Member News

Every manufactured product you can think of, from the coffee you have first thing in the morning and the cereal you eat for breakfast, to the computer you use at work, the train home in the evening, and the car waiting at the station, and even the couch you sit on to watch your television with a glass of wine – they are all made by machines that were made by machine tools. Think about that... just the coffee beans alone require a coffee bean harvester, washing and screening equipment, dry processing, roasting, hulling, polishing, sorting and grading processes. Each one of these processes requires equipment that has significant machining and fabrication work to produce it. And that’s just the coffee beans. So if you have your coffee with milk and sugar, multiply all those processes by three, and then include the machine that you have sitting in your kitchen that now allows you to push a button and the coffee is produced. Whilst we may take making a coffee for…

Minister Husic said at his National Press Club Address that manufacturers are already some of the country’s biggest investors in research and development. Currently, the manufacturing sector makes up almost 30% of total R&D expenditure through the government’s R&D Tax Incentive. “The science ecosystem is a broad one, spanning the lab bench to the board room to the factory floor,” he said. “We need to support it, and sustain it, from basic research at the lab bench to new industrial uses and technologies. To this end, we have kicked off a consultation to revitalise Australia’s science priorities.” The Federal Government’s review of the Australian Research Council and the development of a Universities Accord, is led by Ed Husic, and Jason Clare, Minister for Education. As part of their new science and technology pipeline, the government has a goal of generating up to 1.2 million tech-related jobs in Australia by 2030. The Minister mentioned at the NPC address that, “there are already more software engineers and developers in Australia than there are hairdressers…

When NSW Ports embarked on a two-year program to rehabilitate the structures and combat corrosion levels at its Bulk Liquid Berth 1 (BLB1), it commissioned Melbourne-based consultancy Infracorr to deliver a bespoke cathodic protection (CP) system. Designing the system presented several challenges because BLB1 houses hazardous gas, petroleum and chemical pipelines that could be at risk of ignition if exposed to unsafe levels of voltages and currents. To safely deliver the system, the consulting firm engaged cathodic protection specialist Omniflex to support the hazardous area and remote monitoring aspects of the CP system design. Over the last decade, reports have established that chlorine-induced corrosion is affecting some of the major structures at NSW Ports, including Sydney Harbour and Port Botany, Australia’s largest container port. NSW Ports commissioned Infracorr to design a CP system for use at BLB1, which is located at Port Botany and houses hazardous gas pipelines. The project also included the repair of defective concrete structures, which were suffering from the effects of corrosion and concrete spalling in the many pre-stressed beams and headstocks of the various bridges…

“Explainable AI is a set of tools and techniques that help us to understand model decisions and uncover problems like bias,” says Stephane Marouani, the Country Manager at MathWorks Australia. “Explainability can help those working with AI understand how machine learning models arrive at predictions, which can be as simple as understanding which features drive model decisions but more difficult when explaining complex models.” AI is transforming nearly every industry and application area. With that comes requirements for highly accurate AI models. These AI models can often be more accurate than traditional methods, yet this can sometimes come at a price. Most advanced AI models are “black boxes” by nature of the underlying neural network techniques where results are hard to trace and it’s difficult to understand the line of reasoning. This is never truer than today in the face of the world’s race to electrify everything and the ubiquitous integration of AI, which are two separate but…

Harnessing the energy from pulsed lasers provides a new tool to improve the reliability and lifetime of metal parts. Laser shock peening offers significantly deeper residual compressive stresses (RCS) than traditional shot peening methods. With the introduction of THEIA, a diode-pumped Nd:YAG laser, Thales enters a new sector, that of laser shock peening, shifting metal fatigue prevention to a higher plane. History indicates ‘shot peening’ (SP) has been used over the past five decades in surface modification to metals and alloys, for the purpose of changing the surface integrity, obtaining superior mechanical properties, preventing metal fatigue, or surface cracking and in so doing improve the service life of parts. The result is a dimpling effect. Following the impact, the recovery process induces residual compressive stresses (RCS) on the surface of the substrate making it stronger and resistant to surface cracking. Shot peening is widely used on various metals and alloys across industrial, aerospace, medical, and automobile sector. Recently laser shock peening (LSP) has been adopted as a more suitable process in critical industries such as nuclear, biomedical and aerospace. In…

Founded in 1985 and acquired in 2004 by Phil Wicks and his son Ray Wicks, Kingsway Confectionery has cemented its reputation as a supplier of quality wholesale and retail confectionery products along with being a prominent co-packing partner for branded and private label products in the confectionery and snack food industries. In 2016 the business relocated to their current premises in Melbourne’s bayside suburb of Seaford. This move facilitated the immediate expansion of the operation and provided the necessary scope for further growth opportunities. In 2020 the need for additional capacity became apparent and the installation of their third production line was commissioned. Ray Wicks has taken over the mantle of General Manager from his now semi-retired father overseeing the day-to-day operations. Wicks is supported by partners Jason Keegan (Production & Warehousing), Niki Totton (Sales & Development) and what they all agree are amazing and committed production and warehousing crew. “While our recognisable expertise is packaging goods, behind the scenes we are problem solvers and a valuable knowledge centre. We pride ourselves on being a trusted and agile business partner, and we are…

The Digital Jobs for Manufacturing Program is open to businesses with a manufacturing presence in Victoria which are on a growth trajectory and are seeking to utilise their existing workforce to apply digital technology to their operations. Global manufacturing is becoming increasingly technology-driven, requiring highly skilled workers and a competitive edge in new techniques. Manufacturing technologies are constantly changing and manufacturers in Victoria need to continuously adapt to maintain their advantage. The Digital Jobs for Manufacturing Program assists Victorian manufacturing businesses adapt to a digital operating environment by providing nominated employees with fully subsidised digital skills training. Funding is available to manufacturing businesses to enroll their employees in a training course in a highly sought-after digital skill. Businesses can select from a list of 12-week online, part-time industry-endorsed courses. Examples include (but are not limited to): data analytics; cloud computing; IT operations and support; web development; digital marketing; enterprise resource planning (ERP); customer relationship management (CRM); or robotic process automation. Grants of up to $5,000 are available per employee and require…

Henkel is slated to produce Loctite polyurethane (PUR) adhesives in Australia from the first half of 2023. The adhesives will be manufactured in Kilsyth, Victoria, to serve the engineered wood industry across Australia and New Zealand. “Purbond adhesives are used globally and have long been the benchmark for innovation and reliability in the engineered wood industry. Producing Purbond locally is an exciting endeavor that opens many opportunities for us to help our customers in Australia and New Zealand to grow,” said Brad Simpson, Sales Manager and Business Unit Manager, Adhesives Technologies, Engineered Wood, Furniture and Building Components. Henkel’s adhesive experts at its Innovation and Application Labs in Sydney and Auckland, help customers explore ways to expedite the time to market and optimise their own production processes for the development of engineered wood solutions. With the production of Purbond in Australia, adhesives production can be customised for specific performance requirements such as fire resistance and for use with modified timbers. “By localising the production of Purbond adhesives, our customers will benefit from reduced lead times from order to delivery, as well as greater supply…

Established in 2016, Zone RV offers a range of Australian-made off-road caravans that combine lightweight composite bodies with class-leading components. Headquartered in Coolum Beach, QLD, the company employs technologies from sectors such as aerospace and maritime to manufacture off-road caravans that are lighter, stronger, and safer. The Zone RV team boasts more than a quarter-century of experience in true composite manufacturing across the marine, aeronautical and civil construction industries. In its ongoing pursuit of improved processes at its production facility, Zone RV recently turned to additive manufacturing as a means of expanding capability and raising productivity. In particular, it was keen to streamline its mould-making operations through the adoption of 3D printing. Following extensive research, the company opted for a VSF122 large-area gantry-based machine from CNC Design, a hybrid additive-subtractive system capable of both 3D printing and machining in composite materials. “At Zone RV we’re always looking for new ways to deliver a better product more efficiently,” Dave Biggar from Zone RV said, “and…

AMT: You started as CEO at the Australian Logistics Council (ALC) this July. Tell me a little about your career journey until now. Dr Hermione Parsons: My career focus has been on end-to-end supply chain strategy and complexity, planning multimodal infrastructure and solving freight logistics in metropolitan, regional and international markets. Multimodal infrastructure involves two or more types of transport. AMT: To help others wanting to move into supply chain management, what did you study? HP: I completed a Masters of Urban Planning – Intermodal Freight Systems, specialising in integrated port freight logistics at the University of Melbourne. Then I did a PhD at Monash University in end-to-end supply chain in the fresh produce and retail industry. I am also a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. On-the-job training in corporate and government roles related to supply chain has also helped me to gain extensive industry knowledge. AMT: Tell me a little about ALC? HP: ALC represents the major Australian supply-chain…

Minister for Education, The Hon Jason Clare has announced that the Australian Research Centre will fund the establishment of the ARC Training Centre for Innovative Composites for the Future of Sustainable Mining Equipment at the University of Wollongong (UOW). UOW Vice-Chancellor Professor Patricia Davidson said the Illawarra is the perfect setting for a centre focusing on sustainable mining. “Wollongong has deeply held roots in mining and manufacturing, and this training centre will be the perfect launch pad for global collaboration and innovation,” Professor Davidson said. “Our state-of-the-art engineering and technology hubs will offer the perfect environment to train the future minds of mining and to find solutions to revolutionise an industry that contributes 15% of Australian GDP.” In Australia the Mining Equipment, Technology and Service (METS) sector is estimated to add more than $50bn and 80,000 new jobs to the Australian economy by 2030. The transformation of the sector towards more efficient, cost-effective, innovative, sustainable and digital operations will require safer machinery and equipment, which is able to operate in deeper mines and harsh…

Successful Endeavours has won the Australian Industrial Product of the Year 2022 at the Manufacturers Monthly Endeavour Awards. And they were also a category finalist for the Best Industrial IoT Application. “I’m very pleased for this recognition for our team and for this product, which is designed in Australia and made in Australia,” said Ray Keefe, Founder and Director at Successful Endeavours. “The Plumb Guard MkIV Bluetooth is a good example of the types of projects we undertake.”  Ray Keefe has developed market-leading electronics products in Australia for more than 30 years. The Endeavour Awards have been at the pinnacle of Australian Manufacturing awards for the past 10 years. Ray Keefe was surprised and elated to win the Australian Industrial Product of the Year for 2022. “We have a great team and I am pleased they are able to be recognised at the industry level for their contribution to Australian manufacturing,” he said. The Plumb Guard MkIV Bluetooth product is a modern industrial IoT-enabled safety device that helps keep plumbers alive by warning them, and their on-site supervisors, that they are in…

Capral introduces LocAl®, a lower-carbon primary aluminium option available across Capral's locally manufactured extruded aluminium products. Providing Australian manufacturers access to cleaner, greener, more sustainable aluminium for their projects. The LocAl offer includes two lower carbon aluminium options: LocAl Green with carbon emissions of 8kg CO2e/kg Al* and LocAl Super Green at 4kg CO2e/kg Al* - amongst the lowest carbon aluminium available globally. In 2022, Capral committed to reaching Net Zero emissions by 2050, a significant step change, driving rapid innovation and cultural evolution throughout the business, most notably within procurement and operations. The introduction of LocAl demonstrates a deliberate shift in Capral's procurement strategy for primary aluminium billet. Luke Hawkins, General Manager of Supply & Industrial Solutions, said this is a strategic change for Capral, “driven by our desire to make lower Carbon aluminium accessible to Australian manufacturers. The market is looking for this product, and as Australia's largest extruder of aluminium, we must make it available. In 2022, 22% of the primary aluminium billet Capral uses in its eight local extrusion presses had a carbon content lower than eight kilograms CO2e per kilogram…