Member News

Woolworths Group is committed to removing plastic from packaging wherever it can, already removing more than 5,800-tonnes of virgin (newly made) single-use plastic and packaging from its own brand range in FY22. Where there is currently no viable alternative to plastic for food safety or quality, Woolworths Group is working to use recycled plastic to reduce the environmental impact. The partnership being developed between Woolworths Group and Pact is expected to represent a multimillion-dollar investment in local recycling and manufacturing capacity. Projections that the partnership could see 18,000-tonnes of newly made plastic replaced with locally-produced recycled plastic each year would relate to an estimated decrease in carbon emissions of almost 25,000-tonnes (equivalent to planting more than 37,000 trees) and a saving of almost 500 Olympic swimming pools-worth of water annually. The intent of the proposed partnership is to establish Pact as Woolworths Group’s key strategic partner by volume in its efforts to deliver more sustainable packaging across its own brand range and…

Crushers, conveyors, belt sweepers, and vibratory equipment are areas where air springs are used in challenging applications where reliability and resistance to grime are critical. The same highly robust air springs go into the suspensions of big trucks working on the same mining, quarrying, materials handling, ports, and energy sites. A company that has spent more than 40 years building up its national network to supply air springs used to process and transport goods is now helping the industry avoid the need to expensively import urgently needed components as they wear out and need replacement. Air Springs Supply P/L supplies global quality brands of air spring actuators, isolators, and air suspension components including Firestone Airride™ airbags used as OEM equipment by major truck manufacturers, as well as original and crossover replacement actuators and isolators for conveying and processing equipment. The company - which is Australia’s leading supplier of air springs for heavy transport and industrial use – has worked hand-in-hand with the industry over the past two years to help ensure supply in…

Celebrating its 20th year, the Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards was staged spectacularly at the Crown Palladium down by the Yarra to showcase the achievements of manufacturers across Victoria. The awards recognised the excellence of individuals and companies that have embraced new technologies, are export-focused, and drive business innovation. AMTIL would especially like to congratulate the Members who won major awards on the night. Paul Hughes from Integra Systems accepted their Induction into the Hall of Fame (above); Pat McCluskey and Patrick Boland from ANCA, entered the Honor Roll for their Services to Industry. And then Barry Finnin from Amaero Additive Manufacturing won the Award for Small Manufacturing Business of the Year. The Hon Ben Carroll MP, The Victorian Minister for Industry, Support and Recovery in introducing the awards with ABC’s Virginia Trioli as a very engaging MC, said that “this year’s winners and finalists showcase the strength of our manufacturing industry and are paving the way for a bright future ahead.” “These advancements are cementing Victoria’s status as the epicentre of Australian advanced manufacturing and a destination of choice for leading companies,” he…

The University of Adelaide’s industry partner PhosEnergy has received a grant under the Federal Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) Grants scheme to work with the University on the development of next-generation nuclear batteries. The University's Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Anton Middelberg said: “This latest funding will help University of Adelaide experts to work with our industry partner PhosEnergy on research that will directly improve the capability of the defence and space sectors. “This funding will help our defence forces have access to cutting-edge technology that will help to ensure the safety of our nation and that of our trusted allies. “A long-life, reliable, maintenance and fuel-free power system for low-Earth orbit, lunar and deep-space applications is critical for enabling the next phases of space exploration.” “The burgeoning space industry and increasingly sophisticated remote defence sites where power-hungry technology is located are creating enormous demand for long-life, fuel-free power sources,” said Bryn Jones the Managing Director of PhosEnergy. A grant of $2,427,689 will be used to further develop PhosEnergy’s long-life, reliable, maintenance and fuel-free nuclear battery technology for space and defence industries…

Lockdown has been tough for everyone, but the people at Integra Systems recognise they have been luckier than many due to the continuity of their work. For those in the local community who haven’t been so lucky and may have lost their income and/or sense of purpose, Integra found a way to help them through these difficult times: an at-home program for assembling toolholder kits. The program idea came from their Director of Innovation, Russell Hughes, who adapted it from a traditional German cottage industry model used by the cuckoo clock trade. In the Black Forest region of Germany, the villagers would get snowed in during the winter, so, to combat this issue, families focused on specific parts of cuckoo clock production, such as woodcarving, so they could generate an income during their isolation across the colder months. The Integra at-home program works in a similar way to these cuckoo clock creators in Germany. “We create kits at our facility in Melbourne’s North and then send these kits out to members of the community,” explains Hughes. “These are families, students without work, single people,…

Austal Limited has announced the Department of Defence will order an additional two Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats (ECCPB’s) for the Royal Australian Navy, for $124m. The two new vessels are in addition to the six Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats that are currently being delivered by Austal Australia for the Royal Australian Navy. Austal Limited Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said, “We are incredibly proud to be supporting the Royal Australian Navy by providing and enhancing fleet capability; working in collaboration with the Department of Defence and Industry partners. “This announcement for additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats further strengthens and supports Australian sovereign shipbuilding capability and provides Austal, and our outstanding supply chain partners, with a level of continuity that will provide stability and security for the National Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise. Austal will also continue to invest and develop our facilities in Henderson to ensure we have the capability and capacity for the future programme of work,” Gregg said. Austal delivered the first of the Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats, the ADV Cape Otway last month. Eight Evolved Cape Patrol Boats…

Cue specialist parts manufacturer, Geographe, invited to assist with the rescue of the stranded live export ship at sea, characteristically rising to the custom manufacturing challenge to help save the day. The engineering team worked around the clock to complete the urgent work and the job was completed within five days without the need for costly unloading and reloading of the ship. This professionalism, prompt response, quality of the finished product, and exceptional service are well recognised and widely regarded by Geographe’s diverse client base including in Mining, Oil & Gas, Naval, and Transport. During the 50 years since Geographe began manufacturing replacements and repairing parts in a modest backyard workshop in Busselton, WA, the company has grown to the large-scale operation it is today with multiple offices, workshops, and distribution partners across Australia. The highly skilled Geographe engineering team always strives to innovate, designing, manufacturing, and repairing parts for heavy machinery and plant equipment,…

Markforged, the creator of the integrated metal and carbon-fibre additive manufacturing platform, The Digital Forge, has announced a definitive agreement with Höganäs AB to acquire Digital Metal, the creator of a leading binder jetting solution extending Markforged’s capabilities into high-throughput production of metal additive parts. The addition of Digital Metal furthers Markforged’s strategy to solve manufacturing challenges for industrial customers at the point of need. With this new offering, manufacturers have the opportunity to produce high volumes of functional metal parts with minimal setup required. Traditional production often requires months to move from design to manufacturing, introduces third-party supplier risk, and provides poor unit economics during ramp-up and in lower volumes. Markforged sees powder binder jetting as a highly scalable additive manufacturing technology for production-grade parts using a variety of metal materials. Digital Metal’s solution is designed to provide high-precision, best-in-class part quality, and reliability. Powder binder jetting complements the existing Digital Forge offering and will expand Markforged’s addressable market by solving new customer problems. “With the Digital Metal acquisition, Markforged is advancing our vision for distributed manufacturing by enabling the reliable,…

As a society, we’re all working towards shared sustainability goals. Whether that’s to limit global warming as outlined in the Paris Agreement, to make the switch to electrified transport, or as part of nation-specific net-zero targets, the world shares a common objective. Manufacturing needs data-led sustainability goals. In addition to focusing on global goals, manufacturers should have their own sustainability targets and crucially, these must be led by data. The Friedman doctrine also called shareholder theory or stockholder theory is a normative theory of business ethics advanced by economist Milton Friedman. In it, Friedman defines the sole purpose of a corporation as to create the greatest profit possible for shareholders. Today, this explanation is dated and arguably irresponsible. Businesses still want their efforts to generate profit, that’s non-negotiable. However, profit cannot come before people and the planet. Companies of all sizes, from all industries, are now focusing on another non-negotiable…

Delivering a high-quality product in an efficient, safe way is key to the success of Australia’s leading aluminium boat and trailer manufacturer, Telwater. The iconic boat building company opened its doors on the Gold Coast in 1988 and has become synonymous with its innovative designs, advanced technology, and range of aluminium boat models. Telwater designs and manufactures four of Australia’s leading aluminium boat brands including Quintrex, Stacer, Savage and Yellowfin Plate. The team consists of expert welders and painters, research and development technicians and many other trades, all committed to the highest quality workmanship. To maintain its reputation as a leading manufacturer, Telwater invests in new solutions to improve efficiency, safety and reliability across its substantial manufacturing operations. Manufacturing multiple boats per day, often to tight deadlines, the team at Telwater relies heavily on welding equipment and gases to deliver high-quality aluminium welds. “If we don’t have a good end-product, there are lots of warranty claims which can be extremely time-consuming for our customers and employees. That is why we continually invest in the latest welding equipment and processes,” said Robert…

With inflation growing at its fastest pace in 20 years according to the Reserve Bank of Australia, associated rising costs are arguably the biggest challenge for Australian businesses. This is making it difficult for businesses to price their products correctly and could potentially strain margins and customer relations as these companies either absorb the costs or pass them on to the buyer. The manufacturing sector, in particular, has been under increased pressure, grappling with supply chain disruption, labour shortages and fuel price rises. Almost one in seven manufacturers agree that inflation is likely to remain elevated at the end of 2022, according to a PwC Pulse Survey. And this situation is unlikely to ease over the next two years. If not addressed, we run the risk of further business closures and dampening our national economic recovery from the pandemic. Adjusting pricing strategies now will support manufacturers to contain costs with inflation on the rise. Manufacturers must look to nuanced pricing approaches that allow for pricing adjustments that move as quickly as market fluctuations, to drive…

In 2019, it has been estimated that 600,000 implants were produced with 3D printing. Demand-driven by an ageing population, joints wearing out with sports, bone loss with trauma, and medical conditions, it is no wonder the requirement for implants is projected to grow to four million by 2027. Additive manufacturing has been used since the 1990s to customise patient-specific implants. This technique makes surgeries easier with 3D printed surgical guides and also leads to better healing outcomes for the patient. Osseointegration is the medical term for the direct structural and functional connection between living bone and the surface of a load-bearing implant. Because titanium alloy is around three to four times stiffer than bones, biomechanical engineers must tailor the size and shape of the implant’s lattice structure to adjust the pliability of the implant to be closer to the bone’s stiffness. Research has shown the rough texture of lattice structures in implants (that can only be made with 3D printing) promotes osseointegration and facilitates soft tissue and bone regrowth. Metal implants are 3D printed using powder bed fusion technology, including…

A significant quality improvement of the de-powdering and cleaning operation for 3D printed components at lower costs and shorter cycle times! A leading manufacturer of recreational vehicles is fulfilling this goal with the purchase of the automated post-processing system, S1 from AM Solutions – 3D post-processing technology. With their innovative designs and powerful drive systems the motor homes, caravans and panel trucks of the Knaus Tabbert AG allow safe, comfortable and sustainable travelling. At its German headquarters in Jandelsbrunn, Bavaria, the company is using its know-how to continuously improve the materials and designs of its vehicles. Naturally, this also includes the employment of new manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing (AM). Mario Meszaros, development engineer at Knaus Tabbert explains: “On the one hand we are using the 3D printing technology for creating prototypes. On the other, we are also using additive manufacturing for producing standard components in volume such as the bracket for an alarm system or the hinge mechanism for the swing-out shower stall.” A challenging post-processing task To date, the de-powdering and cleaning of PA 12 components, produced by a…