Member News

Wade recalls how the business has evolved since he joined: “With my background as a toolmaker and understanding precision engineering, we started to develop a customer base that needed high-precision sheet metal. This move was the key driver for sourcing machinery that would give us the accuracy for precision cutting, folding and punching. “Targeting the electronics industry set our business on a solid growth path. We quickly discovered the unmet demands of that industry, and by satisfying its needs, built great customer relationships that boosted our growth. “Visiting a Brisbane machinery show, we were introduced to Amada equipment and invested in our first Amada press brake. The success of our first high-precision machine encouraged further machinery investment that included Amada turret punches, laser cutters and additional folding machines. “A bonus of our new precision capability was the ability to offer our…

Readings above 50 points indicate expansion in activity, with higher results indicating a faster rate of expansion. Contractions in the machinery & equipment and TCF, paper & printing sectors, and a flat performance in the food & beverages sector failed to offset a return to growth in the building and metal products sectors while the chemicals sector continued to expand although at a more modest pace in September. Contractions were concentrated in the south-east corner of the country where outbreaks and lockdowns have been more severe. Of the six manufacturing sectors in the Australian PMI, metal products (up 8.7 points to 54.2), chemicals (down 2.2 points to 54.2) and building materials (up 8.9 points to 51.3) expanded in September, partly due to eased restrictions of construction activity in NSW. Food & beverages stalled (down 6.0 points to 50.5), while machinery & equipment (down 2.0 points to 48.4) and TCF, paper & printing (down 6.4 points to…

Since the very start, the COVID-19 pandemic has been a wake-up call for Australia regarding our attitudes to manufacturing. From supermarket shelves stripped of toilet paper to the mad rush to establish local production of medical ventilators, we all got a clear lesson about the vulnerability of modern supply chains and the need for strong sovereign manufacturing capability, so that we have continued access to all the things we rely on as a society. As the pandemic has dragged on, one of the few positives to come out of the crisis was the sense that there was at last widespread public recognition that manufacturing really matters. Now new research has corroborated this, putting real numbers on how far the popular mood has swung in support of our industry. The report from the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) reveals the general public’s current perception of Australian manufacturing and its understanding of this critical industry. Comparing data from early 2019…

Thales Australia’s Lithgow facility in regional New South Wales has commenced manufacturing 30mm cannon components for Rheinmetall Defence Australia, leveraging the support of 16 current and new Australian SME suppliers. Approximately 50% of the work will be done by these SME suppliers and the overall AIC is already over 85%. First samples manufactured in Australia have already passed quality control checks by Rheinmetall Defence in Germany. Lithgow has been the home of small arms manufacturing for over a century, proudly supporting Australia’s soldiers on battlefields around the world. The new manufacturing partnership builds on this distinguished heritage, creating approximately ten new jobs and supporting 130 jobs on site. The partnership will also look at transferring to Australia the manufacture and sustainment of a range of mounted weapons, combining Thales Australia’s deep manufacturing expertise and domestic supplier base with Rheinmetall’s world-class mounted weapons. Through substantial technology transfer to Australia in support of a number of Defence projects, and with an aim of 100% Australian Industry…

Vesticam evolved from the clinical need for simple, portable and affordable infra-red video goggles to record of eye movements during oculomotor tests. It is an innovative modification of existing trialled and tested equipment, making it portable, fully adjustable and accessible for widespread use. Vesticam’s product records eye movement (nystagmography) during over 15 standard bedside oculomotor tests, including tests that can only be done in the dark (with vision denied). The video and audio recordings can then be reviewed, stored or sent for second opinion. Prior to Vesticam, no existing IR video goggles met all of the required clinical parameters of being fully adjustable, easy to focus, light and comfortable for patients to wear, completely light-tight, and able to switch quickly from vision-denied to with-vision. A large part of the original design (innovation patented) was for an adjustable means of positioning a camera at a target. The design of Vesticam version 1 (V1) allowed the subject/patient to have a frame on their head (goggles) with a camera and illuminator,…

According to a November 2020 report by security company Dragos, the number of ransomware attacks in the manufacturing industry tripled during the year. Although a large part of manufacturing industry relies on information technology, it also relies largely on Industrial Control Systems for mass production of goods. This is the area that cyber criminals actively seek to target. With the recent ransomware attack on one of the largest oil pipelines in the US, many gas stations had no choice but to shut down – causing national gas prices on average to rise above $3. To resolve the matter, Colonial Pipeline had to pay $5m ransom within a few hours. Though, earlier the opposite of this was reported by CNN and Reuters, the ransom payment news was also later confirmed by the Wall Street Journal. This news is worrisome, since the success of a large-scale ransomware attack can be encouraging for the hackers to launch future attacks. Particularly for the manufacturing supply chain, if…

AML3D, a pioneer in commercialising Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM), has teamed up with the Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM) at Deakin to investigate the effect of scandium as a strengthening element for existing aluminium wire feedstock for 3D printing and welding applications, with the potential to commercialise. As part of the 12-month research collaboration, IFM researchers will create and road-test new alloy compositions that will deliver high strength, corrosion resistant WAAM structures, using AML3D’s WAM technology. Dr Thomas Dorin, who leads the research at Deakin’s IFM, highlights that most aluminium alloys obtain their strength via additional heat treatments which can be costly and not always practical when using WAM technology. “When you add scandium to aluminium, it acts as an ‘excellent strengthener’,” says Dr Dorin. “Our preliminary research has shown that aluminium-scandium forms strengthening AI3Sc particles during WAM and create as-printed high-strength structures with limited need for subsequent heat treatment. Also, scandium is electrochemically neutral with aluminium. The new…

“Almost three quarters of the lifetime costs of a compressor are attributed to energy,” says Peter Eckberg, Managing Director at Kaeser Compressors Australia. “If you take the example of a 250kW compressor, running three shifts, seven days a week, and with electricity costs at $0.15/kWh, then over an average 10-year lifecycle that will cost $3.28m to run in electricity costs alone! What’s surprising to many people, is that in most compressed air systems only around 50% of the compressed air produced is actually production demand.” With Eckberg’s example, that means that more than $1.6m is being potentially wasted through issues such as: compressed air leaks (25% to 30%), artificial demand (10% to 15%) and inappropriate uses (5% to 10%). But there is good news. Many existing compressed air systems are hiding an energy savings potential of up to 30%. “Whether you’re…

However, many air cleaners are unable to extract the invisible, superfine particles that constitute the greatest threat to workers’ heath: mist particles with a diameter below 3-5μm. These particles can get into a person’s lungs and then the blood, potentially causing health issues. Available in Australia from Dimac Tooling, Reven air cleaners feature Reven’s patented high-performance X-CYCLONE separating system, specifically developed for the separation of air-borne substances including fluid and superfine particles. Measurements by Germany’s Fraunhofer Institute prove that Reven air cleaners with X-CYCLONE technology attain a separation efficiency of 98% with critical particle sizes below 3-5 μm. “The issue of removal of superfine particles in the air has perhaps been overlooked when it comes to general air filtering,” says Dimac Managing Director Paul Fowler. “But only highly efficient air cleaners such as Reven can remove a complete spectrum of pollutants such as mists and smoke, including of course superfine particles. Using a Reven air cleaner will ensure workers breathe fresh air and are protected from these particles. A Reven air…

The merger is the sixth for William Buck since 2019 as the firm continues a growth trajectory that’s achieved both organically and through strategic equity partnerships and merger opportunities. Effective since 13 September, the merger brings together the strong client base and relationship-driven team of boutique firm BR Wellington with William Buck’s deep resources and 125-year history. BR Wellington is a dynamic firm with a demonstrated history of winning sophisticated small-to-medium business owner clients in their growth phase. This aligns with William Buck’s vision of being the leading advisory firm to mid-market clients. Neil Brennan, Director, William Buck said the firms are an obvious fit as they share the same value proposition of providing exceptional client services and building lasting relationships. “Like with each of our past mergers, this decision was designed to create an environment where we can improve on our delivery of superior client experiences,” said Brennan. “The addition of BR Wellington’s expertise enables us to provide increased value and choice for our…

New forms of human-machine interaction, as well as advances in artificially intelligence (AI) technologies, give manufacturers better connectivity between their customers and supply chains, as well as more flexibility to produce differentiated products to meet consumer demand. However, the amount of technological advancement that once occurred over a number of years is now happening in a fraction of that time. As technologies continue to accelerate and disrupt, the great differentiator won’t simply be a matter of quality or cost but how quickly one company can innovate over another. According to Austrade, over the next 20 years Australia’s manufacturing industry will evolve into a highly integrated, collaborative and export-focused ecosystem that provides high-value customised solutions within global value chains. The sector will focus on pre-production (design, research and development) and post-production (after-sales services) value-adding, sustainable manufacturing and low-volume, high-margin customised manufacturing. To enable this vision, Australia’s manufacturing sector will increasingly rely on sensors and data analytics, AI technology,…

Radetec Diagnostics is a Melbourne-based biotechnology company dedicated to developing a world-leading “platform technology” based on quantum dots – advanced luminescent nanoparticles that can be used as labels for imaging and sensing applications. This has a wide range of clinical applications, particularly in the field of point-of-care rapid diagnostics, portable in-vitro diagnostic (IVDs) devices that are used for fast and inexpensive testing of various infectious diseases such as COVID-19, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) or even cancer and Parkinson’s’ disease biomarkers. Radetec’s IVD product range consist of point-of-care test strips, and an electronic reader that is able to generate quantifiable readings in the diagnostic process. The test strips are based on a lateral flow assay test methodology, where a reagent deposited on the test strip generates a reaction to a targeted biomarker. In this case, this reaction creates a visible florescence response in the reagent when illuminated with a UV light source. The project entails the design and manufacture of such a reader to initially assist…

The ipLaser cloud-based technology suite – which can automatically process three-dimensional engineering and production graphics provided by customers – not only automates business processes and saves time, but transforms and expands business opportunities for the huge and rapidly growing number of laser service providers. “It does this by enabling laser cutting businesses to respond to customers’ needs more quickly and to reach many more prospective customers than previously in a given time,” says ipLaser Managing Director, Ivan Cooper. “The new process – which we believe is unique in the global market – goes far beyond saving time and costs, to fundamentally change and improve the way a business built around laser cutting can grow. “This technology is a game-changer across multiple industries, because laser cutting is one of the world’s fastest growing industries, with the machine market alone expected to exceed US$7bn (almost AUD9bn) by 2024, as major industries adopt this fast, accurate technology that flexibly responds to the digital revolution of…