Month: October 2021

Releasing the latest State of the Industry report, which analyses data for 2019/20, AFGC CEO Tanya Barden said the increase in food and grocery exports – up 7.9% on the previous financial year to $41.3bn – showed the importance of export markets to local manufacturers. “In a period affected by drought, bushfires and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian food and grocery manufacturers demonstrated their resilience and resourcefulness by growing the value of this vitally important industry, particularly in overseas markets,” Barden said. On the domestic front, COVID lockdowns spurred an increase in consumption through supermarket channels, although this was dampened by a reduction in sales through food service channels such as restaurants and convenience stores. “While the lift in sales is a positive for the industry, it hides the fact that businesses have incurred increased costs due to several factors including the COVID-related expenses of maintaining safe workplaces, operational changes to meet increased…

The event will begin with Toth’s keynote presentation, ‘The State of the Nation and the Future of Our Economy’. Toth joined the Ai Group in 2012, where she heads up the organisation’s economics team, producing economics research, reports, comment and policy advice. She is an active participant in Australia’s national business, industry and economic policy conversations and consultation processes. Toth has clocked up close to three decades of professional research in Australian economics, working across the public and private sector at the ANZ Bank, the Productivity Commission and other Federal Government agencies. In addition to her work for Ai Group, Toth is currently an advisory board member at Swinburne University’s Centre for Transformative Innovation, a panel member of the Melbourne Economic Forum (hosted by the University of Melbourne and Victoria University) and a member for the Economic Society of Australia’s Economic Policy Panel. Following Toth’s keynote presentation, the AGM will be an opportunity to hear about AMTIL’s latest plans and initiatives plus reports on the previous…

Wade recalls how the business has evolved since he joined: “With my background as a toolmaker and understanding precision engineering, we started to develop a customer base that needed high-precision sheet metal. This move was the key driver for sourcing machinery that would give us the accuracy for precision cutting, folding and punching. “Targeting the electronics industry set our business on a solid growth path. We quickly discovered the unmet demands of that industry, and by satisfying its needs, built great customer relationships that boosted our growth. “Visiting a Brisbane machinery show, we were introduced to Amada equipment and invested in our first Amada press brake. The success of our first high-precision machine encouraged further machinery investment that included Amada turret punches, laser cutters and additional folding machines. “A bonus of our new precision capability was the ability to offer our…

Readings above 50 points indicate expansion in activity, with higher results indicating a faster rate of expansion. Contractions in the machinery & equipment and TCF, paper & printing sectors, and a flat performance in the food & beverages sector failed to offset a return to growth in the building and metal products sectors while the chemicals sector continued to expand although at a more modest pace in September. Contractions were concentrated in the south-east corner of the country where outbreaks and lockdowns have been more severe. Of the six manufacturing sectors in the Australian PMI, metal products (up 8.7 points to 54.2), chemicals (down 2.2 points to 54.2) and building materials (up 8.9 points to 51.3) expanded in September, partly due to eased restrictions of construction activity in NSW. Food & beverages stalled (down 6.0 points to 50.5), while machinery & equipment (down 2.0 points to 48.4) and TCF, paper & printing (down 6.4 points to…