Business

Manufacturers preparing for the digital future are embracing Quality 4.0

Quality 4.0 is the digital transformation of quality management and the alignment of software and digital processes with the capabilities of Industry 4.0. *Scott Philbrook, Managing Director of RS Australia and New Zealand discusses its elements, implementation, and outcomes in the AU/NZ manufacturing environments: The manufacturing sector has embraced the digitisation and connectivity of Industry 4.0. Smart, connected technologies have revolutionised all aspects of our manufacturing processes. The ongoing evolution of Industry 4.0 technology, integration, and digitalisation has seen quality management become even more vital to manufacturers; the merging of new technologies and capabilities married to traditional quality management has seen the emergence of Quality 4.0. This is about readying manufacturers for the future by equipping them with connected, advanced, purpose built tools. Companies that invest shrewdly in Quality 4.0 will not only see increases in operational efficiency, but they will also benefit from maintaining a quality driven culture and increased customer satisfaction. Quality 4.0 does not replace traditional quality management principles: it instead enhances them to partner with the Industry 4.0 manufacturing environment. There are elements that support Quality 4.0; they include the ability to effectively collect multiple sources of data promptly so decisions can be made in an agile manufacturing environment as data has always underpinned improvements in quality management. This is supported by connectivity between engineering, manufacturing, and quality teams – and the application of machine intelligence for data analysis. Implementation and enhancements of Quality 4.0 requires systems including artificial intelligence and machine learning, blockchain, cloud technology, connected and edge devices, and big data that replaces paper based methods: thus allowing collaboration between all shareholders throughout the manufacturing process. However, Quality 4.0 is not just software: it requires engagement from the top management down, and processes created by those who use the system. To successfully implement Quality […]

Sevaan Group celebrates 25-year milestone

Sevaan Group has announced that this year marks the Group’s 25th anniversary. Sevaan Group is a dedicated, metal component and product manufacturing firm in Australia. Since 1997, it has grown from a small family business into a leading metal engineering, fabrication and finishing firm. Established by Jim and Artemis Tzakos, Sevaan Group celebrates a legacy of continuous growth and expanding possibilities for its customers. Originally starting in 1997 as Proline Technologies, and with Jim and Artemis at the helm of a small team, the company grew steadily, cementing its capability along the way. In 2011 Proline Technologies acquired Wisby & Leonard to form Sevaan Group. Today, the Group’s large, state-of-the-art, Sydney-based facility holds its entire fabrication processes under the one roof and employs more than 50 people. It manufactures metal components and products for numerous Original Equipment Manufacturers in sectors such as defence, mining, agriculture, gaming, space and robotics, electronics and transport. Sevaan’s growth trajectory allowed the firm to acquire unrivalled expertise and capability in the design, cutting, machining, bending and folding, welding, finishing and assembly of metal components and products. This, combined with the emphasis Sevaan Group places on precise and accurate manufacturing, allowed the Group to develop an enviable reputation for delivering outstanding quality on time. For customers, Sevaan’s expertise and comprehensive capability means they have access to a complete, end-to-end metal fabrication service. And according to David Green, CEO, Sevaan Group, this provides them with greater choice, control and speed. “Our customers can have their components and products made from any metal including stainless steel, aluminium, bronze, brass and copper. And regardless of whether these components and products need cutting, folding, welding, powder coating or some other finish, the entire process is handled on-site at our facility, ensuring real choice, cost competitiveness, quality control, on-time delivery […]

Manufacturing: Future Landscape of Technology

Charlie Hales, Managing Director, Waterstons Australia In a study conducted by Waterstons Australia, 80% of manufacturing businesses have a heavy reliance on manual work and are still using spreadsheets whilst 40% of businesses see process inefficiencies and a lack of proactivity to change as real issues. The future landscape of technology within manufacturing not only includes the implementation of new technologies but the adaptation of current tech, people and processes to future-proof these businesses. Looking to the past to prepare for the future, retrofitting current equipment and tech is currently a viable option for many manufacturing businesses to improve their current situation. Through the Waterstons Innovation Fund, manufacturers are testing out new processes and software with old technology. Retrofitting existing equipment with cameras and sensors combined with machine learning. The purpose is to automatically detect quality issues in outputs as well as to proactively detect when a piece of equipment isn’t operating as normal. This type of retrofitting is typically low cost, not requiring new machinery or systems. The Human Asset Looking at the human element of the future landscape, it’s imperative that manufacturing business remain highly educated and connected with their tech. Integrating training on something as simple as Microsoft Excel and a retraining program on current technology within the business can often be a huge edge for the business. Looking at cyber security, many infiltrations of a company’s systems begin with a stolen password. The importance of your human element is imperative to the future of any manufacturing business. Cultivating a strong company culture can sometimes be overlooked by organisations. However, ensuring your human assets and culture are cohesive, collaborated with and trained correctly reduces the risk of potential disdain from employees who could potentially leak data. There are a multitude of instances like this which can incur […]

Q& A: Karl Pfeffer Supply Chain Director, Viatris Australia

Why was the pharmaceutical industry your chosen sector? I’ve worked in the pharmaceutical industry for almost all my career. It is always rewarding to know the work you do is helping others live a healthier life. I am also involved in different community groups and charities and donate a lot of my time every week to them, which Viatris encourages its employees to do. Therefore, working in the pharmaceutical industry is a natural fit with what I value. Can you tell us a bit about how you have grown in your career through a role in pharmaceutical supply chain? I have been very fortunate to have headed up our supply chain through a period of significant and sustained business growth and transformation. In my time, I’ve led the supply chain through the combination of Mylan and Upjohn into Viatris, in which we’ve built a new Distribution Centre and we’ve almost doubled our distributed volume and product range. This has meant leading a lot of interesting and challenging projects and having the opportunity to grow my team and develop new leaders and talent which has been really rewarding. What has been some of your biggest career highlights? Any awards or moments of celebration? A big career highlight has been overseeing the development of our new distribution centre. Before the centre, we were reaching our limits of warehouse capacity and had a complex supply chain as we were operating out of various locations. Along with the expert employees in the team, we were able to consolidate our supply chain from one location to service our customers and by extension the Australian patients who rely on our medicines. It has also been great to see our supply chain team continue to maintain an excellent safety record. Internal assessment and audit are core components […]

Secureworks State of the Threat Report 2022

Secureworks has published its annual State of the Threat Report, revealing that the exploitation in remote services has become the primary initial access vector (IAV) in ransomware attacks over the past year, accounting for 52% of ransomware incidents analysed by Secureworks over the period (overtaking credentials-based attacks from 2021). Alongside this, there has also been a 150% rise in the use of infostealers, making them a key precursor to ransomware. Both these factors keep ransomware the primary threat for organisations, who must fight to stay abreast of the demands of new vulnerability prioritisation and patching. The 2022 State of the Threat Report from Secureworks provides an overview of how the global cybersecurity threat landscape has evolved over the last 12 months, with a focus on the Secureworks Counter Threat Unit’s (CTU) first hand observations of threat actor tooling and behaviors. Highlights from the Report include: Shift to exploiting vulnerabilities as primary initial access vector (IAV) over credentials-based attacks Accelerated use of Infostealers as a means of enabling ransomware operations Insights into the changing groups and threats associated with the continued dominance of ransomware Changes and newcomers in the loader landscape Tools and tactics of hostile government-sponsored groups across the world The onward march of ransomware Ransomware continues to remain the primary threat facing organisations accounting for more than a quarter of all attacks. Despite a series of high-profile law enforcement interventions and public leaks, and a small slow down over the summer months, ransomware operators have maintained high levels of activity. The median detection window in 2022 is four and a half days, compared to five days in 2021. The mean dwell time in 2021 was 22 days but so far in 2022 is down at 11 days. Companies effectively have one working week to respond to and mitigate damage. […]

What is a Budget -Who is it for?

-Comment Watching the Treasurer deliver a Budget is a very therapeutic event. It provides a reality check as to how the nation is financially…or it confirms that nothing being said has a positive effect on our well-being. What do the numbers mean, how many new houses are going to be built, how many jobs cut? As the Treasurer reeled out the big numbers, I wished the AFL season were just starting so I would have something important to concentrate on. The numbers, I’m afraid, don’t mean much. Or don’t mean much now. They will only be confirmed in two Budget’s time when we will see how effective the policies have been. Economists and deep-thinking consultants, for the money they earn, have strong measured opinions. Furrowed brows confirming to us how the picture will emerge. But they don’t have a clue. Press a button, look at a software package and tell us the best and worse scenarios that is the best they can hope for…and then expect us to take them seriously. Have you noticed how few accountants have been prime ministers…they can’t do the numbers. So just get on with your life. Pay your accountant well and keep your business moving forward. We have our own Treasurer, our accountant, who ensures we do the right things and contribute to society.

The Interview: Kerry Hodges, ADA Bendigo Factory Manager

What is your role at ADA’s Bendigo Factory, and what does this entail? My role as Bendigo Factory Manager requires me to oversee all aspects of production. This includes staff, skills, cutting, equipment, quality , continuous improvement opportunities, safety and anything to ensure our commitments to the customer are met. The factory makes protective apparel for many services and businesses throughout Australian and beyond. It is a huge responsibility due to our diverse customer base – we provide to Australian Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force, New South Wales Health, Victoria Ambulance, Victoria Police, NSW Police, QLD Fire and Emergency Services, QLD Police, WA Fire and Emergency Services, Victoria Country Fire Authority, Victoria Country Fire volunteers, NSW Wildlands Fire, Toll, Energex, to name a few. What opportunities for career development and growth have you been provided with during your time at ADA? There have been so many opportunities that have been provided to me. I started as a sower in 1988, and then moved into the quality side of production, which involved implementing an accredited Quality System. From there I moved into a supervisory tole, before moving into managing the Bendigo Production Facility. What are the biggest challenges you have faced in the manufacturing industry? Skill shortages is one of the biggest. We lost valuable skillsets when a lot of the companies took their manufacturing offshore. Where I grew up, the area was a thriving sewing manufacturing hub, with businesses such as Stafford Ellison, John Brown, Lacoste, Adidas, and other smaller businesses in operation. Following their closure, people looked at other fields to move into, therefore education and courses on offer were extremely limited and the industry suffered. We were incredibly lucky at that point in time the Australian Defence Apparel (formerly known as Australian Government Clothing Factory) was looking […]

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FSC bolsters environmental capacity and expands into site investigation services

FSC has announced a boost of its suite of environmental engineering services with a focus on providing high-quality, commercially minded and site specific, site investigation services to primarily construction and property managing clients. FSC is a multi-disciplinary design, engineering, project management and environmental consultancy. FSC has a fresh approach to engineering and is proud to be a people-first company. Their team is experienced in small and large projects, and are brought together through shared passion for sustainable, safe project planning and delivery. In launching its site investigation service, FSC has appointed two experienced environmental consultants, Souzy Melahridis and Ben Bratcher. Souzy is an experienced environmental consultant and scientist with experience in undertaking an array of environmental investigations and contaminated land management as well as managing environmental and occupational health risks on major infrastructure projects. Ben is an experienced project manager and environmental consultant, with a background in the management of both intermediate and large-scale projects at various stages. Ben has joined FSC after working primarily in risk management, with experience environmental site investigations and due diligence assessments. Site investigations involve the identification of environmental liabilities through a combination of desktop and intrusive investigation works and are often the keystone first step in environmental due diligence. Our site investigation team can devise the best investigation and remediation strategies to meet the needs of the project. “Strengthening our team with site investigation experience was the natural next step for FSC,” said Stuart Twelftree, general manager of FSC Enviro. This announcement comes as 2023 is shaping up as an exciting year for FSC. Along with a recent geographic diversification into Brisbane, FSC has continued to grow its existing service lines with total staff numbers across FSC Group now 70.

Patients to benefit from regenerative implants on Protheses List

Patients will be able to more readily access the innovative technology of an Australian-Singaporean regenerative implants company, thanks to the inclusion of its products into the Protheses List next month. Osteopore’s regenerative implants empower natural tissue regeneration, using 3D-printed bioresorbable implants whereby a scaffold guides a damaged or broken bone to regrow naturally. All of the company’s products currently TGA listed for use under the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG), will be formally included into the Prostheses List on November 25th. The Australian Prostheses List identifies implantable devices eligible for reimbursement from all private health insurance funds. This requirement is set out in the Private Health Insurance Act 2007. Osteopore Executive Chairman, Mark Leong said being incorporated into the Prostheses List ensured all Australians with private healthcare coverage could be reimbursed for Osteopore products. “Doctors and surgeons are able to choose the best available devices for privately insured patients as covered by all the individual healthcare insurance funds, and we believe our products are some of the best available on the market,” said Mr Leong. “Demand for medical devices has been growing due to population ageing, chronic health conditions and the introduction of new technologies. We are very happy to be included onto the Australian Prostheses List as we can provide our implants to patients with private healthcare insurance at a fully reimbursed price.” “Australian doctors are increasingly looking for products that work with the body’s natural regenerative capabilities and replacing like with like, rather than having to rely on artificial replacement parts or some bone grafts.” “Our solution is not only viable but can offer a better, safer and more reliable alternative to existing permanent implant technologies, providing a platform for lower potential complications and medical costs.” The list is an essential part of the private health insurance […]

Farmer John stumps the doubters with international technology success

Another Australian farmer is following in the footsteps of the inventors of the stump-jump plough by achieving international renown for his ingenuity for down-to-earth solutions for problems encountered by producers globally. Queensland farmer John Bucknell’s hydraulic bolts are now used around the world in applications such as nuclear reactors, boilers, turbines and mining and energy equipment where speed, accuracy and even, precise fastening of multiple sets of bolts is required. The idea originally stemmed from his desire to find a quicker and more secure way to fasten bolts used to tighten gang bolts on large disc ploughs on his family’s property near Nindigully, Queensland (about 500km west of Brisbane). Just like brothers Richard and Clarence Smith of Yorke Peninsula who invented the stump jump plough in 1876 to allow farmers to cultivate land without removing rocks and stumps, John used his disc plough to break in new country, ready for production, after his father converted the property from grazing to agricultural production, predominantly wheat. A better disc plough solution At the time, disc ploughs used scalloped discs mounted in gangs turning in order to chop up the ground. But these were prone to breaking if they encountered a stone, stump, or other obstacle. To replace them involved using a sledgehammer to loosen and tighten the large nut of the centre shaft of the gang. The whole gang had to be taken to replace broken discs, then the whole assembly had to be rebuilt once it was fixed… only for the plough to hit another obstacle 100 metres on, and the time-consuming process had to start again. Frustrated by this laborious process, he developed sets of hydraulic nuts and bolts to do the job of fastening and unfastening disc assemblies simultaneously, far faster and more securely than the old way of twisting […]

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