Member News

This is the lowest result since October 2017 but still extends the index's period of uninterrupted growth to 26 months – the longest run of recovery or expansion since 2005 (readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase). Five of the seven activity indexes expanded in November, while employment was broadly stable (down 3.2 points to 49.4). The new orders index fell into contraction (down 10.1 points to 48.7) for the first time since September 2016, suggesting tougher conditions may be ahead for manufacturers in some sectors. “The recovery in the Australian manufacturing sector slowed in November, with the Australian PMI falling to its lowest level in a little over a year,” said Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox. “Despite this slowing, manufacturing extended its run of uninterrupted growth to 26 months. Food & beverages manufacturers reported higher production in the lead up to Christmas and respondents in other sectors reported high levels of activity related to infrastructure and…

At Madame Tussauds, the famous waxwork museum in London, there is a careful procedure when making a celebrity figure; it involves around 15 artists working on each model for three to four months. The detailed process requires 250 precise measurements before the figure is made; this means that the end result is a lifelike, near-exact replica. Additive manufacturing or 3D printing is used in a variety of industrial applications for prototyping and manufacturing. The technology uses a range of materials including polymers, ceramics, resins, stainless steel, cobalt chrome and titanium. The additive manufacturing process produces 3D objects from a computer-aided design (CAD) file. Objects are built in layers, adding material until the manufactured part is complete. This method offers great design flexibility, which means that highly accurate, bespoke and customised devices can be produced at low cost compared to traditional manufacturing. The medical applications of additive…

Gladstone is the fifth-largest multi-commodity port in Australia, and the world’s fourth-largest coal-exporting terminal, handling 50m tonnes annually. Major exports include cement products, sodium cyanide, ammonium nitrate, alumina, and aluminium from the nearby Boyne Island smelter. Servicing the industries that export these products – and many others around the country – is Jenmick Gear Cutting & Engineering, a family-owned and operated business. Established in 1999 by Clifton and Sandra Dimitrov, it is first and foremost a well-equipped machining workshop with the capacity to carry out very precise and complex tasks on its CNC equipment. From its early days, Jenmick has built an Australia-wide reputation for the quality of its gears, and this dedication to excellence is reflected in its choice of new machinery for its Bassett Street workshops. The latest machines to be installed are a Joemars AWT3S wire cut machine and a…

To mark the occasion, the company’s entire staff from across Australia was brought together at Alfex CNC’s headquarters in Broadmeadows, north Melbourne, for a company-wide meeting. It was the first time that the whole national team had gathered together in several years. “Having everyone in the same room, created great excitement and pride in what we have achieved together as a team,” said Maryanne Buhagiar, Operations Manager. The following evening, the real celebration began, as the Alfex team, partners and guests were treated to a luxurious event with a grand view of the Melbourne city skyline to mark the special occasion. Esteemed guests included Alfex CNC’s original founders Tony and Linda Boult; suppliers and partners; as well as representatives of AMTIL. “We wanted to share this momentous occasion with everyone who has provided services and guidance to Alfex CNC over the years and helped us on our journey,” said George Buhagiar, Company Director. Tony and Linda Boult established Alfex in 1978, and since then have watched the company grow from strength to strength. As Tony recounted…

Manufacturers need to work with supply chain partners that are ethical, reliable, and stable. Choosing the right partners requires significant due diligence. In an age where consumers vote with their feet and increasingly prefer to purchase from companies that demonstrate concern for environmental and ethical practices, manufacturers can’t afford to find out that their supply chain partners don’t measure up to their high standards. More than half of consumers have declared themselves willing to pay a premium for products from companies promoting social responsibility. A company that promotes this virtue and is then found out to purchase materials from supply chain partners that employ slave labour or child labour, for example, could experience significant reputational damage. By contrast, a company that can prove beyond doubt that each member of its supply chain is ethical and trustworthy, can use this fact…

Kennametal accomplished this recently with the introduction of its KBH10, a new breed of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PcBN) hard turning insert designed specifically for the challenges of today’s demanding market place. Helmut Gremer, Senior Engineer for global machining technology, says the new insert complements Kennametal’s existing PcBN grades KBH20 and KB5630 by providing the extreme wear resistance needed to successfully turn hardened metals up to 65Rc, especially where very fine surface finishes are required. “We’ve seen that many manufacturers are decreasing the allowable tolerances on bearing journals, rings and pistons, gear hubs, and so on,” says Gremer. “For example, dimensional tolerances of 4μm or less are increasingly common, as are surface requirements better than Ra < 0.4μm. This new grade closes the gap for these and other…

More than 20 AMTIL members and associates attended the get-together at the 2KW Bar and Restaurant, with AMTIL CEO Shane Infanti and Business Development Manager Derek Gancar on hand to keep the drinks and refreshments flowing. Also in attendance were representatives from AMTIL’s Entrepreneurs’ Programme team, as well as the Association’s Corporate Partners, AGL and William Buck Chartered Accountants & Advisors. The Adelaide gathering was the first in a series of upcoming holiday celebrations that AMTIL will be holding across Australia over the coming weeks to see out 2018 and celebrate Christmas and the coming New Year. Tickets are still available for all of the events, but places are filling up fast, so don’t delay in booking. Details of AMTIL’s Christmas events are as follows: Perth AMTIL 2018 WA Christmas Dinner Function Friday 30 November, 7.30pm – 10.30pm Bathers Beach House, 47 Mews Road, Freemantle Melbourne AMTIL 2018 VIC Christmas Dinner Function Wednesday 5 December, 7.00pm – 11.00pm Carlton Brewhouse, Cnr Thompson & Nelson Streets, Abbotsford Sydney AMTIL 2018 NSW Christmas…

Oji Fibre Solutions is part of the pulp and paper division of Oji Holdings Corporation – the fifth-largest pulp and paper company in the world. From fresh fruit and produce, meat, poultry, seafood and beverages to reseller and industrial manufacturing – the wide range of industries in Australia and New Zealand that Oji has been supplying innovative corrugated cardboard packaging solutions is immense. As part of the company’s expansion to its packaging business in Australasia, Oji recently invested into the development of a new 5.8-hectare greenfield site in Yatala. Complementing the company’s existing manufacturing plants in Melbourne and Sydney, the Yatala site houses a newly constructed 2.4-hectare green-star rated manufacturing facility. From here Oji manufactures and supplies innovative corrugated cardboard packaging solutions to its customers throughout Queensland, northern New South Wales and the Northern Territory. As part of Oji’s commitment to delivering innovative and environmentally sustainable products, the new facility operates to a green-star rating system. From…

Established in 2000, Larsen Engineering is a diversified manufacturer of complex sheet metal componentry, primarily servicing customers in and around Albury & Wodonga, on the border between Victoria and New South Wales. With approximately 50 staff, the company operates from three manufacturing plants totalling around 5,000sqm, located in Baranduda in south-east Wodonga, and in Lavington in north Albury. Larsen provides specialised engineering solutions to a highly diverse client base, with infrastructure, agriculture and defence representing key markets. Still very much a family company, General Manager Ben Larsen is the third generation of Larsens leading manufacturing in the region, with his father Tim overseeing operations as Director. “We are a supply chain manufacturer supporting local industries,” says Ben. “We don’t necessarily focus on our own proprietary products, but we supply to all walks of life between Canberra and Wangaratta, with some other work in Melbourne and Sydney every now and again. Our main…

“Our clients approach us to bring their ideas to life, and to solve problems in ways they hadn’t considered possible,” Samwell explains. “Prototyping is essential to our business, as it proves to clients that our designs are viable. However, when producing these prototypes with traditional methods, we were not only constrained by time and cost, but also increasingly felt the prototypes often lacked the realism our clients demanded.” Bluefrog needed the freedom to escape traditional design constraints at every stage of product development. It needed to produce fully functional, advanced prototypes with industry-recognised, engineering-grade materials. In a quest to find a solution, the team turned to additive manufacturing. Bluefrog’s versatility is best exemplified by its ability to solve seemingly insurmountable challenges. The team was recently approached by a young man suffering from paraesthesia, a condition that causes inexplicable burning, tingling or prickling across the skin. The only way to ease his pain was to ensure that his clothes touched…

Machining specialist Walter decided to tackle the topic area of digitalisation some years ago and, under the Walter Nexxt product line, is offering digital products and Industry 4.0 solutions that are tailored for use in medium-sized companies. It does not have to be, and above all cannot be, the one and only Industry 4.0 solution. Instead, Walter is dealing with a wide range of different levels of the planning and production process. For example, the Comara iCut software for optimising cutting data and the Comara appCom platform for monitoring production processes. Adaptive feed control: Cutting data optimisation via live data Automation, digitalisation and networked processes have been everyday aspects in many areas of industrial production for a long time now. New opportunities for further optimising processes have been created by…

Tool builders must also adapt to developments in the aerospace, aviation and medical industries that have necessitated machining high-temperature or exotic materials with maximum efficiency. In particular, the application of coolant with high (or ultra-high) pressure, directly to the working area to increase efficiency and chip flow, requires a suitable tooling solution. Vertical pick-up turning machines have wide applications for manufacturing of automotive, hydraulic and general industry parts, and their value in maximising efficiency should not be underestimated. Tools for multi-spindle machining centres Multi-spindle machining centres save space at manufacturing facilities and reduce tool inventory by using combined tools for sequential operations, and decrease set-up time by assembly and adjustment of the same tool for each spindle. The principal aim for using multi-spindle machines without Z-axis compensation is to facilitate the axial adjustment needed to achieve overlength precision. This ensures…

There is strong evidence that at an economy-wide level, business investment in digital technologies results in higher productivity over the long term. Manufacturing processes that were once standalone and analogue are becoming increasingly digitised. This facilitates development of “smart factories” that are significantly more flexible, transparent and customisable. A recent Epicor study found that over half of global businesses are assigning a high priority to IT investment. The adoption and deployment of Industry 4.0 within Australia has the potential to significantly improve the competiveness of the advanced manufacturing sector. In 2016, the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce was announced, with an initial aim to connect Australian and German industry leaders to collaborate and share information on Industry 4.0. The Taskforce now plans to create a network of Industry 4.0 testlabs, built in partnership with industry leaders to improve the competitiveness…