Future of Manufacturing

Cloud integration technologies enable manufacturers to navigate global disruptions

By Mark Morley, Director, Strategic Product Marketing at OpenText Manufacturers operate complex production processes which are highly dependent on the timely supply of parts from external suppliers. While the manufacturing sector regularly manages disruption from events such as natural disasters (you only need to go back to earlier this year when bushfires ravaged large parts of Australia), the global spread of Covid-19 has severely impacted material flows and the smooth functioning of production facilities across the globe. It is fair to say that global supply chains are experiencing levels of disruption not seen before. According to a recent report from the Institute for Supply Management, 75 per cent of companies are reporting supply chain disruption. To combat this, manufacturers must look for ways to minimise the impact on operations and improve supply chain resilience. Flexibility Organisations that are best positioned to weather these unforeseen circumstances are those who have embraced the cloud. Cloud-based deployments have become essential to managing costs, resources and risk without sacrificing competitive advantage, product innovation or customer satisfaction. When a manufacturer shifts its data from on-premise to the cloud, it also ensures that all business information can continue to be stored securely and accessed globally. CollaborationThe key to maintaining business continuity also lies within the collaborative relationships between trading partners. Cloud-based platforms can facilitate effective communication between trading partners which is particularly beneficial when a global disruption such as the one we are seeing now occurs. Partners can continue to monitor and supervise the execution of dual sourcing strategies and quickly establish the post-disruption condition of a supply chain, providing a significant competitive advantage. In addition, centralised management of all trading partner contact information provides an opportunity to conduct post-disruption assessment of a manufacturer’s supply chain, which leads to better risk assessment and preventive steps for […]

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3M launches webinar series on abrasives technology

The 3M Abrasives System Division are offering a webinar series to industry professionals providing unique insights into abrasive technology and best practices. This three-part ‘Shop Talk’ series commences Tuesday 21st July 2020 and focuses on how businesses can improve efficiencies by adopting innovativepractices and technologies while enhancing operational safety. 3M abrasive expert Nathan Bamford will guide attendees through a range of topics in the series, with the first session focusing on satin finishes on stainless steel, removing welds and deburring without risk of gouging or rounding corners. The webinar series has been developed to provide professionals with the opportunity to upskill and make smart choices for their businesses in the future. ‘At 3M we are aware of how big an impact COVID-19 has had on the industry locally, so we’re keen to share our knowledge on products and techniques to give local specialists and businesses an edge,’ said 3M Abrasives System Division Marketing Manager, Jonathan Small. ‘We hope that by engaging in our short, on-line learning sessions our customers can find solutions to current issues and learn improved methods to operate which may help with efficiencies and on-site safety in the future.’ To register for the 3M Abrasives Shop Talk Webinar series, please visit go.3m.com/ShopTalk_Webinar_AU 3M Abrasives Technology Webinar Series Session 1: Tuesday July 21st, 2020 12:00pm – 12:30pm EST Agenda ⦁ How to achieve a satin finish on stainless steel ⦁ How to remove a weld and take it to a number 4 finish ⦁ How to deburr without gouging or rounding of the corner plate Session 2: Tuesday August 25th, 2020 12:00pm – 12:30pm EST Agenda ⦁ How to save time on your mild steel processing projects ⦁ How to maximise the life of your belt ⦁ Safer alternatives to wire brushes Session 3: Tuesday September 22nd, 2020 […]

Let’s bring production onshore, but it might not ensure supplies

The pandemic has changed the way we think about supply chains, in particular the chains that feed our need for food, medical supplies, and defence equipment. It has led Prime Minister Scott Morrison to frame access to supplies in terms of economic sovereignty. Andrew Liveris, now an advisor to Morrison, and a former Dow Chemical Chief and advisor to both the Obama and Trump administrations, is pushing for re-shoring of critical supply chains. “Australia drank the free-trade juice and decided that off-shoring was okay,” he is quoted as saying. “Well, that era is gone.” But ensuring supplies can withstand shocks needn’t mean bringing production onshore. It might make it harder. Stockpiling isn’t that useful Firms usually talk about managing supply risk in terms of resilience or robustness. Robustness is the ability to continue supplying during a disruption (for a while we didn’t have this with toilet paper). Resilience is the ability to get supplies back to normal in an acceptable time frame (which we had with toilet paper). For critical supplies, robustness is the most important, but it hard to achieve for entire categories such as “medical equipment”. There, stockpiling is of limited use. The United States has a stockpile of oil, enough to fill half of its car tanks. Canada has a vault of maple syrup, called a “strategic reserve” – about 80,000 barrels worth. But when it comes to stockpiling “medical equipment” we might put a lot of effort into stockpiling ventilators, for example, only to find that the next emergency requires something different, or a different type of ventilator. And it’s hard to stockpile fresh food. We are exposed at choke points Face masks and food illustrate the risks. Half of global facemask production is concentrated in China. China’s factories closed during its lockdown at the time global demand simultaneously soared, resulting in a major shortages. Australia is one […]

If architecture is the canary in the coalmine, the outlook for construction is appalling

-Geoff Hanmer, Adjunct Professor of Architecture, University of Adelaide. Architecture suffers before building does. A survey of more than 450 architecture practices conducted by the Association of Consulting Architects finds that two thirds have lost more than 30% of their revenue, and eight in ten have had projects cancelled or put on hold. Six in ten are relying on JobKeeper. Half have cut pay or working hours. Three in ten have stood down or sacked staff. Only 15% believe they have enough work to see out the year. In total, the survey finds more than A$10 billion of projects have either been cancelled or put on hold, just among those responding to the survey. John Held, the National President of the Association of Consulting Architects says unless there is a more effective stimulus package for construction, the government will need to consider extending JobKeeper beyond its expiry in September to prevent the loss of many normally-viable architectural practices. Without a pipeline of projects, a substantial rise in unemployment across the whole construction sector will result Dr Peter Raisbeck, an expert in the building and construction industry at the University of Melbourne, says two thirds of architects in Australia are small businesses employing less than five people, operating on small profit margins. Widespread insolvencies amongst these vulnerable firms would be catastrophic The design professions – architecture and engineering – are the canary in the coalmine for the wider construction industry. If those professions are in a slump now, construction itself will most probably be in big trouble in three to six months. A window on the future The findings are reinforced by forecasts prepared by the Australian Construction Industry Forum. They show that while engineering construction on projects such as motorways and public transport is likely to hold up reasonably well, residential and non residential construction, […]

Safe access with Euchner Electronic Key System EKS from Treotham

Treotham is showcasing its versatile Euchner product for electronic access control and management: the Electronic-Key-System EKS. This transponder-based read/write system has already proven its worth in the packaging machinery industry by preset parameters that provide protection against unauthorised access. The RFID-based EKS features the main advantage of being freely programmable and therefore highly versatile. The Electronic-Key stores the access rights for each employee. A reader scans the data and forwards this information to the control system. Additional uses for the EKS system include controlling specific functions and accessing encrypted process parameters for an installation. What’s more, one system variant is the perfect choice for hygienically sensitive areas in the food and pharmaceutical industries. Another application for the EKS system is functionally safe selection of operating mode, enabling users to select the required operating mode and activate the corresponding safety function. Maximum safety throughout the packaging processTreotham’s diverse safety solutions can be perfectly integrated into modular systems to protect people, machines and products in the packaging sector. The Euchner product range comprises guard locking devices and access management systems as well as products such as door detectors, door locking systems and pendant stations. For all of its products, Euchner guarantees exacting quality far exceeding the requirements in standards and laws. Customers can rely on Euchner with over 60 years of safety engineering expertise.

Pyrosales operating at critical capacity during Covid-19 pandemic.

As Australia’s longest established manufacturers of precision temperature, level and flow measurement gauges, sensors and instrumentation, as well as calibration devices, they are helping out the essential services in need. When it comes to the Australian essential services, Pyrosales has always worked with them, even before the pandemic. Assisting with supply and manufacture for the Medical Industry, the most common products are the infrared thermometer to measure the temperature of individuals in a quick and accurate manner and thermal imaging devices that can detect variations in temperature of individuals. Hospitals and private medical businesses can rely on the team at Pyrosales to supplying refrigeration temperature equipment for medicines, blood and IVF storage as well as maintaining the equipment for sterilization, and of course food temperature control. They are also working to help our aged care facilities to control the temperature of their food and medicine. Pyrosales continue to help out the essential services by ensuring food plant manufacturers have adequate thermocouples, RKC temperature controllers, temperature and pressure gauges to maintain food production. “We have solutions for businesses to monitor their employees for fever temperature. Companies are investigating new ways to measure for the virus to reduce the spread into their workplace. Pyrosales has many products to suit any businesses requirements whether it is to meet the volume of employees, their price range or on-site technology. We not only supply to the medical and industrial market, we are also seeing an increase in demand for people to use in their homes,” said our CEO, John Shanahan. With many businesses in Australia struggling in the current climate, it is positive to see an Australian owned business working not only to help those who need it but are helping boost the economy and keep people in jobs.

Wearable devices to diagnose medical conditions

Transforming how common health conditions are diagnosed using point-of-care and wearable bio diagnostic devices is the goal of a new University of South Australia project, which has just secured nearly $2.2 million from the National Health, Medical and Research Council (NHRMC). Through an NHMRC Investigator Grant, UniSA biomedical engineer Professor Benjamin Thierry aims to develop a range of solid-state sensing and wearable technologies capable of diagnosing conditions including preeclampsia, epilepsy, fetal arrhythmias and heart attacks. Prof Thierry hopes these technologies will help address the significant health outcome disparities across the country, which sees Australians living in rural and remote areas experience higher levels of disease and reduced access to health services, compared with their metropolitan counterparts. “Wearable consumer products such as the Fitbit are already mainstream, yet the enormous transformative medical potential of wearable technologies is yet to be realised,” he says. “There is a huge opportunity for us to create wearable devices capable of better diagnosing and monitoring medical conditions, particularly in rural and remote settings where patients often do not have access to the testing and specialist care that is available in cities. “Some of the technologies I hope to develop include wearable devices able to continuously and accurately monitor the ECG, which could in turn predict epileptic seizures or detect preeclampsia and other related pregnancy complications. “These wearables use a cutting-edge solid-state sensing technology called Field Effect Transistors, which can measure bioelectric signals with extreme sensitivity when implemented at the nanoscale.” In addition, Prof Thierry will develop conformal devices based on Magnetic Tunneling Junction sensors to record and map magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the heart. He hopes this will enable more accurate non-invasive monitoring of fetal cardiac activity and rapid and point-of-care diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome, including heart […]

Frigate build site ready to launch $35 billion naval project

Work is almost finished in the $500 million upgrade of Adelaide’s new high-tech frigate shipyard with five new structures rising from its Port River site. Shipbuilding in South Australia is proving a bright spark in the economy with the first new construction shed for the nation’s $35 billion Hunter Class Frigate program now ready for action. Building 20 is part of the $500 million upgrade of the state’s Osborne shipyard and its handover to ASC Shipbuilding is now underway, keeping plans well on track for work on the nation’s nine anti-submarine warfare frigates to start this year. ASC Shipbuilding director Jim Cuthill said five new sheds in the shipyard were being fitted with cutting-edge equipment and the site’s builders Australian Naval Infrastructure and Lend Lease are on track for a complete handover in July. Meanwhile, design-based engineering work for the frigates was continuing. “At the moment about 70 per cent of our workforce is still working from home and we haven’t really missed a beat with the work that we are doing,” Cuthill said. “This is a program of national importance but it’s one that’s going to play a key role in terms of stimulating economic activity post Covid.” Workers employed on the frigates project run by ASC Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of defence giant BAE Systems Australia, are now just over 600 with Cuthill saying this would be ramping up from July to hit about 1000 by the end of 2020. Cuthill said Building 20 is where construction work for the frigates will begin, as the program kicks off with five prototype blocks of the ships being made in the first two years. The planned build would see mainly Australian steel first enter the highly automated fabrication hall to be cut and welded into the 75 units that will make up each of the frigates. Work then moves […]

Armour manufacturer secures first international order

A South Australian bullet-proof armour manufacturer has won a contract to supply its lightweight ballistic plates to the Finnish Army. ASX-listed XTEK Limited launched its state-of-the-art fabrication centre in Adelaide’s north in February and announced its first commercial order in March for use in Australian law enforcement. The Finnish sale, worth more than A$1 million, is XTEK’s first international order, which it says represents a key milestone in its ballistic armour commercialisation strategy. “We have worked very hard to ensure that the long customer cycles have progressed in parallel with the construction of the new manufacturing centre in Adelaide, to ensure that the manufacturing capability is utilised as soon as possible – and we are now very pleased to see this strategy successfully executed,” XTEK Managing Director Philippe Odouard said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange this morning. The new Adelaide manufacturing centre is equipped with the company’s XTclave composite materials curing and consolidation technology to manufacture lightweight ballistic armour plates and helmets. The machine, about the size of four shipping containers, runs cycles of ultra-high isostatic pressure at high temperatures to achieve composite curing of thermoset and thermoplastic resin. XTEK has based its R&D operations in Adelaide for the past 13 years, developing the lightweight armour plates and helmets as well as rifles and other defence related products. Odouard said their US compliant small arms protective insert plates are up to 30 per cent lighter than other products and have buoyancy potential, while the light helmets can stop AK-47 MSC bullets and fragments. The Finnish purchase order has come from CPE Production Oy, a supplier of high-performance lightweight ballistic protection solutions to the Finnish Defence Forces and other European defence customers. In late 2017, XTEK received a small purchase order for samples of its proprietary XTclave manufactured […]

Australians want industry, and they’d like it green. Steel is the place to start

Australia has an historic opportunity to build a new, export-focused manufacturing sector based on renewable energy. As a bonus, it could enable a less politically fraught conversation about climate change. Global action on climate change is in Australia’s national interest. The changing climate is already reducing profits for Australian farmers. Tens of thousands of jobs depend on the again-bleached Great Barrier Reef. But for too long, political leaders have struggled to balance the national interest with the legitimate concerns of Australians who live and work in regions that host coal mining and other carbon-intensive industries – most notably central Queensland and the Hunter Valley in NSW. This climate conundrum has greatly complicated the national debate about climate change: neither commitments to a “just transition” to a low-emissions future, nor promises of coal exports in perpetuity, have proven convincing, leaving regional jobs in the lurch. Australians want industry In the 2019 federal election, voters in these carbon regions, perhaps fearing for their livelihoods, seemingly rejected Labor’s more ambitious climate policies. But with 85% of our black coal exported each year, decisions made in Beijing and New Delhi matter more to these communities than decisions made in Canberra. Australia needs a credible plan to replace carbon jobs as the world decarbonises, and ideally the new jobs will offer similar salaries, need similar skills, and be located in similar places. This is the key to cracking the climate conundrum: a plan based on sound economics that can offer hope to communities that currently depend on carbon-intensive activities. A new Grattan Institute report, Start with steel, finds that manufacturing green steel for export is the largest job opportunity for these regions of Australia. We can start with steel Green steel can be made by using renewable energy to produce hydrogen, and then using that hydrogen in place of metallurgical coal in the steelmaking process. The […]

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Future of Manufacturing