Month: October 2020

I have been involved in the robotics and industrial automation industry (on and off) for more than 30 years. Over the years I have seen a lot of projects make the transition from wild concept to productive and effective reality, and I have learnt a lot about what is behind both the successful and the difficult projects. That experience boils down to what I call “The Three Ps”: Product, Process and People. You must manage all three for success. It is easy to do simple automation that ‘should’ work most of the time, but life rarely travels down the middle of the road. Great and successful automation projects must take full account and manage all the things that can go wrong so they can keep going when the road gets a little rough at the edges. Achieving 99% is not good enough – that might mean a stop every five minutes. To get rock-solid automation you must take account of all the exceptions – all the things that might…

The decision to hold the AGM online had been in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it also allowed the participation of members from much further afield, with around 90 AMTIL members logging in from across Australia. While conducting the AGM through video conferencing marked a big change from previous years, proceedings went smoothly, with voting on AMTIL matters taking place through onscreen polls rather than the usual show of hands. Proceedings kicked off with a keynote address from guest speaker Mike Rolls. In September 2001, Mike contracted meningococcal septicaemia, one of the deadliest diseases on the planet. He lived to tell the tale, but the infection left him with horrific internal and external injuries, including the amputation of both his legs. However, Mike refused to be set back by the illness, and has used his experience as a springboard to personal and professional success. In telling his inspirational story, Mike…

Founded in 1994, Angel Trains is a leading rolling stock provider for the UK rail industry, financing and delivering high-quality trains to UK passenger service operators. Each year, it makes significant investment in innovative solutions to modernise train fleets. One of its biggest challenges is finding an alternative to the traditional supply chain for replacement parts, which struggles to cope with growing demands. Unlike the automotive industry, where vehicles are mass produced in millions each year, rail industry fleets are comparatively small, and in some cases more than 30 years old. This combination presents several challenges for train operators, especially regarding vehicle maintenance and part replacement. “In recent times, we’ve seen growing concern among operators that sourcing replacement parts for older train fleets at a reasonable cost and in a short timeframe is proving increasingly difficult,” explained James Brown, Data & Performance Engineer at Angel Trains. “The problem is that traditional manufacturing methods only make it cost-effective to produce high volumes of spare parts, even though an operator…

BOC will install a compressor to take the hydrogen produced using renewable electricity at HyP SA and transport it via tube trailers to industrial customers across South Australia and Western Australia. BOC’s Whyalla Argon Purification Unit (APU) will also use the HyP SA hydrogen as an energy source to make high-purity argon used in industrial processes and welding gases. By January 2021 this will completely replace the need to transport hydrogen from the BOC Altona facility in Victoria, saving 117,000km in annual driving and 122,000kg of carbon emissions per year. AGIG’s plant is Australia’s largest renewable gas project and will provide a 5% hydrogen blend with natural gas for supply to nearby homes and businesses via the existing gas network. Vesna Olles, Director, Strategy and Business Development, BOC said: “South Australia will now have a local supply of green hydrogen readily available for energy projects, storage, mobility and more. BOC is proud to be partnering with AGIG to support South Australian research groups and businesses which are developing…

Small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) are at the heart of our economies, employing around 70% of labour markets and keeping profits within local communities. They are also suffering the most with COVID-19. Small manufacturers have been left behind by successive governments in favour of big businesses in the resources sector, and this may well be the final straw. Our research shows that successful companies are the product of resourceful entrepreneurs and favourable business conditions – their success depends on the local business environment. We’ve come up with three things that business owners can do, and twice as many that governments can do to boost firm performance and support recovery. What you can do: Knowledge, Network, Mindset A lot depends on what you know, who you know, and who you are. The more you know, the more places your business will go. Playing it by ear and blundering your way through means making costly mistakes that are easily avoided. Business schools, polytechnics, and start-up hubs all offer…

This year’s Ceremony commenced with an entrepreneurs panel discussing the role of the tech sector in rebuilding after COVID, after which the Minister for Industry, Science & Technology, Karen Andrews, delivered a keynote message. Highlighting the Federal Government’s recent commitment of an additional $460m to the CSIRO and $2bn in R&D incentives to support the tech sector, Andrews congratulated the finalists: “In so many ways our future rests in the creative hands, critical inventions and trailblazing thinking that defines all of the ATC finalists.” This year’s national Award winners were: Advanced Manufacturing Award – Contactile (NSW) Cyber Security Award – Castlepoint Systems (ACT) Disaster & Emergency Award – Helitak Fire Fighting Equipment (QLD) Energy Award – Village Energy (WA) Food & Agribusiness Award – Farmbot (NSW) Global Social Impact Award – 4ize (NSW) Medtech & Pharma Award – Electrogenics Laboratories (NSW) Mining Technologies Award – NextOre (NSW) Smart Cities Award – BindiMaps (NSW) Space Award – HEO Robotics (NSW) Alumni Achievement Award – AgriDigital (NSW) Australian…

Welder training in Australia is outdated. The TAFE curriculum has remained relatively unchanged since 1998. TAFE has been required to teach courses such as fabrication, in which the welding modules are of varying degrees of complexity and are usually optional. This has not produced welders that are skilled or qualified to the levels needed by industry, especially within the defence sector. Young welding apprentices enter the workforce without the requisite skills or knowledge. Generally speaking, TAFE graduates cannot read a welding procedure, set up a welding machine, or weld according to Australian standards. Released in June 2019, the latest version of the Manufacturing and Engineering training package (MEM 2.0) differs very little from the previous versions (released in 1998 and 2005). In fact, many of the units and much of the content remains identical to the 1998 version. Not surprisingly then, MEM…

More than 1,700 directors were surveyed for the second DSI of 2020, which was compiled by Ipsos. Director sentiment remains in pessimistic territory in the second half of 2020 but it has climbed 22.4 points to minus 37.2, even with ongoing restrictions and the historic debt and deficit announced by the Treasurer earlier this month. AICD Managing Director and CEO Angus Armour said: “The challenges related to the pandemic will continue for some time so it is encouraging to see that despite continued pessimism directors are seeing an improved outlook in some areas. The Government’s welcome decision to extend key relief measures has no doubt played a part in easing anxiety. This includes the JobKeeper scheme, changes to continuous disclosure rules and allowing virtual AGMs. Directors have once again nominated climate change and energy policy as the policy priorities the Federal Government should address in both the short and long-term. “Earlier this year…

Brisbane-based Ellume has developed a suite of COVID-19 tests for use by laboratories, doctors and consumers that gives results in less than 15 minutes. The Ellume technology was developed to address the unprecedented global demand for rapid, accurate diagnostics. The first batch of product has already been shipped to the US, and Ellume’s new manufacturing facility in Richlands, Brisbane, is rapidly scaling up its production capacity. With extensive experience in precision assembly and production automation, BAMS will work closely with Ellume’s Engineering Team to build and install state-of-the-art automated assembly lines to increase production capacity. The assembly lines will include end of line functional testing to ensure reliable product quality. “We are delighted to bring the BAMS automation expertise to support Australian med-tech manufacturing for a global market – a real positive for local manufacturing, and a positive for the testing and medical diagnosis of COVID-19”, said Gavin Smith, President of Bosch Australia. Ellume CEO and founder Dr Sean Parsons said: “We’ve spent the last decade perfecting our…

Before you take a business-as-usual approach to managing an underperforming member of your team, consider this: what expectations can you, as an employer, reasonably have of a worker who is working from home with children underfoot, or being checked for a permit en route to work, or simply struggling with the mental load that has been dished up by 2020? When an employer manages a worker’s performance, it needs to be reasonable both in terms of the expectations that are being set, and the process that is followed. This is because ultimately, the risk is that you have to dismiss an underperforming employee. At that point, if the worker files an unfair dismissal claim, your entire process will be under scrutiny. A Fair Work Commissioner will assess whether you had set and communicated clear and reasonable expectations, whether the worker was warned…

AMT: Swinburne has always been very active in the manufacturing space. What can you tell us about any projects and initiatives you’ve got on at the moment in that area? Bronwyn Fox: Well, Swinburne has a really deep history in manufacturing, and that comes from our founder, George Swinburne himself. He did a world tour in about 1897, where he travelled the world, looking at energy technologies. He went to the UK and the US and looked at gas and electricity, which were emerging as competitive technologies, and he realised that actually the solution would be to integrate the two systems. I think that that holistic approach of George Swinburne, to integrate different, seemingly competitive systems together to create a better outcome, is a part of our history and part of our DNA at Swinburne. So it’s really exciting to be here, it’s a very creative environment. Most recently, we’ve been really focused on our Industry 4.0 strategy. My former role was heading up Swinburne’s Manufacturing Futures Research Institute, and when we launched that…

The newly renamed Industry Innovation and Science Australia w(IISA) – previously known as Innovation and Science Australia – will advise the Government on innovation, research and science matters. DuluxGroup CEO Patrick Houlihan and Woodside Energy’s Lauren Stafford have both been appointed to the Board for three years. Fintech and consumer rights expert Scott Farrell, space technology entrepreneur Dr Alex Grant and ag-tech innovator Sarah Nolet have been appointed for two years. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said the new appointments would bolster industry experience within the organisation, particularly as it helps deliver the Government’s $1.5bn Modern Manufacturing Strategy. “As a Government we are getting the economic conditions right and backing our manufacturers to become more competitive, more resilient and to scale up,” Minister Andrews said. “But it is industry that will chart the course of our recovery and make this Strategy stick for generations to come. We know it is industry, not governments, that create jobs, so it’s essential that…

Unpredictable tool life is one of the biggest threats in automotive production, particularly as its operations are so highly automated and use some of the world’s most advanced robotics and automation systems. Downtime is time-consuming, disrupts production and is expensive, so it goes without saying that tool failures should be avoided at all costs. In some instances, manufacturers set the tool change interval to less than the maximum tool life. This approach is normally preferred because material variations in automotive components are minimal. It follows that the tool changes should be predictable, and safer than trying to extend the tool life to manufacture a few more components. For Sandvik Coromant’s specialists, the key to longer tool life is not limited to the amount of time a tool spends in use, but also the drill design itself. This approach led to the development of the CoroDrill 860 with enhanced -GM geometry, a new-design solid…