Innes Willox

A new Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) report, Energy shock: No gas, no power, no future?, concludes that Australia’s energy policy risks sending Australian jobs offshore. The report finds that businesses and households will see an increase in costs, wholesale electricity prices are almost doubling and spot prices are becoming more volatile. It also found … Continue reading Ai Group report: energy policy could offshore jobs →

In light of the announcement of the Australian government’s pledge to offer support for auto workers affected by company closures, the Australian Labor Party (ALP) has accused Liberal Senator and Industry Minister Sinodinos of “misleading” auto workers who are likely to lose their jobs when Holden and Toyota close their production lines later this year. … Continue reading ALP claims Coalition is ‘misleading’ auto workers →

Trump manufacturing advisor, Andrew Liveris, has said that any rise on tariffs on Australian goods imported into the US, could have devastating consequences for Australian industry, according to The Australian. Liveris’ comments come as the Trump administration may change tax arrangements that may punish US importers of Australian goods. Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox … Continue reading Trump to slap tariffs; taxes on Aussie manufacturers →

Ai Group has said that there is a reason for optimism despite upcoming closure of the Toyota Altona plant, this year. Toyota announced the official closure timetable of its plant last Tuesday, with 2600 jobs to go when the plant closes on 3 October 2017. Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said that many high-value … Continue reading Ai Group: bright spots on the manufacturing horizon despite Toyota closure →

Manufacturing growth has consolidated in January, according to the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group). Ai Group’s Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) has expanded for a fourth consecutive month, to a reading of 51.2 in January. This figure is down 4.2 points from December 2016 (figures above 50 represent an increase in manufacturing, with the … Continue reading Manufacturing grows over January period →

According to research by Curtin University, corrosion may be costing the Australian economy more than $30 billion each year. Within industrial environments, exposure to things like water, acid or salt causes corrosion of geared motors. This, in turn, reduces the strength of the corroded parts and inevitably means they have to be replaced. In corrosive … Continue reading Corrosion is eating away at Australian industry →

Australian CEOs are cautiously optimistic about their business prospects in 2017 according to the latest Ai Group CEO Business Outlook survey. We are well short of exuberance with expectations tempered by the failure of 2016 to live up to expectations and by the wide array of local and global challenges on the horizon.  The survey … Continue reading Ai Group 2017 CEO Business Outlook Survey – Foundations for Growth →

Start planning now to reap the many benefits of connected manufacturing. There’s been a lot of noise over the last two years around the “Internet of Things,” or IoT. However, more recently a subcategory of IoT, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), has been getting a lot of well-deserved attention. This brings together many key … Continue reading The Industrial Internet of Things: Why you need to get up to speed fast →

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 →

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 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 →

A research consortium led by Bosch is developing a novel industrial manufacturing concept. The nine partners on the ReCaM project aim to create a highly versatile manufacturing system. Such systems are needed because production times in modern manufacturing are becoming ever shorter. In addition, demand for customized products is increasing, and the number of variants … Continue reading Bosch & Co retool manufacturing concepts →

“Australia’s performance in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) in the science, reading and mathematics skills of 15 year olds is nothing short of a crisis,” Ai Group Chief Executive, Innes Willox, said in response to the release by ACER of the latest report PISA 2015: A first look at Australia’s results.

Industry minister Greg Hunt met with executives from some of Australia’s major energy companies yesterday to discuss the “looming shortage” of the resource for manufacturers.

The manufacturing sector enjoyed its second straight month of growth – described as a “more convincing expansion” than October – in November’s Australian Industry Group Performance of Manufacturing Index survey.

A new report from Forrester has identified and compared the top 11 IoT software platform providers for this quarter. According to the report, IBM, PTC, GE and Microsoft lead the pack, while  AWS, SAP and Cisco Jasper offer competitive options, and LogMeIn, Ayla Networks, Exosite and Zebra Technologies lag behind. Forrester evaluated vendors based on 25 … Continue reading The top IoT software platforms for 2016 →

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 →

Boral has entered into a binding agreement to acquire US building products maker Headwaters. The US$2.6 billion deal is subject to shareholder approval and regulatory approval, and is expected to complete in mid-2017. Based in Utah, Headwaters is a leading manufacturer of building products and one of the largest marketers of fly ash in the … Continue reading Boral cements its acquisition of US building products maker →

Geelong, Victoria’s second city, has emerged as an area of great expertise for advanced materials – particularly carbon fibre composites – in recent years. Brent Balinski spoke to Quickstep’s Carl De Koning about the company’s New Technology division, headquartered at Waurn Ponds.