AI Group

The Ai Group has urged governments to help reduce cross-border chaos for businesses involved in the movement of goods. Ai Group CEO Innes Willox told Radio National is it “essential” for governments to act to prevent the economy from quick “atrophy”. “We have to have continuity around what is happening at our state borders to … Continue reading Movement of goods across borders must flow, Ai Group says →

National employer association Ai Group has welcomed the Victorian government’s survival packages to support businesses and jobs. A $500 million Business Support Fund has been established by the government to assist the hardest hit sectors. Ai Group will help administer the funds. Victorian head of Ai Group Tim Piper said discussions with treasurer Tim Pallas … Continue reading Ai Group welcomes Victorian government stimulus →

Goods and services for food production and hygiene are no less important than the industries that support and distribute them, and it is “vital” that they are able to operate, Ai Group CEO Innes Willox said. A clear and consistent definition of essential services for manufacturers is needed as the country prepares for lockdown. “As … Continue reading Essential services “vital” for manufacturers →

Retail sales are expected to boost for machine and equipment manufacturers under the federal government’s $1.3 billion stimulus package, Ai Group CEO Innes Willox said. The extension of instant asset write-off provisions and temporary measures to accelerate depreciation deduction on new investments for SMEs are particularly welcome by the Ai Group. “Both these measures will … Continue reading Manufacturers to benefit from government stimulus packages →

The Queensland government has announced increasing employment for women in the manufacturing industry as a key priority for the state. Queensland Women’s Week celebrations have begun, with state development, manufacturing, infrastructure and planning minister Cameron Dick encouraging more women to consider manufacturing as a career at the first Women in Manufacturing industry event for 2020 … Continue reading Women in manufacturing a priority for Qld government →

Businesses are sure to welcome the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) having slashed interest rates to a record low of 0.5 per cent, however, the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) and Business Council of Australia are calling for this to be supplemented by other measures. “Businesses will welcome (the) interest rate cut, which may make … Continue reading Industry calls for RBA rates cuts to be reinforced by action →

The Ai Group has issued a statement suggesting a review of the Australian Industry Capability (AIC) program, in light of Naval Group’s announcement that it was investigating Australian industry capabilities for the manufacture of the Attack Class submarine fleet. Ai Group’s chief executive, Innes Willox, on Friday said that “while the foundations are sound, the AIC … Continue reading Ai Group issues statement on local shipbuilding capacity →

The manufacturing sector’s resilience will enable it to bounce back despite the bushfire crisis and ongoing drought contributing to the sector’s contraction and the lowest Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) results since 2015, according to Ai Group.  However, things are unlikely to improve as the coronavirus outbreak threatens to dent demand for Australian exports. “Many … Continue reading January PMI sees resilience of Australian manufacturers put to test →

The performance of the Australian manufacturing sector improved slightly in December, but remained in negative territory. December was the second month in a row of contraction in the Australian manufacturing sector, with the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) recording a figure of 48.3 points. This marks the first time since … Continue reading December PMI shows impact of economy on manufacturing →

The jittery national economy has led to a downturn in manufacturing productivity. In the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Statement on Monetary Policy, the bank outlined how GDP and employment levels have played out in each industry, up to June 2019. While employment has continued to grow, at between 2 and 3 per cent throughout 2018 … Continue reading RBA figures point to productivity challenges →

The performance of the Australian manufacturing sector has dipped into negative territory, with the November Australian Industry Group Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) falling to 48.1. The figure was 3.5 points below the October figure and was the lowest reading since August 2016. Calling for the federal government to take greater action on lifting … Continue reading Manufacturing PMI indicates sector contraction →

Thinking about outcomes when supplying can lead to innovation, explains Innes Willox, CEO of Ai Group. Outcomes-based procurement has attracted significant attention over recent years both internationally and across Australia. It has, for instance, been incorporated into Queensland’s Procurement Policy which now requires Queensland government agencies to pursue opportunities to develop innovative supply solutions, either … Continue reading Using innovative approaches to deliver value for money through outcomes-based procurement →

Establishing and maintaining health and safety in the workplace requires genuine commitment from an organisation – and that starts with your leaders. Ai Group explains. It is obviously good business practice to run a safe operation in your workplace – but organisations can only achieve good outcomes if there is clear leadership from the senior … Continue reading Safety leadership at every level →

The Australian manufacturing sector has remained in positive territory for the month of October, with the Australian Industry Group Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) coming in at 51.6. This indicator of expansion in the sector remains positive, despite a 3.1 point drop from the previous month. According to Ai Group, an earlier-than-expected boom in … Continue reading Food and beverage keeps manufacturing positive →

The benefit of industry-based work experience for students has been reconfirmed via a new report from CSIRO Data61’s Ribit. Ribit, a platform which connects tertiary students with jobs in the digital, STEM, research and business fields, found in its report “Higher Education and Employment In Australia” that course-integrated work improves graduate employability, while increasing graduate … Continue reading Industry placements found to improve job outcomes →

Industry 4.0 could be the way that the Australian manufacturing industry transforms to remain globally competitive for the rest of the 21st century. Encompassing a wide range of processes and technologies, selecting five key aspects of this wave of change can enable manufacturing businesses to select the Industry 4.0 pathway that is most applicable to … Continue reading The top five technologies of Industry 4.0 →

Queensland has marked the Month of Manufacturing in its state by highlighting the capabilities of the manufacturing sector in that state. Manufacturing has grown in Queensland over the past decade to be 19.3 per cent of the national total, according to Minister for Manufacturing, Cameron Dick. “Queensland continues to be a leading manufacturing state because … Continue reading Queensland a sunny state for manufacturing →

The trade war between the US and China presents both challenges and opportunities for Australian businesses, writes Innes Willox. While it is often said there are no winners in a trade war, the current impasse between the US and China is having mixed and some unexpected impacts on Australian businesses. Ai Group members are telling … Continue reading Australian winners and losers in US China trade war →

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has released a dreary global outlook for the world economy, and the fate of manufacturing lies at the heart of future projections. Noting that slowdowns in manufacturing around the globe has been part of sluggish growth in 2019, the sector that is of most concern is the automobile manufacturing industry, … Continue reading Australia bucks global manufacturing downturn →

Addressing issues of mental health in the workplace require an understanding of the causes and symptoms of illness. Ai Group explains why employers must account for the mental wellbeing of their workforce. There is little doubt that mental health has been an emerging issue for Australian workplaces for some time. In 2009, it was claimed … Continue reading Mental health at work – Is your business in the right head space? →