Government News

For manufacturers, establishing an export operation can be challenging and there are many factors to consider before making the plunge. We suggest the following steps for any aspiring exporter looking to grow overseas in the next 12 months. Develop a robust export strategy, and stick to it When you start exporting, there are many different factors you may need to consider that weren’t part of your initial plan, from potential markets to buyers and developing the right networks. It can be easy to get sidetracked, and while it’s important to consider your options carefully, stay focused and stick closely to your export strategy. Consider the positioning of your product or service in a new market When considering if your product or service will succeed overseas, you need to think about how you will market and promote your product or service to a new and different customer base. This may include looking at…

My lab has used nano-sized building blocks to design a smart material that can perform work at a macroscopic scale, visible to the eye. A 3D-printed lattice cube made out of polymer can lift 15 times its own weight – the equivalent of a human being lifting a car. The design of our new material is based on Nobel Prize-winning research that turned mechanically interlocked molecules into work-performing machines at nanoscale – things like molecular elevators and nanocars. Rotaxanes are one of the most widely investigated of these molecules. These dumbbell-shaped molecules are capable of converting input energy – in the forms of light, heat or altered pH – into molecular movements. That’s how these kinds of molecular structures got the nickname “nanomachines.” For example,…

The Victorian Node is one of eight nodes in the national ANFF network. ANFF-VIC has tools and experts available for training or advice at the CSIRO, Deakin University, La Trobe University, the Melbourne Centre for Nanofabrication (MCN), Monash University, RMIT, Swinburne University of Technology, and the University of Melbourne. Both ANFF-VIC and ANFF national are headquartered at MCN, home to one of the largest open-access cleanrooms in the world. In February, Professor Nicolas Voelcker was appointed as Director of ANFF-VIC and Scientific Director of the MCN. With more than 300 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters to his name, he is a leader in his field of biomaterials engineering. Professor Voelcker’s aim is to increase the interaction between academics and industry drivers within the…

AAMC Chair John Pollaers welcomed the appointment of Goodsell, currently Head of Manufacturing at the Australian Industry Group, as part of an important strategy to build closer alignment with Ai Group and significantly expand the work begun by the foundation members and executive of the AAMC. Pollaers warmly complimented outgoing executive director Jennifer Conley on her contribution in establishing the organisation. “Jenny built enormous good will for advanced manufacturing among stakeholder networks – indeed among our most influential policymakers – and translated complex issues into clear communications for a broad audience,” said Pollaers. “The CEO-led AAMC has been at the forefront of shifting the conversation around manufacturing as a direct result of that start-up phase. “Mark is eminently qualified to be taking the Council’s work to its next phase of expansion pursuing success for Australia’s manufacturing sector. With almost thirty years with the Australian Industry Group, Mark has a deep understanding of manufacturing and the enormous demands of 21st Century global business.” Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said: “Ai Group is…

The Siemens software will help develop the workforce of the future across the entire work lifecycle from apprenticeships to PhDs. Jeff Connolly, Chairman and CEO of Siemens Australia, said the grant will support Victoria and Australia by preparing students to participate in the many opportunities that digitalisation provides within the new, globally interconnected innovation economy. “This is about jobs of the future today,” said Connolly. “Our country’s future relies on companies working with key educational and research institutions to get our workforce ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The world is changing rapidly through technology and Australia needs to equip our future generations and our existing workforce with the necessary capabilities and tools to make things faster, cheaper and better – ultimately this is about jobs and competition.” The grant includes a co-contribution by Swinburne for initialisation and ongoing interaction with Siemens, and global support by Siemens expert software engineers. According to Professor Aleksandar Subic, Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research & Development) and Chair…

This May, the CSIRO released its Mining Equipment, Technology and Services Roadmap, aimed at promoting growth in Australia’s $90bn METS sector. Launching the Roadmap, CSIRO Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall said: “METS is an important Australian sector and a global leader, but it can’t rely on past successes in a rapidly changing global landscape. The sector must continue to innovate and take advantage of enabling technologies and new business models which are causing disruption across industries.” Developed in collaboration with the METS Ignited Industry Growth Centre, as well as government, industry and researchers, the Roadmap urges companies to take action to unlock key opportunities in the mining sector. It highlights the vital role that the METS sector will play in the nation’s innovation ecosystem to drive change to meet future global mining challenges and metal supplies. CSIRO Mineral Resources Director Jonathan Law says the METS Roadmap identified five key growth opportunities to support the continued success of the…

The research, funded by a new three-year $785,000 Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage grant, will be led by Flinders University with industry partner BHP Billiton. The project will focus on exploiting a normal ore body process known as supergene enrichment, says Flinders University Professor of Chemical Minerology Dr Allan Pring. “This groundwater process happens naturally in the top parts of many copper deposits and converts primary copper sulfide minerals, which are expensive to mine and treat, into copper metal,” says Professor Pring. “This means low-grade ore is naturally upgraded into high-grade deposits.” This process has been seen at the historically important copper deposits in South Australia, including Burra, Kapunda and Moonta which helped to establish the State’s economy in the 19th century. “Before we can adopt that process in a large or commercial way, we have to understand the chemistry of these reactions,” adds Professor Pring. “And this can only be done by extensive laboratory experiments using special flow-through equipment my research…

It is important that we look at government programs as a means to assist business to achieve what they are looking for – simply speaking – growth and improvements to the bottom line. Advanced Manufacturing Growth Fund This $47.5m program supports capital projects to establish and expand advanced manufacturing activities in Victoria and South Australia. Funding of between $500,000 and $2.5m to cover up to a third of eligible project costs is available. It is part of the 2017-18 Budget designed to boost innovation, skills and employment in advanced manufacturing in Australia. The program supports capital projects by small and medium enterprises that expand and establish advanced manufacturing using advanced technologies, design and engineering excellence or innovative business processes. The program aims to improve the overall efficiency and competitiveness of firms by increasing investment in advanced manufacturing activities in Victoria…

Formed in 1987, ANSTO is Australia’s national nuclear organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise. With more than 350 scientists and engineers, ANSTO’s Lucas Heights facility is home to some of Australia’s most critical scientific infrastructure including the nation’s only research reactor, a suite of neutron beam instruments, particle accelerators and cyclotrons. ANSTO’s Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor is a state-of-the-art 20MW multi-purpose reactor that uses low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel to achieve a range of nuclear medicine, research, scientific, industrial and production goals. Opened by the Prime Minister in 2007, OPAL is one of a small number of reactors with the capacity to produce commercial quantities of radioisotopes. This capacity, combined with the open pool design, the use of LEU fuel and the wide range of applications, places OPAL amongst the best research reactors in the world. The tour will be a journey into the sub-atomic world, exploring how – using the basic building blocks of our universe – ANSTO researchers are helping solve…

The skills challenge attracted 16 teams of researchers from ten countries to compete. Two teams represented Australia, with teams tasked to build their own hardware and software to successfully pick and stow items in a warehouse. While Amazon is able to quickly package and ship millions of items to customers from their network of fulfillment centers, the commercial technologies to solve automated picking in unstructured environments are yet to be developed. Eight teams made it through to the finals, with the ACRV placing fifth after the picking and stowing rounds. “It was a tense few hours,” according to the Centre’s COO Dr Sue Keay, “Our team top scored early with 272 points on the final combined stowing-and-picking task, but we then had to wait on the results for five other teams, many of whom had outperformed us in the rounds, before it became clear that we had won.” “Not bad for a robot that was only…

Located at the former GM Holden site at Fishermans Bend, the defence hub will be the biggest of its type in the nation and is where BAE Systems plans to manufacture the Australian Army’s Armed Combat Reconnaissance vehicles. The most diverse defence hub of its type, the site will enable up to 1,000 engineers and highly skilled technicians to design, develop, deliver and maintain new defence platforms and systems for the Australian Defence Force. Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan on 1 August visited the Fishermans Bend site to announce that Victoria had been selected as the preferred state by BAE Systems to build 225 new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles. The Andrews Labor Government has signed a Heads of Agreement with BAE Systems to build the state-of-the-art vehicles at Fishermans Bend, should it win the contract for the LAND 400 Phase Two project. The final decision on which…

In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on 31 July, the UoS and Thales have committed to work closely together over the next five years to develop new technologies and capabilities. The MOU was signed by the UoS Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence and Thales Australia Country Director and CEO Chris Jenkins. “This is a significant milestone in the company’s history as we move to an enhanced relationship with the University of Sydney,” said Jenkins. “Thales Australia’s long-term relationship with the University has contributed to breakthrough technology in underwater sensing and Thales’s sovereign capability in fibre laser sensors. “Recognising the pace of innovation, especially in digital technologies like big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence, it is critical for Thales to partner with leading universities. The future applications of these technologies will require a holistic and integrated response, moving beyond individual disciplines and creating the next generation of careers and technological and industrial capabilities.” Dr Spence said the signing was a significant milestone that would see UoS…

The biannual index, which surveyed more than 1,200 Australian small and medium exporting businesses, looks at perceptions about current and future economic conditions and the international business outlook. “All key indicators have lifted significantly since the last survey, which was in market in November 2016,” said Swati Dave, CEO and Managing Director of Efic. “We have found that confidence among respondents is strong in terms of economic conditions, their financial position and perceived future profitability from international revenue and employee growth.” Expectations for future economic conditions over the next 12 months have increased by ten basis points since the last survey. There is also a much stronger expectation of international business profitability with 58% of all respondents anticipating increased profitability over the next year. Around half of surveyed businesses are expecting to increase employee numbers, an increase of six basis points on the previous survey. Two-thirds of all respondents are expecting future sales revenue to increase. Businesses with a turnover of $10m to $100m are even more confident of growth with 70% expecting sales…