Endeavour Awards

The Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today announced that Thales Australia has been awarded a $100 million contract to design a major sonar system upgrade for Collins class submarines. Minister Pyne said Thales Australia will engage other Australian-based companies including Sonartech Atlas and L3 Oceania, as well as suppliers from the … Continue reading Thales snaps up Collins sub sonar contract →

Trumpf and Siemens are joining hands to produce a software solution for optimised and streamlined additive manufacturing of metal parts with Trumpf printing machines – from part design to 3D printing. The two companies hope to industrialise laser metal fusion technology and make the additive manufacturing process for metal parts an integral part of the … Continue reading Trumpf and Siemens to collaborate on 3D metal printing →

With Asia Pacific leaders reaffirming their commitment to free trade at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Peru, Malcolm Turnbull is “confident” that US president elect Donald Trump will “see the light” and do an about turn on his protectionist stance against the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Currently it looks to be headed for … Continue reading Turnbull trusts in a Trump TPP turnaround →

CSIRO has launched its “FloWorks” Centre for Industrial Flow Chemistry today in Clayton, Victoria. The aim of FloWorks is to provide cutting-edge research into flow chemistry capability, making it more accessible to the chemical manufacturing industry. Senior research scientist with CSIRO’s manufacturing sector and Director of the new centre, Dr Christian Hornung, said flow chemistry … Continue reading CSIRO set to improve chemical manufacturing →

ASX-listed Australian hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear has lost a court case in the US over two disputed hearing aid patents. In a ruling delivered last Thursday, the [US] Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favour of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation (AMF), confirming that defendants Cochlear infringed on two claims of AMF … Continue reading Cochlear loses US patent appeal →

In a first for Australia, The Courier Mail has reported this morning, the Herston Biofabrication Institute, to be opened in late 2017, will be manufacturing human tissue, bones and eventually even organs. Eventually employing up to 60 researchers, the Institute will also develop capabilities of advance medical technologies such as 3D printing and computational medicine. … Continue reading 3D printed organ company to open in Brisbane in 2017 →

It’s the time of the year when company boards and executives face their shareholders at annual general meetings. Boards will be asked to explain the pay packages of executives. Already some have been called into question. Some Australian companies cite the need to rely on the United States as a benchmark when it comes to … Continue reading OPINION: Should Australian companies set executive pay to a US benchmark? →

In a bid to re-strategise its business plans for growth in 2017, German bearing maker Schaeffler has announced that it looks to shave off 500 jobs at its industrial division in Germany and other European countries. The company has cited the move was due to slow delivery chains and overly centralised sales operations and mentioned … Continue reading Schaeffler cuts jobs but Asia Pac remains unaffected →

Materials handling company, the Kion Group, has successfully completed its $2.1 billion dollar (A$2.86 billion) acquisition of automation and supply chain optimisation specialist Dematic earlier this month. With the acquisition, the Kion Group will now feature a suite of products ranging from forklift trucks to AS/RS solutions. “The transaction brings together the world’s most profitable … Continue reading Kion completes Dematic acquisition →

Australia’s 457 visa system is back in the news again. If you believe Labor, the 457 visa is a rort allowing foreign workers to steal Australian jobs. The government, on the other hand, defends it as a way for Australia to meet skills gaps in the economy. Misunderstanding the problem is leading to wrong solutions … Continue reading The real issues with the 457 visa aren’t being addressed →

Victorian energy company AusNet Services’ first-half statutory net profit has fallen by 52 per cent on its previous year’s result. Net profit for the six months to September 30 was $178.6 million, down from $374.5 million a year earlier. AusNet Services is Victoria’s largest energy delivery service business, owning and operating approximately $11 billion of electricity … Continue reading AusNet profits fall by 52 per cent →

BlueScope Steel has partnered with TOLL, K&S Transport and Buzinga App Development to improve health and safety methods for their employees and contractors through the safety app, ‘SteelDrive’. The app, launched in June, 2016 and now available to Android users, allows truck drivers to document the restraining and transportation of steel, through photo-taking, GPS-tracking, and cloud-based … Continue reading BlueScope launches workplace safety app →

Voice recognition software maker Nuance Communications has announced that robot maker ROOBO will be using the Nuance Mix NLU development platform, which provides voice and natural language (NLU) capabilities, to create conversational and cognitive interfaces for ROOBO robots and devices. Additionally, Nuance and ROOBO are set to collaborate on future integrations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advance … Continue reading Talking robots will soon be here →

A forensic accountant has alleged that dairy processor Murray Goulburn may have overstated its earnings and even lost money in the last financial year. It was claimed in early November that its treatment of the milk supplier support program in its accounts was wrong. This in turn has led to dairy farmers doubting whether they’ll get repaid, … Continue reading Did Murray Goulburn overstate its earnings? →

Mount Waverley’s GP Graders has helped reshape the way stone fruit and other produce is sorted around the world, introducing automation to an area that’s sometimes been reluctant to embrace it. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s Director, Stuart Payne.

Heat Treatment Australia applies its expertise to high-value parts for areas including aerospace and defence, making them stronger, lighter and more durable. Brent Balinski spoke to the company about its expansion, which will see it open its new Los Angeles site in October.

Third-generation manufacturer Queensland Gaskets is preparing for the next chapter in its long history. Carl Quarterman, the company’s managing director since 2012, told Brent Balinski about some of the reasons for the family-owned business’s endurance.

According to a report in today’s Australian newspaper, former Orica executives, Andrew Larke and Patrick Largier, are being courted by the administrators of Arrium to become directors of its $1.5 billion subsidiary Moly-Cop. Moly-Cop makes steel grinding balls used in mining and is touted as one of the most lucrative part of Arrium’s ailing operations. … Continue reading Arrium administrators find Orica execs as the solution for Moly-Cop →

We are pleased to announce the launch of the annual Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards – the premier night for recognising the industry’s successes – for 2017.

Unlike our previous election, in fact unlike our past three federal elections, in the US, both candidates for president are vowing to revitalise and resurrect the U.S. manufacturing industry. In fact, Donald Trump says he will “reclaim millions of American jobs” while Hillary Clinton is pushing a “make it in America” strategy. “While too many … Continue reading OPINION: Unlike in Australia, US elections are all about manufacturing →