Month: August 2019

AMT: Tell us about the Industry Capability Network and what its role is. Grant Anderson: ICN Victoria is a not-for-profit organisation that has been around since 1984 and our mission is to maximise opportunities for local industry. We play a key role in liaising with government agencies and bidders ensuring that local suppliers have an opportunity to register interest in upcoming government projects. Another huge part of our role is to administer the Local Jobs First policy on behalf of the Victorian Government and that includes assessing projects for potential local content. Local Jobs First is about creating local jobs and opportunities for Victorian businesses and workers, whilst achieving value for money. We also have two main product offerings - ICN Gateway and ICN Analytics. AMT: And for an ordinary manufacturing business seeking to win work on a project through the ICN, what sort of pathway would that take? GA: Local businesses, including principal contractors and local suppliers of goods and services can use the ICN Gateway to register their business capability, access project opportunities and search…

Managed by husband and wife team Anthony and Lisa Coleman, ACIM specialises in designing and manufacturing inflatable packers, hydraulic fracturing systems, tools and data loggers for the geotechnical, mining, and oil & gas markets. Established in 1990, it has grown from humble beginnings servicing the Australian market, to a company that now sells into international markets such as Chile, South Korea, Italy, Russia, America and Indonesia. ACIM in-house designed products are recognised by customers for being innovative and of the highest quality. In 2013 when ACIM decided to bring manufacturing in-house, it gave John Hart the opportunity to offer a solution to suit its requirements. As a result, ACIM invested in a Mazak Quick Turn Smart 350M multi-function lathe with milling capability. The machine combines productivity, high accuracy and high reliability handling parts up to 420mm in diameter and 1,250mm in length. Anthony explains: “Programming was the main reason we selected a Quick Turn Smart. It has proven to be very easy to learn, and being a small…

A St George Bank survey of more than 1,000 consumers revealed that ‘Australian made’ is not as important to 18-to-24-year-olds (23%) when purchasing a product, compared with 69% of 55-to-74-year-olds, even though the younger generation are invested in purchasing from sustainable businesses. The youth age group are also not willing to pay more for Australian products (45%), and 36% don’t believe they are better quality than overseas counterparts. Matthew Kelly, Head of Manufacturing and Wholesale at St George, said even though the manufacturing sector in Australia has seen almost two years of sustained growth, the challenge businesses face is competing with low-cost imports, particularly when it comes to the younger generation. “The sector is far from fading,” said Kelly. “Automation, artificial intelligence and pure inventiveness are enabling new business models and processes that are transforming an industry which already contributes $100bn to Australia’s GDP. “However, it’s clear from the research that the industry needs to do more to create a compelling value proposition for the next generation, aligned to what…

Designed specifically to face the tough conditions of the mining environment, the Bortana EV is a robust and rugged vehicle equipped with advanced electric technology. Unveiled at a launch event following the Austmine Conference in Brisbane in May, the Bortana EV is built using the chassis from an Agrale Marruá. The Marruá is a resilient four-wheel-drive utility vehicle from Brazilian manufacturer Agrale, traditionally used in the Brazilian army and mining industry. Safescape selected the Marruá chassis for the new Bortana EV due to its corrosion-resistant body and ability to withstand the harshest of conditions. The Bortana EV is the result of a collaboration between Safescape and 3ME Technology with support from METS Ignited, the Industry Growth Centre for the mining equipment, technology and services (METS) sector. METS Ignited provided $500,000 toward the project under its Collaborative Project Funds in 2018. 3ME is a Newcastle-based company dedicated to developing heavy-duty e-mobility solutions. The electric technology for the Bortana EV features a battery with advanced opportunistic on-board charging capability. According to Safescape Managing Director Steve Durkin, the Bortana…

We’re in the early stages of what is widely regarded as the Fourth Industrial Revolution – or Industry 4.0. As the name suggests, this is a period of momentous (as well as complex) change, but also of extraordinary opportunity, especially in the field of manufacturing. The tectonic shifts brought about by the preceding revolution – the digital revolution – has led us to a new world of industrial possibility. If you’ve ever read one of the thousands of articles, explainers or opinion pieces on the subject, you’ll know that this fourth era encompasses sensor technology, data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, advanced automation, robotics, human-to-machine communication, the Internet of Things and more. What you probably haven’t heard so much about, though, is the similarly radical transformation that could – and I think must – accompany these much-talked-about changes: a shift in business models. What about the Subscription Economy? What do I mean by business models in the context of Industry 4.0?…

There are many ways to define a Makerspace, but essentially it is a place where people can come to use – and learn to use – equipment, develop creative projects, or simply gain experience. They are most commonly associated with offering technology to create, develop and design in an informal, non-traditional, environment. Becoming a member of a Makerspace enables you to access the resources (training, machinery, technology and materials) at times that are convenient to yourself, without the capital outlay often required for production. FAB9 is a purpose-built space, located in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, for hardware entrepreneurs, engineers, designers, tinkerers, craftspeople, artists, hobbyists and anyone who wants to experiment through the making of physical objects. Whether you’re an amateur working on a fun project, or an inventor set to create the next world-changing product, they are open for people of all interests and skill levels. Architecturally…

The lab will enable manufacturing and other industries to create ‘digital twins’, or virtual replicas of physical objects and systems. By 2020, the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates 30% of the top 2000 global companies will be using data from Digital Twins of Internet of Things (IoT) connected assets to improve product innovation success rates and organisational productivity, achieving gains of up to 25%. The Mixed Reality Lab houses a set-up of industrial and consumer optical cameras and sensing equipment to capture detailed information about a physical object and the space surrounding it. The equipment is underpinned by sophisticated algorithms which merge the enormous amounts of data collected to create a digital twin in a matter of minutes. Matt Bolger, senior software engineer at Data61, said the lab is a unique combination of Data61’s research expertise across machine learning, computer vision, computational modelling, IoT, and CSIRO’s patented Stereo Depth Fusion technology for depth estimation. “This technology is game-changing for manufacturing and other industries,” said Bolger. “By comparing a digital twin of a manufactured object…

Accuride Corporation is one of the leading suppliers of wheels for the automotive industry. The company has a global annual turnover of US$1.2bn and a workforce of approximately 5,000 across 16 locations in North America, Europe and Asia. The product portfolio includes wheels for microcars (or motorised quadricycles), heavy vehicles, tractors, construction machines and agricultural machines. As an important company within the Accuride group, Kronprinz alone provides approximately 1.6m truck wheels and more than 1.8m motor car wheels from its plant in Solingen, Germany. The truck wheels with a particular high load-bearing capacity consist of a rim and a wheel disc. At Kronprinz, these components, which are made of rolled steel, are formed and then welded all around from the inside in modern gas metal arc welding lines. This sounds…

In the Agriculture, Mining and Utilities category of the annual AFR / Boss Magazine Most Innovative Companies listing, the Brisbane-based mining equipment designer and manufacturer ranked second out of more than 800 nominated organisations across Australia and New Zealand. Compilation and ranking of the annual list by a panel of expert judges is based on a rigorous assessment process. And, for the first time in 2019, organisations were ranked directly against their peers. The assessment process measures a unique innovation implemented in the past 12 months. Specifically, the judges look at how valuable the problem is that the innovation is solving, the quality and uniqueness of the solution, and the level of impact that the innovation has had. Cultural aspects of the company that demonstrate a sustainable and repeatable approach to innovation, including strategies, resources and process, are also part of the assessment process. Designed and manufactured in Australia by Austin Engineering, the two-piece bucket features well-defined reusable upper and consumable…

Based in Warren, Michigan, the company is committed to improving the lives of factory-floor workers through safety, reliability and efficiency in manufacturing, for industries ranging from medical devices to automotive. “Industry 4.0 is really the ecosystem that is a smart factory,” says Andrew Storm, Eckhart’s CEO. “It takes all of the systems in a factory, ties them together to help not only those who manage the process, but also to help the employees on the factory floor become more informed on the health of the system.” “Ninety percent of Fortune 500 manufacturing CEOs believe adopting Industry 4.0 technologies is imperative,” adds Dan Burseth, Vice-President of Eckhart. “And we build technology implementation plans with some of the largest manufacturers in the world, designing tools, equipment and automation that truly improve the life of the people tasked with running the line.” Customised, proven additive solutions Eckhart develops customised factory floor solutions to address the specific needs of each client, walking the floor to see exactly where ergonomics, line of…

After the R&D specialists were handed their notice from Toyota in 2014, they sat down and nutted out a new business concept. Bastion Managing Director Ben Schultz recalls how he and his co-founders, James Woolcock and Dean McGeary, wanted to incorporate their three passions: cycling, leading-edge manufacturing and Australian-made production. All keen cyclists, it was a classic case of creating the bike they wanted to buy but which didn’t exist. Bastion empowers the rider to design their own adjustable bike that is a unique fit not only to their desired specifications and aesthetic preferences, but the physical capabilities of their own body with all its ticks and quirks. Bastion shares the industrial warehouse it occupies in Fairfield, north-east Melbourne, with three other specialised…

Working closely with customers across the globe, Sandvik Coromant has developed a connected solution that enables manufacturers to speed up the machining of high-value components, confident that anything untoward (that is, anything that moves beyond strictly set parameters) can be identified. While Silent Tools technology from Sandvik Coromant is around 50 years old, the quantum leap comes from a new development that involves embedding sensors into the turning adaptors, making it much easier to fathom what is going on deep into a…

AMTIL’s AGM will be held on Thursday 31 October at Riversdale Golf Club in Mount Waverley, Victoria. The AGM will be preceded by a Breakfast Seminar, featuring a special presentation by keynote speaker Simon Kuestenmacher, Director of Research at The Demographics Group. Kuestenmacher is a rising star in data animation and interpretation, making astounding predictions for Australia’s future. A columnist for The Australian newspaper, he is frequently sought out by SkyNews, The Project, newspapers and radio stations across Australia as a commentator on demographic and data matters. Reaching more than 30 million people every month through his Twitter account, Kuestenmacher speaks on demographic trends, consumer insights and cultural change in Australia. Proceedings will begin at 8.00am with a networking breakfast, before the presentations get underway at 8.30am. The AGM will take place after the presentations. Tee up for Golf Day The AMTIL 2020 Corporate Golf Day will also be held at Riversdale Golf Club on Friday 14 February. As always the event will include a light breakfast, lunch and drinks,…