Automotive

Most robots achieve grasping and tactile sensing through motorised means, which can be excessively bulky and rigid. A Cornell group has devised a way for a soft robot to feel its surroundings internally, in much the same way humans do. A group led by Robert Shepherd, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and principal … Continue reading Engineers develop robot with human-like tactile senses →

Asahi Beverages, comprising some of Australia and New Zealand’s most successful beverage businesses, including Schweppes Australia, Asahi Premium Beverages, Independent Liquor and The Better Drinks Co., has awarded Dematic a contract to build a high bay warehouse storage facility. The warehouse in Heathwood, Queensland, will consist of a satellite storage solution containing six aisles of … Continue reading Dematic wins Asahi warehouse contract →

Australia’s second next-generation warship has been launched in South Australia. The Australian Navy’s latest vessel Brisbane was officially named and launched this morning at Techport, Australia’s premier naval industry hub. Brisbane is the second of three warships built in Adelaide as part of the most complex defence project in Australia’s history – an $8 billion … Continue reading Australia’s second Air Warfare Destroyer launched in Adelaide →

For most forward-looking manufacturing businesses, talent planning is becoming a major focus. Skills gaps continue to grow as a result of an ageing workforce, increasing movement within job markets and the impact of Industry 4.0. Certainly, Ai Group’s own research and policy work supports this conclusion, and it’s echoed by recent market research undertaken by … Continue reading How to build a talent pipeline in the era of Industry 4.0 →

With a precious few exceptions, this year’s annual top 100 manufacturers report from IBISWorld does not make easy reading, as Alan Johnson reports. THE manufacturing industry has always been an extremely competitive industry, and that trend shows no sign of abating in the near future. While not dramatic, the slow decline of Australia’s traditional manufacturing industry looks … Continue reading 2016 Top 100 Manufacturers – Industry’s winners and losers →

MTPConnect and the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to work together in undertaking activities to accelerate the growth of advanced manufacturing in the medical technology, biotechnology and pharmaceutical (MTP) sector in Australia. Both MTPConnect and AMGC have been established as part of the Federal Government’s Industry Growth Centres … Continue reading Collaboration set to boost Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector →

Strategic metals company TNG has signed a key Memorandum of Understanding with Sumitomo Electric Industries (SEI) and Energy Made Clean (EMC) to collaborate on the promotion, development and growth of Australia’s Vanadium Redox Flow Battery (VRF) market. Under the MoU, TNG will work together with SEI and EMC to review all of the potential applications … Continue reading Australia’s vanadium redox flow battery market set for growth →

According to the ABC, business confidence has held up, even as conditions worsened to their worst level in a year-and-a-half, with NAB’s chief economist Alan Oster warning that business leaders have little basis for such optimism. “We are becoming increasingly concerned about the underlying momentum in the economy as evidence mounts that the non-mining economy … Continue reading Business confidence strong but conditions set to worsen says NAB →

According to news.com.au, the makers of so-called “flushable” wipes that cause thousands of dollars of damage to plumbing systems could be facing a class-action lawsuit from disgruntled homeowners. Consumer watchdog ACCC has launched legal action against Kimberly-Clark and Pental, alleging the two companies deceived consumers by marketing wipes as “flushable” and that they would “break up … Continue reading ‘Flushable’ wet wipes manufacturers could be flooded with lawsuits →

Australia’s Defence Industry minister Christopher Pyne has reaffirmed that Australia remains committed to buying the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter despite US President-elect Donald Trump’s recent comments saying its ‘”cost is out of control’”. SKynews reported that Trump had a go at aircraft maker Lockheed Martin criticising them over Twitter on the program which has … Continue reading RAAF sticking to F-35 despite Trump attack →

Manufacturers in fluid management industries such as power, chemicals and oil and gas, often require complex software architecture to ensure their operations are safe, efficient and reliable. A new partnership between Honeywell and Flowserve will combine domain knowledge of flow management equipment with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology to help solve some of those … Continue reading Honeywell and Flowserve combine to fix IIoT manufacturing issues →

ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors today announced a multi-year extension to their global strategic partnership that showcases the performance benefits of advanced synthetic motor oil technology. ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors will also continue their collaboration in motorsports, lubricant sales, marketing and technology. The ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors relationship began in the early 2000s when Mobil 1 … Continue reading ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors extend global partnership →

Westpac and the Group of Eight (Go8) have partnered to offer the first program in Australia for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) to undertake employment with the Westpac Group during their studies. The STEM PhD program was established in recognition of the importance of the … Continue reading Westpac launches Australia’s first employment program for STEM PhD students →

According to Reuters, Japan’s October core machinery orders rose for the first time in three months to beat expectations- a tentative sign of a pickup in capital expenditure. Core orders, a highly volatile data series regarded as an indicator of capital spending in the coming six to nine months, rose 4.1 per cent in October … Continue reading Japan machinery orders on the up as global manufacturing starts to recover →

Some $6.12bn worth of growth opportunities fall through the cracks of Australian mid-sized businesses every year due to insufficient or variable cash flow, according to research released by American Express today. More than one-third (40 per cent) of mid-sized CFOs admit their business has been delayed or unable to achieve a strategic business objective due … Continue reading Cash flow variables a business growth killer says study →

Faro Technologies, a global technology company that develops and markets computer-aided coordinate measurement devices and software, opens its new office in Brisbane, Australia. This move is part of Faro’s long-term growth plan and to increase its footprint in Asia Pacific. Faro’s customer base in Australia and New Zealand is growing. As such, this expansion is … Continue reading Faro expands into Queensland →

ThyssenKrupp, one of the world’s largest steelmakers, has revealed that it was the victim of a ‘massive cyberattack’ earlier this year. The company was targeted by attackers from southeast Asia in what it has described as “organised, highly professional hacker activities”. The hackers were trying to obtain “technological know-how and research results”, according to the … Continue reading Steelmaker loses data during brazen cyberattack →

A new-concept welding facility opened by BOC at its Rocklea site in Brisbane is set to be an exciting new hub for product applications and testing, research and development, and training. The facility will primarily be used to demonstrate the latest in welding, cutting and heating technology and automation and contains the latest generation digital … Continue reading BOC opens new Brisbane tech centre →

  According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR),  well-known Australian businessman Andrew Liveris has been recruited by Donald Trump to help bring back American manufacturing jobs. The chief executive of US multinational giant Dow Chemical, Liveris was appointed chair of the President-elect’s American Manufacturing Council. Liveris has led the manufacturing giant Dow … Continue reading Australian CEO becomes Donald Trump’s new manufacturing ‘tsar’ →

Bluetooth 5 has been released (succeeding Bluetooth 4.2), with the upgrade focusing on IoT applications and improved functionality. When compared to the previous version, improvements include eight times the capacity, two times the speed and four times the range. Specifically, Bluetooth 5.0 has increased its data broadcasting capacity by 800 per cent, and doubled its … Continue reading Bluetooth 5 now available for manufacturers →