Business

Lumify Learn to make a positive impact on digital skills shortages

Lumify Group, leading provider of Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) training in Australasia, has launched Lumify Learn to provide quality, self-paced, vendor-certified and nationally accredited ICT training, leveraging 30 years of experience, skills and knowledge accumulated by the wider Lumify Group as industry leaders. Bringing a unique offering of nationally accredited qualifications with built-in vendor-certified content (in partnership with the likes of Microsoft, AWS and CompTIA), Lumify Learn tackles the growing problem of skills shortages in Australia’s technology sector. With a recent government-backed survey revealing IT university graduates were the least employable out of 10 sectors surveyed, and nearly one in five IT graduates feel their degree has failed to prepare them for the working world, Lumify Learn’s courses offer students the opportunity to graduate with a vendor-certified qualification and a nationally accredited qualification. This leads to stronger employment outcomes and enables students to secure the right balance of foundational IT skills and the specific vendor-certified competencies that organisations are suffering a shortage of most. With all courses delivered 100% online, Lumify Learn allows students to study their way, from anywhere, at any time. All students are supported by a team of Australian-based ICT experts currently working in industry, who are available to guide students through the course material. Additional to nationally accredited and vendor-aligned courses,Lumify Learn also offers a series of tailored bootcamps in high-demand skillsets, including Cybersecurity, Artificial Intelligence and Data Science, that take students with zero industry experience to employable professionals in as little as 6 months. Lumify Learn courses are designed for both beginners looking to make an entry into the ICT industry and those looking to advance their careers, and require limited prior knowledge or experience. The business has also announced the launch of its industry-leading program, Lumify Edge, that provides dedicated support and careers […]

New pathways open for women in steel

Women are increasingly turning to non-traditional pathways such as steel for careers, drawn by operational and social advances. 50% of ASI staff were now women. “ASI is a proud supporter of inclusive work cultures where women’s careers thrive and their achievements are celebrated,” Cain said. ASI founding member steel producer BlueScope agrees. “It’s an exciting, dynamic industry at the cutting edge of change for women,” according to Queensland chapter president of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) and BlueScope Qld specification manager Sheree Taylor. “Historical perceptions of the industry are changing: we have world-class safety standards, a culture of trust and respect and are investing in emerging, responsible steel technology,” Taylor said. BlueScope’s promotion and profiling of steel jobs now focuses on gender-neutral attributes, including problem-solving, skills training, job security and career advancement. Success of the job program has seen a five-fold increase of women at an operational level since 2016 across BlueScope Australia. BlueScope is also a signatory to the HESTA 40:40 Vision initiative which seeks to achieve gender balance in executive leadership across all ASX200 companies by 2030. Taylor said one of the keys to attracting more women into manufacturing and steel is at the school level. ‘’It is fantastic to see careers advice at schools now increasingly showcase the exciting opportunities for women in manufacturing – across both trade, operator and professional roles. However, there is still more to do to support women into these careers so they can add to the industry and reap the benefits of secure employment and a fulfilling career.’’ Site services contract controller for ASI founding member InfraBuild Wire Emma Mellows, said the IWD ‘Embrace Equity’ theme powerfully resonated with her. “Outside of work, I actively mentor young people, including young women, encouraging and supporting them to follow paths leading […]

SmartSat CEO Professor Andy Koronios AUS MN

SmartSat CRC and partners commit $7 million to develop AI-enabled spacecraft that can operate autonomously

SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (SmartSat), Australia’s leading space research centre, has launched a $7 million project to develop new autonomous spacecraft using artificial intelligence (AI). The three-year project, Spacecraft Autonomy and Onboard AI for Next Generation Space Systems, known as SCARLET-α, will bring together eight SmartSat partners: Airbus, Asension, Deakin University, Defence Science and Technology Group, Leonardo Australia, Saab Australia, Swinburne University of Technology, and University of South Australia (UniSA) in a collaborative research effort. SCARLET-α aims to create a set of autonomous algorithms that will enable small and distributed spacecraft to make decisions independently, optimise the use of available resources and capabilities, adapt to changing conditions, and handle critical situations, without intervention from Earth. The project will focus on high impact areas of spacecraft autonomy and onboard AI as identified and prioritised with the industry and defence partners, including: Onboard processing and actionable intelligence Small spacecraft and constellation resilience Dynamic optimisation of constellation resources Real-time tasking and resource allocation SmartSat CEO Professor Andy Koronios, says that, to date, onboard processing has been limited to data collection, but researchers hope the algorithms they develop will allow spacecraft to perform many tasks with less intervention from human operators. “As autonomous technologies advance and are embraced, their place in space will expand and present new opportunities for applications here on Earth. The next generation of satellite communications and earth observation will be achieved using integrated systems of satellite constellations operating autonomously and performing multiple tasks in real time. Such AI-enabled technologies promise to transform the major sectors of our economy, such as agriculture, farming, and mining, and better serve our defence and national security objectives. This investment is possible through the great support of the Federal Government CRC Program Australia and will help develop cutting-edge technologies in space autonomy.” “With next-generation space systems on the horizon, the possibilities […]

EVOS closes $5m funding round

Entire raise completed through existing investors as Brisbane-based electric vehicle charging start up looks to bring new products to market within weeks EVOS, a start-up specialising in fleet energy management and AC charging for electric vehicles (EVs), has completed a funding round, securing $5m from existing investors. The investment will enable the company to begin to bring to market new technologies ideal for a number of EV charging use cases to address challenges for EV fleet operators and EV homeowners/renters, among many others. EVOS is founded by CEO Marcelo Salgado; Chief Experience & Innovation Officer Seshan Weeratunga, and Chief Technology Officer Chris Crossman. “This investment validates all the hard work the team has put in since we launched our company, and it shows the belief our investors have in a home-grown manufacturer being able to deliver game-changing offerings for Australians,” said Salgado. “Since launching, we’ve unveiled our first charger, the Fleet Home 22 AC Charger and our patented Smart Start solution to help fleet and EV owners simplify and reduce the cost of charging. “We now have a number of new products on the roadmap and this investment will help bring them to market much more quickly.” A new home charger, to be launched in Brisbane on July 19, will be the first cab off the rank for the company. Rapid expansion and rollout of solutions to address the needs of EV owners The company initially raised $1.7m to help the company expand its team and commercialise its technology. Since then, EVOS has added 22 employees to its manufacturing, sales and engineering departments, while launching its game-changing products. “We’ve seen tremendous growth not just within our team but the opportunities for electric vehicles in Australia,” said Crossman. “Some of the barriers to EV adoption have gone down and we’re seeing […]

Scalable automation solution optimises process at new Kaolin plant

WA Kaolin is using Rockwell Automation technology to enhance operational efficiency as it ramps up production. A new kaolin mining operation in Wickepin, Western Australia, is utilising an integrated automation solution to reduce overall costs, improve scheduling, and deliver ongoing benefits to operations. Kaolin, which is becoming increasingly valuable, is a soft white clay that has been surging in demand, with uses in applications including paper and plasterboard, ceramics, fiberglass, paints and coatings, plastics, rubber, pharmaceuticals and medicine, cosmetics, concrete construction materials and agriculture. WA Kaolin – an ASX-listed mineral exploration, extraction, and processing company – has developed a proprietary dry processing method known as K99, which turns raw material into market-suitable feedstock for global customers. Combined with the high quality of the ore reserve, the K99 process delivers high-quality ultra-bright kaolin at a lower cost than conventional chemical bleaching and magnetic separation processing. WA Kaolin has constructed a Stage 1 commercial processing plant on a three-hectare site in Wickepin, about 200 kilometres southeast of Perth, Western Australia. The site has been identified as having a mineral resource estimate of more than 600 million tonnes of extremely high grade, easy access kaolin across its mining and retention tenements, one of the largest known remaining premium primary resources of kaolin in the world. There is a strategic plan in place to expand production capacity to exceed 400,000 tons per annum (tpa) after 36 months, so WA Kaolin selected engineering and planning consultancy, Willyung Electrical & Controls Engineering (WECE) to manage the process of steadily scaling up. WECE analysed the requirements, and selected Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx® Distributed Control System (DCS) to provide a single, plant-wide control system, with the flexibility to make better and faster business decisions and a scalable solution for future expansion. In late 2022, WA Kaolin successfully commenced […]

What is steel scrap and how can it help us reach net zero?

Recycled steel scrap is a low-emitting source of the metal – here’s how we can improve its collection and production to help decarbonise the industry. From bridges to cars to paper clips, steel is ubiquitous in our material world. It is one of the enabling materials that has led to unprecedented living standard rises and progress for humanity. Yet, as with all other emitting economic sectors and material groups, the steel industry needs to decarbonise to meet the climate challenge. Its success as a material means global crude steel production is over 1.9 gigatonnes, but it accounts for an estimated 3 gigatonnes of CO2 emissions annually (albeit this is lower-emitting than most other materials potentially used for the same applications). Steel is made from either primary sources: that is, extracting iron ore from nature and transforming it into pure iron; or from secondary sources, that is, remelting steel scrap into new steel, or a combination of both. This secondary-source steel scrap is the discarded steel that becomes available from manufacturing waste generation and from recovered steel in buildings, infrastructure, equipment, vehicles and products discarded at their end of life. The amount of steel scrap available globally is finite, constrained by the rate of disposal by society. In contrast, the availability of iron ore-based steel is expandable, as mine activity can be increased to meet growing steel demand. There are two principal methods of producing steel. Image: ArcelorMittal Innate circularity Steel has excellent circularity properties. Whereas other materials are often downcycled at their end of life, for many applications, steel scrap can be turned back repeatedly into new steel, retaining its original properties. The magnetic properties of steel make it easy to segregate steel scrap from mixed waste streams. Global emissions from steel are primarily generated while producing steel from primary source iron […]

We could need six times more of the minerals used for renewables and batteries

Rusty Langdon,Senior Research Consultant, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney; Elsa Dominish, Research Principal, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney. We are seeing the biggest changes in our energy and transport systems since industrialisation. By 2026, global renewable energy generation is expected to match total fossil fuel and nuclear output. Building the wind and solar farms, batteries and electricity networks we need to run our system on renewables will use a huge array of mined minerals, known as “transition minerals”. The numbers are staggering. The International Energy Agency estimates a sixfold increase in demand for these minerals by 2040 to meet climate targets of well below 2℃ of warming. We could need 21.5 million tonnes for electric vehicles and battery storage alone. Transitional minerals include metals such as lithium, cobalt, copper, graphite, magnesium and nickel. They also include rare earths like neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium. Currently, mining provides almost our entire supply. The scale of demand for these minerals could result in almost 400 new mines by 2035. To put this in perspective, Australia has around 350 operating mines. More than 50% of the world’s lithium and much of its copper, cobalt, nickel and rare earths come from our mines. Australia is hosting the World Mining Congress this week. A key issue for the industry is how we can ensure the minerals needed for the energy transition are sourced responsibly. How can we manage demand? We can design energy and transport systems to minimise mineral demand. Strategies include: reducing our dependence on cars and using smaller vehicles improving energy efficiency moving to a circular economy that makes reuse and recycling a priority. All these changes can reduce the need for new mines. Recycling, for example, could reduce demand for mined materials. For lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, estimated reductions are 25% for lithium, 35% for cobalt and nickel, […]

Kemppi Australia’s Art of Welding Competition now open

Kemppi Australia’s annual Art of Welding Competition is now open for 2023. The competition showcases “welding art” which can take the form of a welded sculpture, pattern design, a motif or an object. The welding process involved to create the art piece can be manual or use more advanced techniques such as robotics, lasers or friction welding. The competition is open to both professional artists and amateurs. It encourages individuals, whether they are welders, apprentices, teachers, hobbyists or professional metal artists to exhibit their creativity. “There is an abundance of creativity in both Australia and New Zealand, not just among our great professional artists, but also among ordinary individuals, and we are really proud to be able to again run this competition to showcase their flair,” said Paul McVicar, Managing Director, Kemppi Australia. This year, the competition will again feature a dedicated amateur category. Entrants can win from a pool of four great prizes that include Kemppi welding equipment, helmets, clothing and gloves. The competition will run until Friday 29th September and is open to anyone in Australia and New Zealand over the age of 18. For more information on how to enter visit the Kemppi Australia Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages or message Kemppi Australia’s social media pages directly or email skettos@skettos.com.au for a copy of the competition flyer. Alternatively, visit https://www.cognitoforms.com/KemppiAustralia/KemppiArtOfWelding2023CompetitionEntryForm for access to the entry form.

Sevaan Group announces the launch of Academy in NSW

Sevaan Group has launched the Sevaan Academy, the training and educational arm of the Group. The Academy provides a structured framework that allows the company’s staff to attain the skills and knowledge to best fulfil their various roles including in business management, operation of the machine centres and development of processes within the Australian, end-to-end metal fabrication business. The Academy was conceived by one of the founders of Sevaan Group, Artemis Tzakos, based upon her genuine interest in the welfare and development of the company’s staff. “The Academy will let our staff attain the necessary know-how to improve and consolidate their existing skills as well as learn new ones. This will help them stay abreast of new technology and embrace future manufacturing developments,” explained Artemis Tzakos, Co-Founder, Sevaan Group. Sevaan Academy participants learning how to operate and configure local settings for the press brake in the Press Brake Machine Centre. The Academy is based at the current company location in Minto, NSW. Sevaan Academy will deliver a cloud-based training program that is embedded within the company’s new Human Resources platform. Employees participating can access the program via their digital devices. Initially, the program will consist of a series of micro-courses that are based around the machining centres and manufacturing processes found within Sevaan’s manufacturing operation. These include sheet metal cutting, punching, bending, welding as well as precision machining, metal finishing and full component assembly. Participants will be guided in their hands-on learning by dedicated and experienced supervisors and operators. In addition, employees will be able to embrace tailored, online educational materials, and formal, external educational resources. All participation and achievement will be recorded against each employees’ profile. On completion of a micro-course, participants will be awarded a micro-credential before choosing to cycle through to the next course. […]

Kuva: Aki Loponen, 2023Pictuner Oyaki.loponen@pictuner.fiwww.pictuner.fi

The rise and rise of portable welding machines

It is not that long ago that portable welding machines were seen as heavy, clunky equipment. Limited in their capability, they could usually only perform one type of welding, such as stick, TIG or MIG. And because of their power output, were mainly relegated to performing light and small welding tasks. Over the last 20 years however, portable welding machines have evolved significantly. While single-process welders are still available in the marketplace and no doubt have a place in the industrial landscape, operators can now also choose from a wide range of multi-process machines. These provide greater convenience and flexibility as they can be used to tackle various fabrication or construction jobs and projects both in the workshop and out in the field without the need to switch power sources. Greater productivity Apart from the ability to tackle a wider variety of work, quality portable welders also help deliver excellent welding results. According to Paul McVicar, Managing Director, Kemppi Australia, this is because of the machine’s stable arc. “Quality portable welding machines usually provide a very stable and even arc that allows the user to deeply penetrate various metals and produce consistent, high-quality welds. This reduces the need for reworking the weld as well as post-weld cleaning, which allows the operator to increase their output, while saving them both time and money,” explains Paul. Powerful Also contributing to improved productivity is that modern portable welders are far more powerful than their predecessors. Today, operators can choose a portable multi-process machine that has a 320 A with a 40-60% duty cycle. Or a 200 A with a 40% duty cycle. The greater amperage combined with the higher duty means that machines such as the new Kemppi Master M 205 let the welder safely create quality welds for a longer period of […]

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