Industry News

Automation-intensive sectors such as the automotive industry are not the only ones to rely on robots. In more and more agricultural settings, automation systems are superseding strenuous manual labour. In Germany, cucumbers destined for pickle jars are harvested using “cucumber flyers” – farm vehicles with wing-like attachments. Seasonal workers lie on their stomachs on the wings and pluck the ripe cucumbers. This labour-intensive, energy-sapping type of manual harvesting is becoming increasingly uneconomical, especially since Germany introduced a minimum wage. Many of the country’s agricultural regions consequently face an uncertain future; cucumber farming has already begun relocating to Eastern Europe and India. There is thus an urgent need for improved harvesting technologies to maintain the economic viability of cucumber farming in Germany. Experts from Fraunhofer IPK in Berlin are studying the potential for automating cucumber harvests in the scope of the EU’s CATCH (Cucumber Gathering – Green Field Experiments) project. Project partners are the Leibniz Institute…

ACS is a premier provider of industrial automation, control systems and services in Australia. The company provides industry-leading value-add engineering services with expertise in power control, electrical installation, safety, network studies, packaging and power conditioning that meets critical measures for operational excellence, application knowledge and customer satisfaction. ACS has a well-established competency in motor control and software to help customers understand and implement these intelligent capabilities in a way to help generate value for their organisations. The MCC is destined for an explosives manufacturing plant in Eastern Europe and features the complete Rockwell Automation Connected Components range, including E300 Electronic Overloads and PowerFlex 525 and 753 drives all on an Ethernet backbone. “Customers’ requirements are changing and they are looking for motor control solutions that can integrate with their existing systems and provide advanced diagnostic capabilities,” explained Andrew Taylor, Engineering & Operations Manager at ACS. “The Centerline 2500 meets these requirements and provides an efficient and effective solution.”…

This is the view of Dr Michael Myers OAM, and I agree with him. There are very few real STEM activities available to schools today which can deliver long-term and lasting STEM educational outcomes. Dr Myers established Re-Engineering Australia (or REA as it is more commonly referred to) 20 years ago because, as an engineer himself, he saw the education system wasn’t delivering enough students with the appropriate skills to become engineers. Last year, the Chief Scientist Dr Alan Finkel AO, warned that: “The enemy of our future prosperity is complacency. Past investments in skills development have underpinned our strong economy and enviable lifestyle, which in turn have diminished our sense of urgency. While our school system remains above average among…

These variables are anything but inconsequential to the flavour, colour and body of the wine, and can be fascinating to learn about. Yet short of walking through a vineyard with surveying poles and kneeling to rub earth between your fingers, it can be challenging to get a comprehensive picture of terroir to fully appreciate the nuances at play in your glass. This was a problem for Ten Minutes by Tractor, a winery on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, that wanted to give its patrons a deeper understanding of its wines. Ten Minutes by Tractor is made up of three vineyards located ten minutes apart, with widely different environmental characteristics that deliver vastly distinctive wines. The winery’s goal is to add value to its wine tour experience wherever possible by sharing its knowledge of wine making with its visitors. Yet verbally explaining the…

Manufacturers today live in a very competitive, price-sensitive and crowded world. Companies that operate in developed economies can no longer compete on cost alone and are looking at how to achieve a more stable revenue forecast. The need to differentiate from competitors is also a key priority. One way this can be done is to look at servitisation (the shift from selling just a product to selling a product and a service) as a way to provide a complete solution to customers. Many of the companies I speak to are investing in disruption and innovation, and they aren’t doing it merely from a new product development perspective but something far more advanced. They are going from a ‘make and sell’ business model and evolving it into one that increasingly adopts and embraces services, which in turn helps build long-lasting customer relationships. Why manufacturers are servitising their businesses The main benefit for companies adopting servitisation…

Despite being born with cerebral palsy and a number of ongoing health issues, Tim began learning to swim at the age of four, and began swimming competitively when he was 10. Contests and medals culminated in his selection for the Australian Paralympics team at the Rio games in 2016. Tim came away with three medals, including gold in the S9 100m freestyle. The success story continued at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April, where he won the gold medal in S9 100m freestyle and Gold in SB8 100m breaststroke. In 2017 he was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM). Now Tim has the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo in his sights, and he is being supported BY one of AMTIL’s CEO Groups as sponsors. New Touch is one of the members of that CEO Group, and Tim’s visit was a chance to have a look round the factory and get an understanding of what the company does. “It was great to have Tim…

Boasting a capacity of 9m x 3m x by 1.5m, Titomic’s industrial-scale 3D printer overcomes size and speed constraints present in all other 3D printers for manufacturing in metals. With a process co-developed with CSIRO, Titomic’s machine features patented additive manufacturing technology that has  the potential to transform the future of Australian and international advanced manufacturing. From airplane wings to submarines, Titomic’s technology is capable of making large complex parts in minutes and fusing dissimilar materials and enables metal products to be manufactured without melting. “We’re obviously proud to officially launch Titomic’s first large-scale metal 3D printer,” said Titomic’s Chairman Philip Vafiadis. “We hope industry leaders understand that this is more than an advancement of 3D printing but rather it is the beginning of the race to displace traditional large scale industrial manufacturing processes constrained by economics.” Jeff Lang, Titomic’s CEO and CTO, added “As a company we look forward to fully realising the potential of advanced manufacturing, both locally and globally. The capabilities of Australian ingenuity coupled with…

May marked the longest run of expanding or stable conditions for the Australian PMI since 2005, with the longest positive run being 50 continuous months from July 2001 to July 2005. Five of the seven activity sub-indexes in the Australian PMI expanded in May. New orders edged up 0.8 points to 62.4, indicating healthy demand and a strong likelihood of further near-term growth, while sales levels were stable (down 12.1 points to 50.4). Seven of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded in May (based on trend data), with the wood & paper products sub-sector’s stable conditions the only exception (down 0.6 points to 49.4). Sub-sectors providing manufactured goods for large transport projects and the construction sector continue to report very strong levels of activity: petroleum, coal & chemicals (down 0.9 points to 64.2); metal products (down 0.2 points to 61.4); machinery & equipment (down 0.3…

Whenever a company identifies a requirement for a new machine tool, most workshop managers start thinking about accuracy and reliability, whereas the company accountant may believe that price and lifespan are the most important criteria. The result is often somewhere in the middle – ideally, a brand new machine that is engineered and built for reliability, with a world-class control, and operator training to ensure accuracy, while meeting the initial budget and amortisation parameters set by the accountant. Even though machine tools and their electronic systems have become remarkably sophisticated nowadays, good planning makes it possible to acquire a new machine that meets the needs and wants on a workshop manager’s wish list. The recent purchase of a new CNC lathe by Drilltechniques is a good example. What is really interesting is the rationale behind the acquisition. Hitting the front In just 10 years, Drilltechniques has become a byword for excellence across a number of…

The State Minister for Industry and Employment Ben Carroll presented the inaugural Woman Manufacturer of the Year award to Vanessa Kearney from Viva Energy and Jill Walsh from Actco Pickering Metal Industries at the awards ceremony, held at Crown Palladium in Melbourne. The Young Manufacturer of the Year Award was taken out by another female trailblazer, Vanessa Katsanevakis, who won the award for her leadership at Sussex Taps. Katsanevakis guided the business through a major rebrand and a period of exponential growth. The Hall of Fame Gala Dinner was attended by hundreds of industry stakeholders, and recognised outstanding manufacturing businesses and individuals. The Manufacturer of the Year (Large Business) was awarded to Bosch Australia, while Siemens took out the new Leader in Industry 4.0 award and PACCAR Australia was awarded the 2018 Leader in Workforce Skills Development. A number of other companies were also recognised with awards for excellence in some of Victoria’s key growth sectors, including: Creature Technology – Medium Business Osteon Medical – Small Business Entegra Signature Structures – Construction Technologies Albins Performance Transmissions…

“After 14 years running this great organisation, it’s time to do a little less and give someone else a run,” said Harrison. “We’ve come a long way over that time and I’m very proud of what we’ve been able to achieve. “Australia’s strong nation brand is a great asset for our business community and our economy, but the challenge always is to make that connection. That is exactly what the Aussie Made logo was created to do 32 years ago and, I am pleased to say, is doing so even more powerfully today. The logo is a well-known and trusted symbol by consumers the world over who are looking to buy genuine Aussie products. “It’s been an honour to have been able to lead the Australian Made Campaign and I am thankful to the Board for giving me that opportunity. Although stepping down as Chief Executive, I will of…

Budget papers released on 8 May reveal that R&D Tax Incentive claimants including SMEs and the start-up sector may be faced with additional compliance burdens. Under the new measures, which come into effect on 1 July, there will be additional funding for enforcement activity allocated to the Tax Office and AusIndustry. Jack Qi, Director of Tax Services and R&D specialist at William Buck, says that while at first glance SMEs and start-ups may have been spared the brunt of the tightening of the R&D Tax Incentive, compliance changes could have the biggest impact. “Given that such activity has already ramped up in recent years, any further focus will mean it’s more important than ever to prepare robust R&D claims and quality, contemporaneous internal documentation that will withstand scrutiny,” says Qi. “From a cash flow perspective, we anticipate potential delays in companies receiving their R&D refunds until any review is finalised.” Qi warns the Government against making any more changes to the R&D Tax…

Kennewell CNC Machining Based in Murray Bridge, 76kms east of Adelaide, Kennewell CNC Machining is a precision engineering company that has successfully launched a project supported by the Government of South Australia’s Regional Development Fund, integrating a Fanuc Robot with an Okuma Genos M560V vertical machining centre, and also purchasing an Okuma LB3000EX-II-MYWx800 multi-axis CNC lathe with OSP-P300L Control. Established in 1995, Kennewell had already been an important Okuma customer for many years. The company’s Managing Director Brett Kennewell had served his apprenticeship on Okuma machines more than 25 years ago. “The Okuma machines are robustly built for stability and precision - as an example our 11 year-old machine, is still operating and is as accurate today as it was on installation,” says Brett. “Okuma personnel do everything they can to assist us with technical advice and support which is readily available locally and remotely. The ongoing training is a key factor in the relationship with this partner as we strive…