ contracts of employment in order to remove, or reduce, the risk of back-pay claims and to avoid potential civil penalties under the Fair Work Act 2009. The issue The Clerks Award states that an employer may pay an employee an annual salary in satisfaction of any or all of the following entitlements under the award: (a) minimum wages; (b) allowances; (c) overtime and penalty rates; and (d) annual leave loading. The actual salary paid must be no less than the employee would be entitled…

The choices for manufacturing businesses are many and varied and the capability requirements extend across inventory, payroll, foreign currency and any number of other functionality aspects. With the major players such as Xero, MYOB, Netsuite and Sage competing for your business’ dollars, how can you separate the benefits for your business from the marketing hype? Is it worth upgrading your software? Or are these well-advertised new packages just the same products with unnecessary bells and whistles? Making the right choice for your business is critical but the first step before embarking on a major overhaul of your accounting system is consideration as to whether you need to update. If you’ve been considering your options or are simply curious, here are five signs that your accounting system could be out of date. Your business is reliant on Excel We’re accountants, so naturally we love Excel – in fact it’s a daily part of business life. However, if the majority of your business’ accounting…

The appointment of Sinodinos was one of a number of ministerial changes announced by Turnbull as the Prime Minister reshuffled his Cabinet. Sinodinos succeeds Greg Hunt who had been at the Department of Industry, Innovation and Science since July 2016. Hunt will now take over as the Minister for Health and Minister for Sport following the departure of Sussan Ley, who resigned from the frontbench in the midst of an investigation into her travel expenses and entitlements. In a statement, Turnbull said: “Senator Arthur Sinodinos will take over as Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science. This portfolio is critical to generating the jobs of the future and Senator Sinodinos’ extensive public policy experience gives him a strong understanding of the key drivers of new sources of economic growth. “As Cabinet Secretary, Arthur restored traditional cabinet processes. That being done, he can now turn his talents to a front line portfolio and the Cabinet Secretary function can return to the Prime Minister’s Office as has been the practice of Coalition Governments.” Sinodinos entered the Senate in…

Goldenfields recently moved into its new purpose-built workshop, where it has installed a mixture of existing and newly acquired equipment needed to build and maintain a huge network of reservoirs and pipelines that deliver water to customers throughout the region. Goldenfields Mechanical Co-ordinator Shane Baldry identified the need for a combination manual/CNC lathe. He worked together with the management team at Temora, along with engineers from 600 Machine Tools, to identify the right machine configuration to deal with the current and projected workload of the workshop. “We had several long-serving machines in our former workshop,” said Baldry. “And the construction of a new purpose-built facility was an appropriate time to evaluate what we were going to need in the future.” In addition to Baldry, there are three fitters and three apprentices, all needing to use a lathe at various times. This makes flexibility absolutely essential, and the new machine needed to…

Combined products and strategies address specific machining situations to provide the highest productivity. Current progress in rough milling operations, for instance, clearly illustrates the benefits of applying advanced metalworking technologies in an integrated way. Elements of the process The machine tool is the foundation of the milling process. To rough mill effectively, a machine must possess enough rigidity to resist cutting forces, as well as the capability to accelerate and decelerate axes at rates that maximise metal removal and minimise wasted time between cutting passes. Also, a powerful spindle facilitates high cutting speeds and aggressive application parameters. And finally, a machine’s CNC system must have computing power to sufficiently look ahead and meet rapidly changing demands for machining power and movement of linear and rotary axes. CAM software determines what those demands will be. In generating milling toolpaths, software developers must consider milling processes ranging from simple…

The launch of the two new vehicles bolsters Hubtex’s portfolio by adding modular multidirectional sideloaders in the entry-level pricing bracket. Boasting a spacious driver’s cabin, a multifunction joystick, a next-generation info display and easy battery replacement, MaxX and FluX are ergonomically designed for both indoor and outdoor use. With FluX, Hubtex has developed a multidirectional counterbalance forklift featuring patented steering technology. The vehicle is available in two load-capacity classes – 3,000kg and 4,000kg – with a 48-volt power system and four-wheel chassis. It can be deployed as both a front and sideloader. It is especially suited to transporting both palettes and long objects. In addition to a very high speed of up to 12kph, Hubtex’s patented HX steering system also delivers major benefits. Thanks to the steering system installed as standard for the first time, the FluX can swiftly switch from travelling forwards to sideways without stopping, in a way that causes minimum wear and tear to the vehicle. Depending on how it is deployed, users can save a substantial amount of time, especially when the vehicle is…

Australia is an island nation and it informs the way we see ourselves: remote, parochial and protected from global changes that threaten the status quo. However, in a digitally connected world, we are no longer sheltered from economic market forces. While digital disruption is nothing new, until now manufacturing has been relatively untouched by its presence. But as B2C experiences groom customers to expect ease of use and seamless transactions, B2B organisations can no longer afford to trail their retail counterparts in the experience stakes. This will be a huge change for the industry. Luckily for Australia, we have an opportunity other markets are seldom afforded. We have a window into the industry of tomorrow, leaning on the experiences of the US and Europe. In the US, digital effectively disrupted the entire market dynamic…

Six of the seven sub-indexes in the Australian PMI improved from November, headed by a surge in exports (up 12.6 points to 68.5) and strong expansions in new orders (up 1.1 points to 60.6) and sales (up 5.3 points to 58.8). Employment slipped in December (down 4.9 points to 47.4), in line with recently weaker jobs growth. Five of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded in December (that is, above 50 points in three-month moving averages), with food and beverages (up 0.6 points to 57.1) and petroleum & chemical products (down 0.6 points to 56.5) continuing to perform solidly. Machinery & equipment (up 0.1 points to 55.0) is showing signs of continued resilience, while non-metallic mineral products bounced back to expansionary conditions (up 7.1 points to 57.9). “Despite a small fall in sector-wide employment in December, manufacturing production, sales, exports, and new orders all grew strongly in the month, providing a running…

Romar was founded in 1968 by Robert Wilson, the company’s name a combination of his own name and his wife Marion. Robert began operations out of his own garage, before moving to a facility in Sefton in Sydney’s western suburbs. After a few years, Robert’s son Neil Wilson joined the company, and today he remains Romar’s Managing Director and owner, with Mathew Farag coming on board as CEO around three years ago. In the early days, the company’s business was based around providing tooling for the car manufacturing industry, but around 15 years ago it began to diversify into medical devices, initially producing silicone masks for Resmed. Today Romar is predominantly engaged in the medical sector, though it also works in several other high-tech industries, such as aerospace, lighting and electronics. While it still operates from the same facility in Sefton, it has spread to four other sites on the same street as well as…

CSIRO’s research is broad and its research capabilities traverse many scientific and engineering disciplines as it seeks to be a trusted adviser to Australian industry. A strong focus of the CSIRO strategy is to aid the transition of Australian businesses towards more advanced, sustainable and profitable practices – whether that be in agriculture, mining, energy or manufacturing. The recent announcement of CSIRO’s Future Science Platforms (FSPs), an investment in breakthrough research growing to $52m per year over five years, demonstrates the organisation’s commitment to undertaking fundamental science in areas that will be critical to the opportunities and challenges we face in the future. One Future Science Platform is Active Integrated Matter (AIM). The AIM FSP, led by CSIRO’s Dr Danielle Kennedy, is looking towards 2030 with a focus on new discoveries that occur when you combine what are core research strengths for CSIRO: materials, processing, sensing, robotics, autonomous science and big data. According to a number of future forecasts, there will be dramatic and wide-ranging changes in the…