Manufacturing Technology

Futureproofing your manufacturing business to mitigate risk

By Kevin Dherman, Chief Innovation Officer at SYSPRO In 2020, Industry 4.0 technologies played a decisive role in many manufacturers’ pandemic responses and it helped these companies to keep their operations running during the crisis. Many were able to keep operating in the face of shortages of workers or raw materials, whilst others struggled to keep up with the sudden spike in demand. How did Industry 4.0 technologies help those companies in their efforts to reduce the negative impacts of the crisis and reduce the risks for their business? The SYSPRO 2020 Manufacturing CFO 4.0 Survey, which was conducted in October 2020, shows how manufacturers and distributors handled the operational shifts brought on by Covid-19. It revealed that 60% of manufacturers and distributors were impacted by supply chain disruptions. 47% of businesses were unable to function due to operational staff reliance on-site; while 29% of businesses felt that their business systems did not provide them with the availability and accessibility to manage the changes that the pandemic introduced. As these businesses attempt to stabilise, many are considering adopting emerging technologies and Industry 4.0 to mitigate the risk of major disruptions in the future. The challenge for many of these businesses is understanding which technologies to adopt, when to pursue this transformation and how to budget for it. There are several Industry 4.0 technologies that have real potential to help futureproof Australian manufacturing and distribution businesses in the next five years. The automated warehouse It is important to note that transitioning to an automated warehouse is a long and expensive journey. In most cases, it will take three to five years for manufacturing and distribution businesses to be fully automated. At which point there will still at least 65% of workers still in the warehouse. This is because the automation augments […]

Lead-free brass cable glands pioneer sustainability compliance trends

A new range of lead-free brass cable glands is being introduced by LAPP to help ensure manufacturers, machine builders and production automation engineers and operators achieve compliance with current and forthcoming global sustainability requirements. This will be the first manufacturer in the world to offer cable glands in a lead-free brass version, staying ahead of increasing restrictions on lead use. Initially, the most popular LAPP cable glands will be available in the new lead-free version, with first products including the popular Skintop MS-M and MS-SC-M models, as well as the counter nut Skindicht SM-M Skintop MS-M, which is the first choice for a wide range of applications in machine and plant construction, measurement, control and regulation technology, and where there are tough demands in terms of mechanical and chemical stability. It offers optimum strain relief, wide clamping ranges, numerous approvals and a high protection class from the full local branch of LAPP, which offers 20,000 products online 24/7 from local and global inventories of product and engineered solutions backed by outstanding local service and technical backing. LAPP says the Skintop MS-SC-M EMC cable gland, with highly conductive, flexible EMC contact spring, has a low-resistance screen contact for EMC-compliant earthing of the braided shield. All of these versions will be available immediately from stock in metric sizes M12 to M63. Further product groups are gradually being supplemented with lead-free versions. The previous versions will be still be available from global stock for the time being. In recent months, LAPP has investigated various lead-free alloys. This included tests in production to ensure the reliability of the processes and the suitability of the tools.

Another $1.2 billion for apprentices’ subsidy, with post-JobKeeper targeted package imminent

Scott Morrison will announce today a $1.2 billion extension of the government’s wage subsidy for businesses taking on apprentices, as the government starts to roll out targeted assistance for the post-JobKeeper economy. The Boosting Apprenticeship Commencements’ wage subsidy program will become “demand driven” and in its new stage is expected to generate some 70,000 new apprentice and trainees places. The apprentices have to be signed up before the end of September, and the subsidy will run for 12 months from the date the person starts with their employer. The program, announced last year to help the economic recovery from COVID, provided for a subsidy of 50% of wages paid to an apprentice between October 5 2020 and September 30 2021. The maximum subsidy was $7,000 a quarter. The cost of the first stage was also $1.2 billion. The subsidy rate will remain the same under the extension. The initial phase of the program is fully subscribed, helping create some 100,000 apprenticeships. So far the program has assisted nearly 40,000 businesses take on a new apprentice or trainee. On Monday, Treasurer Josh Frydenberg flagged a package of assistance measures for the post-JobKeeper transition will be unveiled within days. Speaking in Cairns, which has been hard hit from the drying up of international tourists, Frydenberg pointed to aviation as one sector needing support. He said the government wanted “to back businesses that back themselves”. JobKeeper ends late this month. The government has always insisted it will not extend it, but it is also anxious to prevent its end causing setbacks in sectors that are still struggling. Shadow treasurer Jim Chalmers said JobKeeper should be extended for the Cairns area. Also visiting Cairns he said, “There are 8,096 workers and 2,631 small businesses in this local economy which face devastation because of Josh […]

BusTech Group electric bus producer

BusTech Group is already running a number of its hybrid buses on the public transport network in Adelaide. Co-located with sister company Brabham Automotive in Adelaide, South Australia, BusTech Group is gearing up to produce at least 60 electric buses for the NSW Government over the next 18 months after its recent inclusion on a list of approved electric bus suppliers. It also has orders for electric buses in Queensland, which it aims to start delivering in the second half of this year. BusTech says it is the only Australian bus company locally manufacturing zero-emission buses for the NSW market. Its 12.5-metre ZDi electric bus has been designed, engineered and will be built in Australia. The all-electric buses aimed at the NSW market will use a Proterra battery pack and drivetrain following a partnership with the US company. Owned by South Australia-based Fusion Capital, which also owns Brabham Automotive, the company rebranded as BusTech Group in December following the purchase of Queensland-based Bustech by its Edinburgh-based Precision Buses in 2019. BusTech Group executive chairman Christian Reynolds said the two bus manufacturers first collaborated under a licensing agreement back in 2017. “We could see the opportunity to take more of a leading position within the bus space so we worked through a transaction to acquire Queensland-based business Bustech to look at more of a national manufacturing and supplier footprint,” he said. “Fusion Capital saw the opportunity from the closure of Holden to bring together Tier 1 supply capability to basically look at how we could create a business from the stalled capacity within the vehicle space and that’s what has allowed us to move quite quickly. “We went from four vehicles built in 2016 to a run rate now where we are building between 250 and 300 a year.” The company […]

‘Work with Us’ on economic recovery – New resources sector TV campaign

A new TV campaign from Australian Resources and Energy Group AMMA calls on the nation’s political representatives to “work with” employers as they push to secure new major project investment, create jobs and assist with the national economic recovery. Launching today, phase two of AMMA’s ‘Work with Us’ campaign highlights the significant growth potential of Australia’s resources and energy sector. Running on Sky News and social media channels throughout March, the campaign comes as the Australian Parliament considers amendments to the Fair Work Act that would remove a significant amount of risk, uncertainty, and cost from Australia’s industrial relations system. “Australia’s resources and energy employers have kept the economy strong throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” Steve Knott AM, Chief Executive of AMMA, said. “According to the Department of Industry, we now have $334 billion of new major projects in our national investment pipeline. If all this could be secured, the creation of jobs across construction, production and supply chain operations would easily exceed 100,000. “These projects would also deliver state, territory and federal governments with multiple billions of dollars in revenues, each year for decades on end. Our nation has a very rare opportunity to kick-start its economic recovery with a new wave of investment into one of its most important industries. “But we cannot take this opportunity for granted. The competition for global investment capital is now fiercer than ever. AMMA’s new campaign simply calls on our parliamentarians to ‘work with us’ on converting these opportunities. “They can begin by supporting the Morrison Government’s industrial relations reforms that will encourage employers, employees and unions to work together to secure new investment and growth opportunities. “For example, allowing employers and unions to agree on longer terms for greenfields agreements used in the construction of new major projects, will offer major project […]

Aqueous water heater ends hot water wait

With the average mains supply tap spitting out 10-15 litres of water a minute, it doesn’t take long to become a water waster. And if you are running cold water down the sink while waiting for the hot water to come down the pipe, it is not only wasteful but frustrating. This problem has become larger as pipe runs in households and businesses have become longer, as many premises get larger. Now, the water often has to run a lot further than before from the main water heater, before it comes out hot at the tap. And when you turn off the hot tap again, the hot water sucked into those long pipes cools down again. “It can become a double whammy – you waste more cold water running it down the sink while you spend more money heating it up to travel longer distances to get to you,” says Jay King, who has engineered a solution to the problem in the shape of Aus J’s ruggedly engineered Aqueous MK2 6-litre compact water heater. The Aqueous MK2 6-litre water heater from Aus J Hot Water Solutions is the most compact model yet, designed to provide domestic, commercial, hospitality, food and beverage, and industrial users with near-instant hot water while saving time, energy, water and frustration. With dimensions of just 305 by 305 by 304 mm, it is designed to sit snugly in cupboards near the tap, or under the floor just below them. It is so compact that it is also used in portable catering vehicles and boats, where space is precious, to ensure immediate hot water for washing, hygiene and convenience. Aqueous 6L and 10L models are available in 240v and 12v models, while the complementary Aus J Duoetto 10L water heater incorporates automatically switched 12v/240v operation. The compact […]

Students and SMEs hold key to ending waste

Robots that can sort e-waste ready for recycling and 100 per cent biodegradable food storage inspired by bananas are just two of the award-winning ideas from the inaugural India-Australia Circular Economy (I-ACE) Hackathon held this month, hosted by Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO, and NITI Aayog Atal Innovation Mission (AIM). Almost 80 teams of students and small and medium businesses from India and Australia turned their collective minds to solving the world’s global challenges with a focus on stopping waste and creating sustainable business practices. The concept of the I-ACE Hackathon originated last year at a virtual summit where the Prime Ministers of both countries committed to working together on circular economy innovation initiatives. Honourable Prime Minister of India Shri. Narendra Modi expressed his words of appreciation to the young innovators. “All participants of this circular economy hackathon are winners and commend your spirit to innovate in this time of COVID 19. We are not the owners of all that mother earth has to offer, but merely its trustees for all the future generations to come,” Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi stated. “We [India and Australia] must explore ways to scale up innovative ideas and must look at consumption patterns and reduce ecological impact, not only in two countries but for the whole world. “Recycling, reusing, eliminating waste and improving resource efficiency should become part of our lifestyle. “The Power of youth comes from openness to new ideas, innovation and ability to take risk. “The strong India and Australia relationship will play an important role in shaping the post covid world.” Teams of Australia and India’s brightest students and most innovative start-ups targeted problems such as reducing packaging waste, avoiding waste in food supply chains, reducing plastics waste, and recycling critical energy metals and e-waste. CSIRO Chief Executive Dr […]

Henkel unveils upgraded Innovation and Application Lab in Sydney

New facility targets growth sectors in Australia and New Zealand Henkel Australia has opened the upgraded Innovation and Application Lab in Seven Hills, Sydney. As a global leader in adhesives, sealants and functional coatings, the upgraded facility positions Henkel at the forefront of innovation for key growth sectors in Australia and New Zealand, namely food and beverage, packaging, engineered wood and general manufacturing and maintenance. Daniel Rudolph, President of Henkel Australia and New Zealand, said, “Henkel’s customers are looking for the latest innovations to increase performance and efficiency, and improve their sustainability footprint. The upgrading of our Innovation and Application Lab allows us to test and tailor solutions to meet the requirements of the local market, ranging from the latest in product design and food safety standards to adapting to a circular economy.” Mark Dorn, President of Henkel Asia-Pacific and Global Head of Craftsmen, Construction and Professional Division, Henkel Adhesive Technologies, said, “As a global market leader in the global markets for adhesives, sealants and functional coatings we continue to grow our innovation capabilities across the Asia Pacific. Our upgraded Innovation and Application Lab in Sydney enables us to offer the latest product innovations to the market. From food safety and sustainability for the packaging industry to raising the standards in engineered wood production, we are excited to offer game-changing solutions to our customers.” The Innovation and Application Lab is co-located at Henkel’s adhesive manufacturing facility. This facilitates a rapid transition and reduces the time to market from product concept and development to volume production. Micheal Hajj, Head of Technical for Adhesive Technologies at Henkel Australia and New Zealand, highlighted several advanced technical capabilities of the lab. Using state-of-the-art equipment, the lab conducts performance testing of customers’ samples to meet the international standards for […]

Anatomy of a data-driven supply chain

By Jonathan Attia, Managing Director, Wiise Data is what drives informed business decisions. It’s crucial to have key data points across your supply chain to get complete visibility, and maximise efficiency and resilience. As the Covid-19 pandemic has shown, as soon as there’s an external environmental impact to the supply chain, every facet gets impacted. Businesses have not only had to throw out their forecasts but suddenly experienced major supply-demand issues. Either they had too much stock that was no longer in demand, or they had the right stock that was in demand, but couldn’t keep up with supply. Data is vital in such a situation. Being able to access inventory levels across different locations and warehouses enables business owners and staff to see exactly where they might have extra stock to help supply demand. If you can see exactly what stock is where, you can easily move it around as needed and get it out of the door sooner. Real-time optimisation of your distribution keep both customers and suppliers informed and happy. Data is also important to understand which customers have purchased in the past, and which customers are your top buyers. This enables you to specifically target them with promotions to help get stock out the door faster. For manufacturing businesses, understanding cost of sale is particularly critical to success. You need to be instantly account for changes in shipping fees, for example, so that you’re always selling your products or manufacturing your goods at a profitable level. Profit is key. This means knowing exactly what items you need to produce something, how much it costs to produce it (while taking into account all of the hidden costs such as labour and so on) and how much you should sell it for. To do this, you need the […]

Australian manufacturer develops cutting edge tool for underwater recovery

The custom recovery jaws will assist HEART with underwater recovery missions. Blueprint Lab, an Australian robotics manufacturer, has developed custom jaws for their Alpha robotic arm which will allow for greater grip on fabric when resurfacing underwater drowning victims. This tool was developed for the Hutterian Emergency Aquatic Rescue Team (HEART). HEART are a volunteer group of certified divers from Manitoba, Canada who specialise in emergency water search, rescue and recovery. Using a combination of highly-skilled human divers and specialised technology, they are able to recover victims of tragic drowning accidents from the waterways of their region, including arctic underwater environments. The HEART operators have been using Blueprint Lab’s Reach Alpha subsea robotic grabber to assist them in recovery missions but were having trouble with the intense grip stability required to resurface deceased victims. They got creative and temporarily installed a makeshift DIY nail modification to their grabber in the short term, and then approached Blueprint Lab for an engineered solution. Blueprint Lab’s engineering team began developing and testing a grabber upgrade that would fulfil these specific task requirements, resulting in a new tool specialised for Search and Recovery – the Reach Alpha Special Recovery Tool. As well as looking the part, the Special Recovery Tool is strong, sturdy, and sharp making it an effective solution for HEART’s requirements. The Blueprint Lab team are thrilled to have worked with HEART to ensure their continued mission success. Always keen to rise to the operational challenges faced by partners and customers no matter how unique or challenging. “Here at HEART Team we use the Blueprint Lab manipulator on our VideoRay Pro 5 ROV for body recoveries. We had an opportunity to speak with the folks from Blueprint Lab about our work and the need for a grabber that is more suitable […]

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