Month: August 2025

Leading voices in Australia's manufacturing technology industry convened in Canberra on August 21 for the National Manufacturing Technology Skills Summit. The event, led by AMTIL and facilitated by the Victorian Skills Authority, focused on crafting an actionable plan to address the critical and widening shortage of qualified CNC (Computer Numerical Control) operators across the country. While demand outweighs supply for many skillsets required by the manufacturing industry, the lack of CNC professionals stands out as a particularly urgent issue. AMTIL estimates that the shortage currently sees 1,000 roles unfilled, a figure projected to exceed 3,000 within two years without deliberate intervention. The reasons behind the shortage are multifaceted. Training to competency takes time, with a Certificate IV typically requiring several years of vocational education, followed by extensive on-the-job training. Given the high cost of CNC machinery and materials, operators must be adequately skilled to avoid costly errors and ensure consistent quality. Yet, despite the technical sophistication and stability of the role, CNC operation remains under-recognised as a stepping-stone…

Voice Phishing (Vishing) attacks against manufacturers and other organisations by cyber criminals are rising rapidly around the world, according to a leading cybersecurity provider.   US-based cybersecurity company CrowdStrike says that the number of criminals and other threat actors using their own human voices to deceive targets has already eclipsed in 2025 the total number of recorded attacks in 2024.  “Voice phishing (vishing) attacks increased by 442% from the first to the second half of 2024, marking a significant and effective evolution in eCrime tactics,” the report says.   “These attacks are successful because they exploit human vulnerabilities and leverage compromised credentials and social engineering to bypass traditional security measures, gain initial access and move laterally within organisations at speed.”  CrowdStrike head of counter adversary operations Adam Meyers said these attacks often take place through a voice call to a company help desk.  "Typically, the call is pretending to be a user, they will do it out of hours to limit the possibility the user is…

Kerr Engineering has added a new double column machining centre to its expanding dedicated machine shop at its base in Henderson, Western Australia.  The company has installed and commissioned an Okuma double column machining centre model MCR-A5CII, joining a range of advanced machines in a building currently being extended to exceed 4,000 square metres.   The expanded machine shop, which includes another eight Okuma models, will take Kerr’s machining, fabrication and paint facility to 8,000 square metres in total, with a further expansion to an additional 2,000 square metre fabrication site nearby set to come.   Since purchasing Kerr Engineering in 2000, owners David and Mark Kinsman have transformed the company into one of the State’s most advanced engineering shops, today specialising in customised metal work, precision machining and fabrication.   Mark said Kerr Engineering had concentrated its development on using machines from Okuma Australia for more than 20 years.   “In doing so we have established a strong partnership with Okuma Australia based on unwavering technical support and the…