Industry News

Of all the benefits that collaborative robots, or cobots, bring to the modern workplace, increased productivity tends to be the main driver, Graham Williams, regional manager for Vectis Automation says. “We have a three-to-four times typical increase in production output if we’re going from manual welding to robotic welding – and that can be as high as 10-12 times if I’m going from manual TIG Welding to cobot MIG welding,” he says. “We had a customer that was doing about a 4m long weld, and it would normally take them about eight hours manually – and they trimmed that down to about 45 minutes with the cobot.” But almost more important than this, Williams says, is the morale boost it offers to the workforce – the possibility of a robot taking on the least comfortable and most repetitive tasks. “If I can have a cobot start with that, it’s going to increase my satisfaction coming into work every day – because I don’t have to do that thing I used to hate doing; the cobot does…

The Australian manufacturing sector is approaching a significant energy transition as the economics and capabilities of battery storage continue to evolve. According to Paul Morrissy, Senior Manager, Renewable Solutions at RACV Commercial Energy Solutions, the shift has become noticeable in enquiries from businesses. “Two years ago, the vast majority of our sales activity was solar only. Today, battery storage features in a growing proportion of discussions, either as part of new solar projects or as retrofits to existing sites,” he says. This trend, he says, reflects wider momentum across the industry. “Businesses are no longer asking if batteries make sense, but how and when to deploy them. As economics continue to improve and operational use cases expand, RACV expects battery storage to become a standard feature of commercial and industrial energy systems over the next five years.” This move comes as falling system prices, regulatory changes and shifting energy pricing patterns converge to reshape the economics of storage. “The most significant has been the rapid decline in costs of…

With a long history as an industrial gas supplier to Australian businesses, BOC and its parent company Linde are investing in new technologies to help lift productivity and improve safety. Richard Fowles, manufacturing gases application manager for BOC South Pacific, says that recent changes to Australian welding fume exposure standards has put a focus on new technologies. “We released a range of prevention line shielding gases that are proven to lower fume emission rates for gas metal arc welding (GMAW), flux cored arc welding (FCAW) and metal cored arc welding (MCAW) of carbon and low alloy steels,” he says. “We are also using advanced gas mixing and analysis to enable doping of shielding gases to ppm levels, and facilitating the continuous analysis of these on-site gas mixes to ensure compliance with AS/NZS ISO 14175.” Fowles adds that BOC has been investing in research and development to drive improvements in both productivity and health and safety. “This includes the use of alternative fuel gases for heating and cutting applications, welding…

The list recognises leaders from across the manufacturing ecosystem whose influence extends beyond their own organisations, contributing to important conversations around policy, technology adoption, skills development, and long-term industry growth. Of particular significance for the AMTIL community is the inclusion of AMTIL CEO Lorraine Maxwell. Lorraine's recognition reflects both her personal contribution to the industry and the important role AMTIL continues to play as a leading voice for Australia's advanced manufacturing sector. For AMTIL members, this acknowledgement reinforces the value of belonging to an association that actively advocates for the industry's interests, supports capability development, and helps manufacturers remain connected to emerging opportunities and industry developments. The timing of this recognition is particularly relevant. Manufacturers today face a rapidly evolving operating environment, with businesses balancing productivity improvements, digital transformation, skills shortages, sovereign manufacturing priorities, and the transition to more sustainable production practices. In this environment, industry leaders play a vital role in…

The Western Australian Government has today announced plans for a proposed large-scale defence manufacturing hub aimed at strengthening sovereign industrial capability and attracting international investment. The announcement was made today at IODS 2026 by Premier Roger Cook with Minister for Defence Industries Paul Papalia and Manufacturing Minister Amber-Jade Sanderson, and outlined the Government’s call for industry participation in shaping the proposed precinct. Expressions of interest (EOI) are now open to local, national and international companies to help shape the proposed hub, which would focus on advanced defence manufacturing and supporting technologies. Areas identified as part of the opportunity include aerospace, autonomous systems, advanced materials, precision manufacturing, energetics and space technologies. AMTIL strongly supports this initiative as it aligns with our commitment to championing advanced manufacturing growth, fostering industry collaboration, and ensuring Australian manufacturers remain globally competitive. The Western Australian Government said the initiative was intended to support Australia’s sovereign defence capability while contributing to allied supply chains and growing global demand for advanced defence manufacturing. “This is a call out to our…

**This story originally appeared in the April 2026 edition of AMT Magazine** Virtual and augmented reality offerings, now more commonly called immersive technologies or extended reality (XR), have long sat in the background of industrial innovation but rarely at the centre of manufacturing workflows. Instead, the clunky headsets have long been a stable at trade shows, used for a virtual tour of an offshore platform or production facility, or to play a quick game guiding a golf ball into a hole. But industrial designer and Composit director Ben Breitenstein says that play time is over, and it’s time for manufacturers to reassess what extended reality (XR) and other immersive technologies can offer to the workplace. “VR is the best tool for some jobs,” he says. “It’s just not the best tool for every job. The issue is most people only ever saw the gimmicks.” When consumer virtual reality (VR) headsets first hit the shelves between 2014-2016, gamers, businesses and every willing tech-head was promised a…

**This story originally appeared in the April 2026 edition of AMT Magazine** Part of the problem in truly understanding and acting upon artificial intelligence (AI) lies in defining the term, data scientist Mikhail Golovnya says. He tells AMT that ‘artificial intelligence’ has become “a highly overloaded term,” a catch‑all explanation for almost any digital change – and his first move is to narrow its definition. “What we name today as AI is usually generative AI, which is a narrow part of AI… but in the broader terms, especially in manufacturing context…AI simply means effective use of modern data analytics and machine learning techniques to address specific manufacturing and business needs,” he says. For him, the most recent inflection point is large language models (LLMs) and the transformer architecture that finally let people ‘talk’ to machines. “We have experienced the ability to communicate with machines using human language,” Golovnya says. “Here comes the revolutionary part, and [here]…

Australian Manufacturing Week 2026 marked an important milestone for the industry, with the event making its highly anticipated debut in Queensland. Held from 12–14 May at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre, the move north was met with strong enthusiasm from across the sector and delivered an energetic, highly engaged exhibition floor from day one. The numbers tell a compelling story. A total of 6,862 unique visitors attended AMW 2026, generating 8,145 visits across the three days. This gap between visitors and visits highlights a key trend, a significant proportion of attendees returned for multiple days to continue conversations, revisit exhibits and deepen their engagement with suppliers and technologies. It is a clear indicator of the event’s value and relevance to decision-makers and practitioners alike. That engagement was evident across the show floor. With 232 exhibitors spread across a 15,000 sqm footprint, AMW 2026 delivered a consistently busy and active environment, supported by six dedicated product zones covering everything from additive manufacturing through to robotics, machine tools and welding solutions. Exhibitors…

Recognised as Australia’s premier event for the precision manufacturing, engineering and related industries, AMW 2026 brings more than 230 exhibitors together under one roof. From the moment doors open, attendees can see advanced manufacturing solutions operating live, gaining direct and practical insight into how today’s technologies are being applied on the factory floor. With the theme Manufacturing the Future Through Tech Innovation, AMW 2026 reflects the growing urgency for manufacturers to improve productivity, competitiveness and resilience in a rapidly changing global environment. The event is designed to support informed decision-making, allowing manufacturers to compare technologies side by side and engage directly with solution providers. “Australian Manufacturing Week is where technology meets reality,” said AMTIL CEO Lorraine Maxwell. “By bringing together such a broad range of technologies and demonstrating them live, the event enables manufacturers to have meaningful, informed discussions about what will deliver real value in their own operations.” Live technology, in one place Across…

Effective 1 July 2026, the partnership brings specialist publishing expertise and established production timelines to AMT Magazine, ensuring the publication continues to deliver high‑quality editorial outcomes for industry. AMT Magazine has long been recognised as the industry’s magazine. Developed by industry, for industry, it is a trusted source of insight, education and support for Australia’s manufacturing technology community. Through this partnership, AMTIL retains full ownership of the AMT brand and maintains final editorial approval on every edition, while Executive Media delivers production and publishing support. Executive Media brings more than 50 years’ experience in producing high‑quality industry publications, providing added capability and scale to support the magazine’s ongoing success. Continuing strong editorial focus and member value AMT Magazine is published four times per year and remains one of the most effective channels for AMTIL members to share expertise, showcase capability and reach thousands of decision‑makers across the sector. Under the new arrangement, AMTIL’s Team will continue to coordinate all…

**This story originally appeared in the April 2026 edition of AMT Magazine** Manufacturers tend to see their biggest financial calls as separate moments—a research and development (R&D) application here, a capital expenditure decision there, a restructure when succession becomes unavoidable. But for William Buck business advisory principal Jeremy Raniti and R&D Tax Incentives & Grants principal Berrin Daricili, these choices should not be made in isolation. Ahead of the Australian Manufacturing Week workshop entitled “Manufacturing Growth Engine: Funding, Forecasting & Future Wealth”, which they will host alongside William Buck wealth advisory partner Scott Montefiore, the principals say they aim to help businesses structure themselves for the long term. “We're not just focusing on the present moment – there's so much happening, and the economy is dynamic, the landscape is always changing,” Raniti says. “Whether businesses are in that startup phase, in growth, or they're mature – at each of those steps, there's a different set of support and…

Early 2026 is already revealing clear manufacturing patterns across Asia‑Pacific. Digital maturity, physics‑aware engineering tools, workforce pressure and sovereign capability are converging in ways that raise both opportunity and risk for Australian industry. Investment continues to flow toward higher‑value production, expectations around digital capability are rising, and manufacturers are being asked to deliver greater complexity with tighter labour constraints and slimmer margins. One additional factor is sharpening decision‑making across the region: energy. Volatility in global energy markets has re‑emerged as a material consideration for manufacturers, influencing not just operating costs but assumptions about reliability, scaling and investment risk. Few industry leaders are currently planning on a rapid return to stable or predictable energy conditions, and that uncertainty is increasingly shaping how businesses think about productivity, automation and where critical capability should sit. In this environment, efficiency,…

From agentic AI and defence‑led validation to energy constraints and edge‑first architectures, emerging technologies are advancing quickly. The real question for manufacturers is not what is possible, but what is deployable under real‑world constraints. Pablos Holman has built a career identifying technologies that are technically possible but operationally misunderstood. With experience spanning aerospace, energy, automation and applied science, his work focuses on translating complex ideas into systems that must perform reliably, economically and at scale. His keynote and subsequent discussions at 3DEXPERIENCE World earlier this year offered a pragmatic counterpoint to much of the surrounding AI conversation, grounding emerging technology in the realities of deployment, infrastructure and operational risk. Holman’s recent commentary offers a counterbalance to technology hype. Rather than predicting sweeping transformation, he emphasises that the success or failure of emerging technologies is increasingly determined not by capability alone, but by how well they operate within real organisational and infrastructure…