National Manufacturing Week will bring the manufacturing community together to be inspired and connect across four days from May 14 to 17 in Melbourne.
This year’s theme, Industrial Evolution, represents the transformation of Australia’s manufacturing sector into a highly integrated, skills-based, and collaborative environment.
National Manufacturing Week exhibition director Robby Clark said the 20th edition marks an important and exciting time in the manufacturing industry. “The rise of automation, collaborative robots, Internet of Things (IoT) and high-level engineering in this sector is a clear sign the manufacturing industry is evolving.
“This year’s event is all about celebrating what Australia’s manufacturing industry has accomplished and driving innovation to help local manufacturers stay ahead of the game,” he said.
With the global manufacturing landscape more competitive than ever, the week focuses on Australian manufacturers’ need to invest in the latest technologies, adopt more efficient processes and develop advanced skills in order to deliver customised products to the market.
Peak industry bodies supporting this year’s event include the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) , Engineers Australia and Weld Australia. National Manufacturing Week 2019 will be co-located with Austech, an event targeted at metalworking, machine tools and ancillary market.
Through these strategic partnerships, National Manufacturing Week aims to continue to strengthen the manufacturing community and add to the viability of the Australian manufacturing industry.
Industry experts to speak
National Manufacturing Week, Austech and the AMGC are collaborating to deliver a conference program with a line-up of industry speakers.
The conference program, divided into Industry 4.0 Theatre and Connected Manufacturing Theatre, will feature more than 70 expert speakers who will share exclusive insights into the latest developments of the manufacturing sector.
An Industry 4.0 theatre program will offer attendees the latest research and expert opinion on the future impact of Industry 4.0 on businesses. The program will kick off on the first day with a keynote address by Australia’s chief scientist Alan Finkel, an innovation stories series run by AMGC, and a panel discussion.
On the second day, a panel discussion will cover the benefits of onshoring, followed by presentations on driving innovation through advanced materials, and case studies on adopting smart technologies in factories.
The third and fourth day will cover various topics such as artificial intelligence in advanced manufacturing, Industry 4.0, digital shipbuilding in global supply chain, outlook of the defence market, and the evolution of robotic manufacturing in Australia.
Speakers in the Industry 4.0 sessions include Swinburne University director of Factory of the Future Nico Adams, Australian Centre for Robotic Vision’s Sue Keay, CEO of Innovative Manufacturing CRC David Chuter, Siemens head of digital enterprise Christopher Vains, and AMCG managing director Jens Goennemann.
Aimed at business owners, managers, work health and safety professionals, and designers, the Connected Manufacturing theatre program will focus on business management, design and industrial safety.
An extensive range of topics will be covered including reducing electricity costs through demand response, optimising B2B packaging, accelerating operational performance and improvements through the smart factory, safety as a vehicle for culture change, a safety policy case study, metal 3D printing, and much more.
On the exhibition floor
More than 200 solution providers at the forefront of manufacturing will exhibit the latest advanced manufacturing products and services. Exhibitors include BAC Systems, 3M Australia, Central Innovation, Universal Robots, Profifeed Technologies and Kobot Systems. A diverse number of first-time exhibitors are also joining the event such as Partable XRF, ASG Group, and High Tech Products.
This year, the exhibition floor will be divided in to six product zones including automation and robotics, engineering, IoT, safety, welding technology and manufacturing solutions. These zones will help visitors navigate the extensive range of products on offer and discover solutions to numerous challenges in improving operations, quality, productivity, and global competitiveness.
National Manufacturing Week will take place at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Exhibtors range from forklift specialists, gas suppliers, welding technologies and more.