Month: November 2020

Businesses with products licensed to carry the Australian Made logo will be able to incorporate the brand into their AMGC COVID-19 Manufacturer Response Register listings. Broad enhancements to the Register include the ability to: Display the Australian Made logo. Note Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approval. Upload a PDF for brochures, spec sheets or other key information. Navigate with more powerful search and connection functions. Ben Lazzaro, Chief Executive of the Australian Made Campaign, said there has never been a more important time to consider buying local: “Australian manufacturers produce products made to some of the highest quality and safety standards in the world. AMGC’s COVID-19 Response Register is a great resource for local businesses to connect and identify local products and supplies relating to managing COVID-19, and we are happy to support the initiative via the use of the Australian Made logo. “The many benefits of buying Australian Made…

The Hydrafeed barfeeder offers a number of unique features. One of those is that it is a full servo-driven barfeed eliminating the need for compressed air. It can also accommodate different bar diameters and lengths including random bar lengths, and is suitable for both bar or shaft feed. One of the most important time-saving features of the Hydrafeed is that once you’ve set a bar size and saved the set-up, you never have to open the cover again. Simply call up the program from the touch screen and the Hydrafeed will set itself on the centreline automatically thanks to the servo drive bar lifter mechanism. “This feature alone puts the Hyrdafeed Barfeeder on a different level and really does take barfeeder productivity to a new level,” said Paul Fowler, Managing Director of Dimac Tooling, suppliers of the Hydrafeed barfeeder. “It’s also quick and easy to set up which helps businesses to remain flexible as they can run small batch jobs without excessive set-up times.”…

The contracts are authorised under the AUSMIN Defence Acquisition Committee (ADAC) initiative, a collaboration between the US and Australian Departments of Defence. This is the second consecutive contract with the US Navy for RUAG Australia in Q3 of 2020. First orders have been secured for the repair and overhaul of selected components on MH-60R Seahawk helicopters in the US Navy fleet. MRO support for the platform’s complex componentry requires specialized treatment and repair methods inherent to RUAG Australia’s proven aircraft component capabilities. The defence supplier is able to build upon its reliable performance and support in the componentry for the SH-60B Seahawk and to apply the full scope of its accumulated knowledge and experience therein. This is the second US Navy platform RUAG Australia is set to support, in addition to the F/A-18 Hornet contracts awarded in August 2020. This new contract strengthens the existing collaboration between RUAG Australia and the US Navy and sees a foundation for future growth for the national Defence SME. “Earning the confidence and trust of…

The findings come from a survey of an independent panel of 258 Australian business owners with employees whose businesses are still in operation, commissioned by online financial information platform Money.com.au. The results revealed that 2020 will likely be the worst year for businesses on record. While the majority of businesses suffered a decline in profits, 35% made the same profit as last year, and just 15% made more profit. This is despite the widescale cuts that directors made to their businesses. Among the 55% of business owners who made cuts to crucial expenses, 44% let go of employees and contractors, despite JobKeeper being made available to hold onto staff on payroll. A quarter (24%) made cuts to their own salaries, and 24% froze salaries and did not pay bonuses across their businesses. Nearly half (45%) made cuts to travel. Travel was drastically reduced at the start of the pandemic, as a result of government restrictions and…

The novel ‘material microsurgery’ technique developed by Professor Veena Sahajwalla and her team at SMaRT can extract valuable materials and elements from complex waste items and reform them into strengthening layers for steel and other applications. The technique is the latest breakthrough by Sahajwalla’s team as they seek to develop new ways to address society’s growing waste and recycling challenges with innovations that can boost manufacturing capability, creating jobs and prosperity while enhancing environmental and social outcomes. The SMaRT Centre created the phrase ‘mircorecycling science’ to describe its novel approach to researching innovative approaches and technologies to reform various waste streams into value added materials and products. “Australia’s governments have agreed to ban the exporting of glass, plastic, paper and rubber tyres from January 2021,” Sahajwalla explains. “Therefore we need to start treating these waste items as the ‘renewable resources’ they really area. Ever-increasing population, technological advancement, variable consumption trends, and lack of efficiency in using materials are forcing us near a…

Australia's manufacturing industries grew solidly in October with production, employment, sales and exports all moving convincingly into growth territory. Once again, the large food & beverages sector led the way with strong contributions from machinery & equipment manufacturers and with support from firmer growth in the textiles, clothing, footwear, paper & printing group. The chemicals sector stabilised in October while the pace of contraction eased in both the metal products and building materials sectors. Respondents across all sectors noted a jump in sales and new orders as a result of pent up demand from the initial activity restrictions. The jump into expansion was driven by large improvements in New South Wales, which rose into expansion, and Victoria, which remained in contraction but improved from a deep contraction in September . “With the quantity of fiscal support easing in October and with the tax cuts only just starting to flow…