Developments

The Interview: Erin Beel, Accessibility Manager, CI&T

Tell readers what it is that you do? I’m Design and Accessibility Manager at CI&T, a global digital consultancy. My role is to partner with organisations to create and improve the experience and accessibility in their products. I also manage a team of designers, and in addition to that, I’m working with both Australian and International colleagues to develop an accessibility capability within CI&T. Outside of my job, I’m participating in The Observership Program. It’s a program of training and practical experience in not-for-profit and government boards. I’m observing the ACMI Board, which is a dream come true for me as a lover of film and digital media. Why have you chosen this career path? The word ‘chosen’ is interesting, as it took a long time before choice factored into my career path. I’ve always been a creative person, a bit of a nerd and loved solving problems. I was lucky to have a PC as a kid, and was using the internet before the web existed. Web design was an emerging field when I graduated uni, and I fell into it via a casual job at Monash University. I did web design for a long time – 16 years. Too long! Choice only started to play a part in my career when I decided to re-skill in User Experience Design. I wanted to drop the coding aspect of my role and focus on Design. UX merges creativity, tech and problem solving – so it was a natural fit. I re-skilled and changed jobs, and became a UX designer at Melbourne Water. Over my time there, I noticed some systemic business problems, and I knew what the solutions should look like. UX wasn’t factored into IT solutions, and neither was Accessibility. I took it upon myself to tackle those challenges, […]

Women in Tech: Kim Clarke, MYOB

Tell readers what it is that you do? MYOB is a business management platform that brings together key workflows to fit a business’s needs. I lead the Enterprise team, which specifically focusses on solutions for mid-sized businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand. Why have you chosen this career path? I started in engineering, before moving into product engineering and product management. I love to see, and play a part in driving, the way society and business leverage technology to make tomorrow better than today. I also love working with curious, hungry people, and I’m fortunate to get all of that in my career. Most satisfying project undertaken? Over 20 years ago I worked with a very progressive CEO and CTO, who supported me to undertake a “side hustle” with two other engineers. That was career defining. The three of us built a few products together and got great traction with one of them in particular. Over the years I have learnt the ingredient for the “most satisfying”. And It’s not the most successful; it’s the ones where I learn the most, and usually established lifelong friendships. I got all of that from that first side hustle. What drives you? I like to stare down a challenge, then build and work through it with curious, ambitious, and high performing teams. And while they are stylistically different, they all have the same underlying desire to solve problems together. Have you travelled much for business? Yes. And the glamour has worn off! Several years ago I was based in Australia but managing teams in San Francisco, India and Singapore. In that role I spent over a third of my time away – and I had a one-year-old. In general I immerse myself in the present, and I loved the learning, the people and the […]

Women in Business: Michèle Stokes PhD GAICD, General Manager, PCI, Melbourne

Explain to readers what you do I am the General Manager for PCI, Melbourne. PCI is an integrated contract development and manufacturing organisation that offers a comprehensive range of pharmaceutical services, from early development to commercial launch, and beyond. In Australia, we specifically focus on early development and supporting clinical studies with capabilities to manufacture, pack, label and distribute to clinical study sites. We offer a range of services to manufacture drug products in various dosage formats, including sterile vials through our new automated fill-finish technology. Where are the growth areas for your company? The main growth areas for PCI in Australia will be expanding across the Asia-Pacific markets and further developing our sterile fill-finish capabilities to support clinical studies in the region. Australia is a very attractive market for pharmaceutical companies to conduct their clinical studies, and with our breadth of expertise and offerings, we are well positioned to support this growth. Contract Development – What does this mean for PCI? PCI supports organisations ranging from startups to mid- to large-scale pharmaceutical companies in placing treatments in clinical studies as quickly as possible. This could involve assisting with dosage format selection, initial clinical batch manufacture, scale-up batches, drug stability support and supplying clinical trial materials to sites to aid in all phases of clinical studies prior to commercialisation. We can support the whole process, or partner on certain areas where the sponsor pharmaceutical company needs additional assistance or expertise. How are you finding staff retention at present? The world has changed in the last two years because of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, employees are evaluating their work-life balance in a different way. PCI has worked hard to find ways to increase staff retention through various initiatives, with consultation to add incentives to the working environment and flexible […]

Mars Petcare boosts regional capabilities and benefits local manufacturing

Leading pet food manufacturer Mars Petcare Australia has announced it will be investing AU$112.6 million to expand pet food manufacturing capabilities at its Wodonga factory. Proud to have been manufacturing at the site since 1967, this project builds on more than $55.8 million invested at the Victorian facility over the past five years and will enable the company to future-proof its local operations for years to come by creating over 60 new jobs through the onshoring of pet food production. The investment will support the development of a 7,800sqm manufacturing facility dedicated to the production of Single Serve Pouches, including two additional lines with a combined yearly capacity of 25kT – around 290 million pouches of cat food initially. The new facility will primarily serve the Australian and New Zealand markets and the growth of both existing and new product ranges across the company’s well-known WHISKAS®, ADVANCE®, OPTIMUM®, and DINE® brands. Craig Sargeant, General Manager – Mars Petcare Australia, said: “As a market leader, we are committed to bolstering our local operations by sourcing and making most of our portfolio right here in Australia. This significant investment will allow us to respond to pet trends including the continued rise in cat ownership – growing at nearly 4% per year – more than twice as fast as our dog population. We’re also seeing increased demand for convenience, with pouch products representing half of the Australian wet cat food market and growing at nearly 10% per year.” As a result of the project’s contribution to the local economy, Mars Petcare Australia’s investment has been supported with grant funding from the Victorian government’s Regional Development Victoria. Harriet Shing, Minister for Regional Development Victoria, said: “As pet ownership continues to increase there are enormous opportunities for businesses like Mars to expand. We’re continuing to […]

CSIRO invests $25 million to drive biotech innovation

Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, has invested $25 million up to 2027 in a new program that will harness the building blocks of life to solve intractable problems. Advanced Engineering Biology (AEB) is the latest of CSIRO’s Future Science Platforms (FSP) program, which are aimed at discovering future breakthroughs in new and emerging areas of science. Dr Robert Speight, Director of CSIRO’s AEB FSP, said the program will integrate engineering and biology to develop solutions for broad-ranging issues from the environment and energy transition to food security and human health. “We’re only just scratching the surface of engineering biology’s potential,” Dr Speight said. “The field is moving fast, and there’s still a lot left to discover about the biological building blocks of life – how they work, and how we could use them. “The applications of engineering biology are varied and range from improving plants to sequester carbon more effectively, to manufacturing sustainable alternatives to animal proteins, petroleum fuels, and harmful pesticides, and even engineering biosensors that can make on-the-spot medical diagnoses.” The program will focus on new biomanufacturing capabilities, as well as developing the very technologies that underpin engineering biology, to make it faster, more predictable, and higher performing. It will also conduct detailed research on the public’s expectations, attitudes, and perceptions to help guide the responsible development of biotechnology. The program builds on CSIRO’s research which helped to grow a community of engineering biology experts across Australia, through such projects as the production of animal-free dairy. The market for bio-based chemicals – such as biofuels, bioplastics, bio-based solvents, acids, lubricants, and alcohols – is expected to be worth roughly $240 billion by 2030. CSIRO Deputy Chief Scientist, Dr Jill Freyne said Australia has an opportunity to position itself as a world leader in the rapidly expanding biotechnology sector. “The […]

Star power of J.L.Lennard’s Pratica FIT Express speed oven draws interest at Foodservice 2023

A Practica speed oven that delivers cook times up to 20 times faster than industry norms has had a fantastic reception at its first public showing by distributor J.L.Lennard, drawing top interest from pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes, and takeaway groups. The Pratica FIT Express – which uses a combination of high speed forced-air convection heating and microwave energy to deliver more even cooking without hot spots – was launched at Foodservice Australia in Melbourne in May, attracting more than 10,000 visitors from Australia and New Zealand. The leading Australasian supplier of globally respected foodservice technology brands, J.L.Lennard Ltd, said the show gave the oven “a fantastic launch and visibility for customers seeking ways to boost service and profitability through easy-to-use, ultra-fast cooking technology swifter and less expensively than anything comparable”. “The new Pratica easily generated the greatest response among our strong and diverse display of foodservice products at Foodservice Australia. It generated the most inquiries of any of the many products we showed, with interest across the entire user spectrum,” said J.L.Lennard Product Specialist, Darren Cooper. The J.L.Lennard team at Foodservice Australia “We had response not only from pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes, caterers, and takeaway groups, but also service station groups, fast food outlets, health care facilities, and accommodation providers. All of these diverse users want to be able to provide a greater range of fresher foods to their clients using technology that delivers food faster than ever before,” said Cooper. Suitable for a wide variety of fresh, chilled, and frozen food, and with 1024 stored recipes, the large cooking chamber oven with a compact footprint enables it to fit on a 600mm benchtop typical of users for whom it will boost service speed and profits. “This quality, all-stainless and easy-to-use ultra-fast oven – which costs typically just two-thirds of […]

Manufacturing needs to embrace the tech revolution to hire the next best talent

-Zac Duff, JigSpace Australian manufacturers are scrambling to sure-up their most precious resource: their people. With historically low unemployment rates and a competitive labour market, 90% of CEOs across all industries expect to be affected by staff shortages in 2023[1], and manufacturing is a sector particularly impacted by people pressures. While other sectors such as technology, retail, professional services and engineering remain appealing to a younger demographic, manufacturing is sometimes seen as a less attractive proposition. That fear largely revolves around machine-heavy roles, out of date processes and “we’ve always done it this way” mentalities. Zac Duff, Jig Space But with Millennials now the largest generational workforce group in the country, the onus is on manufacturers to embrace change and build an innovation-led culture where digital natives see a clear pathway for development, opportunities and progression. A recent report from PWC said millennials are set to make up 75% of the workforce by 2025, and are a crucial lynchpin to a business’ future success[2]. Gen Y and Gen Z embrace the idea of applying technology as a solution to problems and being open to adaptation, and they’re put off by old school tools and approaches. Getting comfortable with discomfort The truth is, new technologies can be intimidating. When you’re operating large-scale facilities, rolling out changes company-wide can be daunting, and getting buy-in from senior decision makers isn’t always easy. But if we want to make our manufacturing facilities fit for purpose and futureproof, we need to get more comfortable with stepping into the unknown. Rather than thinking of technology implementation as a looming headache, look for solutions that are user-friendly, solve a smaller problem, and are easy to implement. Tools such as Zoom were unheard of just a few years ago, but now they’re widely embedded, with very little friction […]

Energy network must evolve to incorporate renewables more effectively

Australia faces an energy paradox as the country pursues its net zero targets. The Federal Government has enshrined into law an emissions reduction target of 43 per cent from 2005 levels by 2030 and net zero emissions by 2050. This is a significant target, one that industry estimates will require 6 GW of new renewable energy and storage each year. However, the current network is struggling to handle renewable energy fed to the grid, especially from wind and solar farms. A recent study by Australian National University found that solar is the worst affected, with almost double the curtailments compared to wind energy, despite having a smaller installed capacity. This puts the country’s net zero targets under pressure as network congestion is causing large volumes of cheap renewable energy to be curtailed, meaning Australia has an “overgeneration” problem when it comes to renewables, particularly solar. This may lead to financial losses for clean energy generators and make investment in future projects a risky prospect. Regulators face a myriad of challenges in managing a centralised grid – challenges ranging from power outages, modernisation, cybersecurity, demand management and transmission losses. Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) estimates that around 10% of the electricity leaving an Australian power station never reaches consumers, which adds to the end consumers’ costs as this lost energy must still be paid for. Grid tariffs are also a concern as they may slow down the country’s path to net zero as renewable energy generators are saddled with legacy grid costs. Grid tariffs are currently based on amortising 25-year investments in national transmission cost. However, renewable energy sources can function cost effectively at the local level using microgrids, which are being implemented across Australia. Kalbarri in WA is now powered by a 100% renewable energy-intelligent microgrid with wind energy, solar […]

SmartSat unveils terminal for faster, safer military communications

SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), Australia’s leading space research centre, has unveiled the Compact Hybrid Optical-RF User Segment (CHORUS) prototype terminal to create more stable and secured military satellite communications at the 15th Australian Space Forum. Funded by SmartSat CRC, the world-leading technology embedded in this prototype has been entirely developed in Australia by the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG), and industry and academic partners, EOS Space Systems and EM Solutions, Lyrebird Antenna Research, Shoal Group, Australian National University and University of South Australia, following three years of research. Satellite optical communications links offer significantly higher data rates and a lower interception probability than standard civilian and military radio frequency (RF) satellite communications, which are vulnerable to electronic warfare, such as jamming, geo-location and interception. CHORUS aims to address the several limitations of satellite-based optical communications technology and open viable commercialisation pathways for new SATCOM capabilities. The new CHORUS Terminal is a hybrid optical/RF system, integrating an RF antenna and an optical telescope into a system called the AntennaScope™. This ensures users have reliable communications all the time and much higher data rates when optical communication is possible. A recent VIP demonstration day at the Department of Defence Edinburgh base showcased the successful completion of testing and marked the practical conclusion of the two phases of the SmartSat CRC co-funded project. The unveiling of the CHORUS Terminal at the Australian Space Forum is the first opportunity for the space community to see the prototype and discuss its capabilities and potential commercial pathways with members of the R&D project team. The project drew on impressive efforts by DSTG to support testing at their LASER range, including designing and building a ‘pseudo-satellite’ to prove the hybrid RF-Optical aperture worked as designed. The availability of an EM Solutions provided Cobra maritime SATCOM terminal* […]

AI-robot-at-APR_s-Materials-Recovery-Facility-in-Truganina-Victoria AUS MN

Redefining recycling sorting technology with Australia’s first AI-powered robot

A robot that uses artificial intelligence to sort used Tetra Pak beverage cartons has been installed at APR Kerbside’s Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Truganina, Victoria. Aimed at advancing the circular economy, this innovative recycling sorting technology has been funded via a joint investment between Tetra Pak and APR Kerbside. As part of APR’s future plans, aspirations for upgrade and expansion include the opening of new Material Recovery Facilities in Victoria and the commissioning of additional AI-powered robots to be rolled out over the next two years. In an Australian first, food and beverage processing & packaging company Tetra Pak has partnered with (Australian Paper Recovery (APR) Kerbside to implement an AI robot that can identify, and sort used Tetra Pak beverage cartons. The robot has been commissioned at the APR Kerbside Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in Truganina, Victoria. This glass-out facility has the capacity to process up to 20,000 tonnes of materials annually and mainly sorts items from the kerbside stream. Such items collected from residents’ yellow lidded recycling bins include paper and cardboard, steel, aluminium, plastics (bottles and containers). The robot has been training, learning to recognise all the different types of beverage cartons, like milk, soy, oat, almond, stock and juice ahead of its final deployment in the coming weeks. The councils that are working with APR Kerbside are excited about this opportunity to divert more valuable resources from landfill. They are eager to expand the current kerbside service offering to their respective residents. Darren Thorpe, Managing Director of APR Kerbside. Vikas Ahuja, Sustainability Director at Tetra Pak Australia and New Zealand said: “Tetra Pak is incredibly proud to be pioneering this exciting recycling innovation with APR to further advance the circular economy in Australia. For us at Tetra Pak, to be the first market outside […]

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