Month: December 2020

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The $1.3bn Modern Manufacturing Initiative is the centrepiece of the strategy, promising to enable businesses to access funds in order to transform ideas into commercial reality. I’ll come back to this later, but at present full details of the Modern Manufacturing Initiative are yet to be announced. Let’s change the subject back to some of the other aspects of the Government’s proposed funding. The Manufacturing Modernisation Fund (MMF) has $52.8m that is targeted at supporting roughly 150 companies that have a solid business plan to invest in new technology, upskill workers and create new jobs. Great idea. Great initiative. This is the second round of this Program and the early indications from the first round is that the majority of recipients have achieved revenue…

Geofabrics Australasia is Australia’s largest manufacturer and supplier of a range of highly engineered geosynthetics for the building and infrastructure sector. Its core capabilities are across the road, rail, waste, mining, coastal, water, recreation and slopes & wall segments. Geofabrics has a presence throughout Australia, New Zealand, PNG and the Pacific. A proud Australian manufacturer, Geofabrics has two manufacturing plants, one in Albury (NSW) and other in Ormeau (Queensland) and contributes to Australia’s sovereign infrastructure construction capabilities. On every project, Geofabrics has a singular focus: to provide smarter infrastructure solutions for its clients. Manufacturing innovative geosynthetic solutions As the Australasian leader in geotextiles and geosynthetics, Geofabrics delivers engineering support and technical leadership through a focus on innovation, research, industry education, design and independent testing services. Simply put, Geofabrics’ products are a key component in building Australia’s critical infrastructure: our roads, railways, landfills and resources (mining, oil & gas). One example…

As a CEO in a manufacturing business with a history that spans more than 50 years, I know the balancing act that goes into guiding and leading a company. A successful enterprise always stands ready to redesign systems and operations in accordance with the current environment, and Setec is no exception. Our history proves a deft ability to remain competitive and strong. In the time now known as pre-COVID, it’s reasonable to say that most industries were cognisant of potential risks and how to mitigate against them. The risk of a natural disaster and its impact to business was well understood. Mitigating the risk of a misplaced shipment was equally recognised. Such potential risks were written into a business plan, ready for action in the event of such risks unfolding. It is, however, a fairly safe assumption that no business plan included a risk mitigation strategy arising from a once-in-100-year pandemic. No one saw this coming.…

A true picture of a manufacturer’s product quality comes from a look into the shop’s quality control area, especially where there are parts with stickers or tags calling for “re-inspection.” The tags indicate that for some reason the workpieces were rejected or must be returned to production for rework. Scrap and rework result when manufacturing processes do not meet expectations. Some processes, especially machining, are based on the interaction of many variables and thereby are subject to uncertainty and some degree of unreliability. It is essential that manufacturers recognise the sources of uncertainty, understand how they arise, and find ways to resolve them. In many cases, however, the sources of process uncertainty are not recognised or are ignored and accepted as standard practice. In the end, overcoming uncertainty and limiting…

Growing from a small engineering start-up to a world leader successfully manufacturing to the exacting quality standards of leading original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), Carbon Revolution is exactly the kind of high-tech, innovative company that the Australian manufacturing industry needs more of. The Carbon Revolution story began at Deakin University in the mid-2000s, where a group of engineering students, staff and industry mentors had begun developing carbon-fibre wheels for teams entering the Formula SAE student motorsports competition. In 2007, a group of them decided to try to commercialise their work, and with a small federal grant the company was formally established. Dingle came on-board a few months later. Today Carbon Revolution operates from a purpose-built facility on Deakin’s Waurn Ponds campus, in the suburbs of Geelong, Victoria. The company made its ASX debut on 29 November 2019, with its lightweight carbon fibre wheels now being used by some of the premier car brands in the world including Ferrari and Ford. Automated Solutions Australia (ASA)…

The global outsourcing industry has grown exponentially over the years but continues to have a variable reputation. In 2020, these concerns were heightened by COVID-19 with businesses shocked at how quickly their operations can be disrupted and vulnerable. Media coverage has typically spotlighted the negative impacts of outsourcing and focused on job losses to offshore competitors and damage to the Australian economy. Now we’re seeing more businesses, even start-ups, taking advantage of outsourcing to qualified professionals and using it as a tool for growth and expansion. What was once thought of as a simple way to access cheap overseas labour is now changing as more businesses look to outsource domestically – a practice known as ‘onshore outsourcing’. While onshore outsourcing is nothing new, the variety of functions that are outsourced has grown in recent years. Information technology, public relations, human resources, virtual assistance, engineering, distribution and logistics, and finance and accounting…

Each year, CSIRO and the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) work with a range of industry stakeholders to give an updated estimate of the cost to generate electricity for new power plants in Australia, through their GenCost report. This year, the report — which is now open for public consultation — was improved by using a more accurate system for calculating the levelised cost of energy (LCOE, a metric to compare the cost of electricity generation technology). CSIRO Chief Energy Economist Paul Graham said the new metric added extra insight to this year’s report. “Previous GenCost reports added arbitrary amounts of storage costs, but this year we used a model of the electricity system that optimises the amount of storage needed, and also includes additional transmission expenditure,” Graham said. “Even taking into account these extra system integration costs, solar photovoltaics (PV) and wind continue to be the cheapest new sources of electricity for any expected share of renewables in the grid…

NSW Minister for Jobs, Investment, Tourism and Western Sydney Stuart Ayres said Romar will add to the Western Parkland City’s aerospace, defence and medical manufacturing capabilities. “Romar has been based in Western Sydney since it was established in 1968 and has excelled at advanced manufacturing with knowledge in precision moulding, micromoulding and medical device manufacturing,” Ayres said. “Now this local business wants to go to the next level and the AMRF will be a state-of-the-art facility which will give Romar the opportunity to continue to innovate and achieve its goals.” Romar Chief Executive Officer Alan Lipman said the company is keen to work with the Western Parkland City Authority on the design of the AMRF and remain involved when it is up and running. “This is an exciting opportunity for Romar to pass on our knowledge and experience in Advanced Manufacturing around our 3D metal printing technology,” said Lipman. :We want to grow the Advanced Manufacturing skills base in this country and collaborating with the development of the…

Around the world, a mobility revolution is gaining speed. Just as the early 20th century saw the automobile replace the horse-drawn carriage, we are now witnessing a similar change as the internal combustion engine makes way for the electric vehicle (EV). A decade ago, the number of electric cars on the road was negligible – around 20,000 worldwide, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). By 2019, worldwide sales had soared to 2.1m, bringing the global stock to 7.2m vehicles. EVs made up 2.6% of global car sales and about 1% of global stocks – a 40% year-on-year increase. Early figures for this year are pointing to even bigger gains. Australia, however, is stuck in the slow lane. In 2019, EVs made up to 0.6% of new vehicles sold here, putting us well behind almost all other developed nations. The market in Australia is growing, but we are lagging. “There’s…

With 2020 dominated by COVID-19 lockdowns, AMTIL’s events calendar has been confined to online gatherings, with our Virtual Meeting webinar series proving a great success. However, as Australia begins to open up with the virus largely contained, it has now become possible to resume holding social events such as the AMTIL Golf Day and networking sessions. “Like everyone, we had to adapt quickly when the pandemic hit, and we got really nice feedback for things like the webinars we ran,” said Kim Banks, Events Manager at AMTIL. “But face-to-face social gatherings are very important to AMTIL, so we’re thrilled to be able to start running these events again. And we’re looking forward to catching up with our members too.” With the pandemic still highly active overseas, appropriate measures will be in place at all upcoming AMTIL events to ensure they are are conducted safely. Moreover, with the ongoing possibility of further outbreaks in Australia for the foreseeable future, AMTIL may be forced to make changes…

As COVID-19 infection rates drop dramatically, Victorians welcome back normality. Or something close to it. Since 11:59pm, 8 November, metropolitan Melbourne entered the third stage of reopening, in line with regional Victoria. Manufacturers, like all employers, must be vigilant in managing COVID risks before re-opening the doors. Manufacturing workers cannot work from home, and the layout of a factory may make physical distancing difficult to achieve. So, what should a business do? Get a COVIDSafe Plan! Every Victorian workplace must have a COVIDSafe Plan based on six key principles: Physical distancing, where work is performed 1.5m apart, and the 4sqm rule is applied. Continue to work from home, if possible. Wear face masks with the provision of face masks and other personal protective equipment (PPE). An employee must wear face masks. Good hygiene practices by supplying effective sanitiser, ensuring frequent surface cleaning. Keep records of all people (workers, visitors, customers, suppliers) who enter the workplace. Avoid interaction in enclosed spaces, and where possible enhance air flow. Create workforce bubbles to minimise cross-infection between the workforce, staggering work…

AMT: How long has Hargo been in business? FG: My dad Heinz Gogol started the business in 1976. Dad came from a watchmaking background in Germany, and he started the business as an engineering shop specialising in small components. I joined in 1991 after I completed my apprenticeship in electrical fitting with Siemens, manufacturing high and low-voltage switchboards. AMT: How has the business grown over the years? FG: Like a lot of family businesses, Hargo has grown conservatively over the years. When I joined in 1991 Hargo employed around eight people including the family, and by 2015 we had grown to 20 staff. In 2015 Hargo established an advisory board to help with expansion and direction of the business and has since doubled in size, in both turnover and staff. Up until 1995, Hargo’s machinery still consisted of sliding head cam autos. The purchase of our first CNC, a Start SR16, was made, the benefits…