Smart Manufacturing

Rob Cheesman, General Manager Atturra Manufacturing Softening economic conditions have created a challenging time for many Australian businesses.  While JP Morgan in their 2023 Business Leaders Outlook: Australia[1] survey shows nearly half of leaders surveyed expect a recession this year, although right now, most modern economies around the world, including Australia, are managing to avoid this economic reckoning. Indeed, when attention turns to the nation’s manufacturing sector, a somewhat mixed picture emerges. Despite the global economic storm clouds that gathered during 2022, many organisations appear to be doing quite well. To some extent, this situation has been supported by a return to local manufacturing. While the Australian dollar has strengthened recently it is still relatively low.  This means locally made products are attractive compared to imports. Mixed conditions ahead According to the February Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index[2], economic conditions are “falling rapidly”.   However, if we drill further into these numbers, downstream manufacturing seems to be fairing much better.    As 2023 unfolds, there are some key factors that will be worth monitoring. Together, they will shape the next 12 months for the entire domestic manufacturing sector. Five of the top factors are: 1. An ongoing increase in costs During 2022, the majority of domestic manufacturing firms appeared to have successfully weathered a period of inflation. Most were able to either absorb increases or pass them on to their customers. However, things could become a little more challenging over the next 12 months. When the rising cost of raw materials is added to increasing energy costs and wage increases, pressure on firms can become more acute. While most manufacturers should be able to continue to manage costs, ongoing rises could still put pressure on business bottom lines. 2. Staff shortages will ease As is the case for firms in other […]

Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations Tony Burke has introduced the Fair Work Legislation Amendment (Secure Jobs, Better Pay) Bill 2022 aimed at closing the gender pay gap, expanding multi-employer bargaining and bringing in flexible rostering rights. The bill included workplace reforms and agenda established at the [1]Jobs and Skills Summit. These industrial relations reforms will accelerate wage growth, particularly among working women. If passed, the legislation will significantly affect every small business in Australia. Mrs Renee Arthur, Advice Operations Manager from Employsure, an Employment Relations and Work, Health, and Safety firm with over 31,000 businesses has released a statement further to this: “Labor is eager to pass the reform bill before December 1, arguing that the sooner they can implement measures to lift wages, the better. However, industry groups have serious concerns about the implications for small businesses. They feel they need more time to digest the bill and its ramifications. The push for expanded multi-employer bargaining could force small employers to get entangled in time-consuming and expensive negotiations.” “There is also a risk that small businesses could end up getting trampled by unions and lawyers in the new and complex system. The dominant majority could also vote to pull smaller workplaces in an agreement whether they want it or not. No two businesses are the same and multi-employer bargaining can effectively reduce business diversity. It will also marginalise family-owned businesses by pushing them to give way to a smaller number of big businesses.” “Even though small business employers (those with fewer than 15 employees) and those with existing enterprise agreements will not be forced to be covered by ‘single interest’ agreements, it does expose thousands of businesses with more than 15 employees. The core objective of raising wages is also complicated as wage increases forced by industry-wide bargaining […]

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 […]

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 […]

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.