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Jungheinrich has launched an entry-level range of pallet trucks for low-duty applications. This new range of electric pedestrian trucks is designed for retailers, print shops, workshops or garden centers, or even small to medium-sized businesses that routinely need to move heavy individual items. The range includes EJE M13 (1300kg) and EJE M15 (1500kg) electric pedestrian … Continue reading Pallet trucks for small-to-medium manufacturers →

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 →

Asahi Beverages, comprising some of Australia and New Zealand’s most successful beverage businesses, including Schweppes Australia, Asahi Premium Beverages, Independent Liquor and The Better Drinks Co., has awarded Dematic a contract to build a high bay warehouse storage facility. The warehouse in Heathwood, Queensland, will consist of a satellite storage solution containing six aisles of … Continue reading Dematic wins Asahi warehouse contract →

Australia’s second next-generation warship has been launched in South Australia. The Australian Navy’s latest vessel Brisbane was officially named and launched this morning at Techport, Australia’s premier naval industry hub. Brisbane is the second of three warships built in Adelaide as part of the most complex defence project in Australia’s history – an $8 billion … Continue reading Australia’s second Air Warfare Destroyer launched in Adelaide →

For most forward-looking manufacturing businesses, talent planning is becoming a major focus. Skills gaps continue to grow as a result of an ageing workforce, increasing movement within job markets and the impact of Industry 4.0. Certainly, Ai Group’s own research and policy work supports this conclusion, and it’s echoed by recent market research undertaken by … Continue reading How to build a talent pipeline in the era of Industry 4.0 →

With a precious few exceptions, this year’s annual top 100 manufacturers report from IBISWorld does not make easy reading, as Alan Johnson reports. THE manufacturing industry has always been an extremely competitive industry, and that trend shows no sign of abating in the near future. While not dramatic, the slow decline of Australia’s traditional manufacturing industry looks … Continue reading 2016 Top 100 Manufacturers – Industry’s winners and losers →

Australia’s Defence Industry minister Christopher Pyne has reaffirmed that Australia remains committed to buying the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter despite US President-elect Donald Trump’s recent comments saying its ‘”cost is out of control’”. SKynews reported that Trump had a go at aircraft maker Lockheed Martin criticising them over Twitter on the program which has … Continue reading RAAF sticking to F-35 despite Trump attack →

ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors today announced a multi-year extension to their global strategic partnership that showcases the performance benefits of advanced synthetic motor oil technology. ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors will also continue their collaboration in motorsports, lubricant sales, marketing and technology. The ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors relationship began in the early 2000s when Mobil 1 … Continue reading ExxonMobil and Bentley Motors extend global partnership →

Westpac and the Group of Eight (Go8) have partnered to offer the first program in Australia for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) to undertake employment with the Westpac Group during their studies. The STEM PhD program was established in recognition of the importance of the … Continue reading Westpac launches Australia’s first employment program for STEM PhD students →

Some $6.12bn worth of growth opportunities fall through the cracks of Australian mid-sized businesses every year due to insufficient or variable cash flow, according to research released by American Express today. More than one-third (40 per cent) of mid-sized CFOs admit their business has been delayed or unable to achieve a strategic business objective due … Continue reading Cash flow variables a business growth killer says study →

Faro Technologies, a global technology company that develops and markets computer-aided coordinate measurement devices and software, opens its new office in Brisbane, Australia. This move is part of Faro’s long-term growth plan and to increase its footprint in Asia Pacific. Faro’s customer base in Australia and New Zealand is growing. As such, this expansion is … Continue reading Faro expands into Queensland →

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 →

  According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR),  well-known Australian businessman Andrew Liveris has been recruited by Donald Trump to help bring back American manufacturing jobs. The chief executive of US multinational giant Dow Chemical, Liveris was appointed chair of the President-elect’s American Manufacturing Council. Liveris has led the manufacturing giant Dow … Continue reading Australian CEO becomes Donald Trump’s new manufacturing ‘tsar’ →

Bluetooth 5 has been released (succeeding Bluetooth 4.2), with the upgrade focusing on IoT applications and improved functionality. When compared to the previous version, improvements include eight times the capacity, two times the speed and four times the range. Specifically, Bluetooth 5.0 has increased its data broadcasting capacity by 800 per cent, and doubled its … Continue reading Bluetooth 5 now available for manufacturers →

According to reports, a major naval shipbuilding program in Australia has taken a significant step forward with the appointment of Danish company Odense Maritime Technologies (OMT) to redevelop shipyard facilities in South Australia. The move follows the announcement of French company DCNS as the preferred partner for the design of Australia’s $50 billion Future Submarine … Continue reading Major naval shipbuilding program gains momentum in SA →

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 →

The Westpac-Melbourne Institute SME Index (SME Index), which examines the economic health of Australian small and medium sized enterprises, has revealed a significant improvement in business confidence, shifting from 95.6 in Q3 2016 to 100.7 in Q4 2016. Westpac’s General Manager of SME Business Bank, Julie Rynski said, “The strong increase in business sentiment is … Continue reading Westpac finds SMEs are feeling optimistic about 2017 →

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 →

Australia’s innovations will grow into successful businesses with help from the CSIRO Innovation Fund, a $200 million fund to commercialise early stage innovations from CSIRO, universities and other publicly-funded research bodies. The CSIRO Innovation Fund, launched today, will support co-investment in new spin-out and start-up companies, and SMEs engaged in the translation of research generated … Continue reading CSIRO to spend $200m on Aussie innovation →

Senator Xenophon deserves a Christmas card from the nation’s steelmakers, after his negotiation with the government to deliver their Australian Building and Construction Commission (ABCC) legislation. The deal saw significant changes made to government procurement rules. The changes require that companies bidding for government projects worth more than A$4 million and will need to outline in … Continue reading ABCC amended local content rules will help Australian steelmakers compete against low-quality imports →