Smart Manufacturing

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.

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 […]