FROM THE PUBLISHER

PUBLISHER SCOTT FILBY

Progress and prosperity

If we rewind the clock to this time last year, there was a sense that the worst of COVID was behind us and the country’s economic recovery could pick up speed. However, we were soon plunged into another valley as both Delta and later Omnicron tested our resolve. Despite this, the Australian industry has not only progressed, it has prospered. And this is expected to continue throughout 2022. I believe that we can truly say that, with the immense funding that the Government has contributed to the industry over the past 24 months, and the innovations that Australian and global companies are also bringing, that the future is bright. And this also holds true for Industry

Update. This year (after much searching) we welcome our new editor Claire Moffat, a seasoned B2B editor in both print and digital.

You will see some immediate changes in the look of this edition as Claire has begun the process of refreshing the title to better showcase the industry. In this edition, we also introduce several new sections. First, is the Recycling

Manufacturing section which previews on Page 42. The Environment Minister Sussan Ley has joined us and in her first column she has outlined the Government's investment into this critical pillar of remanufacturing.

Ley reminds us that 86 projects are underway through the Commonwealth Recycling Modernisation Fund which was expected to generate $600 million inshared investment and which is now on track to exceed $800 million.

Close to my heart, are the revitalised Australian Made (and as Ley explained ‘ReMade in Australia’) sectors that are once again embedding local knowhow and technology into our industry. We all realise how vital a vibrant Australian manufacturing industry is to our common welfare.

This Issue also showcases the live events, which after a two year hiatus are returning in strength. These will not only provide the opportunity to touch, feel and see the new products and technology, it will give us all the opportunity to renew our business relationships face-to-face and to make new connections.

These events will also give decision makers the opportunity to bring out the order book and confidently invest in equipment that will underline their future growth.

The team at Industry Update has worked hard to bring you one of the largest magazine editions in some time. We hope you enjoy the read and that 2022 yields your best year ever.

INSTRUMENTATION & CALIBRATION PTY LTD SPECIALISTS

www.ams-ic.com.au

AMS have been suppliers of instrumentation and calibration equipment to all industries since 1973 representing some of the world’s leading manufacturers of the equipment in their field.

Flow Measurement Specialists

www.ams-ic.com.au

EDITOR CLAIRE MOFFAT

Manufacturing: the one constant presence

The role of a new editor in any B2B industry, is almost akin to being a detective. The recurring chant in my mind of who, what, when, where, why and how, has been present since I joined Industry Update in early January.

These simple words have been the foundation of my media career and have served me well during my visits to countless local and global factories where manufacturing lies deep in their DNA. Whether it be the extraordinary LG Electronics factories in Changwon, South Korea where the workforce lives in towering company-owned units at the site, China’s behemoth Haier operation (the world's largest major appliance manufacturer) at Qingdao or Whirlpool’s ultra sophisticated operations in Benton Harbor US, the story is the same.

All these companies and many others I have worked with are united, despite their competitive differences, with one sole purpose: to produce the best products, using the best technology and systems to improve the lives of their customers and the wellbeing of their nations.

However, during my career, I also witnessed the decline of the Australian manufacturing sector as countless local companies rushed their operations to China to compete within a highly commoditised international marketplace.

In the mid-nineties, I visited the local Sunbeam factory in Sydney’s suburban Campsie, and was likely the last set of media eyes to see the frypan and kettle lines operate, only weeks before they were dismantled and discarded.

I was sorry to see this facility disappear, but also excited that the company could continue to prosper by sending its manufacturing offshore. Fast forward to 2022 and it is an entirely different lanscape.

Australian manufacturing is growing at a healthy rate, along with its component sectors including materials handling, machinery and electronics, which we feature in this issue.

What excites me today as part of this essential industry, are the pathways to growth and prosperity being carved by the unified focus of the federal and state governments onto our rejuvenated manufacturing industry.

As a former specialist waste and recycling editor, I’m also keen to support the emergence of a vibrant recycling manufacturing sector.

In February 2022, the world remains messy and some of us feel our futures are still uncertain. Yet, the one constant present in the lives of our readers, advertisers and stakeholders is manufacturing: an area of optimism and hope.

Strong Government investment in STEM diversity

An additional $6.7 million in federal government funding has been secured for Science & Technology Australia’s Superstars of STEM program and is backing the Women in STEM ambassador initiative, including its Future You campaign.

This follows the opening of $13 million STEM diversity grants round by The Department of Science and Technology in late January. At the same time, the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering was also given $41 million to run a separate women in STEM university scholarship program over the next seven years.

This round offered the largest amount of funding to date, with grants of $500,000 to $1 million being offered.

ATSE will be awarded $41.2 million to offer up to 500 university scholarships for women to work with industry and bolster their STEM qualifications. ATSE will deliver the scholarships over seven years, starting this July.

The latest funding announcement was made on International Day of Women and Girls in Science, the investments aim to support gender equity in STEM, building on $147 million of related investments.

“The Morrison government is determined to break down barriers that stand in the way of girls and women studying STEM subjects and excelling in the careers that follow,” Minister for Science and Technology Melissa Price said.

“The study of STEM subjects and pursuit of STEM careers is essential to our national prosperity and for growing our economy. Our investments will ensure our Women in STEM ambassador, Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith, can continue to be a great advocate for gender equity in STEM and the incredible Superstars of STEM program can inspire even more role models.”

$2million for Superstars The federal government will invest $2 million in the Superstars of STEM program, allowing it to develop an additional 120 women Superstars into future leaders.

An additional $2.4 million will support the Women in STEM ambassador initiative.

Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith said that The study of STEM subjects and pursuit of STEM careers is essential to our national prosperity and for growing our economy. Professor Lisa Harvey-Smith’s Future You campaign, designed for children 8 to 12 years old and their parents, has also reached 3.1 million children, parents and carers across Australia since its launch in October 2020.

Only 20 percent of girls reported being interested in STEM jobs before 2018, but today upwards of 68 percent of girls are now interested in a STEM career.

The federal government will invest an additional $2.3 million to expand this national digital awareness-raising initiative.

“Supporting girls and women with opportunities to excel in these areas is not only an important issue of equity, but it bolsters the pool of available STEM-skilled workers,” Price added.

“This additional funding will continue to address structural and cultural biases that lead to the under-representation of women and girls in STEM, through amazing programs like the Superstars of STEM. The new investment also recognises the work of the Women in STEM ambassador and the Future You campaign in encouraging women and girls to consider STEM subjects and careers.” IU