Innes Willox

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 →

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 →

The Australian manufacturing sector has picked up again after a run of slower months, rising 1.6 points in the September Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). Employment and new orders rose, buoyed by growth in the food and beverage and machinery and equipment sector. In addition, manufacturers who supply the mining and defence sectors reported … Continue reading Employment and new orders drive positive PMI →

Australian steelmaker, Bluescope Steel, has announced that it will invest almost $1 billion in its Ohio, US steel mill, North Star. Bluescope will expand its US production facilities by 40 per cent, and hopes that the expansion will be completed by 2023. One of the drivers of the expansion into the North American market is … Continue reading Bluescope to invest a billion in US production →

Australian businesses are beginning to adopt Industry 4.0 technologies, yet cyber threats remain an impediment. Innes Willox explains. Australian industry is currently in a state of transition to the Fourth Industrial Revolution – or Industry 4.0. It is fair to say that substantial progress in embracing Industry 4.0 has so far been confined to a … Continue reading IoT value untapped while cyber security threats grow →

The Australian Industry Group’s (Ai Group) Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) has remained in expansionary territory at 52.7 points in May. It marks the 33rd consecutive month of stability and reading over the 50-point mark. Despite its positive streak, the PMI has dipped 2.1 points from the previous month, indicating a slower rate … Continue reading Australia PMI recovery slows in May →

The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) climbed 2.3 points to 59.0 in September, indicating faster growth across the manufacturing sector and extending the index’s period of uninterrupted growth to a full two years. Australian PMI is a national composite index calculated from a weighted mix of the diffusion indices for production, … Continue reading Australian PMI: Two years of uninterrupted expansion in manufacturing →

A new report released by the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) has identified critical skill issues facing Australian businesses, with 75 per cent of employers reporting skill shortages and 99 per cent impacted by low levels of literacy and numeracy. These significant findings from the Australian Industry Group come at a time when digital technologies are … Continue reading Ai Group’s new report reveals major skill gaps →

The Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) has welcomed the Victorian government’s decision to increase renewable power generation targets in the state to lower power prices. Yesterday, the Victorian government announced details of the winning bids for the state’s first renewable energy auction, which will generate more than 900 megawatts (MW) of new clean energy, exceeding the original target of 650MW. Under … Continue reading Victoria’s renewable push gets positive response from industry →

The Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) climbed 4.7 points to 56.7 in August, indicating faster growth across the manufacturing sector. Ai Group Chief Executive Innes Willox said the rebounded PMI in August places Australia on the cusp of two years of uninterrupted expansion. “The manufacturing sector has confounded doubters in … Continue reading Manufacturing rebounds in August despite drought impacts →

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull’s decision to dump emission reduction targets from the National Energy Guarantee (NEG) has been criticised by the business groups, saying the move can destroy any sense of policy certainty. The Business Council of Australia (BCA) and the Australian Industry Group both issued statements following the announcement on Monday, arguing that the decision could hamper long-term … Continue reading Business groups voice concern over NEG decision →

A framework engagement agreement, signed by the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) and Germany’s Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft, is set to significantly increase awareness and uptake of Industry 4.0 within the Australian manufacturing industry. Fraunhofer is considered the leading organisation for applied research in Europe, working collaboratively with companies, public-sector bodies and institutions to develop strategies, business models and … Continue reading IMCRC, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft to boost Industry 4.0 collaboration →

In just about every industry we can think of businesses are now being digitally disrupted and transformed by digitisation in one way or another, writes the Australian Industry Group CEO Innes Willox. While the productivity benefits of digitalisation may be clear, concern remains about what digital disruption will mean to businesses and jobs, and how … Continue reading Seven strategies for a competitive digital economy →

Australian manufacturing has picked up where it left off last year after recording an accelerated rate of growth following a promising end to 2017. The industry moved past 16 months of consecutive expansion at the end of January, according to the Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). For the third consecutive month all seven activity … Continue reading Australian manufacturers to reinforce strong start to year →

Australia’s manufacturing industry entered 2018 in good health after completing a year of continuous month-on-month growth. Further building on the recovery the sector has experienced over the year, the Australian Industry Group Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) recorded a reading of 56.2 in December – down a slight 1.1 on the previous month. … Continue reading Australian manufacturing ‘seeking progress’ in 2018 →

October marked a second year of growth in the Australian manufacturing industry, despite the closure of the automotive assembly sector in South Australia. Six of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded last month, according to results from the Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). Growth was led by the non-metallic mineral products sector, which stayed at … Continue reading Automotive closure fails to slow manufacturing growth →

The Ai Group Defence Council Australian says that the local industry has the capability, capacity and determination to meet the Naval Shipbuilding Plan challenge. The Council called for greater recognition of these local capabilities, as well as a more considered debate focussing on a national approach to further building that capability and delivering outcomes. “Australia’s … Continue reading Australia highly capable of meeting Naval Shipbuilding Plan challenge: Ai Group →

According to the Ai Group, Australia’s PMI fell by 5.6 points to 54.2 in September, indicating a deceleration in growth after August’s spike to a 15-year high (readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase) at 59.8. Ai Group chief executive, Innes Willox said, “This … Continue reading Manufacturing in Australia slows down after record month →