Month: March 2017

The limitless exchange of manufacturing, product, and logistics data means it is now possible to make better decisions and experience complete transparency across the value chain. At the start of the process chain, this world of greater resource efficiency depends largely on the equipment that supplies this data: intelligent sensors. It is absolutely essential for sensor technology to be intelligent, rugged and reliable when it comes to dealing with challenges such as safe interaction between people and machines, high levels of variance, and fluctuating demand at short notice. Sensors provide the senses for machines. The feedback they provide is what makes intelligent machines possible. Sensor intelligence focuses on one aspect of sensor technology: equipping machines with the ability to see, recognise and communicate intelligently. Intelligent sensors contribute the ability to classify and interpret information. This is characterised by intelligent signal processing, which derives the truly relevant information from large quantities of data and makes it available. Therefore, in addition to primary control system for machines…

The company, which operates out of Sydney, Adelaide, Newcastle and Portland, concentrates on moving oversize and over-mass loads, including those that require sophisticated multi-articulated systems. “Our company focus is on the jobs that no one else wants to do, projects with complex and highly specialised requirements,” says Howard Andrews, the company’s engineering manager. What distinguishes Rex J Andrews is its capacity to design and manufacture equipment internally, allowing it to create a customised, innovative solution for even the most uniquely challenging problems. “We manufacture our equipment specific to a need. We might make a truck or a trailer even just to carry one item,” says Howard. With this capability, the company can “manage the logistics of any movement both here and to or from overseas.” Its services extend to managing storage, and operating cranes and lifting systems. According to Howard, the work the company prides itself on most is with renewable energy. Specialising in…

“Australian manufacturers are succeeding in the face of tough conditions globally but our policymakers must stop putting roadblocks in their way,” said John Pollaers, Chairman of the AAMC. “In order for Australian companies to compete globally, they have to grow in scale, and they have to be right at the cutting edge of their fields. These company tax cuts are critical for manufacturing.  We urge the Senate to support the changes.” Pollaers argued that defining small enterprises as those with turnover under $2m a year is seriously out of step with the rest of world and significantly limits Australia’s potential. “Of course billion-dollar operations are not small businesses,” he said. “But in global terms, we’re talking about micro businesses when we talk about even $10m annual turnover, much less $2m. The Government’s proposal to raise the small business threshold to $10m will add an estimated 60,000 businesses to the existing 810,000 businesses in the small business category. “Those additional 60,000 businesses employ an estimated additional…

The event was the first of its type hosted by the Victorian Government, which brought together almost 60 automotive local supply chain businesses. Presenters at the event, included Brian Hughes from CME Engineering, Bernard Brussow from Backwell IXL and Dean Haritos from MH Group of Companies, provided insight about how they have successfully transitioned to other markets and found new growth opportunities. The forum was also attended by State Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan. The Victorian Government’s Automotive Supply Chain Transition Program (ASCTP) has, to date, helped 44 companies to undertake 62 projects to help them develop and implement a plan for transition. The ASCTP is part of the Automotive Transition Plan to help Victorian automotive businesses transition into new markets, retrain and find sustainable new work for workers, and attract investment into the communities most affected by the closure of automotive manufacturing. With the pending closure of Toyota and…

Australian manufacturing is enjoying its most positive outlook in years. The Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index has shown a trend of almost consistent growth since the last Austech two years ago, while signs of optimism abound throughout the industry. And this renewed confidence has been clear to see as preparations for Austech 2017 have advanced. The early interest from exhibitors, as well as the enthusiasm expressed by people planning to visit the show, have provided a vivid illustration of an energy and eagerness across the industry to invest and build for the future. “We’ve definitely seen a big surge in confidence this time round,” says AMTIL Event Manager and Austech organiser Kim Banks. “Bookings have been coming in a lot earlier than usual, to the point where we’re well on our way to filling the venue way ahead of schedule. What’s also very exciting is the number of exhibitors who are coming back to the show after not participating for the last few years. It’s…

Elphinstone – Antarctic export success Elphinstone Engineering has been servicing the transport industry since 1976. The company pioneered the installation of weighing systems in Australia and has revolutionised the logging transport industry with innovative design and technology. Elphinstone is a key supplier to mainland Australia and has developed export sales around the world, even including Antarctica. According to Elphinstone’s Production Manager Jason Cameron, the company serves a wide variety of sectors, including general transport, agriculture, mining, waste, heavy haulage, tippers, tankers and concrete mixers. It is also engaged in carious specialised industries including road stabilisation, explosives, silos and stationary scales. The company has more than 25 years in designing and manufacturing equipment suitable for Antarctic conditions and is a key supplier to the Australian Antarctic Division, having participated in three traverses of the continent to gain first-hand knowledge of the conditions. Its specialised Antarctic equipment includes a wide variety of…

Rigby Cooke Lawyers is a full service law firm providing commercial expertise and industry knowledge to private and public sector clients across Australia. With origins that can be traced back to the 1840s, we have earned our reputation of achieving success for – and with – our clients, by remaining adaptive to change. We do this by understanding each of our clients’ businesses and industry, and by staying at the forefront of changes in technology and legislation. This is because, above all else, we remain true to our mission, Our People: Your Success. Our lawyers are technically excellent in their areas of expertise; but more importantly for our clients, they are genuinely concerned with the application of the law in the ‘real world’ to get results. We are outcome-focused and commercially-minded – helping you achieve your goals in the most effective and efficient manner is our key objective. We can work with you by providing full-service ongoing support for all your commercial and private needs or by offering specialty expertise when required.…

For manufacturers, the ability to allow the key elements of the production process to communicate with each other will be one of the keys to unlocking the significant competitive advantage and growth potential promised by this ‘fourth industrial revolution’. This evolution to ICT (information and communications technology) means that connectivity is becoming an increasingly important issue. For this reason, the control and data-sharing solutions that characterise the next generation of digital machining will be based on connectivity and its close cousin, interoperability. Digital connectivity Certainly it is no overstatement to say that digital connectivity solutions will help companies to improve every aspect of the end-to-end production process – from design and production planning through machining to post-process analysis and intelligence. Enhanced connectivity and interoperability will open up new opportunities to improve productivity, profitability and security through better planning and decision-making, more optimised processes, lower levels of waste, increases in efficiency and the rapid identification and resolution of production issues. The ultimate aim is for machines,…

To gain a better understanding and appreciation of the opportunities involved, each of these ideas is explored below. The value of weight properties Today, the metal of choice in the 3D printing of parts is titanium. Its particular lightweight properties are important to the aviation and space industry. In a recent report by the US Department of Energy Advanced Manufacturing Office it was demonstrated that a 7% reduction could be achieved in overall aircraft weight simply by installing titanium parts produced using 3D processes. A 7% weight reduction is a highly significant figure; where most weight efficiencies only achieve one or two percentage points, a 7% saving will have a substantial impact on fuel costs, thereby reducing overall operational costs. The ability to…

AMT: Firstly, what’s the current situation for manufacturing in Tasmania and what are the big trends affecting the sector? Jeremy Rockliff: Well our economy’s very diversified – we’ve got mining, forestry, agriculture, horticulture, aquaculture – and advanced manufacturing plays a key role in all of those industries, particularly aquaculture, which is expanding, agriculture and food production. But also we’ve developed a reputation with Elphinstone and Caterpillar for developing high-quality, world-class heavy machinery and mining equipment. So I guess our diversity is our strength in terms of our economy in Australia. Of course one of our disadvantages is scale, but in the last 12 months we’ve recognised the fact that advanced manufacturing is a key component of our economy and an important one, following on from a summit that we held in May 2015. The Tasmanian Advanced Manufacturing Summit was held following Caterpillar’s decision to centralise its…

“This research provides SME exporter insights into expectations around current and future business conditions, overseas sales growth forecasts, and expectations around access to export finance,” says Andrew Hunter, CEO and Managing Director at Efic. “Overall, we’re seeing positive results. Our respondents expressed confidence about their current and future financial position, the broader economy and general business conditions for 2017.” The research indicates that just over half Australian exporting SMEs believe they are in a better financial position than 12 months ago, with 57% confident they will be in a better financial position in the next 12 months. “We found that twice as many SME exporters believe that the economy will be better in the next 12 months than those that do not,” says Hunter. “This confidence is particularly strong in businesses with a turnover of between $10m and $100m.” Some 56% of SME exporters expect their overseas sales revenue to increase over the year mainly due to increasing demand in existing markets (23%). “While overall sentiment is pleasingly positive, we’re…

The Robot Bike Co. story started in the late 1990s when Ed Haythornwaite, now the company’s CEO, met two other bike-mad students, Ben Farmer and Ben Arnold, at Bath University in the UK. “We spent far too much time riding bikes,” says Haythornwaite. “When we weren’t riding bikes, we were talking about bikes and how they could be made better than anything then on the market.” In 2012, Farmer had the ‘lightbulb’ moment, when he came up with the basis for the novel design that Robot Bike Co. is now producing. He took ideas from his background in the composites industry and from the world of additive manufacturing, and came up with the concept of using the two technologies to make the ‘ultimate’ bike that the friends had talked about when they were students. The new design uses a series of carbon fibre-reinforced tubes for the frames, which are joined by titanium lugs. This approach takes full advantage…

With more than 15 years’ experience in both IT and manufacturing, Mackieson knows exactly what he wants from enterprise resource planning (ERP) software. As General Manager at Elsum, he sought a solution that would ensure the company remained competitive and on track to meet its growth projections. “We have plans to be around a long time” says Mackieson. “So there was an imperative for us to meet a changing marketplace.” With competitive pressures in manufacturing increasing, Elsum needed to ensure that staff were all on the same page, with dynamic, real-time information, and that they continued to meet customer expectations on all fronts. Given their continued commitment to growth, there was also a strong need for scalability. “We do customised work too and often are faced with short delivery cycles,” explains Mackieson. “We need systems that enable quick, scheduled production, when the customer requirements demand it. We were keen to look at ERP systems as a…