productivity

Australia’s economy could be $24 billion bigger over 10 years if investment in higher education research and development (R&D) was lifted by just one per cent, according to Universities Australia’s submission to the Productivity Commission. 

Improving sustainability and using digital technologies to boost productivity are among the focus areas of a new five-year research program launched by CSIRO and Boeing. 

Australian manufacturing today is at its lowest point ever. During its 1960s heyday, local manufacturing accounted for over 30 per cent of GDP. This isn’t new news to many in the sector.  Currently, that figure is just 5.6 per cent of GDP. And that is despite a quadrupling of output since the 1950s. Productivity holds the … Continue reading Advancing the Australian manufacturing sector →

Manufacturing in the 21st century is becoming more competitive than ever with margins getting tighter. The businesses in this sector are now having to look closely at their efficiencies and productivity and by re-evaluating the use of known technologies and considering newer relatively untried technologies to introduce competitive advantage to their organisations. 

Unplanned downtime can cripple your operations and increase costs.

The jittery national economy has led to a downturn in manufacturing productivity. In the Reserve Bank of Australia’s Statement on Monetary Policy, the bank outlined how GDP and employment levels have played out in each industry, up to June 2019. While employment has continued to grow, at between 2 and 3 per cent throughout 2018 … Continue reading RBA figures point to productivity challenges →

The NSW government has developed a first-of-its-kind report to measure the state’s innovation and productivity performance and compare NSW to other states and similar international economies. The new NSW Innovation and Productivity Scorecard showed the State was a leader on economic growth in 2015-16, ranking second out of 10 locations on GDP growth, beating Victoria … Continue reading New scorecard measures NSW performance →

According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission released this week, stevedoring costs are at their lowest point since records began.

Linking computer vision with robotics is a tricky problem, but the benefits in places like factories, fields and the ocean floor are worth the trouble. Brent Balinski spoke to Professor Peter Corke of Queensland University of Technology about giving robots the power of sight.

More and more factories – and the robotics companies that supply them – are seeing the appeal of collaborative robots. Brent Balinski spoke to Dr Esben Østergaard and Dr Rodney Brooks, both CTOs/co-founders of the two leading “co-bot” companies, about the development of the category, what it offers, and what the future might hold.

​The Industry 4.0 revolution will continue to gain pace, with attitudes, impact and preparedness considered in a new McKinsey report.

The next megatrend will need Australia to be more innovative, particularly if the country is to play a significant role in the world’s economy.

Last month Rethink Robotics received a substantial chunk of new funds from investors, led by GE Ventures. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s CMO Jim Lawton about plans for investing in expanding into newer markets and improving its Baxter industrial robots.

The effect of the United States’ “manufacturing renaissance” is mostly hype, according to a new report by a Washington-based think tank.

​META has announced a collaborative project involving Hospira, GlaxoSmithKline and CSL aiming to increase the effectiveness of manufacturing.

​Japanese industry, with the backing of its government, has plans to regain the country’s number one ranking in robotics manufacturing.

​The Australian Industry Group would like the Abbott government ​to act on its policy to put the Fair Work Act to a Productivity Commission Review.

​The Australian Industry Group would like the Abbott government ​to act on its policy to put the Fair Work Act to a Productivity Commission Review.

​The Australian Manufacturing Forum was front and centre at the start of something we believe will have a real impact on public policy.

International research is mounting on the case for a group of management tools–known as high performance work practices–for improving business performance.