Industry News

The Wage Theft Act 2020 (Vic) (Wage Theft Act) passed the Victorian Parliament on 16 June 2020 and commences operation on 1 July 2021. The underpayment of wages and entitlements have been a particularly fraught issue in Australia over the past few years with a number. A range of large employers have self-reporting ed underpayments to the Fair Work Ombudsman. These instances of underpayments have coincided with a push to criminalise some types of deliberate underpayment. As a result, The phrase ‘wage theft’ has been introduced into the Australian industrial landscape. Underpayment of wages and record-keeping obligations are issues that have historically been governed by industrial relations laws that, if not abided by, may lead to civil penalties being imposed on employers. The Wage Theft Act is different. It is the first piece of legislation in any jurisdiction in Australia that creates statutory criminal offences related to non-payment of employee entitlements or the falsification of employee records. Under the Wage Theft Act there are three main criminal offences. Offence 1 - Dishonestly withholding of employee entitlements It is an…

The prototype device developed by a team at RMIT University can electronically replicate the way human skin senses pain. The device mimics the body’s near-instant feedback response and can react to painful sensations with the same lighting speed that nerve signals travel to the brain. Lead researcher Professor Madhu Bhaskaran said the pain-sensing prototype was a significant advance towards next-generation biomedical technologies and intelligent robotics. “Skin is our body’s largest sensory organ, with complex features designed to send rapid-fire warning signals when anything hurts,” Bhaskaran said. “We’re sensing things all the time through the skin but our pain response only kicks in at a certain point, like when we touch something too hot or too sharp. “No electronic technologies have been able to realistically mimic that very human feeling of pain – until now. Our artificial skin reacts instantly when pressure, heat or cold reach a painful threshold. It’s a critical step forward in the future development of the sophisticated feedback systems that we need to…

In short, reverse engineering is the reproduction of a product or part that cannot be obtained by other means. It involves measuring an object and reconstructing it as a 3D model, then manufacturing the part. The process is primarily used for machinery parts, rather than the production of parts for mass assembly line manufacturing. “Reverse engineering is the only option when OEM parts are no longer available, particularly for an aged piece of equipment,” says Leussink’s Managing Director Jason Leussink. “However, there is no reason why reverse engineering processes cannot be used for newer components. The process can be applied in many industries and applications.” Reverse engineering can be undertaken using a variety of tools and technologies. Generally, the complexity of the part being reverse engineered will dictate the type of equipment and software used. “The simplest reverse engineering process is manual measurement and data collection…

RUAG is the first Australian company to receive an award under the ADAC initiative covering the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) of selected components for the F/A-18 Hornet fleet. RUAG is now a designated and approved source of repair for Navy Supply (NAVSUP) within the APAC Region under this program. “RUAG Australia appreciates the trust that the US Navy has placed in their ability to support their regional activities,” says Terry Miles, General Manager RUAG Australia. “RUAG’s MRO capabilities and track record of success with the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF), will form the basis of a partnership with the US Navy to support the fleet readiness of the F/A-18 fleet in APAC and other Foreign Military Sales (FMS) customers moving forward.” ADAC is a senior bilateral forum for co-operation between the US and Australian Military, aiming to facilitate closer defence and industry collaboration related to the acquisition, logistics and follow-on support of defence equipment. “We are pleased and proud to be recognised as an…

UQ Space is designing and building ‘Project Asteria’, a rocket that will zoom past the Kármán Line, 100km above sea level, reaching speeds greater than Mach-5. With support from UQ aerospace engineering experts and industry partners including Queensland-based Black Sky Aerospace, the 90-strong student team hopes to set a new world record. UQ Space Managing DirectorMyrthe Snoeks, an engineering and arts student, said the team had been working towards this ambitious goal despite delays caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic. “We started developing the rocket in 2019, and we are now planning and undertaking static testing and sub-orbital launch preparations before our official launch next year,” said Snoeks. “The UQ Space team has achieved so much already, having taken out the top position in Australia for competitive university rocket launches in 2019, only one year after establishing the team. “While 2020 has presented some additional challenges to our progress, we haven’t given up – we absolutely intend on achieving this goal with the help of our supporters.” UQ Space will be using…

The latest data from global small business platform Xero’s latest Small Business Insights (SBI) program reveals that small businesses continued to add jobs in July, the second month in a row – albeit at a modest pace of 0.5% month on month. Small business revenue also recovered strongly in July and is now only 1.9% lower than a year ago, after being 10.9% lower than a year ago in June. The recovery in small business revenues is being led by the manufacturing sector, where revenues were 11% higher than July 2019. This is the second consecutive month that the sector has reported positive annual revenue growth. The gains were recorded in all states, led by manufacturers in NSW. Small businesses in Victoria recorded more subdued revenue growth in July at 3.2% lower than a year ago. The state’s small businesses also saw a 2.5% month-on-month fall in jobs in July, led by declines in hospitality and arts & recreation, due to the return to lockdown. On the other hand, the…

There was significant divergence between the larger manufacturing states, with Victoria’s PMI falling back into contraction (down 9.3 points to 44.0) while NSW (down 5.2 points to 51.0) and South Australia (up 3.3 points to 65.3) continued to indicate recovery. The PMI in Queensland improved but continued to indicate a period of contraction (up 9.7 points to 47.1). Readings above 50 points indicate expansion in activity, with higher results indicating a faster rate of expansion. “While the manufacturing sector held on to recent gains with activity broadly stable in August, manufacturers from Victoria, which accounts for about 25 percent of the national economy, sunk back into negative territory in the month in line with the introduction of severe restrictions on businesses and as local consumer demand was hit hard by the stay-at-home orders,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. Six of the seven activity indices in the Australian PMI deteriorated in August compared with July. Production (down 3.0 points to 53.4) and exports (up 10.8 points to 52.2) expanded, while…

AMT: Tell us firstly about the Australian Made Campaign and its objectives. Ben Lazzaro: The Aussie Made Campaign’s remit is to administer and promote the famous Australian Made, Australian Grown logo, the green and gold kangaroo. That’s everything from compliance, to ensure that products that carry the logo comply with the criteria, through to promoting the brand and all the products that carry the logo. Essentially we’re running what’s called a country of origin certification trademark. It’s the only one in Australia. The logo itself has been around since 1986. Our organisation was established in 1999 by our governing members, which are the Australian Chamber of Commerce, the state and territory chambers of commerce, as well as the National Farmers Federation. So we have links into the business community and to the agricultural sector. Being a certification trademark, the Australian Made brand is governed by a set of criteria that products need to meet in order to ensure compliance. And that’s a big part of what we do. We have a compliance team that ensures the…

These stories have featured items such as a 3D-printed prosthetic jaw designed by the patient’s own doctor; spinal parts to support fractured or damaged vertebrae; a patient-specific sternum, and so on. These are just some of the phenomenal achievements 3D printing technology can bring to suffering patients. Becoming increasingly aware of solutions they can offer their patients, doctors are embracing the technology, applying their own knowledge of anatomy, using the latest imaging technology, and working with CAD designers to construct unique parts for their patient. What we are really talking about is a world of ‘customised body parts’ – customised because all human beings are unique and no one size fits all! More common implants occur for hips and knees, but here, most replacement parts used in operations come in a standard size and form. Injuries to knee and hip joints generally arise as a result of musculoskeletal trauma from accidents, sports injuries, improper training practices or when a person is not sufficiently warmed up or stretched in readiness to undertake…

McArthur River Mine, which excavates zinc, lead and silver, required two new water trucks to be added to its operations but, being mindful of improving dust control and ensuring better safety for its workers, decided to have trucks specifically designed that would address these issues. The result was the coming together of local Australian companies – Australian Diversified Engineering and Austin Engineering – that produced two uniquely designed CAT 789 water trucks for the mine patented as “Stairway Access Tank”, with a capacity of 159,000 litres. The exclusive design has produced what is now known as the safest water tank in the mining industry, and is an engineering collaboration of which ADE General Manager Clive Gray says has set the bar for water truck technology to new heights. “Controlling airborne dust on mine sites is incredibly important,” Gray explained. “It minimises the risks to workers, but knowing just how much water to spray has its own…

Never has the axiom ‘Change is inevitable’ been more relevant to manufacturers than in the emerging post-Covid era, when Australian industry is being reshaped by tectonic events.We already know supply chains will change, automate and truncate to become more rapidly responsive to domestic and international events. The way we work, communicate and engineer the future will also change. The degree to which countries must be more self-sufficient in key areas may emerge as a national priority. Technologies focused on flexible manufacturing, health, hygiene, energy, infrastructure, defence, construction, sustainability and environmental risk management will all be among the winners from change. Some of the changes will be new; some will be an acceleration of trends that were already underway; and some will kill off old practices that were already on life support before Covid-19 struck. And while no-one has a clear chart to the future (that would be like having tomorrow’s race…

Thomson Mathew, ANCA Software Product Manager says: “This upgrade responds directly to what our customers want and need for effective tool simulation. CIM3D V9 allows for customisation based on regularly-used features no matter which industry. The simulation quality of ANCA’s software is unmatched and you can simulate complete grinding sequences. “The offline capabilities of using the latest CIM3D version mean important background calculations are easily verified, increasing machine productivity. This not only maximises machine time but for those working from home, CIM3D can be run independently on any computer – so it is possible to do all the programming remotely. “We have automated many manual steps and introduced process verification and analysis in a central hub to get improved cycle time, and better wheel and tool life. Collisions can be detected automatically and overall CIM3D V9 is more enjoyable and easier to use.” The new…