February 19, 2016
Economic theory promotes the view that: All economic activities aim to directly or indirectly satisfy human needs. Human needs are satisfied through the consumption of goods and services, produced via the engagement of economic activities. Human needs are satisfied to a greater extent when more goods and services are available for consumption. Satisfaction is greater when the cost of commodities (goods and services) is lower. The cost of goods and services can be lower when their production is more efficient. Productivity is a measure of the efficiency of production of goods and services, or the ratio of outputs to inputs in the production process: Productivity = Production Outputs / Production Inputs Higher productivity is generally considered to be a source of competitive advantage. Productivity is generally viewed as a macro-economic measurement. However, the principles can also be applied as a micro-economic measure of…
February 19, 2016
Since its inception in 2003, Triple Eight has grown to become one of the largest and most successful motor racing teams in Australia. The team has dominated the country’s premier motorsport, the V8 Supercars Championship – an international touring car racing championship that draws crowds of over 150,000 spectators and several million TV viewers – winning the title six times. Triple Eight also won the Bathurst 1000, Australia’s version of Le Mans, five times. Apart from a renowned team of drivers, Triple Eight has more than 30 race technologists, engineers and technicians working behind the scenes to produce next-generation vehicles that help the team cement its position. In late 2013, to keep the team’s momentum going, Triple Eight introduced a series of new-specification touring cars with the debut of the Red Bull Racing Holden VF Commodore. This introduction was made possible, in part, as a result of the company’s use of 3D printing. Speeding up concept modelling The V8 Supercars Championships have strict rules and regulations on what…
February 19, 2016
If so, information sessions have been scheduled for Thursday 25 February 2016 in Melbourne. These free AusIndustry information sessions may help you decide whether to go ahead, and what you need to do to make a competitive application. The Next Generation Manufacturing Investment Programme supports eligible businesses to bring forward capital investment projects, helping them to establish or expand their high-value manufacturing operations in South Australia or Victoria. In Round 2, businesses will be able to apply for grants ranging from $500,000 to $2.5m, for up to one-third of their total eligible project costs. The programme is competitive and merit based. The assessment process will consider: The net economic benefits the projects will deliver to South Australia or Victoria. Evidence of high value manufacturing, such as a focus on technological innovation, advanced manufacturing processes and a highly skilled workforce. Value for money, including evidence of the impact grant funding would have on the project going ahead and the outcomes achieved. Round 1 of the Next Generation Manufacturing Investment Programme supported 26 businesses from a wide range of manufacturing sectors,…
February 19, 2016
Key to this year’s program are co-located events, high-profile industry figures presenting case studies and new ideas, as well as exhibitors from around the world with innovative products and services. To enhance the value of attending for industry professionals, NMW 2016 will be co-located with headline events showcasing new possibilities for manufacturers, including the Safety First Conference & Expo. Safety First is a one-stop safety event that provides a rare opportunity to see safety solutions and talk with leading safety thinkers. NMW will also co-locate with Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo, the Australian edition of the world-leading event that will bring new strategies, stories of success and more to help local companies make the most of game-changing 3D printing technologies. Inside 3D Printing will showcase next-generation 3D printers and companies that can help businesses open up new worlds of possibility. The showcase will include Konica Minolta Business Solutions’, with 3D technologies that help companies create working prototypes, parts and custom-made products in a fraction of the time currently required, with industry leading…
February 19, 2016
The AutoCRC assists Australian companies to participate in the global automotive market. Through its two divisions: Business Excellence and Research (currently the Automotive Australia 2020 CRC), the organisation also provides a link between the automotive industry and universities across the country, enabling final-year engineering students to get on-the-job placements and potential future career options. “Our co-operative research centre is focussed on developing technologies relevant to the global automotive industry,” says AutoCRC CEO Ian Christensen. “The Business Excellence division’s role is to help auto suppliers improve their operational and business processes to be more competitive globally. This is more important than ever, as the big three auto manufacturers, Ford, Holden and Toyota will all have closed their Australian auto manufacturing operations by late 2017. “ Christensen explains that the AutoCRC’s annual spend is $12m. Its funding is derived on a 50/50 basis from Federal Government and individual auto companies that participate in its projects. He describes an innovative research program that AutoCRC facilitated recently where South Australia-based Precision Components teamed up with the…
February 12, 2016
Founded in 1981, GSA is the largest independent Governor service facility in the Australasian region, specialising in Woodward, Diesel Kiki, Zexel and Heinzmann governing equipment. Boasting a workforce with more than 120 years of collective experience in the design, manufacture, service and repair of governing equipment, the team at GSA is considered specialist and leader in Governor technology for the South-East Asian region. The company services a range of valued customers in the power-generation, sugar milling, mining, oil & gas, and transport industries, both throughout Australia and internationally. With an advanced, well-equipped workshop, freely available spare parts and a team of enthusiastic, proficient staff, GSA is capable of providing efficient and high-quality service and repairs for all forms of governing equipment. GSA’s workshop facilities include a full range of quality machine tools and a large stock-holding of Australian-made spare parts, which enables it to ensure a high level of service. GSA’s 3,600sqm facility has…
February 12, 2016
The approach, called “near net shape”, uses a high-volume thermoplastic printer to quickly create a part that is nearly, but not exactly, the final net shape. A subtractive function then machines the part to the exact final net shape. In its final form, Thermwood’s system will perform both the additive and subtractive functions on the same machine. Thermwood’s development system has been tested through its entire operating range and has performed well during initial additive testing. This start-up phase included initial validation of an all-new “MeltShape Technology”. Melt-shaping promises enhanced control of layer shape and improved bonding between layers. This new patent-pending approach uses one or more shaping wheels to shape, form and compress the hot plastic melt as it is being extruded, ensuring that each new layer is the proper shape and thickness and that it bonds firmly to previously applied material. Melt-shaping offers a new and promising technique in the advancement of large-scale additive manufacturing. The material processed…
February 12, 2016
The Thin Film Coatings Group deals primarily in materials science and is a leader in pairing research with commercial outcomes for private industries. The group recently published a paper in Translational Materials Research called ‘Optical coatings for automotive applications: a case study in translating fundamental materials science into commercial reality’, in which it discussed its experience in the space and the best ways to pursue working relationships with private industry. In fact, the group is entirely funded through their industry engagements. In addition to the SMR Automotive project, it partnered with Malaysian Automotive Institute to create plastic vehicle windows. It also worked with Envirominerals to perfect mineral extraction technology, collaborated on energy storage with Tindo Solar, and is responsible for the newly formed Heliostat SA’s research arm. It has created contact lenses with Contamac UK and even researched adaptive camouflage with the DSTO.…
February 12, 2016
The ‘I’ word is being bandied about a lot these days. In my role as an IT specialist I like to consider how IT systems can affect a company’s ability to innovate in a positive way. Specifically, can operational software such as an enterprise resource planning (ERP) system help a company to innovate? Often the definition of innovation seems to change depending on what is being discussed or even who is discussing it, so for the purposes of this article I will use Roger LaSalle’s definition: Innovation is change that adds value. So how can software help to make change that adds value? Many companies are using software systems that are fragmented and the processes have evolved to closely parallel the processes of the business, or indeed in some cases create them. These systems work well for day-to-day operational management but typically lack flexibility to change if needed and, due to the disparate nature of the systems, have a moderate overhead to access timely information…
February 12, 2016
Work-life balance and stress management are becoming (if not already) a major factor for employers as well as employees as we seek to achieve a sense of balance between work and our personal life. Having just become a grandfather for the first time (yes, little Isabella Rose Infanti was born in October last year) and having also enjoyed a longer than usual break over the Christmas period my personal life has undergone a few changes. One thing I have noticed though is that I am stress-free and looking forward to my 2016 work life with a much different attitude to before I went on leave in December. Whilst a good break and good family news will do that for most people, the challenge now is: how do I maintain a good work-life balance through the course of the year so these positive feelings and energy are translated to better work productivity, focus and higher levels of job satisfaction and effectiveness? I think the key factor here is to always have little things…
February 5, 2016
The novel high-strength magnesium-lithium alloy weighs half as much as aluminium and is 30% lighter than magnesium, making it an attractive candidate to replace commonly used metals in transport vehicles. The UNSW-led researchers, working with a team from Monash University in Melbourne, have shown the alloy forms a protective layer of carbonate-rich film upon exposure to air, making it immune to corrosion. The finding is published in the current edition of Nature Materials. Professor Michael Ferry, from UNSW’s School of Materials Science and Engineering, said the excellent corrosion resistance of the alloy was observed by chance, when his team noticed a heat-treated sample from Chinese aluminium-production giant, CHALCO, sitting inert in a beaker of water in their laboratory. “This is the first magnesium-lithium alloy to stop corrosion from irreversibly eating into the alloy, as the balance of elements interacts with ambient air to form a surface layer which, even if scraped off repeatedly, rapidly reforms to create reliable and durable protection,” said Professor Ferry. The UNSW…
February 5, 2016
Capable of a colossal 660,000Nm of continuous, servo-controlled torque, the custom-designed machine will be used for precision bending of thick-walled carbon steel pipes up to 273mm in diameter. It is the second all-electric pipe bender that Unison has supplied to Westcon’s pipe production facilities in Ølensvåg, Norway. The first, a 90mm single-stack model from Unison’s Breeze range, was installed at the beginning of 2015 and enabled the company to bring much of its pipe fabrication in-house. With the new machine, Westcon intends producing virtually all the pipe sizes it needs in-house, without having to use pre-fabricated bend sections. Although Unison’s bending machines are used by a number of leading ship and submarine builders to produce large pipe and tube assemblies, this is by far the most powerful that the company has ever designed and built. Unison’s range of all-electric bending machines now extends from 16mm to 273mm. Westcon specialises in building and repairing ships for the offshore and fishing sectors, and in servicing, maintaining and repairing semi-submersible and jack-up rigs used by the offshore oil and…
February 5, 2016
Four of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded (that is, above 50 points in three-month moving averages), led by: wood & paper products (unchanged at 64.3); petroleum, coal, chemical & rubber products (up 3.9 points to 59.1); and food, beverages and tobacco (up 4.9 points to 56.7). Textiles, clothing, furniture and other manufacturing was broadly stable (50.1 points). The non-metallic mineral products sub-sector ended three months of expansion (down 6.4 points to 47.8), while machinery and equipment remained in contraction but is moving steadily towards stabilising with its best result since June 2014 (up 0.4 points to 47.6). “The manufacturing sector opened 2016 by continuing the positive momentum built over the second half of 2015,” said Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox. “The benefits of the lower dollar continue to accumulate with local manufacturers enjoying greater shares of the domestic market and increased…
