A new report from the Australian Council of Learned Academies outlined what Australia needs to successfully adopt artificial intelligence (AI). The report highlights the need for a national strategy, a community awareness campaign, safe and accessible infrastructure, a responsive regulatory system, and a diverse and highly skilled workforce. Co-chaired by Professors Toby Walsh and Neil … Continue reading Report sets a roadmap for AI in Australia →

Two Queensland engineers were awarded the state’s top engineering honour last Friday night. Marking 100 years of Engineers Australia, the two engineers who won their awards have a broad background of experience and are active in their profession. Jothi Ramanujam took out the award for 2019 Professional Engineer of the Year – Queensland. Ramanujam is … Continue reading Engineers Australia names Queensland’s top engineers →

Application-specific pressure sensor manufacturer, Superior Sensor Technology, is now distributed through global electronics distributor Mouser Electronics. The differential low-pressure sensors made by the OEM are designed to be used in industrial heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning applications (HVAC), as well as for medical equipment. The HV Series, in particular, are high-performing, application-specific, low pressure sensors, and … Continue reading Mouser Electronics adds Superior Sensor Technology to their range →

The Ai Group’s Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI), has returned to positive territory in July. The index climbed 1.9 points to reach 51.3. Readings above 50 indicate an expansion of activity in the sector. In June, the Australian PMI dropped below 50, indicating a contraction in the sector, for the first time in nearly … Continue reading Australian PMI returns to positive →

Victoria hopes to attract more students to study defence manufacturing with an $855,000 grant for a new defence manufacturing skills training project. A.W. Bell, located in Dandenong South, will work with education provider Chisholm Institute and other industry partners to create a training course in investment casting and defence manufacturing, the first in Australia. The … Continue reading Funding for defence manufacturing skills →

The University of Sydney’s ARC Training Centre for CubeSats, UAVs & their Applications (CUAVA) has chosen US-Australian company Saber Astronautics to provide satellite operations for the first flight of a CUAVA satellite. The partnership represents a largely Australian-delivered space project, as Professor Iver Cairns, director of ARC Training Centre CUAVA, highlighted. “Together we are going … Continue reading Next step to all-Australian space flight →

Embracing innovation can be a difficult experience for some manufacturing firms, however at the second Global Business Innovation Conversation event in 2019, a group of experts at RMIT highlighted how businesses can ease the pain. According to Matthew Young, manufacturing innovation manager at the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC), innovation requires openness about expectations. … Continue reading Global Business Innovation Conversation: speaking the language of innovation →

NORD Drivesystems manufacturers drive solutions to support customers with its communication and application know-how in the Industry 4.0 sector. NORD’s network drives enables condition monitoring and forms the basis of predictive maintenance. It also offers digitised production, advanced maintenance concepts, and new services. “The drive units are compatible with all common field buses and Ethernet-based … Continue reading NORD develops drive solutions for digitised production →

Visiting Victorian defence manufacturer, DefendTex, Minister for Defence Industry, Melissa Price, highlighted how defence is investing in small businesses to build up local capabilities. “Small business is the backbone of the Australian economy and the Defence Innovation Hub is just one avenue for these businesses to succeed in our defence industry,” said Price. Price was … Continue reading Defence funds small businesses to achieve operational excellence →

On Wednesday, July 31, Minister for Industry, Science, and Technology, Karen Andrews, invited industry leaders to Canberra to directly understand the state of the sector. The roundtable included leaders from industry associations, large companies, research organisations, and universities, as well as government representatives. With many opportunities for local manufacturers are part of coming technological transformations … Continue reading Federal government sits down with manufacturers →

Opportunities in advanced technology are leading possibilities for manufacturers seeking to create products for agriculture, according to a project delivered by Queensland University of Technology (QUT) and funded by AgriFutures Australia. The study identified advances such as robotics and artificial intelligence, biotechnology, genomics, renewable energy, and advanced materials as emerging technologies which could expand and … Continue reading Potential for Australian farmers and manufacturers to innovate together →

Sydney-based water filtration device manufacturer, Star Water Solutions, has made the most of a government grant to expand to overseas markets. The $97,247 Building Partnerships funding enabled Star Water Solutions to expand to Asia and North America. In addition, the company will take on 10 more full-time employees and two part time employees as it … Continue reading NSW company utilises government grant to go global →

ifm recently held a fundraiser for the Starlight Children’s Foundation with a “Christmas in July” event.  The entire company and their partners attended along with some of our customers. People bid on holidays, various household goods, from refrigerators to weekends away, and anything in between. The Starlight Children’s Foundation is a charity that grants seriously … Continue reading ifm Christmas in July →

The latest partnership between a local manufacturer and the Australian Space Agency focusses on lightweight composite materials. Canberra-based engineering company, XTEK, signed an agreement with the Agency to further develop and produce these composites, which are ideal for space applications. The Agency has previously partnered with satellite start-up Myriota, and these parternships are designed to … Continue reading Defence materials manufacturer signs with Australian Space Agency →

The potential for the automotive industry in Australia to rebound, or at least regrow, is the subject of research led by Francis Farrelly, professor of marketing at the RMIT College of Business. Farrelly will study the marketing, design, and innovation capabilities of Australian organisations operating in the automotive sector. Farrelly has so far seen a … Continue reading Research maps out Australia’s automotive ascent →

The University of Southern Queensland (USQ) marked 50 years since the Moon landing by announcing that the MINERVA-Australia telescope facility is completed. The telescope array is at USQ’s Mount Kent Observatory, and is the only facility in the Southern Hemisphere dedicated to providing ground-based observations to support NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission. According … Continue reading Telescope opened on anniversary of moon landing →

Fitting together the pieces of the hydrogen puzzle, as Alison Reeve, taskforce leader of Australia’s National Hydrogen Strategy, puts it, will take more than commitments from governments, it requires customers. At a session conducted as part of the Australian Clean Energy Summit, panel members discussed the future of hydrogen in Australia, both as an export … Continue reading Growing hydrogen’s potential to be more than just hot air →

Science engagement techniques have come a long way in the past thirty years and have been in part driven by key institutions that are open to the public. One of these is Science Space, part of the University of Wollongong (UOW) and located on the University’s Innovation Campus. This year, the Space reaches its thirtieth … Continue reading Wollongong science facility reaches milestone →

The spotlight for Industry 4.0 will turn to Africa at this year’s World Economic Forum on Africa, which will be held in Cape Town, South Africa, from September 4-6. Structured under the theme “Shaping Inclusive Growth and Shared Futures in the Fourth Industrial Revolution”, the summit will grapple with the increasing development rate of sub-Saharan … Continue reading Africa in the sights of Industry 4.0 →

During the sessions of the Clean Energy Council’s Australian Clean Energy Summit 2019, at the International Convention Centre (ICC), Sydney, across two days and numerous panel sessions, the consensus was clear, clean energy is here, and now is the time to get onboard. According to Robyn Denholm, chairman at Tesla, we are “at the tipping … Continue reading The clean energy transition is here – but how are manufacturers affected? →