safety

ThyssenKrupp, one of the world’s largest steelmakers, has revealed that it was the victim of a ‘massive cyberattack’ earlier this year. The company was targeted by attackers from southeast Asia in what it has described as “organised, highly professional hacker activities”. The hackers were trying to obtain “technological know-how and research results”, according to the … Continue reading Steelmaker loses data during brazen cyberattack →

A new-concept welding facility opened by BOC at its Rocklea site in Brisbane is set to be an exciting new hub for product applications and testing, research and development, and training. The facility will primarily be used to demonstrate the latest in welding, cutting and heating technology and automation and contains the latest generation digital … Continue reading BOC opens new Brisbane tech centre →

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 →

Whether or not this is down to the so-called ‘Trump Effect’, according to the Australian Financial Review (AFR), Foxconn Technology Group, the biggest assembler of Apple devices, is currently in discussions to expand the company’s US manufacturing operations. The news came only hours after an announcement by US President-elect Donald Trump and SoftBank Group’s Masayoshi … Continue reading Foxconn plants the seeds for US Apple manufacturing →

In June last year, it was announced that Australia’s manufacturing sector had achieved year on year expansion recording the longest unbroken period of growth in a decade. Although that sounds like good news, manufacturers now face another issue. How do they fill the open jobs with engaged workers who will drive the innovation required to … Continue reading Are millennials a manufacturing innovation opportunity? →

Pilz Australia launched its new website which incorporates a new E-Shop for its customers. E-Shop will allow customers to not only browse the company’s vast portfolio of products, it enables them to access the latest technical information, view product images, and download the most up-to- date technical data sheets. The new E-Shop covers the full … Continue reading Pilz launches new online presence →

According to reports, Downer Rail has sub-contracted all manufacturing duties of 24 double deck Sydney A or Waratah class trains to joint venture partner, China’s CRRC Changchun Railway Vehicles Co, with Downer itself providing the maintenance support for a minimum of 25 years. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union criticised the award of the contract, saying … Continue reading Sydney’s new trains to be made in China →

The HLF series fiber laser is the newest edition to the range of Yawei sheetmetal machinery to be available from Applied Machinery. Yawei is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of CNC press brakes, CNC turret punch presses and guillotines and their entrance into the laser cutting market is off the back of years of … Continue reading New laser machine set to launch in the Australian market →

As the lights were illuminated on this year’s Christmas tree at Windsor Castle, they sparkled in some very special baubles that were hand blown and adorned with various emblems, the stamps for which came from Kaeser Compressors. Coburg, the home of both Kaeser, and the English royal family shares a long history together. Prince Albert, … Continue reading Kaeser helps to decorate the royal Christmas tree →

South Australia has opened a new manufacturing technologies centre to help businesses grow by providing access to the state’s best researchers, financial institutions and global supply chains. The $1.2 million centre, situated in Adelaide’s northern suburbs at the University of South Australia’s Mawson Lakes campus, will help businesses identify methods by which they can adopt … Continue reading New tech hub opened in South Australia →

Nvidia and Fanuc Corporation have announced that they will be collaborating to implement artificial intelligence on the Fanuc Intelligent Edge Link and Drive (FIELD) system to increase robotics productivity and add on to existing capabilities to automated factories worldwide. Adding AI to the FIELD system will give robots the ability to teach themselves to do … Continue reading Fanuc & Nvidia announce AI collaboration →

Siemens and Mentor Graphics have announced that they have entered into a merger agreement under which Siemens will acquire Mentor for US$37.25 per share in cash, which represents an enterprise value of US$4.5 billion. This acquisition decisively extends Siemens’ leading Digital Enterprise Software portfolio with Mentor’s electronics IC and systems design, simulation and manufacturing solutions. … Continue reading Siemens acquires Mentor Graphics →

Byron Bay beer maker Stone & Wood has been reported to be looking to further expand its largest brewery as sales jump by 60 per cent to more than $30 million as a response to rivals’ “corporate comb overs” – attempts by large global breweries to spur growth in the premium and craft beer segments by … Continue reading Stone & Wood mulls expansion to quench thirst for demand →

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 →

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 →

Jim Metcher, the NSW secretary of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) and the longest-serving union leader in the country has been accused of hiding his violent past from the Fair Work Commission. This includes his brutal domestic abuse of his daughter and ex-wife. He is expected to face the Fair Work Commission on … Continue reading Union boss’s violent past comes to light →

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 →