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Welding is a safe occupation when proper precautions are taken. But, if safety measures are ignored, welders face a range of potentially dangerous hazards that can cause electric shock, or even a fatality.  

Since the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) was established in 2015, we have helped more than 215 manufacturers and 24 research institutions undertake collaborative projects. These projects have commercialised innovative products and services that embrace the entire manufacturing value chain. 

Vonda Fenwick, CEO of the South East Melbourne Manufacturers’ Alliance (SEMMA), speaks to Manufacturers’ Monthly about how the good, the bad and the ugly in relation to local content.

The recently announced 2021-2022 Federal Budget has failed the next generation of welders, with a noticeable lack of funding allocated to TAFE, and vocational training more broadly. This is despite the serious skills shortage facing Australian industry, exacerbated by border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  

Sharon Robertson, CEO of the IBSA Group, shared her thoughts with Manufacturers’ Monthly about the renewed focus on manufacturing in Australia since the COVID-19 pandemic and how skills will be playing a critical role in moving the economy forward within the sector.  

Rewind to this time last year and the vision of lines, hundreds of metres long, snaking their way down roads and around the blocks of Centrelink offices is still etched in my memory. Fast forward to today and the lines are now of prospective employers looking for skilled staff. 

Almost 18 months after Australia identified the first COVID-19 cases, the country has shown resilience and undergone many fast-paced developments in the health sector.  

Despite the challenges of 2020 and the undeniable negative impact of COVID-19, the world has seen a rapid adoption of digital technologies over the past six months. Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, noted in April that due to the pandemic the business saw two years’ worth of digital transformation in just two months. More recently, … Continue reading Accelerating Industry 4.0 uptake: five messages for SMEs →

In today’s world of global competition and digital disruption, Australian manufacturers are becoming acutely aware of the need to do things differently, David Chuter, CEO and managing director of the IMCRC, explains. The fourth industrial revolution (Industry 4.0) has brought with it a range of new technologies that have enabled manufacturers to disrupt and transform … Continue reading Effective industry and research collaboration: Cultivating the right culture →

Geoff Crittenden, CEO of Weld Australia, outlines how manufacturers should see codes and compliance in a positive light. In late October, the New South Wales state government introduced the Design and Building Practitioners Bill 2019 to parliament. If passed, this Bill will see much-needed and long- anticipated reforms made to the state’s building industry. The … Continue reading Focus on compliance a benefit to manufacturers →

David Chuter, CEO and managing director, IMCRC, explains how to look beyond the technology of Industry 4.0, and focus on its value to manufacturing. Every day, business leaders, in partnership with the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC), are searching for ways to embrace and invest in the advanced and digital technologies that have become closely associated … Continue reading Towards an Industry 4.0 future – leadership for innovation →

Last month I had a somewhat public rant about the decision by the NSW state government to award the contract to build new trains for NSW to an overseas (mainly South Korean) consortium.