June 27, 2019
It is commonly understood by Lean and TPS practitioners that Toyota’s own production system (the father of Lean) is a product of both Continuous Improvement and Respect for People. Most also understand that within this pair lie five guiding principles: Challenge, Kaizen (Improvement), Genchi Genbutsu (Go and See), Respect and Teamwork. Why then is it so difficult to achieve success? There are so many books and articles on this topic that you would have thought it would be relatively simple by now to read the material and just follow the instructions therein (even with some adaptation for organisational nuances). Unfortunately, it is not quite so simple. Much of the writing today only describes the theory of strategy, never really delving deeper into how the necessary (seemingly mythical) mindset required for success manifests itself in practical terms. For example, ask…
June 20, 2019
Based in Wingfield, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, Castech installed 368 solar panels rated at 270 watts on its factory roof-top last June and it has been progressively reducing its power bill by around $3,000 a month ever since. This could save the business up to $36,000 annually in energy costs. The panels are also providing a renewable energy feed of 14,000kWh to Castech’s foundry and Castech 3D, its additive manufacturing spin-off business. Recent increases in SA’s electricity pricing has had a large impact upon the state’s commercial businesses and Castech was faced with a 64% increase in supply charges, prior to installing the solar panels. To counteract these rising power costs, Castech’s Quality Manager Brad Walsh says that the panels were installed to cut the massive power bills that the foundry generates and to provide the plant with emission-free energy. “The panels will never provide the amount of power that we need to run the foundry’s induction furnaces from 7.30am to…
June 20, 2019
The digitalisation of manufacturing, a clear trend today, is one of the distinct technological breakthroughs stimulated by the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” and the implementation of Industry 4.0 standards. The wind of change has already transformed even a relatively conservative industrial sector: metalworking. As machining remains an essential method in metalworking technology, cutting tool manufacturing, which provides tools for this method, has faced the necessity to meet new requirements. Consequently, the information that specifies the tools should be unified and digitised in the same manner. Information interoperability is the key to ensuring a relevant data exchange between different components of tomorrow’s smart manufacturing processes. The ISO 13399 standard specifies data representation for cutting tools and tool holders, in a manner that will ensure platform independence universally. The main target is to create a computer representation of the tools and the holders that is unified and understandable for various elements of metalworking technology,…
June 20, 2019
Let’s start with five reasons you need an Exit Mindset, even if you’re not ready to exit: Eventually everyone The question isn’t ‘If’ you will exit but ‘How’ and ‘When’. An Exit Mindset means when you do exit, it’s on your terms! Even if an exit isn’t on the horizon, an Exit Mindset helps you work on the business, rather than in What will make it a more valuable business tomorrow? An Exit Mindset makes your business is a better place for you to be today! An offer may come to you out of the blue. The more prepared you are, the better you’ll be able to respond to the opportunity. Questions you’ll be ready to answer include: Is it a good offer? Am I personally ready to leave the business? What’s important to me in an exit? With an Exit Mindset you’re always ready to consider an unexpected opportunity. A good business exit doesn’t come quickly. The best exits are the…
June 20, 2019
Our latest campaign had a similar contact threshold as last year, but also saw an unprecedented influx of paid members over the period of the census. At the start of the census AMTIL had a membership of 221, which rose to 282 by the end – a 27.6% increase. Of those 282 members, the total membership comprised 140 manufacturing technology suppliers (MTSs), 120 manufacturing technology users (MTUs), and 22 Industry Supporters (ISs). The rise in membership appeared to have an impact on the number of call backs. A total of 531 calls were made, but only 34.4% of these resulted in contact being made, significantly down on the 46% of last census. By the end of the census, 183 members had been successfully contacted – a disappointing figure at 65% of the membership. Nonetheless, the number of contacts was similar enough to the last census for comparisons to be made. The total turnover of the…
June 20, 2019
Kahi was 29 years old when he lost his left leg after being crushed by a forklift at work. As a member of the icare Paralympic Speakers Program, he now visits workplaces around NSW to help support a culture of safety at work and drive down workplace injuries. “I’ve experienced first-hand the devastating effect of a workplace injury and the ramifications it has on your loved ones and your workplace,” said Kahi. “By sharing my experience, I can make people more safety-aware. Being able to prevent one workplace injury is worth its weight in gold. I wanted to reinforce with the guys at Real Pet Food that life is precious, and they should never be afraid to speak up about unsafe situations in the workplace.” Kahi spoke to 35 plant operators, forklift drivers, managers and other support personnel during Wednesday’s night shift at Real Pet Food’s Ingleburn site. “Kahi’s attitude towards life and the injury he had to overcome definitely made…
June 13, 2019
Most durable and engineering grade plastics can be printed reliably at moderate sizes, but when scaled, many of these materials become much harder to print without advanced printing systems or technologies. Compromises must be made between print time and resolution, and consideration should be given to the desired printing material. It can be easy Full-size 3D printing with some materials can be fairly straightforward. Polylactide (PLA) can be printed reliably at room temperature and has therefore maintained its reputation as the most popular 3D printing filament. When printing large parts, draughts can certainly cause shrinkage or warping, so a printer with enclosed sides is ideal and a heated bed or printing surface is recommended to maximise bed adhesion. The main consideration when printing PLA at larger scales is minimising print time with larger layer heights/nozzles and ensuring…
June 13, 2019
Equipped with a state-of-the-art augmented reality lab featuring the most advanced welding simulators available anywhere in the world, the AWTC will help ensure local welders are ready to meet the huge demand that will be created by the naval shipbuilding program. It is anticipated that the continuous naval shipbuilding program in South Australia will require around 2,600 tradespeople from 2020 to 2027. Almost half of this demand will be for welders. Minister for Education John Gardner and Minister for Industry and Skills David Pisoni were both on-hand at the official opening ceremony today. Minister Pisoni said the state-of-the-art equipment will provide a valuable training platform to supply skilled workers to the Osborne naval shipyard when the program commences next year. “There are enormous naval shipbuilding opportunities on the horizon that are heading to South Australia and the Marshall Liberal Government is ensuring that we provide the right resources to fill these jobs through appropriate skills and training,” said Pisoni. “Welding techniques required for shipbuilding are of a higher quality standard than regular welding…
June 13, 2019
Headquartered in Bayswater, Victoria, ANCA was struggling to recruit young engineers and trades people to join its team. As a privately-owned global exporter of advanced manufacturing technology, with more than 1,000 people around the world, a turnover of $250m and a dominant position in its sector, searching for skilled people was becoming a major business issue. In response ANCA decided to develop its own talent. In January 2011 the company established an apprenticeship program that has been successfully training highly skilled technicians ever since. Set up by ANCA co-founder Pat McCluskey, the program has been designed to offer participants a range of technical training paths in CNC machining, machine building, machine commissioning, fault finding and analytical skills, and customer service. ANCA currently has 15 apprentices and recently celebrated the graduation of four of these from the program. Commissioning Technician Daniel Shepley graduated from the ANCA Apprentice 2019 program in March and took out the Apprentice of the Year award by the company at the celebration evening. Of participating in the program, Daniel…
June 13, 2019
LAD is an additive material technology which rebuilds damaged metal surfaces. A high-power laser beam creates a melt pool in the surface. Metal particles are injected into the melt pool, and fuse with the surface as it cools and solidifies. Overlapping passes build a 3D deposition structure, which can then be machined to the required shape. LAD is applicable to the repair of high-strength metal components and structures. As part of the LAD technology validation in a real component repair situation, RUAG successfully repaired the high-strength steel arrester hook from an RAAF F/A-18 Hornet. The hook had been previously identified as worn ‘beyond safe limits’, due to operational activities. LAD technology restored the hook and ensured it met operational and design requirements. At the same time, the full repair significantly improved the component’s return-to-service time, compared with the typical replacement options.…
June 13, 2019
A welding process that benefits from enhanced integrity of materials, rotary friction welding is fast and highly energy-efficient. It’s currently used across niche manufacturing areas within the aerospace and oil & gas sectors. The AFRC, however, is seeking to change this and explore wider opportunities for rotary friction welding across various applications, with big implications for industry. The AFRC recently acquired two rotary friction welding machines, and the centre’s engineers and technicians are integrating this new capability with other advanced manufacturing techniques. The 125 and 300-ton machines will provide efficient, low-cost solutions for firms requiring high-integrity manufacturing processes in sectors, such as aerospace, automotive and oil and gas. The AFRC has already received significant interest in its new rotary friction welding capability from within its network. One of the initial projects using the new equipment will see rotary friction welding used alongside other capabilities at the centre to develop a high-performance, high-integrity component for aerospace applications. This combination of highly efficient manufacturing techniques will significantly…
June 6, 2019
In the wash-up of our Austech exhibition there are many people to thank. First and foremost - the 165 exhibitors who put on a fantastic showcase and the 12,991 attendees - from 29 different countries - who came to visit Austech and National Manufacturing Week. In addition to the visitors we also had 3,030 exhibitor personnel and over 200 students attend the show. I would also like to thank our contractors who largely go unnoticed in the overall scheme of putting on such a large event but are an integral part of making it happen. So at the risk of embarrassing some companies and individuals, I write this article to thank them and give our readers some insight into the mechanics of running our show. Thank you to Michael Begg and his team at Harry the Hirer. The four-to-six months…
June 6, 2019
On 20 June, more than 250 CEOs – the biggest number yet – will make a bed for the night out under a cold winter sky. They will bed down on the roof carpark at the historic South Melbourne Market, where they will face bitter temperatures, a cold, hard concrete surface and, if they’re really unlucky, terrible chill winds. A week later on 27 June, more than 60 CEOs will bed down under the stars at GMHBA Stadium in Geelong. As the chill bites amid the first days of winter, the Sleepout promises to be one of the most challenging nights of the CEOs’ lives – and one they won’t forget. They are motivated by the plight of 24,800-plus Victorian individuals and families living with the uncertainty of homelessness. Some of the companies and organisations pledging to help raise $1.1m this year include: L’Oreal; New Balance; Grill’d; Beyond Blue; Belong; and the ANZ and…
