Industry News

In December of last year, the Westpac Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) survey revealed that sentiment among local manufacturers had fallen to its lowest levels since the global financial crisis. This sentiment was mirrored in the New Zealand market with the latest data from Business NZ revealing that the manufacturing sector contracted for the tenth straight month in a row. The results were no surprise, given the ongoing economic uncertainty caused by inflationary pressures, regulatory change and supply chain disruptions. Despite the economic headwinds, I have observed a sense of quiet confidence among local manufacturers regarding business conditions. Data can often be a lagging indicator, and with inflationary pressures likely to ease in the second half of this year, the Australian economy is expected to land more softly than originally anticipated. A recent Grant Thornton study also suggested that local manufacturers have a more positive outlook on the market, with many recording strong sales growth in 2023. This trend is particularly evident for emerging manufacturers that are continuing…

Poor cash flow management can exert significant pressure on manufacturing operations, making it difficult to meet expenses and potentially leading to insolvency and liability for company debts. In light of rising inflation, supply chain issues, and the ATO intensifying efforts to recover outstanding debts, it becomes essential for manufacturers to have strong control over their cash flow. By gaining a comprehensive understanding of cash flow dynamics, manufacturers can proactively manage liquidity and address potential concerns early on. If your manufacturing business is facing tougher trading conditions and tighter cash flow, it is recommended to consider implementing the following strategies and processes: 13-week cash flow forecast A detailed 13-week cash flow forecast is a valuable tool for monitoring both cash inflows from debtors and cash outflows for the payment of creditors. This forecast should encompass various elements such as employment entitlements and historical debt repayments. By continuously monitoring existing and upcoming expenses, manufacturers can ensure the availability of sufficient short-term assets to…

The Australian economy would be $100bn bigger and boosted by 42,000 new jobs by hitting a target of investing 3% of GDP in research and development, new analysis by the nation’s peak body for science and technology has found. Speaking at the National Press Club this week, Science & Technology Australia President Professor Sharath Sriram will make a powerful case for rapidly reaching the 3% target to turn Australia into an innovation nation, reveal how to create an innovation ecosystem that will secure the country’s economic future, and warn of the consequences of failing to do so. Professor Sriram is a research rockstar and a commercialisation champion based at RMIT. His work connecting industry and researchers has created more than $9m in commercial partnerships for his university, and spurred innovations including smart bedding products for aged-care support, a wearable device for continuous molecular monitoring, and miniature biosensors for monitoring respiratory illnesses. He will deliver the address as the centrepiece of STA’s Science Meets Parliament (SMP). Now into its 24th year, SMP brings hundreds of scientists and technologists from all…

Right now, we don’t have the technology to tackle almost half of the global emissions needed to reach net zero by 2050. To help solve this, the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water are investing in researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs across NSW to fast-track the emerging clean technology solutions we need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A thriving clean technology community in NSW creates huge economic growth fuelling new investment, new jobs and new opportunities for businesses and communities. Round 2 funding opportunities are now open as part of the Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative. We’re backing the next wave of innovators that will help us reduce emissions, create jobs and unlock the substantial economic benefits of NSW’s transition to net zero by 2050. With up to $275m in funding, we want to support businesses: get their new clean technologies market-ready; expand their manufacturing capacity to produce low-carbon products and components for renewable energy. Use the eligibility checker on our website to help you select the right funding stream for your project.   Register for one of…

AMW2024 will begin with all Seven Zones open and active, all 271 Exhibitors enthused and ready to show their best manufacturing technology at the International Convention Centre in Sydney. The first day of AMW2024 will be full throttle. Don’t miss out!    REGISTER NOW The Seven Zones in AMW2024, each with a particular focus, speciality and technology, are: Austech Machine Tools, sponsored by finlease; Additive Manufacturing Zone; Australian Manufacturers Zone; Manufacturing Solutions Zone, sponsored by The Execution Factor; Robotics & Automation Zone; sponsored by IFS Weld and Air Solutions Zone; and the Plastic Technology Zone. The Future Solutions Speaker Program has proven to be a major attraction at AMW shows. These Sessions will also be focusing on these Opportunities as well as Managing Change, featuring experts from various organisations presenting insights on manufacturing opportunities, including ANSTO, the Department of Industry, Science and Resources, Rigby Cooke Lawyers, the Defence Department, and CSIRO. The huge Sydney event will showcase home-grown advanced manufacturing technology. The event will be a celebration of manufacturing in Australia, highlighting innovation and networking opportunities within the…

If you know anything about motorsport, you will know that Formula 1 is the pinnacle. If you manufacture performance automotive parts, you would be justified in thinking that you have made it, if your parts are on board one of the F1 cars. How impressed would you be with a company that doesn’t just supply one team, but works with the entire field? What if I was to tell you, this same company was also the primary supplier for NASCAR, MotoGP and pretty much every other high-end motorsport category, including our very own V8 Supercars? Would you be surprised to hear that such a company does exist, and they are based in Australia? The company in question is PWR Advanced Cooling Technology, based on the Gold Coast. Originally a side business started by father and son team Kees and Paul Weel after various forays into motorsport categories, including the aforementioned V8 Supercars (or a previous incarnation thereof), they identified a need in the marketplace to design and manufacture high-performance, lightweight cooling systems to meet their exacting…

Pharmaceuticals, foodstuff, healthcare, chemicals and other specialised engineering applications have especially high demands when it comes to compressed air quality. For these sensitive processes, Kaeser Australia has released the latest class 0 oil-free compressor. Recently launched in Australia, the new CSG.1 rotary screw compressors have air flow rates ranging from four to 15 m³/min and pressures up to 11 bar. Customers are offered the choice of air- or water-cooling, and can select an optional integrated refrigeration dryer or an i.HOC (Heat of Compression) dryer. The CSG.1 can be specified as a fixed speed, fixed flow rated machine or, for applications with fluctuating compressed air demand, variable speed controlled “SFC” versions are available with IE5 Ultra-Premium Efficiency synchronous reluctance motors. The risk of potential product contamination by oil from the rotary screw compressor is evaluated and minimised by means of an HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point) analysis. Process validation is made easier for the customer, as KAESER’s diligence is confirmed by the TÜV Rheinland in the form of a residual oil class 0 certificate in accordance with ISO…

Australia's landscape is vast and rugged. As a nation thriving on development and progression, Australians demand portable, durable, efficient, and innovative solutions. Enter Sureweld, the country's leading aluminium loading ramps and plant trailers manufacturer and a company synonymous with quality and resilience. Focused on keeping Australian commercial contractors moving, Sureweld has grown exponentially since it was founded in 1976. Its ramps and trailers are 100% Australian-made, using locally extruded aluminium sourced from Capral and manufactured in Wangaratta, in northern Victoria. Sureweld sales manager Gareth Hansen joined his father, Sureweld managing director Carl Hansen, in the business when he left school. He has advanced from dispatch and welding to driving sales and supply relationships. “We manufacture the strongest and lightest weight ramps on the Australian market, on a strength-to-weight ratio,” Hansen says. This isn't just a claim. The company has consistently outperformed its competitors. “We have a ramp with a six-tonne capacity that weighs a little over 50kgs; others on the market weigh 70- to 80kgs,” Hansen points out, emphasising the immense value their products provide to operators who…

Tasmania-based Ignite Digi first opened its doors in 2014, established by Tom Waugh as in-house cinematographer, and Aeronautical Engineer/Gimbal Operator Chris Fox operating and engineering the drone camera platforms. Originally forming as an Aerial Cinematography duo, they built Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) or drones, and modified gimbal and camera setups to enhance their business offering. Today their products have been used on some of the biggest film and television productions around the world: Including Disney's Mulan, Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Marvel's Venom, Amazon’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and many other film, television and Netflix programs. Ignite Digi bought their first CNC machine back in 2017, from OKUMA. “Having just come off a big government job, we were making our own small widgets in our bench to help our jobs along,” explained Waugh. Chris Fox is an aeronautical engineer by training. He self-taught himself the CNC system and the CADCAM process. “We…

Like many people, Lena Risse didn’t know what career to pursue when she entered young adulthood in 2017. Now she’s won ANCA’s inaugural Female Machinist of the Year contest. Lena studied media technology at university for a time and began a related apprenticeship in supporting trade fairs and concerts, but it didn’t suit her. Then at 19, she decided to give tool grinding a try, an option that seemed simultaneously obvious and crazy. Her father Horst Risse was running a one-man tool grinding company with such love and dedication that he routinely says he’ll be standing at a machine when he’s 85. And crazy because to this day, Lena finds so few females in the field, though she’ll convincingly explain why that should not be the case. Lena had helped out at Risse Werkzeugtechnik GmbH (Risse Tool Technology GmbH) in Erkrath, Germany as a teenager, doing things like packaging and laser marking. But she’d never touched the tool grinders. That changed as she started her apprenticeship in 2018. She took immediately to…

What would be better than having a mobile App on your phone with you on the AMW2024 show floor with all your selected companies, their stands, where they are, and what they are showing this week?  The AMW2024 Mobile App is now available to download from your preferred App store, completely redesigned from the ground up, and ready for our big show. Registrations are now open for Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW2024), held at the Sydney International Convention Centre in Darling Harbour. Organised and run by the Australian Manufacturing Technology Institute Limited (AMTIL), AMW2024 will occupy more than 6,570 square metres of exhibition space at the ICC, with over 250 organisations taking stands to showcase the latest manufacturing technologies, processes, and support services. Don’t miss out!  REGISTER ONLINE NOW at australianmanufacturingweek.com.au First of all, Download the AMW Expo mobile app for your device from your preferred store, and log in using the same details you used to create your MyShowPlanner profile as the show approaches. You can now log in to the App and everything will be there for you on…

Randa Ibrahim’s Internship at Sutton Tools was about embracing a culture of knowledge sharing, cultivating a nurturing work environment, and staying open to fresh, innovative ideas. Randa has now finished her internship with the company and shares her experience as an intern testifying to the transformative power of Sutton Tools. One of her lecturers, Professor Suresh Palanisamy, who Randa calls her unofficial ‘guidance counsellor’, encouraged her to apply for an internship opportunity with Swinburne’s industry partner Sutton Tools, a leading manufacturer of cutting tools. After the internship, Randa completed her thesis in conjunction with Sutton Tools and was offered a full-time graduate position with the company. “My specialisation is manufacturing so in my role I work a lot with the machines as a service engineer,” she says. Randa also works on special projects to help Sutton Tools stay across changes in advanced manufacturing technologies, known as Industry 4.0. “I’m interested in Industry 4.0, which I would describe as everything becoming smarter, more connected, and automated. This means less room for human error and…

Space Machines Company, the leading Australian in-space servicing organisation, and U.S.-based Orbit Fab, the leading global provider of on-orbit refuelling services, have entered into a partnership combining their expertise to advance in-space servicing capabilities and establish a sustainable space ecosystem. These integrated technologies will enhance space sustainability through reduced debris and extended satellite lifespans. The partnership brings together two industry leaders from opposite sides of the globe and is defined by the joining of innovative technologies, most notably the installation of Orbit Fab’s space fiducial alignment markers on Space Machine Company’s Orbital Servicing Vehicle, Optimus. These markers will act like QR Codes in space, allowing Space Machines Company to work collaboratively with an approaching vehicle by using the markers to provide valuable position and orientation data, ensuring safe and reliable on-orbit operations. Optimus will provide on-orbit, transportation and other in-space services following its launch on the SpaceX Transporter-10 in early 2024. The success and sustainability of Optimus’ launch will be supported by the attachment of the two ‘fiducial’ markers developed by Orbit Fab. These fiducials, which are…