March 6, 2015
Among the activity indicators, manufacturing production (down 3.7 points to 45.0) and new orders (down 3.4 points to 44.2) continued to decline, and manufacturing sales (steady at 45.3) contracted for a ninth consecutive month (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity, with the distance from 50 indicative of the strength of the decrease). The supplier deliveries (down 6.0 points to 46.9) and stock levels (down 4.4 points to 47.0) sub-indexes returned to contraction after brief expansions in January. Following further falls in the dollar, only the manufacturing exports sub-index signalled expansion, for a third month (unchanged at 53.9 points). Much of this growth in exports was concentrated in the food and beverages sub-sector, one of three manufacturing sub-sectors to expand in February (down 2.8 points to 60.1). The smaller textiles, clothing & furniture (down 3.4 points to 56.0) and non-metallic mineral products (down 2.3 points to 66.2) sub-sectors also expanded for a fourth consecutive month. “While there are bright patches, most…
March 6, 2015
Queensland is an interesting case. Just over four years ago the nation looked on as Queensland went through devastating floods. Then premier Anna Bligh earned high praise for her management and performance during that time. Her handling of the disaster and the media during that time was, in the eyes of most Australians, inspirational. Roll forward 14 months and that respect stood for nought as she underwent the heaviest defeat in the state’s history. Interestingly, it appeared it was the policies of the Labor party around privatisation of public assets to reduce state debt that delivered the killer blow. After 14 years of Labor government, and with such a massive swing, Campbell Newman would have been forgiven for thinking his job was safe for at least two terms. And it probably should have…
February 13, 2015
Austech will once again be a must-attend event for manufacturing professionals from around Australia in 2015. Austech will be held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre from 26 to 29 May. As the show’s organiser, AMTIL is looking forward to welcoming the entire Austech community, comprised of more than 10,000 industrial decision-makers, to interact, see the latest technology, and find answers to their manufacturing problems and challenges. Reflecting the strong support from AMTIL members, early results on participating exhibitors is ahead of the Austech 2013 pace, with more than 75% of the overall floor space already booked. “With the recent move to a two-year cycle, early signs indicate that we can look forward to a robust event,” Austech Exhibition Manager Kim Warren said. “Austech is the place to be in May. About 87% of the attendees at Austech are in middle- or senior-management positions. This group is an important audience segment, not just because of its size but also because these professionals play a key role in shaping the…
February 6, 2015
Those who walk through the doors of Australia’s premier advanced precision manufacturing and machine tool show, at Melbourne’s Convention and Exhibition Centre from 26 to 29 May 2015, will have a world of manufacturing opportunities open before their eyes. Of course it takes all areas of manufacturing, including tooling, workholding, software and systems integration, to come together to create a complete solution, but machine tools are one important piece of the manufacturing puzzle. This year, Austech will once again host all the world’s leading machine tool builders under one roof, showcasing the latest machine tool configurations and also stylings that are notably different and fresh. The slowly recovering but still very challenging conditions of the Australian market for machine tools and other equipment make Austech of keen interest to local suppliers. “Given the current conditions inside Australia’s metal manufacturing sector, it’s important that business owners and operators can examine the next investment steps in manufacturing technology they must take to rebuild their competitive position in the global arena,” comments Phil Hayes, Managing Director of Okuma Australia &…
February 6, 2015
AMT: Let’s start with your professional background and how you came to your current role. SM: Well, I was a Federal Member of Parliament representing the Wollongong area, which of course was a great manufacturing base for Australia. In fact I put myself through university by working in the steel industry, and my grandfather was a coalminer. So in terms of what historically underpinned manufacturing in Australia, I had some background. I represented Wollongong for 18 years in Parliament. I was Speaker of the House, Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Shadow Minister in various areas including terms in Defence and in Trade. After 1996, during my time in opposition, I completed a PhD in economics part time through the University of Wollongong, which examined financial deregulation under the Hawke/Keating Government. I left Parliament and took up various senior roles in universities. I was at the University of Wollongong in Dubai as a chief executive/president, I was Pro Vice Chancellor International here at Victoria University in Melbourne, Deputy Vice…
January 16, 2015
Only two of the seven activity sub-indexes – those for employment (up 4.7 points to 52.5) and exports (up 2.9 points to 51.0) – were above 50 points this month (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity, with the distance from 50 indicative of the strength of the decrease). The new orders sub-index fell sharply (down 10.6 points to 43.7) following two months of mild expansion, reflecting slower growth or a decline in new orders across the manufacturing sub-sectors. Manufacturing production also contracted for a second month (down 1.4 points to 46.0). Reflecting the weak trading conditions, supplier deliveries (down 3.5 points 48.5) and stocks (almost unchanged at 45.4) also contracted in December. Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said: "We would have hoped to have seen a stronger Australian PMI® in the lead-up to Christmas, but the finding is consistent with other publicly released data. Respondents to the Australian PMI® welcomed the further depreciation in the Australian dollar, but noted that the level of…
