Industry News

Manufacturing is entering a new era of rapid, drastic change. Often described as the Fourth Industrial Revolution, it will see advances in areas such as robotics & automation, the interconnectivity of devices, big data and Cloud computing, that together will usher in the smart, connected factory of the future. “We’re constantly hearing about stuff like Industry 4.0, the Internet of Things and so on, but a lot of people are still in the dark about what it all means,” says AMTIL’s CEO and Exhibition Director Shane Infanti. “That’s why we decided to introduce the Digitalisation Pavilion at Austech this year. We felt a show like Austech is a great opportunity to bring together some of the key players and the latest technology in this field, so that people can come along and find out about it first-hand.” At the Digitalisation Pavilion visitors will have the chance to learn about the implications of these developments for their businesses, and discuss how they can capitalise on…

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 4-6 months of daily pre-show email communication to ensure every “T” is crossed and every “I” dotted with our team ensured the smoothest move in to a show we have had in almost 20 years. Beggy’s unique “Sector” plan, which involved four sectors of carpet lay and stand build over three days, was well received by other contractors and certainly gave us a few laughs along the way. Also thanks to Travis Wall and his…

Australian manufacturing is enjoying its most positive outlook in years. The Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index has shown a trend of almost consistent growth since the last Austech two years ago, while signs of optimism abound throughout the industry. And this renewed confidence has been clear to see as preparations for Austech 2017 have advanced. The early interest from exhibitors, as well as the enthusiasm expressed by people planning to visit the show, have provided a vivid illustration of an energy and eagerness across the industry to invest and build for the future. “We’ve definitely seen a big surge in confidence this time round,” says AMTIL Event Manager and Austech organiser Kim Banks. “Bookings have been coming in a lot earlier than usual, to the point where we’re well on our way to filling the venue way ahead of schedule. What’s also very exciting is the number of exhibitors who are coming back to the show after not participating for the last few years. It’s…

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Yet again, Austech promises to be the unmissable event this year for anyone with an interest in manufacturing. This year’s show is expected to be bigger than ever, attracting more than 10,000 of the industry’s key decision-makers looking to see the latest manufacturing technology up close. As the show’s organiser, AMTIL is hard at work on preparations for the show and looking forward to welcoming Australia’s manufacturing community when doors open on 9 May. Austech provides a forum for visitors to take a look at the most advanced, cutting-edge manufacturing equipment available today but also to discuss potential applications that will help them provide value-added, innovative and high-tech solutions. The principal focuses at this year’s exhibition will be machine tools for metal cutting and forming, production systems, high-precision tools, CAD/CAM, and accessories. One of the highlights of this year’s Austech will be the Manufacturers’ Pavilion. First launched at the 2013 exhibition, the Manufacturers’ Pavilion highlights the capabilities of Australia’s precision engineering and advanced manufacturing industry, providing a unique opportunity for Australian component manufacturers, precision…

Annaliese is the Managing Director at Headland Machinery Pty Ltd and CEO of Klugo Pty, based in Burwood, Melbourne. Adam is the Managing Director of Nichol Industries Pty Ltd, from Nunawading, Melbourne. Andrew is the General Manager of Bolts & Industrial Supplies Pty Ltd. “I’m delighted to welcome Annaliese, Adam and Andy to the AMTIL Board,” said AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti. “All three are well-known figures who enjoy a great deal of respect and credibility across the industry. The experience and acumen they will be able to provide will be of enormous value to AMTIL and to our members. They will be great additions to the team.” Annaliese, Andrew and Andy join existing Board Members Brigitte Stavar, Mark Dobrich, Paul Philips and Phil Xuereb, with Paul Fowler continuing as AMTIL’s President. The new arrivals coincide with the departure of two longstanding members: Pat Boland of ANCA Pty Ltd and Saxon Fletcher of Metal Cutting Technology Pty Ltd. Both have stepped down after eight years, with Pat also…

Modern international rail manufacturing has increasingly evolved to focus on the production of high-tech, high-value components. For Australian manufacturing to keep up, there is much work to do to continue the evolution of advanced manufacturing in rail, focusing specifically on innovative research and development (R&D) activities. This is why the formation of the Rail Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) is great news for both the sector and Australia as a whole. It started with a roadmap The strategic direction for Australian rail manufacturing was outlined in the On Track to 2040 – Preparing the Australian Rail Supply Industry for Challenges and Growth Roadmap. Commissioned by the former Department of Innovation Industry Science and Research (DIISR), through the Rail Supplier Advocate, the roadmap was developed through intensive collaboration between industry stakeholders, government and the higher education and research sectors. It represented the consensus view of 210 industry…

Lamborghini prides itself on a 50-year heritage that has seen its brand become synonymous with extreme and uncompromising automotive design. The company has created a series of extraordinary cars that include the 350 GT, Miura, Espada, Countach, Diablo, Murciélago, Gallardo and Aventador, as well as several limited series such as the Reventón, Sesto Elemento, Aventador J and Veneno. Lamborghini meets this objective partly through 3D printing, which the company uses throughout the entire lifecycle of its parts, from rapid prototyping applications to production parts. Today Lamborghini is owned by Audi, part of the Volkswagen Group. With its image and value proposition as important as ever, the company relies upon pioneering technologies to uphold its reputation for automotive excellence. Fabio Serrazanetti of Lamborghini’s car body technical department says the company’s engineers first explored FDM technology and Fortus 3D Production Systems in order to meet demand for high-strength production parts tough enough to endure the rigors of high-speed racing, as well as the need to create complex geometries in…

The Australian PMI expanded for a fifth month in November, rising 2.3 points to 52.5; readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase. This result continued the longest run of expansionary readings since 2010. Five of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded (that is, they were above 50 points in three-month moving averages): wood & paper products (up 3.2 points to 67.2); textiles, clothing, footwear, furniture & other (down 4.9 points to 52.0); petroleum, coal, chemical & rubber products (down 0.1 point to 57.4); non-metallic mineral products (up 5.4 points to 58.0); and food & beverages (up 2.7 points to 52.4). However, the machinery and equipment (down 1.9 points to 43.1), metal products (up 0.9 points to 49.0), and very small printing & recorded media (up 1.0 point to 47.6) sub-sectors all remained in contraction. Of the seven activity sub-indexes, only stocks fell below 50 points (down 3.3 points to 47.6). New orders (up 3.3 points to 53.2) and sales (up…

The Melbourne-based company, which specialises in hi-tech tool and cutter grinders, was also named the winner in the Manufacturing category. Co-founder and Director Pat Boland accepted the awards on behalf of ANCA. Trade and Investment Minister Andrew Robb made the announcement at the awards ceremony held to honour the achievements of Australian businesses in international markets. “ANCA has been a leader in its field for 40 years and in that time it has significantly expanded its export markets and is on track for a record year of growth,” said Robb. “They’ve hired 160 new employees to meet the increasing demand for their products, and are proof that Australia has a very healthy future manufacturing high-quality and innovative products.” ANCA exports 98% of its products to customers such as Boeing, Sandvik and Rolls Royce. ANCA machines are used to make tools that are used to make products such as planes, cars, smart phones and medical products. On receiving the major award, Boland thanked the team at ANCA and his co-founder Pat…

This past year the Board and our senior staff reconfirmed our role is to represent and promote the interests of manufacturing technology suppliers and their customers (the ecosystem). For our Manufacturing Technology Suppliers, our focus is on encouraging investment in technology. We do this through marketing and promotional opportunities, whether it be Austech, our AMT magazine, online offerings, talking to government about incentive schemes and other services. We want people buying machine tools, automation, robotics, software, cutting tools and ancillary equipment. We need to focus heavily on this area. For our Manufacturing Technology Users, our focus is on…

AMT: Tell us about the REA Foundation and its aims. MM: It’s fundamentally about getting kids engaged with STEM. When I started, my background led me to be more focused on attracting students to engineering, but this expanded significantly as I grew to understand that, in attracting students to professions that build a nation, the problem was much broader. At the time there wasn’t much around that gave students much reason to be interested in STEM subjects. The education system really isn’t designed to get kids interested in careers; I don’t think the system’s at all attuned to the skills industry needs or wants. Our political system has over a long period of time facilitated the development of a set of educational silos. There’s Maths and English and History and Science etc, and they all have their own departments and a mentality based around defending their own space at…

The company, a market leading CNC tool grinder manufacturing business and longstanding member of AMTIL, will represent Victorian manufacturing at the Australian Export Awards on 27 November. ANCA has a history of achievement, having won ten GOVEA awards and two Australian Export awards previously. With a Melbourne headquarters the privately owned company turns over $200m annually and employs over 950 staff globally. Co-founder and Director Pat Boland commented: “We are very proud to be recognised by one of the most prestigious business awards for our innovation excellence and ongoing contribution to the Australian economy. ANCA is proof that an Australian company can successfully compete and prosper in a global market and I thank our amazing team whose hard work helps us retain our leadership position. “ANCA’s success has been in the development of world leading products that solve customer needs and supporting these products with advanced and lean factories and a global sales and service distribution system. Precision cutting tools are a fundamental component of advanced manufacturing and ANCA is immensely proud of its…