Developments

Australia’s resource industry has launched a campaign for 5 Reforms Over 5 Years to get our workplace relations system back on track, and ensure our resource industry and broader business community can compete globally and attract job-creating investment to Australia. “Australia needs to do better on how we regulate work and workplace relations,” says AMMA chief executive Steve Knott. “A modern and competitive workplace relations system needs to do more than provide protections for employees, it must also support individual choice, flexibility and agility to ensure businesses can invest, prosper and create job opportunities. “These five reforms would deliver growth, productivity and a more positive operating environment for businesses of all sizes and across all industries.  They address significant flaws and imbalances in the current Fair Work laws that create barriers to employment, investment and doing business in Australia.” The 5 Reforms over 5 Years draws from AMMA’s federal election survey in which over 100 leading resource employers, employing more than 85,000 Australians, detailed their experiences working under the Fair Work Act.  The five reform priorities are as follows: 1.     Focus enterprise bargaining, and ensure legally protected strike action can only be taken over claims pertaining to the employment relationship, not union ‘wish lists’ of claims. 2.     Return balance to union workplace entry laws by creating an enforceable code of conduct and removing union access to employee lunch rooms when other suitable meeting rooms are available. 3.     Expand agreement making options to facilitate employment arrangements, both individual and collective, directly between employees and employers. 4.     Reform unfair dismissal and ‘general protections’ laws to ensure employers are not forced to pay ‘go away money’ to settle claims without merit. 5.     Replace the Fair Work Commission with modern, balanced institutions by creating an Australian Employment Tribunal and a separate Employment Appeals Tribunal. “Australia has a choice […]

This year’s National Manufacturing Week (NMW) – May 11 – 13 in Sydney – has ended on a solid footing for the more than 200 exhibiting companies, 50 speakers and over 5,000 visits by attendees at the combined NMW-Safety First Conference and Expo event. Feedback to organisers, Reed Exhibitions, is that participants have gained new insights, information and all-important inspiration for growth in their businesses. This year’s events were defined by the twin themes of innovation and collaboration: with several Seminar Theatre sessions focusing on opportunities for manufacturers to break down the barriers to innovation. “The time for action is now,” urged The Hon Karen Andrews MP, Asst Minister for Science, in a Keynote Address on NMW’s final day, Friday May 13. “I know that SMEs have had some hesitation in the past around approaching the universities for partnership – due to barriers such as cost – but I invite businesses to come talk to the Department of Industry, or to me personally: because there are some real opportunities on the table, and we are keen to help business make connections that can support your growth.” The Assistant Minister’s comments were reflected throughout the NMW Seminar Theatre program: including in a Day 2 panel discussion focusing on funding for business innovation. Several SMEs,, including Marathon Targets, HMS Equipment and more, joined AusIndustry to share examples of how government assistance can help connect growth-hungry businesses connect with potential partners, and new ideas for growth. In a separate Day 2 session, Western Sydney University’s Dr Sasha Alexander challenged visitors with the observation that “Everytime a stranger enters the business, innovation happens.” Dr Alexander went on to explain how an outsider’s view of your business – from industry partners, consultants and even competitors – can challenge your assumptions, opening your eyes to new […]

 AUSTRALIA, Mar. 2, 2016 — Autodesk and Siemens today announced an interoperability agreement aimed at helping manufacturers decrease the costs associated with incompatibility among product development software applications and avoid potential data integrity problems. Through this agreement, Autodesk and Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software businesses will take steps to significantly improve the interoperability between their companies’ respective software offerings. Today’s agreement brings together two computer-aided design (CAD) software leaders with the common goal of streamlining data sharing and reducing costs in organizations with multi-CAD environments. Today’s manufacturers are under increased pressure to get high quality products to market faster, with increased efficiencies and lower costs to the consumer. Many of these companies operate in environments consisting of various solutions from different CAD software vendors. These multi-CAD environments may exist internally between departments or externally with partners and supply chains. Interoperability among CAD software has therefore emerged as a critical issue for users of design and engineering software, and achieving it is a major challenge for manufacturers. This interoperability agreement announced today aims to decrease the overall effort and costs that are commonly associated with supporting these environments. In particular, interoperability between the offerings from Siemens and Autodesk will significantly improve the many situations where a combination of their software currently exists. Under the terms of the agreement, both companies will share toolkit technology and exchange end-user software applications to build and market interoperable products. “Interoperability is a major challenge for customers across the manufacturing industry, and Autodesk has been working diligently to create an increasingly open environment throughout our technology platforms,” said Lisa Campbell, vice president of Manufacturing Strategy and Marketing at Autodesk. “We understand that our customers use a mix of products in their workflow and providing them with the flexibility they need to get their jobs done […]

Australia’s future economic security depends on emerging technologies such as bio-manufacturing, says QUT Professor John Bell.  “We have bemoaned the loss of Australia’s traditional manufacturing sector but we are on the cusp of a bright new era of high-value, high-skilled manufacturing,” said Professor Bell.“Bio-manufacturing includes technologies that produce sustainably derived and renewable feedstock and pharmaceuticals, and bio-remediation services. “The 3D bio-printing market, of which QUT is a leader, is estimated to be worth $3 billion by 2025. “We are finding more applications for industrial biotechnology and additive bio-manufacturing all the time and these processes are becoming more established internationally.” Professor Dietmar Hutmacher, from QUT’s Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, is a world authority on the 3D printing of replacement human tissue using bio-inks, a process known as additive bio-manufacturing. “Australia is already well ahead on research and development of medical bio-printing, a strong facet of this emerging ‘fourth industrial revolution’ of bio-manufacturing. “Additive bio-manufacturing will become a pillar of Australia’s advanced manufacturing landscape and we must ensure we have the expertise to continue our lead in this area,” Professor Hutmacher said. “It is a multi-disciplinary area requiring understanding of chemistry, physics, biology, medicine, robotics and computer science. “QUT has already partnered with the University Wollongong and universities in the Netherlands and Germany to offer the world’s first dual Master of Biofabrication and is taking applications for the second intake of young scientists keen to make bio-printing their career.” “MBD is an example of a firm using biological processes, in this case algae, to clean up wastewater from aquaculture. The algae are then used to manufacture a range of high value products ranging from fertilisers and feed to high value nutrition products. “Bioremediation services are growing into an important industry for Australia and one that is expanding rapidly into Asia. […]