Industry News

Victorian Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty Ben Carroll has announced nominations are open for this year’s awards, which is the state’s biggest celebration of Victoria’s leading manufacturers. Established in 2001, the awards recognise individuals and companies that embrace new technologies, excel in business innovation, drive exports and boost the state’s economy. Victoria’s $31bn manufacturing industry is made up of more than 23,000 businesses, employing more than 260,000 people – providing around 30% of Australia’s manufacturing output. “The awards recognise our top manufacturers that are leading from the front – cementing our status as Australia’s manufacturing state,” said Ben Carroll, the Minister for Manufacturing Sovereignty. “We’ll continue to back our manufacturers so they can create more local jobs, drive innovation and power our economy – ensuring more products are made in Victoria.” Nominations are open for 15 categories including ‘Young Manufacturer of the Year’, ‘Woman Manufacturer of the Year’ and ‘Honour Roll for Services to Industry’. Nine new awards have been introduced this year including ‘Manufacturing Apprentice’, ’Regional Manufacturer’, as well as leaders…

How are manufacturing companies and manufacturing technology service providers winning in the digitalisation race? Experience first-hand how enterprise remote access and remote support, augmented reality, and internet of things technologies accelerate digitalisation along the entire value chain for any organisation--including the eight-time F1 World Champion, the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team. Through hands-on technology demos, customer success stories from ANZ organisations,  thought leadership sessions, and peer networking, gain exclusive insights how companies like DHL, Coca-Cola, Wendy’s, Specsavers, The Salvation Army, Dole, Sharp, Siemens, and Airbus, among others capitalise enterprise remote connectivity solutions to optimise performance in testing, machine inspection, infrastructure maintenance, order picking, product kitting & palletising, and technician training processes—while championing team engagement, worker retention, customer satisfaction, and ROI. Don’t miss out!  Register online now at Experience Day in Melbourne (teamviewer.com) What you can expect: Immersive experience sessions on industry-proven enterprise remote connectivity technologies Success stories of organisations from industries including manufacturing, logistics, automotive, energy, F&B, and ITSM, among others Exclusive insights into the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team Executive success story presentation from an Australian manufacturing and…

One of IWD’s key missions is to forge inclusive work cultures where women’s careers thrive and their achievements are celebrated. This year, the campaign centres around equity and how providing equal opportunities is no longer enough. So how do we achieve equity? At Sandvik Coromant, the number of females in functional management roles currently sits at 43%. This is above the estimated industry average, which is considered to be 38%, according to the Chartered Management Institute (CMI). However, if we’re to look across the manufacturing industry, it’s clear there’s still a lot to be done to truly achieve equity. A recent report by the Manufacturing Institute found that females make up just 29% of the manufacturing workforce. Staggeringly, it also finds that 63% of women struggling to get into the field face challenges due to the sector’s lack of flexibility and almost half are deterred due to childcare issues, compared to just 8% of males.…

The Made in Victoria – Manufacturing Growth Program aims to support small and medium sized manufacturers to: — Expand their capacity and capability by implementing new manufacturing technologies. — Improve productivity and competitiveness in local and global supply chains. — Create new jobs and upskill and/or reskill workers. — Support the transition to a low carbon economy. What funding is available? Grants of between $50,000 and $250,000 are on offer on a 2:1 basis (i.e. applicants must contribute $2 for every $1 of funding from the Victorian Government). What are the eligibility criteria? To be eligible, applicants must: — Have an ABN. — Employ at least 20 FTE or have an annual turnover of greater than $1.5m. Note that preference will be given to applicants with less than 200 employees and annual turnover less than $100m. — Be able to demonstrate financial viability to undertake the project and be able to provide three years’ worth of audited financial statements. — Be currently engaged in manufacturing…

The Export Market Development Grant (EMDG) aims to support Australian SMEs to expand Australian products and services to foreign markets by providing funding for promotional activities and development of marketing skills. What are the eligibility criteria? Applicants must: — Have a turnover of less than $20 million in the prior financial year. — Be exporting or ready to export eligible goods, services, events, IP or know-how, and/or software that is of substantially Australian origin. — Be intending to incur eligible expenditure on promotional activities undertaken for the purpose of marketing eligible products overseas (excluding New Zealand). — Be able to match the grant amount awarded at least on a 1:1 basis. Important to note: The EMDG program is an eligibility-based program, which means that all eligible applicants will receive a grant from the available funding pool ($157.9 million per year). This means the grant amount an applicant receives depends on the number of eligible applications in the grant round…

The acquisition comes as part of Capral's commitment to expanding its distribution footprint to ensure it has Aluminium Trade Centres and distribution hubs strategically located throughout Australia. “The acquisition of the Allyman business is an integral part of our long-term commitment to supporting Australian trades and manufacturers with reliable access to aluminium products,” said Capral's NSW Industrial Sales Manager, Mark Murray. “Our philosophy is that wherever our customers are, they should feel that Capral Aluminium is just around the corner.” The Allyman business was established in 2012 and has actively serviced trades and manufacturers in the local area and further afield. The Allyman team have built a reputation for delivering value for money, friendly service and reliability. “The Allyman team have created a great business recognised within the region for delivering exceptional customer service. We are excited that staff from Allyman will be transitioning to Capral, and we look forward to welcoming them to the Capral business. With their local knowledge backed by our Australia-wide regional distribution network, I'm confident we can continue to grow…

Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2023 will occupy more than 10,000 square metres of exhibition space at the MCEC, with almost 300 organisations taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Don’t miss out!  Register online now at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au There are seven Zones on the vast floorspace of Australian Manufacturing Week, which takes up almost of the MCEC. Each zone focuses in on specific aspects of manufacturing in Australia. These include: Austech Machine Tools, sponsored by ISCAR; Additive Manufacturing Zone; Australian Manufacturers Zone, sponsored by Sutton Tools; Manufacturing Solutions Zone, sponsored by Adobe; Robotics & Automation Zone; Weld and Air Solutions Zone, sponsored by AtlasCopco; and the Plastic Technology Zone. PLASTICS TECHNOLOGY ZONE The Plastics Technology Zone is your hands-on opportunity to inspect the latest in plastics machinery, mould-making technologies, raw materials, and plastics manufacturing processes. This area will cover injection and blow moulding, extrusion, thermoforming, and compounding, mould making and tool making, raw materials and recycling, and plastic technology processes. The…

BAE Systems Australia has teamed with local industry to present Australia’s first domestically designed, manufactured and armed VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) Uncrewed Air System (UAS). STRIXTM is being developed by BAE Systems Australia and Perth-based Innovaero and launched today at the 2023 Avalon Airshow in Geelong, Australia. The collaboration brings together BAE Systems’ global expertise in autonomous platforms and its vehicle management system (VMS) technology with Innovaero’s knowledge of aeronautical product design and manufacture in the Australian market. A hybrid, tandem wing, multi-domain and multi-role UAS capability, STRIX could be used for a variety of missions including an air-to-ground strike against hostile targets and persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR). It could also act as a ‘loyal wingman’ for military helicopters. Designed to carry up to a 160kg payload over 800km, STRIX will be capable of operating in high-risk environments. With a collapsed footprint of 2.6m x 4.5m, it could be easily transported in standard shipping. Its VTOL capability means STRIX could be used without relying on an airfield. It could also be operated from a helicopter to expand the mission set and protect…

Louvreclad has been helping leading architects, builders, and developers create some of Australia's most iconic buildings and precincts for over three decades. Specialising in the design, engineering, supply and installation of louvre screens and bespoke façade solutions, Louvreclad services the commercial, public, education, government and multi-residential sectors. The firm's remarkable building exteriors use innovative architectural louvre solutions to help achieve comfortable, healthy, safe and energy-efficient working and living environments. The Queensland-based business is widely recognised for setting new benchmarks for effective and sustainable façade and louvre designs and solutions for the Australian construction industry. Founded and run by the Wright family, Louvreclad has headquarters in Ipswich and project teams in Victoria and New South Wales. The business designs, engineers and fabricates everything in-house; its products are 100% Australian-made. “Aluminium is an ideal match for louvre and façade manufacture,” says Louvreclad design consultant Uddhava Sharplin. “It's one of the most sustainable building materials and is incredibly corrosion resistant. We can often design out a support structure specified in steel and replace it with aluminium. It has great strength if designed and engineered properly.” Uddhava also…

In the mould and die industry, the hyperMILL CAD/CAM suite from OPEN MIND is regarded as an end-to-end complete solution. This is due to its ability to cover aspects such as electrode manufacturing and wire EDM. It is now the introduction of the 5-axis radial machining function that takes centre stage. This function is ideal for the process-optimised production of round moulds where surfaces cannot undergo hand finishing or polishing operations. For components such as blow moulds that are applied in vehicle bumper production or consumer goods bottles, high-quality machined surfaces are critical as secondary hand finishing can introduce optical facets and surface inconsistencies that may appear in downstream processing. The rise in complexity of bottle designs is also increasing the quality expectations put upon blow moulds. There is a wide variety of containers that often have additional features that double up as functional elements. This can include handles, decorations, and individual brand logos. The 3-axis machining of these types of moulds sometimes require very long tools and part re-clamping to mill undercut areas. A 3-axis approach also means that the point where the…

Suhner Australia, a leader in metal finishing solutions, has released its next-generation of variable speed, 125mm Angle grinders – the Suhner UWG 11R and the UWK 11R. Both models provide unrivalled speed stability regardless of whether they are operating at 2,800rpm or 10,500rpm, to help deliver a variety of quality finishes. Specifically designed to keep vibration at bay, both grinders provide the correct speed and stability under torque, allowing the user to operate them for an extended period of time. This ensures a consistent, quality finish on stainless steel, aluminium, brass, other alloys and ferrous metals. Moreover, the Suhner UWG 11R and UWK 11R can be combined with a variety of abrasive, cutting or hook and loop discs as well as a range of non-woven and fine finish products, so that users can attain a wide variety of finishes. Made in Germany and built to last, both the UWG 11R and UWK 11R grinders are quality tools suitable for working on a range of applications including structural fabrication, balustrades, vehicle components, medical products, aircraft parts, and many other light or heavy manufacturing applications. The Suhner…

CH4 Global, a climate technology company and Siemens have entered into technology cooperation through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that supports CH4 Global’s ambitions of reducing enteric methane emissions by up to 90% using Asparagopsis seaweed processed as cattle feed supplements, in a production plant in South Australia. CH4 Global was the first company globally to obtain an IP license based on the original scientific research that proved the methane-mitigating benefits of Asparagopsis seaweed. The MoU will see CH4 Global using Siemens’ technological skills and capabilities in areas of digitalization and automation as it aims to help reduce methane and global greenhouse gas emissions from the livestock industry. CH4 Global also received a South Australian government grant this year to support its plans to develop stock feed products from native seaweed in the state. Headquartered in Nevada (US) and with operations in Australia and New Zealand, CH4 Global recently announced the company’s first EcoPark, an integrated facility in New Zealand for sustainable aquaculture. Speaking on the MoU signing, Tim Williams, COO of CH4 Global, said that the…