Month: April 2021

In almost all industries, it is important to efficiently protect plant and machinery as well as the drive technology used from external influences like dirt, moisture, spray water and aggressive media. NORD motors and drives are already designed with a high level of protection. Furthermore, high-performance coatings, paints and finishing processes protect the surfaces of drive systems and ensure an aesthetic and uniform appearance. For paint finishes, NORD uses the latest generation of high-solid paints, which considerably reduces the emission of solvents far below the legally required limits. With up to 80%, high-solid paints contain a large proportion of solid material and combine the emission benefits of hydro paints with the functionality of solvent-based coating materials. In addition, the lower solvent proportion of only 20% allows for very short drying times in production – a decisive advantage over water-based coating systems. For the electrical industry, NORD offers robust and long-life powder coatings.…

AMT: Tell us firstly about your background and how you ended up in your role with William Buck. Ian Cattanach: I’ve been in practice for more than 30 years. I started off at a firm called Bell Partners, which had the original connection with AMTIL. Indeed I’ve continued to act for the family of Bob Corbett, who was the founding chair of AMTIL, and we’ve been AMTIL’s auditor right the way through. In 2013, Bell Partners merged into William Buck, and we brought the AMTIL relationship with us. Since then AMTIL’s corporate partnership has morphed into what it is today, a much more structured, organised, symbiotic relationship. AMTIL staff will often refer members to William Buck representatives within our space, and likewise, we’re here to support the broader AMTIL membership, even though they may not be our clients.   AMT: And what does William Buck do? IC:  William Buck is an accounting and advisory firm with offices across Australia and New Zealand. We are over 125 years old and have tax,…

When COVID-19 overwhelmed hospitals around the world, Sentient’s team of engineers, supervised and funded internally by CEO Dr Paul Boxer, realised that low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), unlike developed countries, don’t have access to sufficient effective oxygen resources. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 32 million people will require oxygen therapy. Sentient is a registered charity whose vision is to create a device with social benefit, with a passionate team of engineers behind it. Aaron Duivenvoorden, lead engineer of the project, explains: “We are a small team providing a necessity that will make a big difference and have a lasting impact in the world and people’s lives!” Sentient’s project has resulted in Sentox, a low-cost oxygen machine compact enough to fit inside a briefcase. SentOx is rugged, hand-portable and designed to WHO specs, which makes it ideal for countries who have scarce medical equipment. Since the beginning, Sentient’s project has evolved a lot: the design has been validated and local production…

Holemaking is the most common of all machining processes, but it is also the one most often taken for granted. Many machine shops see little reason to change or upgrade their existing holemaking setup and have been using the same tools and cutting parameters for years. But, as the unpredictable effects of COVID-19 continue, this is all set to change. McKinsey & Company’s recent briefing note COVID-19: Implications for business calls the present industry situation a “next normal”, where manufacturers can expect unpredictable and lasting shifts in customer markets. The report advises that “resilience will be needed if manufacturers are to navigate an economically and socially viable path”. Most manufacturers, for example, are exploring new vendor bases and products. Consequently, machine shops that once specialised in a certain area of production are now opening their CNC lathes and mills to a wider variety of tough and challenging materials. At the same time, manufacturers must explore new ways to increase profits…

The March 2021 edition of ScotPac’s SME Growth Index found almost half (48%) of SMEs predicting revenue growth. However, the proportion of SMEs expecting revenue to decline hit a new high at a critical moment on the road to long-term COVID recovery – one in four small businesses have forecast a revenue drop, on average by 5.5%. ScotPac CEO Jon Sutton said revenue uncertainty is more marked at the smaller end of the SME sector, with SMEs with revenues between $1m and $5m feeling the brunt more than their $5m-$20m revenue counterparts. The survey showed particular uncertainty among manufacturers, with manufacturing revealed to be the second-least confident major industry (after retail). Almost one in five manufacturers (19%) are looking at closing, 27% say they will sell either immediately or within six months, and 17% of manufacturers are unsure if they will have to close or sell. In comparison, fewer than one in 10 retailers are confident enough that they will not have…

If you happened to be in Tonsley, in Adelaide’s southern suburbs, 13 years ago, you might very well have been standing in the middle of Mitsubishi’s car production line. The shell of the factory left behind when Mitsubishi relocated in 2008 has now been reinvented as the Tonsley Innovation District. Now Tonsley is the home of Line Zero – Pilot Factory of the Future. It’s at this new facility that new technologies, manufacturing techniques and processes are being tested, trialled and adapted for the Osborne shipyard, where nine Hunter class frigates will be built. The Hunter Class Frigate Program is the biggest surface ship project in Australia’s defence history, contributing towards Continuous Naval Shipbuilding capability for the nation. Line Zero – Pilot Factory of the Future is a collaboration between Flinders University, BAE Systems Australia and its subsidiary BAE Systems Maritime Australia (formerly ASC Shipbuilding). It marks the beginning of an exciting new era for developing Australian Industry Capability in support of the Federal Government’s sovereign capability objectives. The…

Professor Yu Bai from Monash University’s Department of Civil Engineering will lead an interdisciplinary team from seven Australian universities to develop a one-of-a-kind facility centred on structural assembly and construction automation. It will feature a flexible, adaptive design, with space for a team of collaborative robotics in an interactive environment to achieve automated prefabrication, assembly and building. The outcomes are expected to transform the current labour-intensive construction industry to one that uses highly automated and accurate prefabrication processes, with significant benefits to the economy and worker safety. Professor Bai said many industries, such as manufacturing and transport, had adopted automated practices to speed up, optimise, and economise production. However, the construction industry was lagging behind, failing to take advantage of such technological advancements. “Robotic technology has made significant progress in a number of industry domains in the last several years and construction can benefit from this advancement,” Professor Bai said. “The use of robotic technology can be a game-changing step as seen in other…

NMI CEO and Australia’s Chief Metrologist, Dr Bruce Warrington, is inviting Australians to provide feedback on options proposed for modernising Australia’s regulatory framework for measurement. “We all rely on measurement every day – whether it’s getting what you pay for at the shops, protecting our health and safety, or supporting business in domestic and international trade,” said Dr Warrington. “New measurement technologies are developing all the time. Businesses adopt new technologies to boost productivity and support economic growth. “Our measurement legislation needs to support innovative solutions and meet the evolving needs of industry. This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help shape the laws that provide confidence in measurement across our economy and society.” The proposed reforms to Australia’s measurement laws include changes designed to: Accommodate advances in measurement and instrument technologies. Support Australia’s uptake of best-practice international technical standards. Reduce the burdens for business, for example by taking a more flexible and principles-based approach to regulation. Interested parties can access the paper outlining the proposed reforms and provide their feedback via the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and…

SIS specialises in the design, engineering and delivery of projects to customers in civil infrastructure, building & construction, oil & gas, mining, aviation, aquaculture, marine and ports, transport & logistics, and agriculture. Until now it has had its fibre-reinforced polymer (FRP) products manufactured in China, North America and Europe. InfraCore has constructed more than 1,000 FRP structures – from pedestrian walkways to high-volume traffic and harbour bridges – that have been installed in the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland, England, France, Italy, Sweden, Norway, China and the US. SIS imported four of the custom-made bridges and oversaw their installation at Sydney’s Castle Hill Country Club in 2019. The installation process was done in just four hours. The national centre for the manufacture of lightweight fibre composite road and pedestrian bridges and jetties will initially use foam for pre-forms in the manufacturing process, but SIS plans to…

The roundtable, which has been summarised into the whitepaper Keeping Australia Open for Business, voiced concern that we may be in for a third wave of outbreaks as restrictions relax. In addition, they felt that business confidence in their COVID-response plans is too high and will not translate into reality if tested, particularly when faced with rapidly changing guidelines, unknown timeframes, multiple rumours, and general panic among staff. Michael Brown is an IT&C Director at Visium Networks, which saw multiple clients experience outbreaks last year. Brown said: “From a readiness perspective, the reality of how you have to react in a real COVID outbreak versus your expectations can vary widely because until it occurs, you have never had direct contact with the relevant government department to know what their demands are, and what they need you to do.” However, it was noted that whether the health and safety measures introduced…

“Australian workplace leaders are recognising this issue and are placing more emphasis on health, safety and wellbeing than ever before,” says Andrea Marlan, national manager and corporate wellbeing specialist at HR consultancy Drake International.w Last year Drake conducted a survey of employers during stage four lockdown, which showed 85.1% now consider wellbeing an important consideration for their company. “Gone are the days of mandatory doctor’s certificates and having to prove illness to have a sick day or mental health day,” explains Marlan. “If anything, it has flipped, so employers need to view wellness and its relation to productivity in a totally new light. So many Australian organisations are getting on the front foot by investing in their employees’ health – it’s good for business and good for the Australian workforce. “It’s time to go further than having apples in the break room or employee assistance program (EAPs) on offer. They’re great starting points but it’s…

Few people get to see the results of their work out on public display on a regular basis, but for Brad Drury, Managing Director of New Touch Industries, it’s definitely one of the perks of the job . The company manufactured the stainless steel skins adorning the bridge columns on the EastLink motorway in Melbourne, with their striking laser-cut perforations. With New Touch Industries based in two sites: in Bayswater and Clayton, Drury inevitably spends plenty of time on the EastLink, and on seeing the bridges he acknowledges feeling some pride. “Absolutely,” says Drury. “I think there’s 88 bridges all up. When my kids were younger, whenever we’d drive past the bridges, up near Ringwood or down near the Monash, they’d always call them ‘Daddy’s holes’.” New Touch Industries has come a long way since the EastLink project was completed in 2008, but it certainly helped put the company on the map. Aside from its…