Industry News

As our country locks down and migrates indoors to flatten the curve, our consumer-based economy is suffering. We could be heading into a worldwide COVID-19 recession with the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) expecting more than 80% of Australian businesses to be adversely impacted before the end of April. That’s 80% of businesses impacted in the first four months of a crisis that could last anywhere from six to eighteen months with the economic downturn possibly continuing beyond that. It is this uncertainty that makes implementing business strategies a long-term challenge, with many of the businesses experiencing a decline in sales and future concerns on cashflow, redundancies and potential closures. So, what can you do to ensure your company thrives and not just survives in the following months? Re-purpose products and services First, businesses can repurpose their products and services to meet the changing market. We’re sure you’ve already seen some examples in the last month as distilleries start…

The Ai Group’s Australian Performance of Business Index (Australian PBI) fell a further 12.6 points to 27.2 in April – the lowest monthly result in the Australian PBI and the largest single-month drop since the series commenced in 2005. The Australian PBI is a weighted composite of Ai Group’s indexes for Manufacturing, Services and Construction. The news regarding the Australian PBI came on the back of last Friday’s announcement that the Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) dropped by 17.9 points to 35.8 in April. This represented the largest month-to-month fall in the 28-year history of the index as Australian manufacturing contracted at its worst pace since April 2009. amtil.com.au/australian-pmi-march2020-amtil-2 The Safe Work Australia website has been updated to provide a central hub of work health and safety (WHS) guidance and tools to help Australian workplaces manage the health and safety risks posed by COVID-19. The website gives users easy access to guidance that is directly relevant to their…

With 80 years of experience, Tecalemit has become a name synonymous with lubrication equipment, fluid transfer, fluid measurement and workshop equipment for the automotive, transport, agriculture, industrial and mining industries around the globe. Customers include well-known companies such as Caterpillar Underground, BHP and Rio Tinto. Tecalemit has a long-standing relationship with John Hart, a testament to the longevity and reliability of the first Mazak machine the company purchased. Nobin Thomas, Production Supervisor at Tecalemit, comments: “We bought our first Mazak in 2001, and it’s still going strong today due to the world-class service and spare parts from John Hart.” Tecalemit recently purchased a new Mazak, a Quick Turn Compact 100MY CNC turning centre. The machine features milling capability and Y-axis functionality and is equipped with a high-rigidity integral spindle/motor for unsurpassed machining performance. It is equipped with a 12-position turret with high-speed indexing and minimum tool interference. High-accuracy positioning is ensured by the high-rigidity linear roller guides…

Founded in 1984 and located in southern Maine, Arundel Machine has evolved into one of New England’s leading CNC manufacturers of precision-machined components. The company has built a fantastic team of manufacturing engineers that produce more than 1,500 CNC programs each year while also designing many custom fixtures and tooling. Arundel Machine manufactures products to support clients including the US Department of Defence and the US Navy – all with stringent level one and safety critical requirements. It also serves the oil & gas industry, with level one subsea components that sustain the extreme pressures and temperatures of the ocean floor. A third major industry is aerospace, providing parts for engine and propulsion components, actuation, landing gear, and sensor components. Finally, the company provides flow and pressure components for the semiconductor sector, which requires a deep understanding of…

Tooling manufacturers offer a wide variety of tool holder styles, with each engineered for optimum performance in certain machining applications. A machining shop, therefore, should base its choice of tool holders on its specific operations as well as on the parts it produces. Nevertheless, while shops seek to acquire the most advanced machine technology and cutting tool materials, they often place minimal importance on selecting, applying and maintaining tool holders that best fit their specific production needs. All holders are not created equal No one tool holding method is appropriate for all possible applications. A tool holder engineered to carry out high-speed finishing operations typically will lack the rigidity and strength needed to be effective in, for instance, deep roughing of raw castings. Conversely, a holder meant for rough machining usually will lack balance qualities that would allow it to run smoothly at high speeds in finishing operations. Addition, the robust design and bulk of a roughing…

“We’ve been an Australian Hyster dealer for many years, and we see the new UT Series forklift model opening up the opportunity to have three levels of product in markets with significant volumes, like retail, warehousing, food and beverage, and logistics,” said Steven Taylor, CEO of Adaptalift Group. “Through our long-term relationship with Hyster-Yale Group, we were appointed as one of their Yale dealers in Australia in 2018, and we see the new Yale UX Series as an ideal opportunity to lift the profile of Yale in key markets with lower-intensity usage forklift demands.” The new Hyster UT Series and Yale UX Series diesel or dual-fuel counterbalance forklifts, pallet trucks and stackers come in six different capacities from 1.5 to 3.5 tonnes, delivering an attractive, affordable and uncomplicated range for enhanced user choice across many industries. The new ranges provide an attractive option for customers who require quality materials handling equipment – backed by service…

The sharp spike into positive conditions in March, on the back of the unusual surge in demand for manufactured food and groceries, was more than completely reversed in April. All activity indices plunged, with activity levels now reminiscent of the falls of 2009 during the Global Financial Crisis (GFC). Manufacturers cited a range of COVID-19 issues in April, with the most prevalent including: no new sales due to shutdowns; major customers cancelling orders; supply chain problems with inter-state freight movements and delays; and increased prices for raw materials. “April 2020 was devastating for Australia’s manufacturers and their employees,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Sales plummeted, new orders fell precipitously, production was culled and employment fell more steeply than at any time since the Australian PMI was first launched in 1992.” All…

The reason Australia’s space industry is expected to grow at an annualised rate of up to three times that of GDP over the decade to 2023-24 is because the space sector is no longer restricted to governments. It is becoming a fast-growing and fiercely commercial sector, driven by falling costs of launch and rapid technology development. This means the time is right for Australian industry to leverage its competitive advantages that can support the growing space economy, including in advanced manufacturing, automation and robotics, and next generation communications. We have amazing companies, from those working in robotics that can support activities in space, Artificial Intelligence that will assist satellite activities, and new rocket technology. However, there are also companies working in a range of manufacturing fields that could apply their trade to space. For example, companies specialising in the 3D printing of metals that could withstand the extreme conditions of space. We’ve seen…

The Federal Government has launched a new voluntary coronavirus tracing app, COVIDSafe, that will speed up the process of identifying people who have been in close contact with someone diagnosed with coronavirus. For more information on the app, visit: health.gov.au/resources/apps-and-tools/covidsafe-app The Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA), peak industry body for innovation technology (IT), backed the app after receiving a detailed briefing from Government. AIIA CEO Ron Gauci said: “Based on this detailed briefing, and understanding that the app does not track your geo-location and that personal data and cyber security concerns have been designed into the app and through government regulations, the AIIA therefore supports the government tracing app and strongly recommends that all Australians download it.” As Australian manufacturers look for ways to assist with COVID-19 equipment and supply needs, many are facing the regulatory challenges of working in the medical sector for the first time. The Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has published a set of FAQs…

Demonstrating the power of Aussie innovation and collaboration, the Federal Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has helped facilitate the partnership between Stryker South Pacific and A.H Beard, AmTek Australia, Fallshaw Wheels & Castors, and Varley Group. Registered for use with the Australian Therapeutic Good Administration (TGA) standards, the Emergency Relief Bed has been designed to accommodate patients in respiratory distress and provides critical surge capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister for Industry, Science and Technology Karen Andrews said within six days Stryker South Pacific, in partnership with AMGC, mapped a local supply chain to adapt the design, create prototypes and begin production of the Emergency Relief Bed in Australia. “This rapid response is an incredible feat and shows how Aussie companies are quickly working together in the face of this unprecedented pandemic,” Minister Andrews said. “The fact that these beds can be manufactured from readily available components, shipped and stored as flat-packs and then assembled on-site with hand tools demonstrates…

“Unfortunately, a belief among many home-soil manufacturers that overseas competition has killed off Australian manufacturing fuels a public misconception that the industry is all but phased out. But the facts defy the myth,” says Keefe. “Recent statistics show that manufacturing in this country has grown almost every month since October 2015, and 2018 saw 85,000 new jobs created in manufacturing, among the highest of any sector.” Keefe is the head of Melbourne-based electronics design and embedded software development firm Successful Endeavours, whose electronics product excellence and business acumen has seen the company recently notch up its 47th award win. “The biggest barrier to Australian manufacturing is not overseas competition,” Keefe adds. “It’s the mindset of many Australian manufacturers who think that manufacturing products overseas is the only viable option. That may be true for highly commoditised products and where quality and longevity are not the highest priorities. But when you want to produce a highly reliable product, Australian manufacturing changes the sales…

Laguna was founded 21 years ago with the technical knowledge of talented Russian engineer Yuriy Lutskiy and the administrative skills of Klavdiya Antonova. Remaining deeply loyal to its roots, the company has unparalleled expertise in manufacturing complicated and high-precision parts, producing thousands of small workpieces every month. Laguna manufactures everything from connectors through to bolts, screws and much more for the electronics, instrumentation & control, automotive, aerospace, medical, transport and telecommunications sectors. Laguna consistently invests in modern technology to support its customers. Part of its investment strategy has seen the arrival of a Tornos Swiss GT 13. The advanced technical turning centre incorporates six-axis kinematics that make the Swiss GT 13 ideal for the most complex parts on the market. It has also provided Laguna with the required flexibility to expand its business. The Tornos Swiss GT 13 has enabled Laguna to substantially increase productivity, largely due to the machine’s rigidity and high coolant pressure, which evacuates chips and improves machining performance, especially during the machining of dental…

The technology belongs to EVOCRA, a water treatment company formed in Tasmania in 2011. The patented process, known as Ozofractionative Catalysed Reagent Addition (OCRA), literally floats the microplastic out of the water so it can be collected and sent for recycling. EVOCRA’s Managing Director Mark Sykes says OCRA is a solution for many water-based environmental challenges. “Microplastics are plastic items smaller than 5mm that are found in everyday products such as sunscreen, shampoo and detergent,” says Sykes. “Too small to be filtered out in the treatment plants, they wash into waterways where they harm our aquatic wildlife. OCRA offers a positive solution to this complex environmental issue. The technology can be applied as a pre-treatment, that is, before the plastic enters the sewerage system or at the treatment plant to remove the particles before discharge.” Dr Thava Palanisami, a world leader in microplastics research, is working with Evocra: “Evocra was an early entrant into finding a solution for microplastics which is a potential planetary boundary threat. OCRA has demonstrated it has…