AMTIL’s program of plant tours for its members got underway in August and September with visits to Sutton Tools’ factory in Thomastown and CSIRO’s new Lab 22 facility in Clayton.
Since its establishment in 1917, Sutton Tools has continued to develop an expanding portfolio of cutting tools. Today, while its products are exported worldwide, the company remains a proudly Australian family business. The tour took in the entire production process, from raw materials to warehousing and distribution, providing fascinating insights into its specialised areas such as coatings, heat treatment and the company’s dedicated regrinding facility.
One highlight was a look at the inspection process on a line of tiny forming taps that Sutton supplies to Foxconn in China for the production of Apple’s products. Sutton produces more than 10,000 of these taps a year, and each one must be meticulously checked for quality.
Sutton’s Chief Manufacturing Executive, Peter Sutton, was particularly happy with the tour, saying it allowed the company to showcase its world-class facility and demonstrate that manufacturing can continue to exist in Australia.
“We really enjoyed hosting the tour,” said Sutton. “It was a great networking opportunity to meet others from the industry, share our experience and build future relationships. All our staff were proud to show off what they did and appreciated the positive feedback given from the visitors.”
While Sutton offered an insight into the cutting edge of traditional subtractive manufacturing, the latest innovations in the fast-evolving world of additive manufacturing were on show at Lab 22. Launched by CSIRO in May, Lab 22 is a $6m facility established to provide Australian companies with affordable access to specialist additive manufacturing equipment and expertise in the field of 3D printing with metal.
With CSIRO staff acting as expert guides, the tour offered a close-up look at Lab 22’s extensive range of state-of the-art equipment. Visitors also had the chance to find out more about what Lab 22 can do to help Australian manufacturers who want to bring additive techniques into their business.
Both events were followed by networking sessions where visitors could interact with each other and their hosts, to find out more and to explore the opportunities arising from what they had learned.
Watch this space
AMTIL is planning further site tours over the coming months, at locations nation-wide. Next up are two great success stories of Australian manufacturing: ANCA, in Bayswater, Vic; and Rode Microphones, in Silverwater, NSW.
Founded in 1974, ANCA has gone on to become a world leader in quality CNC grinding machines and CNC systems. In 2008, sister-company ANCA Motion was founded to focus exclusively on OEM CNC applications. One of the few Australian companies producing machine tools today, the ANCA Group has been identified as a true ‘Hidden Champion’ of the manufacturing industry worldwide.
Meanwhile, Rode Microphones has gone from humble beginnings in the 1990s to a globally respected designer and manufacturer of world-class audio equipment. Today it produces some 500,000 microphones every year, exporting them to over 4,000 retailers in more than 100 countries. Rode’s focus on robotic automation has allowed it to ensure that its products continue to be manufactured in Australia.
We’ll have more details on these and other events as they’re finalised. Keep an eye on AMTIL’s website to find out more.
AMTIL Events – Don’t miss out
AMTIL has a packed schedule of events between now and the end of the year, but they’re filling up fast, so book now.
AMTIL’s annual general meeting (AGM) will be held at the Riversdale Golf Club in south-east Melbourne on Thursday 22 October. The AGM is free for AMTIL members, with a fee of $70 for non-members. Visit the AMTIL website to book your place.
AMTIL Annual General Meeting
Date: Thursday 22 October 2015
Time: 5.00pm – 7.30pm
In addition, AMTIL will be holding a range of Christmas events in the run-up to the festive season, with our ever-popular corporate Golf Day, and Christmas meals in Sydney and Brisbane.
- Tuesday 1 December:
AMTIL Sydney Christmas Dinner
Ribs & Rumps,
Paramatta,
New South Wales. - Friday 4 December:
AMTIL Corporate Golf Day & Christmas Lunch
Riversdale Golf Club,
Mount Waverley,
Victoria. - Friday 11 December:
AMTIL Brisbane Christmas Lunch
Ribs & Rumps,
Fortitude Valley,
Queensland.