Manufacturing facilities come small and large. Miri Schroeter talks to watchmaker Josh Hacko about a quaint business that reaches far beyond a clock face. Nicholas Hacko came to Australia in 1991 as a refugee from Croatia during the Yugoslav Wars. A watchmaker by trade, he had expertise in the design, repair and assembly of watches. … Continue reading Family business takes Australian-made to watch industry →

Electricity prices have more than doubled since 2014, in Australia, and gas prices have followed closely with a 50 per cent increase since 2011. These evaluations, from a Grattan Institute 2018 report – Mostly Working: Australia’s Wholesale Electricity Market, show the stark increase in energy costs that Australian manufacturers have experienced, and continue to experience. … Continue reading Top tips for energy saving solutions for manufacturers →

Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden talks about welding in Australia.  Over the past 12 months, I have been shocked at the number of unsafe steel structures reported by industry. The primary cause of these safety concerns is welding that is not fit for purpose and does not comply with recognised international and Australian Standards. Australian … Continue reading Opinion: Lack of welder licensing and legislation threat to public safety →

Siemens’ cybersecurity experts are taught to “think like a hacker” as a means to stay ahead of an ever-growing number of cyberattacks. Miri Schroeter finds out more about protecting businesses from cyber threats. Attacks of any sort are a threat to people, businesses and sometimes entire countries. When it comes to cyberattacks, there are more … Continue reading Siemens is beating hackers at their game   →

ifm’s smart factory solutions are suitable for small, medium and large sized factories. Whether you are an OEM, a packaging or process factory, there are constant needs to produce high quality products at reduced costs, while effectively managing the high amount of workflow in your factory. Smart factory solutions allows you to locate bottlenecks, eliminate … Continue reading ifm offers full solutions for factory automation 24 hours a day →

Ai Group is leading an Industry 4.0 forum, which looks at the challenges, benefits and future of technology in Australia. Industry 4.0 is not just for the “big end of town”, explains Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) chief executive Innes Willox. Helping businesses small and large adopt Industry 4.0 to benefit them and the greater … Continue reading Supporting Industry 4.0 growth in Australia →

The pros and cons of a reduction in Australia’s company tax rate have been hotly contested in recent years. David Loneragan turns to the experts to explore what recent developments in federal tax policy could mean for the manufacturing sector. In October, the federal Coalition government announced that it was bringing forward by five years … Continue reading Taking manufacturing through the tax debate →

Movus’ marketing manager, David Barzilay, speaks to Manufacturers’ Monthly about how the company’s FitMachine is shaking up the way businesses maintain their machinery and equipment. Movus was founded by CEO Brad Parsons in January 2015, initially starting out of The University of Queensland’s iLab, a supporter of technologically cutting-edge entrepreneurial start-up businesses. Movus’ flagship product, … Continue reading Bringing maintenance into the fourth industrial revolution →

The winner of 2018 Women in Industry Awards’ Excellence in Manufacturing award, Anna Hopkins, was managing her own café in 2010 when she noticed the difficulty of finding healthy baked products in the market. A health enthusiast herself, she started experimenting by baking low carb protein breads in her studio apartment and was soon selling … Continue reading From home baker to award-winning manufacturer →

The manufacturing sector showed healthy signs during 2018, but does that mean a full recovery from the slowdown in recent years? Tara Hamid speaks to experts and business-owners to find out more. The year 2018 reaffirmed for many trend observers that the manufacturing sector in Australia is not dying, but simply going through a transition. … Continue reading Tackling the challenges of manufacturing in a time of change →

Weld Australia CEO Geoff Crittenden shares his opinion on the welding industry in Australia, which he said is facing a significant shortage of qualified and certified welders. Without action, the nation will be unable to meet future demand on major projects in industries as diverse as defence, shipbuilding, aerospace, infrastructure, rolling stock, and resources. According to … Continue reading Weld Australia: Country faces significant shortage of qualified welders →

There are many ways for a business to succeed. Timing might be the key. Maybe there’s a gap in the market. It could be inventing a new product. Or, even something as simple as slightly changing the functionality of a product to give it a new dimension. When it comes to industrial spray booths, Process … Continue reading Picking the right spray booth for industrial applications →

Ai Group chief executive, Innes Willox shares key findings from the 2018 Workforce Development Needs Survey on the pressure points in the manufacturing sector. The pace of change in digital technologies continues to increase across the globe, creating digitally-enabled environments that will affect every manufacturing company. Education and training has been identified as one of … Continue reading Maximising the benefits of digital economy →

Fletcher International Exports was selected this year’s Endeavour Awards winner for the Environmental Solution of the Year Award. Manufacturers’ Monthly looks at how the company is incorporating sustainability and efficiency into its processes. For 30 years, Fletcher International Exports has operated a modern abattoir and rendering plant in Dubbo, New South Wales. The site requires … Continue reading Endeavour Awards Environmental Solution of the Year winner: Fletcher International Exports →

Geoff Crittenden, CEO, Weld Australia, shares his views on the performance of Australia’s TAFE system when it comes to welding training.  In view of the ongoing commentary in the media regarding the state of Australia’s TAFE system, I feel that it is worthwhile to comment on my experience with our TAFE partners around the country. … Continue reading Technical training is key to Australia’s future prosperity →

Business after business is moving online and mobile, so why should you? In this article we explore the reasons why an increasing amount of businesses are choosing to implement digital methods in their business and especially in their inspection. Paperless checklists are already currently being used for occupational health and safety (OHS), pre start checks, … Continue reading Five reasons why you should implement digital methods in inspection →

2018 has marked a significant year for the environment. Industries and organisations, nations and firms; all are facing higher pressure to be more environmentally conscious in their activities. Before long, many materials will be phased out, industries reshaped and operations redesigned. The good news is that it’s becoming easier than ever to comply with environmental … Continue reading Environmental inspections using mobile tools →

What’s worse than finding a safety issue at your workplace that could have potentially injured someone? Not finding the issue. Every workplace is different; organisations that have several locations will even sometimes have separate OH&S procedures and safety inspection documentation for each location. What’s important is that your working environment has the best safety inspection … Continue reading How to insure your workplace safety inspections can identify issues →