November 24, 2017

Spending money to make money as manufacturing digitises

Implementing a successful growth-generating digital strategy comes down to vision and top-down leadership. Without these, imagining the future and thinking big become stuck in short-term budgetary concerns. The reality is: it’s about spending money to make money as the manufacturing industry digitises. Embracing digital services directly impacts business growth. Increased financial investment in manufacturing digitisation allows businesses the opportunity to see the big picture and adapt appropriately to demand volatility. Evidence shows that globally, investment in digital initiatives has increased manufacturing costs by 1%. Much of this is due to the investment, training and skills needed to use and operate cutting-edge technologies, but this increase in costs is not in vain, as manufacturers are already beginning to see growth from investment in digital strategies. For certain manufacturers, digital is estimated to have added 5.4% to total revenue between 2015 and 2016. This is a worthwhile…
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November 24, 2017

Is welding the Trojan horse of metal additive manufacturing?

Metal additive manufacturing (AM) technology is gaining momentum, but the level of adoption is still quite low compared with traditional subtractive metalworking methods. In 2016, only 957 metal AM machines were sold worldwide, compared with hundreds of thousands of CNC subtractive machine tools. Part of the reason for the low adoption level may be the misconception that metal AM technology can only be used to 3D print new parts, which limits its potential use. This may be due to the fact that the most commonly used metal AM technology, powder bed fusion (PBF), can only 3D print new parts built-up on flat two-dimensional plates. However, metal AM technologies, such as powder-fed directed energy deposition (DED), can not only 3D print new metal parts, but can also add materials to existing components, enabling a broader range of applications such as repair, surface modification, and hybrid manufacturing (which combines…
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November 24, 2017

Creating something new from the same stuff

Call it innovation, call it redeployment, there is no doubt that creating something new from the same stuff is the current challenge facing the Australian manufacturing industry – looking for new markets, new opportunities, new products, new uses for old equipment. If you listen to predictions of the future of work you’d be forgiven for being a bit anxious; the majority of the jobs that our young kids will do have not even been ‘invented’ yet. One thing is certain, continuing to do things the same way and having the same expectations of your workforce will mean you keep getting the same results and the same frustrations. Unfortunately, you can’t innovate when you do things the same way, and you won’t get anything different from your workforce if you keep treating…
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November 24, 2017

New heights for aerospace industry productivity

“Our business has been built on tackling the most challenging demands for tools, and the aerospace sector is a prime example of an industry that constantly demands sophisticated solutions,” says Jeff Boyd, Export Manager at Sutton. “However, it’s a tough market where there is a lot of competition and success is based on the ability to prove productivity gains.” Several aerospace component producers in France had been buying a competitor’s brand, leading Sutton Tools’s European office to identify an opportunity to manufacture a superior performing solution, and in doing so, win some new business by delivering a productivity gain of 20% for the customer. The continual demand to reduce costs by increasing productivity is a key issue for the aviation and aerospace industries, with customers emphasising the need for reliance on tool stability so that they can confidently forecast their production schedules and reduce machine downtime. “We recognised that development…
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November 24, 2017

AMTIL National Conference – Focus on manufacturing’s future

Held at Leonda by the Yarra in Hawthorn, the one-day conference was focused on the ways in which emerging digital technologies are revolutionising manufacturing the world over, and explored the opportunities this created for the industry here in Australia. With a line-up of speakers that encompassed manufacturing companies, technology suppliers, research bodies and industry groups, the Conference offered a comprehensive, in-depth perspective of what the future holds. The event also featured 10 exhibitor stands from companies such as SICK, Lightwave Technologies and evok3D, the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC), and the Conference’s sponsor - William Buck. Following a welcoming address from AMTIL Board Member Brigitte Stavar, the first presentation came from keynote speaker Brad Howarth. Drawing on two decades as a journalist covering technology’s impact on organisations, society and individuals, Howarth’s presentation offered a wide-ranging view on the impact digital innovations are having on the world of business and wider society. “Wealth is generally generated by those who drive change,” said Howarth. “So at some stage…
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November 17, 2017

Servitisation: Preparing the manufacturing industry for what’s next

The term ‘servitisation’ was defined in the late 1980s in the European Management Journal, but the concept of bundling service packages with products to add value goes back to the 1960s and the innovative ‘power-by-the-hour’ concept of Bristol Siddeley, a British aero-engine manufacturer later acquired by Rolls-Royce. It offered a complete engine and accessory service that enabled operators to forecast service and replacement costs more accurately and eliminated the need for stocks of engines and spares. Drivers behind servitisation’s curent revival include growing local and global competition and the commoditisation of products. Instead of accepting the received wisdom that competitiveness can only be achieved by offering cheaper, faster or better products, manufacturers are increasingly seeing themselves as service providers, offering total solutions rather than just products. For example, instead of asking its customers what they want (aero engines), Rolls-Royce asks what they want to achieve (maximise flying time). So Rolls-Royce offers TotalCare, enabling customers to purchase the power of an engine while Rolls-Royce…
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November 17, 2017

Paving the way for the Smart Factory

The Factory of the Future is networked, organised, and can self-optimise over long distances – provided, of course, that the machines, tools and systems supply the necessary data. To begin with, however, the data collected is not much more than “raw material”. Using it to create the kind of added value that goes above and beyond optimising a customer’s production process is the job of a team of digitalisation experts working at the Walter Technology Center in Tübingen, Germany. “The work our technology experts are doing is increasingly reaping rewards,” explains Florian Böpple, a digital manufacturing expert at Walter. The Walter Technology Center officially opened its doors in October 2016 and, just a few weeks later, Walter joined forces with its software partner Comara – both with the mutually agreed aim of making digital transformation central to the company. Mirko Merlo, President of Walter, describes the company’s long-standing relationship with Comara as “an important strategic step in expanding our digital portfolio and further developing our company with Industry 4.0 in mind.” Walter has now acquired 100%…
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November 17, 2017

Queensland – Manufacturing in the Sunshine State

Kilner’s Engineering – Delivering quality Once dominated by shipbuilding and associated industries, Bulimba – in Brisbane’s inner-eastern suburbs – has changed significantly over the years, to the point where today where most local manufacturers have moved on. The last in the area is Kilner’s Engineering, a fixture since 1974. Barney Kilner founded the business in the mid-1940s with his two brothers at Salisbury under the name ‘Kilner Brothers’. In the early 1970s the brothers split the business and Barney’s son Geoff came on-board as the business moved to Bulimba. He is now stepping back and handing over to a third generation, with his sons Scott and Brad Kilner taking over the running of the business. Scott explains how Kilner’s has changed since the early days, when it was a full repetition workshop with punches, presses and furnaces producing items such as blades for the agricultural industry and truck components. “We used to do that in a lot of volume,” he said. “I think we had…
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November 17, 2017

A Patriotic story

She cites the example of Patriot Campers, which Klugo helped onto NetSuite. Another family-based company, Patriot grew out of a couple’s passion for building their own camper trailers. Fellow campers soon started asking them to make more and the business quickly snowballed after it started selling in the US. Moving to NetSuite helped Patriot in many ways. “It’s been a very fast journey for them as well,” Kloe says. “The software has enabled them to become a lot more efficient in what they do and also be able to expand internationally. If you’ve got paper-based systems and you don’t know where things are and you can’t track your orders and you’re manufacturing, it’s very hard to know where you’re at and make some sound decisions. “They’ve made some very good calls along the way. Their challenge now is making enough changes. They’re out now to seven or eight months delivery times because they’ve got such demand for their trailers at the moment.” NetSuite combines the manufacturing…
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November 17, 2017

Human factors and their impact on plant safety

The introduction of mission-critical computing systems and automated tasks in manufacturing processes has resulted in increased safety and productivity during normal operation. But what happens when abnormal situations arise? The answer is, of course, that a human must step in. Human factors and safety culture The human factor needs to be at the centre of any safety discussion for many reasons, one of which is that human error is often the cause of incidents and accidents in the first place – despite the strict safety culture prevalent in most firms. The consequences of such incidents range from minor injury to headline-making catastrophe. If an organisation wants to ensure a successful safety culture, it must have a clear and explicit risk management strategy. To understand and manage risk, plant operators should first carry out a hazard and risk assessment to identify the overall safety requirements. After that, they should focus…
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November 10, 2017

Carbon fibre breakthrough for Australian industry

The breakthrough was announced by CSIRO’s Chief Executive Dr Larry Marshall in an address to the National Press Club in Canberra on 8 October. “Cracking the carbon code will allow industry to manufacture this incredibly strong and lightweight material for the first time from scratch, using Australia’s own top secret recipe,” Dr Marshall said. “Together with Deakin University, we’ve created the seed to grow our manufacturing industry in Australia – generating jobs of the future built on home-grown innovation.” Carbon fibre is only made by a handful of manufacturers around the world, each of whom hold their own secret, patented recipes. “From wind turbines to aerospace, even the latest Mustang wheels, a carbon fibre industry signals the kind of reinvention needed across Australian industry, shifting our focus from raw exports to high value products to retain our global competitive advantage,” Dr Marshall said. “This is another chapter in the innovation history of Geelong, where Australia’s first carbon fibre…
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November 10, 2017

TIBO Tiefbohrtechnik – High-precision deep-drilling for bone screws

The town of Tuttlingen in particular continues to enjoy respect as a global centre for medical instruments, making a name for itself in the production of medical devices as early as the 19th century. Several hundred companies work in Europe’s largest medical instrument cluster on innovative products for the medical industry. One category of such instruments deals with traumatology – specifically, products for the treatment of bone fractures such as bone nails and screws. When fractures occur in hip joints and in the upper and lower extremities, bone screws may be used to compress the fragments and lock implanted intramedullary nails. These nails usually have two transverse bores, via which the nail is secured against dislocation with two screws. Why do bone screws require deep drilling? When a bone fracture has to be fixed with plates, nails, or screws, a so-called guide wire is positioned in the bone at the point in question. This wire is used to push the bone screw with…
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November 10, 2017

The phoenix of the Gold Coast

Like a phoenix risen from the ashes, Digga, an Australian company renowned worldwide for their high-precision manufacturing of planetary gearboxes and many other engineering components, not only survived a disastrous fire in its factory, but, with the co-operation of Bystronic, used the recovery from the blaze to boost productivity, production and sales. Digga’s origins are unusual. Founder and principal owner Stewart Wright began in 1981, living in a trailer park in Brisbane, selling wear parts for big augers for the construction industry, contacting customers on the park’s public telephone box. “He is a very clever man, full of ideas,” says Marketing Manager Lionel Smitka. “Most of our success is due to him and his vision.” Customers began asking him to handle repairs and provide equipment, so he began making augers, then drive units to power them, then attachments for loaders.Today it makes more than 70 different types. “We got into planetary gearboxes in 1984,…
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