Finding an automation system that allows for growth and change can enable long-term savings and production increases. Manufacturers’ Monthly reports. For companies seeking to reap the benefits of an automated production lines one stumbling block has been the inflexibility of a system once installed. Whether that is in the path that the process follows or … Continue reading AGVs: Flexible solutions to fit into any site →

Unleashed Software explains how reporting KPIs can help with making smart, informed decisions for manufacturers. Understanding the trends and data points that occur in the manufacturing process can lead to gains in efficiencies, supplier products, customer satisfaction, and business profitability. Breaking these aims down into measurable, numerical values is part of defining the key performance … Continue reading The KPIs you should track for company success →

Members of the instrumentation, control, and automation profession discussed how their field will be impacted by Industry 4.0 at the IICA’s Christmas in July event. As the sun set behind the Harbour Bridge and the towers of the Sydney CBD began to light up, members of the Institute for Instrumentation, Control and Automation (IICA) gathered … Continue reading Promoting collaboration and communication in instrumentation →

While Industry 4.0 may seem to encourage the replacement of people with machines, when it comes to safety, having an understanding of the importance of people is paramount. In an exclusive interview, Susanne Kunschert of Pilz speaks with Manufacturers’ Monthly. The managing partner of automation technology firm Pilz, Susanne Kunschert, confesses, “I’m not so digital”. … Continue reading Understanding where people fit in Industry 4.0 →

At their Open Day, the lubrication specialist, CRC, demonstrated the importance of giving back to their community. Manufacturers’ Monthly reports. On a warm and sunny day that put any sense of winter in Sydney to shame, CRC Industries employees, customers, and partners gathered at CRC’s Australian headquarters in Castle Hill for its Open Day. Also … Continue reading Ensuring industry, racing, and the community run smoothly →

While engaging with university research can seem intimidating for SMEs, manufacturers can now more easily draw on the depth of knowledge academics provide. Connor Pearce reports. While researchers and manufacturers may seem to be worlds apart, the collaboration between the minds and focussed expertise of university academics, with the knowledge and hands-on understanding of manufactures, … Continue reading Utilising universities for industrial innovation →

Smart packaging – the use of active and intelligent packaging is growth and future trend offering huge potential, writes Marco Kaiser, strategic industry manager for consumer goods – packaging in the Factory Automation Global Industry Center at SICK. The networking of the physical and digital worlds using smart packaging also has a direct impact on … Continue reading Detecting, interpreting, communicating: Smart Sensors for intelligent packaging machines →

Effective resource management requires a people-focussed approach to data, according to experts in the industry. Connor Pearce reports. While Industry 4.0 may be heralded as the fourth industrial revolution, and seemingly involve a wholesale reformulation of manufacturing processes, the technologies and processes that it encompasses are the result of the theories and innovations that came … Continue reading Combining Lean manufacturing and Industry 4.0 →

Demystifying AS/NZS ISO 3834 and how it applies to manufacturers. Many companies have achieved certification to ISO 9001 with respect to their quality management systems. But where significant use is made of a special process like welding, this certification on its own cannot demonstrate the capability of a company to manufacture products of the required … Continue reading Improve profits, technical knowledge, and market share with AS/NZS ISO 3834 certification →

AS/NZS ISO 3834 Quality requirements for fusion welding of metallic materials is a factory production control system, drafted to complement – rather than replace – quality management systems, such as ISO 9001, writes Geoff Crittenden, CEO of Weld Australia. As a factory production control system, certification to AS/NZS ISO 3834 helps businesses operate more efficiently, … Continue reading The importance of Certification to AS/NZS ISO 3834 →

Due to their flexibility, automated guided vehicle systems (AGVs) are one of the most important supply solutions in hospital supply logistics, writes Michael Dold, strategic industry manager of industrial vehicles, Global Industry Center Logistics Automation – Transport Logistics, SICK. Increasing digitalisation, with its ability to make the complex networking of logistic processes transparent and provide … Continue reading Optimal in the clinic: AGV systems count on “hospital-ready” sensor solutions →

A coal-mining and power generating town in south-west Western Australia is looking to manufacturing to brighten its future. Manufacturers’ Monthly reports. THE south-west of Western Australia is known for its natural beauty and enviable lifestyle opportunities. The dense deposits of natural resources, such as coal, along with the power stations located in the south-west town … Continue reading Collie determined to make manufacturing part of its future →

Local chain manufacturing and distribution of hoists depends on unique solutions and ongoing investment. Manufacturers’ Monthly reports. With 95 years of heritage in producing chains and hoists in Australia, KITO PWB’s recent history has been about ensuring that its reputation for manufacturing quality can continue into the future. In 2016, the purchase of PWB Anchor by … Continue reading Quality and innovation keeps chain manufacturing on shore →

A new range of resistant markers draw on Pilot’s history of innovation to last in the toughest conditions. The humble swish and block logo of the Pilot Pen corporation probably sits quietly upon one of many pens in a jar or box at home. Being makers of durable and reliable pens for 100 years, the … Continue reading Leaving a mark: long lasting and resistant markers →

Making mobile elevating work platforms safe and secure has led to the development of new systems that meet customer needs. As a manufacturer of mobile elevating work platforms for almost 35 years, GMJ Equipment is used to surveying the landscape from above. When working at a heights, safety becomes an even greater priority than when … Continue reading Ensuring reliability and flexibility at altitude →

While high profile deaths in the mining industry may have hit headlines in recent months, the proportion of worker fatalities over the past ten years remains highest in transport, postal, and warehousing, according to Safe Work Australia. Having a system that accounts for the complexities of workplace safety, instead of jumping at the most dramatic … Continue reading Ensuring compliance with workplace safety software →

Putting the customer at the centre of manufacturing processes has been a change that Amber Burdett-Dow has been happy to lead. Manufacturers’ Monthly reports. Reflecting back on a career in customer service for gas and welding equipment firm BOC, Amber Burdett-Dow remembered her initial confrontation with the stereotypes and assumptions that she and her friends … Continue reading Taking a chance: the changing face of manufacturing →

Hidden among the many technological parts of a plant, the precision engineered components, and the weight of stock are the elements of a manufacturing enterprise that make the entire place work: the people. Marcia Ryan explains the value of people to Manufacturers’ Monthly. As automation makes its way along the production line of manufacturing businesses, it … Continue reading Well-being at work →

A bagging machine that can retrofit into existing plant floor space and integrate with automated bag palletising systems was created at Active Weighing Solutions with SMC’s help. ACTIVE Weighing Solutions, with its expertise in weighing in-motion bulk materials, is involved in the design, manufacture and servicing of weighing equipment and complete weighing systems. Building machinery … Continue reading Solutions for all bagging requirements →

Secure and mobile software can allow employees to access visualisation processes tailored to each device and at each stage of production. Manufacturers’ Monthly reports. As manufacturing systems become more sensitive, intricate and widely distributed, having a software system that easily and accurately allows the visualisation of processes is essential. ThinManager, by Rockwell Automation and exclusively … Continue reading Designing content distribution platforms for industrial applications →