Month: October 2025

Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW), hosted by AMTIL, will be held in Brisbane for the first time in 2026. As the nation’s premier showcase for advanced manufacturing, AMW brings together the latest technologies, processes and ideas shaping the future of Australian industry. Running from Tuesday 12 to Thursday 14 May, AMW 2026 will feature a wide range of precision engineering and smart manufacturing solutions. The exhibition will highlight technologies including CNC machining, robotics, additive manufacturing, software, and more. It is designed to connect professionals, promote innovation and support industry growth. The event will include six dedicated product zones: Machine Tools, Additive Manufacturing, Robotics and Automation, Welding and Air Technology, the Australian Manufacturers’ Pavilion, and Manufacturing Solutions. A comprehensive speaker program will run alongside the exhibition, offering insights into emerging technologies, industry trends and practical strategies for business development. “Manufacturing is evolving rapidly across Australia, and Queensland is no exception,” said Lorraine Maxwell, CEO of AMTIL. “Queensland is home to a growing number of innovative manufacturers. AMW 2026 will highlight the strength of this local industry while…

Marrickville-based packaging machinery manufacturer Packserv has won the Best Small Business Award at the Australian Manufacturing Awards. The company designs and builds machines for volumetric filling, capping and container handling functions including conveyors in-feed and out-feed tables. Packserv also specialises in providing rentals for on-demand packaging equipment for filling, capping, labelling, printing and sealing packages of fast-moving consumer goods, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. The company was one of a series of winners of the awards, organised by manufacturing magazine Industry Update, named last night at a gala event in Sydney. The AMTIL Advanced Manufacturing Award was won by Queensland-based textile recovery technology developer BlockTexx among a solid field of nominees, including Industrial Machinery Sales and PPC Moulding Services. Victorian crane manufacturer Eilbeck Cranes picked up the St George Bank Manufacturer of the Year prize, while Dave Vinther of Australian playground equipment manufacturer Moduplay won the individual Gold Award for Excellence in Manufacturing, sponsored by Investment NSW. John Notaras of Atom Industries received with the Lifetime Acheivement Award for his decades of service to the industry. Industry Update publisher Scott Filby said…

Bringing together 13 Australian universities, CSIRO and over 60 industry and membership organisations, Australia’s new Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre was officially launched yesterday. Established with $57.5 million in Commonwealth Government funding from the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, the AMCRC aims to help industry unlock the potential of additive manufacturing, helping to fast-track products to commercialisation and building sovereign capability. The AMCRC partner base expects to invest an additional $200 million in the organisation over the next seven years to help develop a world-class additive manufacturing ecosystem that enhances industry capacity across the country. AMCRC chair Susan Jeanes says the AMCRC represents a unique opportunity for Australia to position itself as a global leader in the sector. “By uniting industry, researchers and government behind a shared agenda, we will drive research, fast-track commercialisation, and build sovereign capability - delivering new materials, technologies and production solutions that improve productivity, efficiency and local capacity,” she says. The official launch was held in partnership with Boeing Aerostructures Australia – a major contributor to the CRC…

Automation has helped to open doors for women to move into manufacturing roles, according to new research prepared by the Australian Industry Group (AIGroup). AIGroup measured the number of hours worked by women in various industries using newly available microdata from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The research found that while industrial sectors such as manufacturing, mining and construction had the lowest share of hours worked by women, they were also leading the national effort in closing the gap. AIGroup research manager Colleen Dowling writes in a research note that most industrial sectors had seen an increase in the proportion of hours worked by women in the last 20 years. The number of hours worked by women in manufacturing rose from 21.2% in 2006 to 25.2% in 2025, as did those in mining, from 12.6% to 17.7%, and construction – from 7.8% to 11%. Dowling writes that little had changed in industries where most hours are worked by women, such as healthcare and social work, where about 75% of hours are…

Federal Industry minister Tim Ayres has announced up to $600 million will be invested over three years to sustain Glencore’s Mount Isa Copper Smelter and Townsville Refinery in Queensland, while work on an $80 million investment program to upgrade the Nyrstar’s Port Pirie multi-metals facility in South Australia has also begun. Funded jointly by the Australian and Queensland Governments, the Mount Isa and Townsville package will see three tranches of $200 million delivered over the next three years – dependent on facility owner Glencore completing a transformation study focusing on driving sustainable and long-term industrial capability in Mount Isa. “It will evaluate the end-to-end copper value chain in the region and seek to understand the long-term opportunity for the facilities, industry and Mount Isa workers beyond the support period, positioning the region for a more diverse and resilient future,” a joint government announcement says. Governments have identified maintaining Australia’s domestic metals processing capability as “fundamental” to Australian economic resilience, and the Mount Isa Copper Smelter provides…

Now in their 23rd year, the awards recognise the businesses and people whose work in manufacturing contribute to the state’s capabilities. Tullamarine-based Amiga Engineering took out two awards during the state-government sponsored manufacturing awards: Small Business Manufacturer of the Year and one of two awards for Manufacturing Apprentice of the Year. A family-owned business, Amiga offers advanced CNC machining, fabrication, industrial gearboxes, polymer and metal additive manufacturing, including Australia’s largest metal and polymer service bureau. The company, which also won the Small Manufacturer of the Year award in 2023, has pioneered tungsten additive manufacturing for hypersonic and medical platforms, as well as being the only certified manufacturer of Scalmalloy components for aerospace applications. Amiga third year apprentice turner and fitter Jourdan Webb was named one of two Manufacturing Apprentices of the Year, alongside third year mechanical trade apprentice Matilda Robins, who works for Original Engines Co. Amiga said Webb is an adaptable team member eager for complex jobs. He currently handles components made from metal 3D printing using advanced…

There’s no shortage of innovators in Australian manufacturing – but industry collaboration is the key to driving those innovations forward. That was the consensus of a panel discussion held at Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions’ (BAMS) campus in Clayton, Melbourne. Held in commemoration of the company’s 70 years of manufacturing innovation in Australia, the company brought together business leaders for a panel discussion: “The Ecosystem of Success: Fostering Innovation and Collaboration for Australian Global Competitiveness.” Among them was David McLaughlin, the co-founder of bodd – a full body 3D scanner machine that captures rich biometric data across the entire human body, with applications in health and wellness. The company originally planned to use the scanner for 3D printing life-size replicas of individuals for custom clothing. “That was an idea we had. It was an example of a willingness to try, put it into market, test it, and then basically say ‘You know what? This is not the product. The product is actually our scanner.’” Once the company reached that conclusion, bodd turned to BAMS to manufacture, distribute and…