Manufacturers' Monthly November 2010

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ANALYSIS >> TECHNOLOGY >> SOLUTIONS

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lence l e c x e uring t c a f u n r ma o f m a r prog s d r a w nal a o i t a n r remie p s ’ a i l Austra

The 2011 Endeavour Awards is the pinnacle event where the best of Australia’s manufacturing industry get the recognition they deserve!

All finalists will receive free publicity in Manufacturers’ Monthly and two free tickets to the gala dinner on 26 May 2011 in Melbourne where the winners will be announced.

Award Categories Technology Application of the Year Environmental Solution of the Year Safety Scheme of the Year Consumer/Trade Product of the Year

Industrial Product of the Year Australian Steel Innovation Award Global Integration Award Exporter of the Year

Young Manufacturer of the Year Lifetime Achievement Award Manufacturer of the Year

How to Enter: Download a nomination kit at: www.manmonthly.com.au/awards For information about entering contact Margaret Tra p: 02 9422 2759 e: margaret.tra@reedbusiness.com.au Proudly brought to you by Manufacturers’ Monthly and the following sponsors:

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Editor Sarah Falson Ph: (02) 9422 2480 Fax (02) 9422 2722 sarah.falson@reedbusiness.com.au Journalist Annie Dang Ph: (02) 9422 2964 Fax (02) 9422 2722 annie.dang@reedbusiness.com.au Editor-at-large Alan Johnson Ph: (02) 9422 2325 Fax (02) 9422 2722 alan.johnson@reedbusiness.com.au Graphic Designer Ronnie Lawrence ronald.lawrence@reedbusiness.com.au Creative Director Julie Coughlan Production Co-ordinator Mary Copland Ph: (02) 9422 2738 mary.copland@reedbusiness.com.au VIC/Overseas Sales Michael Northcott PO Box 3069 Eltham VIC 3095 Ph: 0448 077 247 michael.northcott@reedbusiness.com.au NSW Sales Anthony Head Tower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067.

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NOVEMBER 2010

4 Editorial ■

For daily news visit manmonthly.com.au

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Pharmaceuticals industry to get well soon.

8 Analysis News ■

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Exclusive interview with Senator Kim Carr about the future of manufacturing.

The inaugural Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) seminar.

Entries now open for the 2011 Endeavour Awards.

We speak to the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science & Research about the Government’s plans for manufacturing.

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Sustainable design software.

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45 Materials Handling

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Combating the power gobbler.

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36 Automation & Robotics

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Pathways to lean manufacturing.

Leading your Lean transformation.

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All the latest new products for manufacturing businesses.

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ANALYSIS >> TECHNOLOGY >> SOLUTIONS

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INSIDE Industry News >> Latest Products >> Coming Events >> Industry Opinion >> Automation & Robotics >> Motors & Drives >> Lean Manufacturing >> Production Software >> Sheet Metal Working >> Conveyors & Palletisation

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Editorial

SARAH FALSON – Editor

editor@manmonthly.com.au

Pharma to get well soon Australia’s pharmaceutical manufacturing industry, called ‘the cornerstone of the knowledge economy’, will help our economy rise from the ashes.

A

USTRALIA’S pharmaceutical industry is the second-highest exporter of high-tech manufactured goods in Australia, and one of our only manufacturing industries that grew its exports during the global recession.

Eleven pharmaceutical products manufacturers made it to ‘Ibis World’s Top 109 Manufacturers 2010 Report’, with CSL Limited coming in at number 13 after five petroleum refineries, a motor corporation and a range of jewellery, iron, metal and steel manufacturers.

The pharmaceuticals manufacturing industry employs 40,000 Australians in high-skill, highwage jobs.

It spends $860 million annually on research and development.

And it is just the kind of ambitious, uniquely-skilled industry that will help Australia rise from the ashes of the global recession and make its mark on the world.

The Government has already recognised this through a variety of initiatives designed to help entrepreneurial companies developing products in this industry compete in the global marketplace.

For instance, the Minister for Innovation, Industry, Science and Research, Senator Kim Carr, established the Pharmaceuticals

4 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Industry Strategy Group in 2008 to identify future directions for the industry.

Next, he revived the Pharmaceutical Industry Working Group as a forum for ongoing dialogue, after realising the potential of pharmaceutical manufacturing in Australia.

The Government has actually increased spending on research and innovation by 34% since 2007, and prepared Powering Ideas, an innovation agenda for the next decade, backed with $3.1 billion in new investment over the first four years, much of which will end up in the pharmaceuticals industry.

According to a speech from Senator Carr at the International Society of Pharmaceutical Engineers conference in August, this industry will help Australia’s economy get back-on-track.

“It is an industry that spawns the kind of clever and ambitious start-ups we need if we are to go on renewing our economy, generating new ideas and turning those ideas into new jobs and new wealth,” he said.

“This is precisely the kind of industry Australia needs if we are to negotiate today’s challenges and make the most of tomorrow’s opportunities.”

Australia makes some of the most technically-brilliant

Australian pharmaceutical products are well-regarded overseas.

advances in medical devices in the world, including Cochlear’s hearing implants and Resmed’s respiratory medical devices.

Veterinary pharmaceuticals manufacturer, Parnell, opened a new multi-million-dollar manufacturing facility in Sydney late last year, with the capacity to produce around $150 million of product a year.

And, the Adelaide University has just awarded graduation certificates to its first round of students studying for the new four-year Pharmaceutical Engineering course – the first in Australia.

All this goes to show that pharmaceuticals manufacturing in

Australia is being recognised not only locally, but abroad too.

Australian manufacturers in this space are very well-regarded for the quality of their products overseas, but especially in the fast-growing Asian economies, which poses big opportunities.

The fact that our economy is more stable than many of our counterparts and our technical support and customer service offerings are top-notch, means opportunities await savvy pharmaceutical and medical companies that are developing new intellectual property or are simply value-adding.

Our businesses give Asian customers a huge amount of reliability that they won’t necessarily enjoy from offerings made on their own turf.

The multi-million-dollar pharmaceutical products recalls made in Asia over the past few years are testament to the uncertainty of their offering.

And it’s not just Asia that presents opportunities either: according to an interview we did with Austrade in the October issue of Manufacturers’ Monthly, opportunities are rife in the medical research industry in Western Europe, which will spend top-dollar for good-quality, well-made goods like ours.

According to the ISPE conference earlier this year, all we need to work on now is our communication and making sure our students graduate with high level skills to take to the world.

Once we have this down-pat, we will be a force to be reckoned with.

manmonthly.com.au

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Comment

HEATHER RIDOUT – CEO Australian Industry Group

Now is the time for growth Manufacturers will face patchy and challenging conditions moving forward, but growth is nigh. Heather Ridout writes for Manufacturers’ Monthly.

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LTHOUGH there are signs the economy is entering a period of sustained growth, businesses have faced patchy and challenging conditions over the past year and will continue to do so. This is particularly the case for export and import-competing businesses exposed to the strength of the Australian dollar and other pressures stemming from the mining boom such as labour shortages and interest rate pressures.

Growth Strategies for Business, the latest Ai Group-Deloitte Private CEO survey released in October, has identified strategies that businesses are adopting to ensure growth in the face of these pressures. The survey comes at an opportune time; fol-

lowing a six-month period of contraction, the Ai Group–PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) fell 4.4 points to 47.3 in September.

Close to one-third of small businesses surveyed for our Growth Strategies report recorded reductions in profits over the past year. Businesses identified a lack of demand, difficulties obtaining credit, and the strength of the currency as key factors affecting their performance. These challenges remain.

Businesses generally expect profitability to improve over the next 12 months, although it is expected that the services sector will continue to grow stronger than construction or manufactur-

ing. Nonetheless, businesses of all sizes are considering their growth strategies.

According to our survey, businesses consider increasing market share as the most important growth strategy, followed by the formation of alliances and/or mergers and acquisitions. In manufacturing and construction, these results most likely reflect the higher need to exploit economies of scale in order to improve cost competitiveness.

In addition to these strategies, the almost 400 companies surveyed have also identified a number of priority areas where they are seeking external assistance. These include strategic planning, people management and process improvement.

editor@manmonthly.com.au

In terms of financing, almost a quarter of the businesses we surveyed consider the inability to obtain finance and the lack of capital to invest to be very important factors in their battles to sustain profit growth. Most businesses cite cash flow and working capital as being very important. And the shortage of skilled labour continues to be among the factors of greatest concern to businesses.

In this regard, the outlook for employment growth is certainly positive across industry sectors and by size of business. Three quarters of all businesses intend hiring additional staff in the next 1–2 years.

Overall, while businesses remain cautious amid patchy economic conditions, this survey signals a strategic shift from cost cutting to developing growth strategies and identifying opportunities.

Heather Ridout is chief executive of the Australian Industry Group.

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6 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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AnalysisNEWS More to come from Canberra

BY ALAN JOHNSON

W

HILE a number of manufacturers may have been upset regarding the outcome of the recent federal election, no one can deny Senator Kim Carr’s commitment to Australia’s manufacturing industry.

Over the past three years as Industry Minister, Carr has pushed hard to obtain the funding for industry assistance schemes, and says he has no plans to slow down.

Carr has a number of new schemes on his hit list for this three-year term, but one close to his heart is the just-introduced R&D tax credit scheme which is set to replace the cumbersome R&D tax concession scheme; often described as a gravy train for accountants.

“I want to provide more assistance to SMEs; the backbone of our manufacturing industry here in Australia,” Carr told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“The R&D tax credit scheme is an opportunity to double the level of support for SMEs, restoring it to pre-1996 levels, and increase the level of support in cash terms for larger businesses by one third.”

Describing it as a “far simpler scheme, with less red tape and compliance involved”, he said there will be a 45% refundable credit for firms turning over less than $20 million a year, and a 40% non-refundable credit for all other firms and will include “factory floor R&D”.

“Most important of all, smaller firms in tax loss will be able to take the credit as cash,” Carr said.

As well as being simpler, he said the new scheme is more generous and more predictable, and decouples R&D tax incentives from the corporate tax rate.

“There are around 8,000 firms registered for the R&D Tax Concession, but over half the benefit goes to just 200 of them,” he said.

8 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Carr is pushing for stronger links between industry and science agencies.

“International firms will also be able to claim the new credit, regardless of where the intellectual property is owned. This gives us a chance to attract the most research-intensive international firms to our shores.

“This really is a landmark reform – arguably the most important change to business innovation support in a generation.

“The scheme is about putting cash into businesses, particularly at a time when liquidity is a major issue, and will supplement our program for Australia’s industrial PhDs in which I’m putting a trial program out there with 200 industrial PhDs, mainly in manufacturing areas.

“We have to lift our performance on R&D in Australia, plus lift our cooperation with universities and our science agencies such as CSIRO. “As well as providing financial incentives, we will provide business support through Enterprise Connect. So far over 3000 firms have directly accessed the scheme, and we are looking to increase that number.

“We have over 100 business advisers located in 12 manufacturing innovation centres around the country providing direct advice to individual firms, mak-

ing sure they get access to the best technical advice they can get from our scientific and research facilities.

“What we are trying to do is transform Australia’s manufacturing industry, firm by firm. We actually want to go down to that level of engagement.”

While Carr is a huge supporter of Australian manufacturing, he is luke-warm, at best, on the Greens idea of a 10% import duty on everything imported.

“I really can’t see it happening. It is not practical,” he said.

“I’m in the business of providing direct assistance to individual firms, but also being consistent with our international obligations. It is very important we see ourselves as exporters and not try to lock ourselves up from the rest of the world.

“There are huge opportunities for us. Now we have considerable pressures and challenges being posed by the currency volatility and with the international trade situation, but that shouldn’t stop us from having a red hot go at it.”

Aiming to consolidate the gains made in Labour’s first term of government, Carr said he is looking to the encouragement of industry to further transform itself to meet

the challenges of the future.

“There is a real need here for us to meet the competitive pressures for exporters with regard to the volatile Aussie dollar,” he said.

“We have to face the fact that we have to be more competitive by lifting our education standards and improving access to skills by encouraging investment, and by encouraging manufacturers to re-tool and reinvent themselves for the 21st century.

“The foundations for that were laid down through Enterprise Connect and through our 10-year innovation agenda, Powering Ideas, through the establishment of Commercialisation Australia, through the eight innovation councils and in particular the introduction of the new R&D tax credit scheme.

“We also have the new car plan for a greener future, we have a textile industry plan and we have opportunities through the new initiatives such as Clean Business Australia and Clean 21.

“Over the past three years we have made major progress in insuring that there are many hundreds of thousands of Australians, either who own businesses or work in manufacturing businesses that are still operating today that otherwise wouldn’t have been.

“Our success during the economic crisis is testament to the quality of the programs, but in particular the ability to build good partnerships across all the different sectors of the manufacturing industry. It’s also about insuring we are able to adapt to new technologies and deploy new technologies as quickly as possible.

“It’s not about standing still, or pining after a golden era, long past, it’s about dealing with life as it’s today and preparing for the future.

“As far as I’m concerned, manufacturing has a vital role to play, not just in economic terms, but in social terms.”

Senator Kim Carr minister.innovation.gov.au manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisNEWS

Manufacturing activity slowed in September

10 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Increasing

60 55 50 45

Decreasing

40 35 30 25

Australian PMI®

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USTRALIA’S manufacturing industry took a backward step in September, with the over-valued Australian dollar, increased raw material costs and weaker demand contributing to a considerable dip in the Australian Industry Group – PricewaterhouseCoopers Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI).

The PMI unexpectedly fell a disappointing 4.4 points to 47.3, which is below the critical 50point-level for the first time this year (readings below 50 indicate a contraction in activity).

The weak result was largely due to deepening declines in activity in the food and beverages, and fabricated metals sectors, along with sharp reversals in the previously expanding clothing and footwear and construction materials sectors.

The other sectors that contracted were textiles; wood products and furniture; chemicals, petroleum and coal products; and machinery and equipment.

However, manufacturers in the miscellaneous manufacturing and transport equipment sectors remained in positive territory due to a lift in production and new orders.

Across all manufacturing sectors, production levels fell 5.3 points to 46.2 to be below 50 for the first time since March. Plus, the new-orders sub-index fell to 46.5 in September after eight months of growth.

The survey revealed a strong rise in wages and input costs continued in September, while selling prices fell for a fifth consecutive month, suggesting narrowing manufacturing margins.

Around the country, manufacturing activity contracted significantly in Western Australia and Queensland, more moderately in South Australia and marginally in Victoria. New South Wales was the only state that recorded an increase in manufacturing.

Australian Industry Group chief executive, Heather Ridout, said the contraction in manufacturing activity in September comes after a six-month period of falling growth rates and a steady build-up of inventories.

“The strength of the Australian dollar in particular, led by the large rises in minerals prices, is challenging the competitive position of the sector in both the domestic and export markets,” she said in the PMI report.

"Manufacturers are facing growing pressures on two other fronts - private sector demand is still not growing sufficiently to offset the unwinding of fiscal stimulus measures while wage pressures have built up steadily and are now at a level not seen for several years.

“This combination of factors underlines the vulnerability of manufacturers to interest rate rises and points to the importance of productivity-boosting policy measures including in the areas of innovation, education and training, taxation and workplace relations.”

Diffusion Index (Points)

BY ALAN JOHNSON

3 month moving average

An over-valued Australian dollar coupled with increased raw material costs contributed to a significant dip in Australia’s manufacturing’s activity in September this year.

Around the region In Japan, economists are suggesting its fragile economic recovery could be faltering, with the country’s industrial output falling unexpectedly in September.

The Nomura/JMMA Japan Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) fell to a seasonally-adjusted 49.5 in September from 50.1 in August, revealing manufacturing activity contracted for the first time in 15 months. As well, Japanese manufacturers recently surveyed by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry expect output to slide a steeper-thanexpected 2.9% in October.

Some analysts say further monetary easing is needed to ensure that intervention succeeds in shielding the economy from a

strong currency. The Japanese government for its part is mulling an extra budget to prop up the economy by boosting jobs and helping households.

However in China, a key index of Chinese manufacturing activity rose to its highest level in five months in September with growth resulting from rising export orders and purchasing.

According to the HSBC China Manufacturing PMI the performance of China’s manufacturing economy rose in September to 52.9, the highest since April and edged up from 51.9 in August.

Economists say a pickup in new orders means that domestic demand is still strong, despite uncertainties in global demand.

Australian Industry Group www.aigroup.com.au

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AnalysisNEWS

MESA on a mission for greatness

BY SARAH FALSON

T

HE first Manufacturing Enterprise Solutions Association (MESA) seminar was held in Australia on 7 September and, according to the MESA Australian Working Group, productivity, ‘competitiveness’ and ‘sustainability’ are the most significant trends for manufacturers in Australia.

Research launched at the seminar showed the benefits of manufacturing enterprise solutions or MES – the systems that plan, operate, control and report on shop floor activities – are perceived as very wide by operational-level managers.

However, according to MESA Asia Pacific Expansion Committee chairperson Greg Johnson, a better job needs to be done in translating those benefits to hard return-on-investment for the C-level.

Johnson also says that, according to data gathered at the seminar, 61% of operations managers plan to expand the systems that plan, operate, control and report on shop-floor activities but only 27% of respondents say that MES has been embraced by the majority of individuals within their organisation.

A mixture of software vendors, consultants and manufacturers attended the inaugural MESA

12 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

seminar, including Schneider Electric, Siemens and Accenture, and manufacturers BlueScope Steel and Schweppes.

“We had a bout 50 people along to the event, which is a very good turnout,” Johnson told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“This will now become an annual event as the interest is massive out there. There wasn’t much publicity around the event but still people turned up. Next year, we’re aiming to have 100 or even 150 people along.”

According to Johnson, MESA decided to hold the seminar off the back of various trends which have popped-up in the manufacturing industry of late, including increasing adoption of energy management and sustainability systems.

“The whole topic of operations management systems began during Y2K and has grown ever since. It started with your SAPs and Oracles as a way to pull through Y2K, however lately people’s attention is shifting to the processes that happen beneath those layers,” Johnson said.

For Johnson, there is now enough awareness of MES in the marketplace, and the right people still are not aware of the benefits it can reap.

“There is an interest [in MESA], but higher levels of management need to know about it.

MES manages a production business’s assets, materials and people.

The current state of the systems and what is possible now is not widely understood. We need to share best practices and raise awareness. People at the operations level know about it, but hopefully more people at the CIO level will pay attention in the future.”

According to Johnson, MES can help manufacturers reach their sustainability targets and can also assist with energy and water management.

“MES is about managing your assets, materials and people. All the inputs of the process, includ-

ing energy and water, along with outputs like emissions, can be tracked and improved with MES. It’s not just about producing more at lower cost: it’s about understanding. It’s essentially about lean manufacturing,” said Johnson.

“My message to manufacturers is that if you’re not investing in your operations management systems today then you need to be looking at it. It’s a source of tremendous return-on-investment and is very accessible.”

MESA www.mesa.org Comment at manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisNEWS EVENTS

Avoid supply chain disasters

BY SARAH FALSON

NOVEMBER 5–8: EVS25 The 25th World Battery, Hybrid and Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle Symposium & Exposition Organised by World Electric Vehicle Association (WEVA) and held at the Shenzhen Convention & Exhibition Center, China, the symposium is recognised as the premier event for academic, government and industry professionals involved in electric drive technologies in China.

6–8:: The 2010 International Conference on Advances in Materials and Manufacturing Processes (ICAMMP 2010)) The conference will take place in Shenzhen, China, and will serve as a platform for the members of materials and manufacturing processes communities to meet and exchange ideas. Visit www.icammp.org 11: Global Sourcing Workshop Essential for those wishing to understand the strategic importance of globalisation, this workshop prepares manufacturers for international procurement. Go to nsw.apics.org.au 15: IICA ISA Awareness Course: Safety Instrumented Systems – The Must Know for Implementation The course will be conducted at Hatch Engineers “The Barracks”, in Brisbane. Email events@iica.org.au or visit www.iica.org.au to register.

16: IICA ISA Awareness Course: Instrumentation Diagrams & Symbols This event will also be held at Hatch Engineers “The Barracks”, in Brisbane. Email events@iica.org.au or go to www.iica.org.au 16 6–18: 2010 International Conference on Construction and Project Management The conference theme will be ‘Simulation in the service of sustainable net zero energy future’ and the event will be held in Wellington, New Zealand. Go to www.ibpsa.org 22–23: Essentials of Inven ntory Control Topics covered include inventory functions, replenishment, forecasting, warehouse management, and SCM and purchasing. Visit nsw.apics.org.au

14 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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ATURAL and man-made disasters happen every day in every country, but the increasingly global nature of our supply chains means that Australian manufacturers’ businesses could potentially be threatened by an earthquake in India or civil unrest in China.

One company offering advice for manufacturers to safeguard their supply chains against disruptions is Accenture Australia, which provides supply chain practice, logistics and procurement services.

Originally out of the US, the company designs and optimises transport distribution networks, helps its clients reduce their inventory working capital, and provides spare parts for logistics operations.

Though Accenture has a strong presence in the retail and consumer goods industries, the company’s managing partner for supply chain management, Zeljko Nikolic, cites the defence, energy and mining markets as important areas for future growth due to the increasingly global nature of their supply chains.

One of the most important – and perhaps little-understood – things manufacturers must protect their supply chains against is natural disasters.

“Defence is really an area that benefits a great deal from supply chain and logistics improvement and we can see this being very topical in Australia moving forward,” Nikolic told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

Nikolic says it is crucial for manufacturers to have a streamlined supplier process and prequalified alternative suppliers they can switch to very quickly, and this is where good supply chain practice comes in.

“It’s about looking at flexible manufacturing strategies. Where you’re able to have multiple manufacturing locations in Australia and overseas, it pays to have the manufacturing designed in a way that it’s flexible to run different products and have relatively quick changeover

You never know when a natural or man-made disaster could uproot your supply chain, says Accenture.

between products in different locations,” he said.

According to Nikolic, the affects of the Iceland volcano on the world’s product supplies – which put the world’s logistics systems in to disarray in April this year – could have been lessened if global manufacturers had adopted more flexible supply chains.

Though Australia wasn’t affected to the same extent as Europe and the UK, Nikolic says we should be aware of similar future disruptions to our supply chains and prepare ourselves accordingly.

“The Icelandic volcano episode was an interesting case study for all organisations across the world an in Australia. The lesson is, some of these natural disasters and disruptions can’t be avoided, however the issue is how wellprepared the organisation is to deal with them,” he said.

“In today’s world there are two factors making this a bigger impact than previously. Greater interconnectiveness and length of supply chains because of offshoring sourcing from all different parts of the world has meant transportation exposes them much more to disruptions than was previously the case.

The world we now live in is a world of much greater volatility, in all sorts of dimensions; combining those issues of volatility and much longer supply chains means that it doesn’t have to be a volcano, but businesses will be exposed to disruptions to their

supply chains which can have real bottom line impacts on their customers.”

According to Nikolic, we have our fair share of potential disasters closer to home, including continuing civil unrest in Thailand. With the large number or manufacturers and OEMs sourcing product from South East Asia and China, the possibility of our supply chains being interrupted is much higher than we think.

“While 20 years ago these sorts of things just happened in another country, these occurrences are now much more relevant to how our businesses operate in Australia,” he said.

A good place to start is to introduce flexibility into product design by reducing complexity of the product ranges on offer.

“This allows organisations to feed into the flexible manufacturing capability: if they can use a much greater degree of common parts, they can design much easier systems to not only rationalise inventory, but have flexibility in their network about how they can supply,” he said.

The overall message is that manufacturers must optimise their supply chain and logistics networks to guard against risk.

This can be done through a combination of procedures, including enlisting a supply chain management software system, and coming up with alternative suppliers and raw materials.

Accenture Australia 02 9005 5000, www.accenture.com manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisNEWS

Showcasing the best of the best SARAH FALSON & EMILY MOBBS

T

he 2010 Endeavour Awards was a celebration of the manufacturing industry’s enthusiasm to take hold of an improving economic climate, and there wasn’t a company who personified this notion more than HI Fraser.

The ship-builder took out last year’s Endeavour Manufacturer of the Year Award, proudly sponsored by BlueScope Steel, and proved Australian manufacturers can compete with the best in the world.

The specialist engineering company is currently part of a global supply chain for the Air Warfare Destroyer (AWD) ship build project, said to represent one of the most complex and expensive capital acquisitions the DMO has ever undertaken.

The company also won the Global Integration award for its involvement in the project.

HI Fraser east general manager, Chris Williams, said the company feels extremely privileged to be recognised, and congratu-

lated the other finalists on their contribution to Australian manufacturing.

“We are pretty surprised as we are one of the little guys, and you would expect one of the big guys to take out a prestigious award like this,” Williams told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“The award is a reflection of the technical depth, innovation and flexibility that the HI Fraser team has shown, as well as the ability to doggedly execute the strategy to exploit new innovation.

“We are also grateful to the team at the AWD/LHD projects and our overseas partners for giving us a chance to demon strate the depth of technical and manufacturing expertise we have.”

In 2011, manufacturers from all over Australia will be gathering together for the eighth time to celebrate the successes of local companies that design and make goods, export systems, provide support and generally raise the bar for the Australian manufacturing industry as it strives to

compete with an increasingly global industry.

Nominations open for 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly’s Endeavour Awards program is designed to recognise and reward Australian manufacturing excellence. Whether you are an Australian company manufacturing in Australia, or a local business producing its goods offshore, you are eligible to enter the 2011 Endeavour Awards.

Now in its eighth year, the Endeavour Awards is the only national awards program specifically for the manufacturing industry.

Free to enter, the Endeavours offer a unique program for Australian manufacturers to demonstrate and showcase their business success and enhance the company’s reputation both locally and overseas, either as a finalist or by winning an award.

The Endeavour Awards recognise and celebrate industry leaders’ achievements in their drive to achieve ‘best practice’ and excellence in manufacturing.

The 2011 Endeavour Awards categories are: Technology Application of the Year; Australian Consumer/Trade Product of the The Endeavour Year; Exporter Awards program is now open for nomiof the Year; nations for 2011.

Global Integration Award; Australian Steel Innovation Award; Environmental Solution of the Year; Safety Scheme of the Year; Young Manufacturer of the Year; and Lifetime Achievement Award.

Don’t forget, entry is free.

The deadline for entries is COB 31 January 2011. Don’t miss-out on your chance to help celebrate Australian manufacturing prowess to an international audience.

For an application form visit www.manmonthly.com.au/Awards or for information phone Sarah Falson on 02 9422 2480 or email sarah.falson@reedbusiness.com.au

Innovating for a carbon zero future

We regard environmental awareness as a top priority: Fourie.

AS one of the world’s 100 most sustainable companies, Atlas Copco is proud to once again be sponsoring the 8th Annual Endeavour Awards 2011.

Jan Fourie, general manager of Atlas Copco Australia, says the company is delighted to be involved with the Awards as sponsor of the Environmental

Solution of the Year category for 2012. “Atlas Copco regards environmental awareness as a top priority and we see the Endeavour Awards as a key way of getting this message across.

We are committed to providing the market with innovative, leading edge technologies to help reduce energy consumption and

its environmental impact,” said Fourie. “The 2011 Environmental Solution of the Year Awards is a fantastic opportunity for companies to promote and showcase their environmental solutions which can benefit both industry and the environment.”

Atlas Copco 1800 023 469, www.atlascopco.com

M Rutty & Co PTY LTD www.mrutty.com.au

16 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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TechnologyIT@MM Advanced software tools can help energy management decision-making by modelling the costs associated with resources and plant assets. Here, an economic cost profile of plant steam demand is modelled for five key plant assets to determine the relative cost of generating the resource internally or procuring from an external supplier.

This results in real-time and realistic energy consumption forecasts, and identifies areas where possible savings in energy could be made.

The power of this type of analysis was demonstrated recently at a food production facility, which was under the impression its new variablespeed drive (VSD) was cutting energy consumption and associated costs. However, an analysis of the system revealed that someone had changed the start-up parameters in the VSD, causing it to act like a direct-online starter instead of offering soft-starting capabilities – thus negating the cost-saving purpose of the VSD. The key here was being able to isolate the problem area, and subsequently effecting rapid change.

Power of information

The power of prediction The latest software advances utilise ‘predictive modelling’ algorithms to take production to the next level. Corrie van Rensburg writes.

A

S industry responds to demands for greater production responsiveness and ‘make-to-order’ capability, increased focus is being placed on adapting quickly and profitably to changing plant and market conditions.

This has led to the rise of socalled ‘information-enabled’ control architectures that capture, analyse, store and share production data across the enterprise.

Sophisticated, web-enabled software tools play a crucial role here. By permitting data to be accessed, shared, and more importantly acted upon, plant operation can be enhanced.

Even fundamental software packages will permit analysis of the collected data to provide reports that pave the way for greater production efficiency.

As industry is marshalled down the path towards more sustainable practices, these tools can also be used to help reduce 18 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

energy demands and assist with energy reporting obligations.

More advanced breeds of software that offer superior reporting, analysis and modelling tools deliver even greater functionality.

The data can, for example, be used strategically to create an integrated Energy-Supply model of a plant – essentially an evaluation of how energy resources are used.

Here, each energy-generating asset is assessed in terms of generating capacity, efficiency curves and operating costs to yield an economic sub-model (or financial profile).

Predictive modelling But the evolution of production intelligence doesn’t stop there.

The latest advances in production and performance software utilise ‘predictive modelling’ algorithms to facilitate proactive decisions based on information

fed back into the system – essentially a ‘closed loop’ process performance management system.

By using these advanced software tools to compare different scenarios of future performance against an established baseline, companies can make proactive instead of reactive decisions to optimise processes. These sophisticated software solutions are becoming known as ‘predictiveenterprise manufacturing intelligence’ (P-EMI) applications, and incorporate financial information from the business system with high-fidelity process models.

‘Economic Energy Optimisation’ is one application that falls under the P-EMI realm.

Companies can leverage the power of predictive modelling to generate sub-models for utilities, emissions, and production, which are then integrated with the financial system to present the optimum solution for a facility’s predicted demand.

Underpinning this new breed of production intelligence solutions are systems to handle and streamline delivery of the information.

The greatest efficiency will be achieved with a truly information-enabled architecture – a fully integrated platform of software and hardware that captures, consolidates and distributes data throughout the enterprise in a purposeful and service-oriented way. The goal is to improve information access and relevancy, as well as maintain the information.

The power of informationenabled architecture, moreover, extends beyond even predictive control and production intelligence to embrace a holistic plant view of sustainable operations.

The most common view of sustainability concerns processes and technologies that consume minimal energy and resources, and create minimal waste; but a broader outlook encompasses workplace safety, product safety and reliability, and the reuse of waste products in the reverse supply chain.

Corrie van Rensburg is Rockwell Automation’s Industry Solutions Manager - South Pacific, 03 9896 0300, www.rockwellautomation.com.au manmonthly.com.au

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The 3D CAD/CAM software includes Australian-specific improvements targeting sustainable design.

distribution control, monitor software SCHNEIDER Electric has released its PowerLogic SCADA software, described as a complete monitoring and control solution for electrical distribution networks.

The software is said to deliver a reliable, flexible and high performance solution to reduce outages and increase power efficiency.

According to the company, the software will enable users to link together smart devices like circuit breakers, meters and protection relays, to provide a complete solution across a common platform.

This is said to reduce engineering time plus increase productivity, streamline operations and create cost savings.

PowerLogic SCADA claims accurate, 1s response time and sequence of events recording with 1ms resolution for over 2000 devices and 200k tags.

Sold complete and ready-togo, with all features, protocols and drivers included, the software is said to be the ideal solution for various power critical applications including data centres, water treatment plants, oil and gas, and mining sites.

PowerLogic SCADA’s realtime control and monitoring of electrical distribution equipment means system faults can be identified immediately. This data can then be re-analysed to isolate and identify faults, significantly reducing downtime, according to the manufacturer.

The PowerLogic SCADA system is said to have been built to handle requirements from the smallest to largest customer and is scalable to be upgraded as the customer’s businesses change or grow.

Schneider Electric (Australia) 1300 369 233, www.schneider-electric.com.au

manmonthly.com.au

New sustainable design software enters 2011

I

NTERCAD has announced SolidWorks 2011 3D CAD/CAM software, on which it worked with vendor partner SolidWorks on the inclusion of Australian-specific improvements targeting sustainable design.

The built-in SolidWorks SustainabilityXpress module within SolidWorks 2011 now includes data from Australia on materials, transport and manufacturing processes.

Australian designers can use this functionality to ensure their

products are eco-friendly plus also evaluate the environmental impact on parts that are produced in other regions, as well as the implications of off shore manufacturing and distribution around the world.

In addition to the usual parts and materials, customised materials can also be added to the database in this new software release.

SolidWorks 2011 also includes hundreds of other refinements, many based on feedback from the global SolidWorks community, according to Intercad.

Headline improvements include a boost to drawing functionality and new technology for thermal simulations.

Various enhancements designed to improve the user experience have been included, such as memory and interface improvements, and new tools for greater collaboration with suppliers, partners and manufacturers.

Intercad 02 9454 4444, www.intercad.com.au

Improvement guide ATTACHÉ Software has launched a free Business Improvement Guide which provides SMEs and their directors with more than 700 ways to use and monitor information technology (IT) within their organisation. A key highlight is to embrace international standards for governance of IT. The 700 tactics within the guide are divided into seven strategic areas of business, including debtors reduction, stock reduction, expense reduction, sales increase, fraud reduction, carbon emission reduction and payroll efficiency.

Each strategy is comprised of specific tactics, with a wealth of information on business improvement strategies for area such as staff education, customer relationship management, systems automation, payment systems, and business intelligence dashboards just to name a few.

Infonomics 03 9801 1237, www.infonomics.com.au Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 19

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TechnologyIT@MM to take action.

On the operations side, no plan is perfect and as circumstances change, the plan must be updated to respond to demand or supply upsets. Using IBP, when detailed changes are made to the operations plan, planners can immediately see financial impact of the changes to help decide what operational tactics best support the overall corporate financial goal.

The IBP process

Integrated Business Planning can identify potential revenue short falls far enough in advance to enable managers to take action.

The IBP process is as follows: The revenue and profitability targets are established in the top-down annual financial plan and monitored throughout the year with a financial planning system.

The revenue targets become the basis for the sales plan which is broken down across sales territories, geographies, customer, etc.

Using a collaborative planning process, sales and marketing strategies are developed to close any revenue gaps.

This business plan is translated into a demand plan to provide supply chain planning a

Improving the reliability of forecasting

BY SCOTT DAWES

T

HE realities of globalisation have turned today’s business environment volatile with unstable demand and extended supply chains, while at the same time, regulatory mandates such as SarbanesOxley demand improvements in the accuracy and predictability of corporate earnings forecasts.

Over the last thirty years companies have invested great sums of money in enterprise systems chasing a vision of unified data, goals, and execution.

One such process example is the development of Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP), which has helped organisations insure operations are synchronised and proceeding smoothly.

However, this is of limited value to senior managers unless those operations are achieving the strategic and financial goals 20 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

of the enterprise. Additionally, firms still see a lack of predictability and accuracy in their strategic and financial forecasting.

This experience is driving a move to the next level of corporate planning: Integrated Business Planning (IBP), which is sometimes referred to as Profitable Business Planning.

IBP bridges the gaps in corporate planning processes by integrating strategic planning, as well as financial budgeting and forecasting systems with operations planning from the S&OP processes. This marriage of planning processes insures that revenue goals and budgets developed by Finance are validated against a detailed, bottom-up operating plan, and that the operating plan is reconciled against financial goals.

IBP also addresses one the CFO’s big concerns – the reliabil-

ity of the revenue forecast.

Operating plans are updated daily or weekly from a precise forecast based on current market conditions.

These updated plans are then made available so that financial analysts are working with data that best represents what is going to happen – not what they projected would happen based on last quarter’s data.

The IBP starts with the annual planning process assuring that financial goals for the coming year are reasonable and achievable, moves to a continuous monitoring of progress toward company goals throughout the year.

When linked to a demand management system with good predictive capabilities producing very granular and accurate short and long-term forecasts, the IBP will identify potential revenue short falls far enough in advance to enable managers

forecast to use in developing a supply plan. Sales and Operations Planning is used to balance supply and demand and ensure that it will achieve revenue targets on an ongoing basis.

The business plan becomes the operating plan and IBP monitors actual sales and regenerates forecasts based on updated sales history and identifies any significant deviation from the baseline forecast on which the revenue forecast is based.

Updated projections are continuously sent to financial planning to keep management aware of the potential impact of changing market conditions and sales performance.

This process leverages the tremendous amount of data and detail available in modern corporate systems to build financial plans and monitor them based on current reality. manmonthly.com.au

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Real-time, tailored ERP software

Recall service

CINCOM Systems’ Control:2010, is a new ERP software system.

Unlike traditional ERP systems, the software provides information tailored to each user’s needs. Real-time information about operations is provided so manufacturing business leaders can make decisions and quickly implement actions regarding key business metrics, such as: overall cost control and margin; inventory management;

working capital optimisation; risk mitigation; and process improvement.

The software includes the Business Activity Monitor, a communication conduit that presents each business role with a status of how they are performing in real time.

Similar to an automotive dashboard, the Monitor, one of six key upgrades, focuses on the critical pieces of information that deter-

mine success or failure. Unlike an automotive dashboard, however, the business dashboard provides a navigation tool tailored to the duties of a specific role.

The software provides information based on user roles, so only functionality specific to each role is delivered to the user, enabling new employees to be more productive much sooner.

continued from page 20

For example, to better shape demand and achieve more predictable revenue, companies should incorporate the impact of new product introductions on the business plan.

New products require cash to ramp up production, inventory and marketing, while their revenue impact is delayed.

Similarly, other sales and marketing systems should be integrated with IBP to better align promotions and demand generation activities so these can align

to specific financial and operating goals.

The ultimate IBP process will finally take advantage of the different components of the enterprise software ecosystem and wield them into a process providing enough financial visibility to identify future problems and the operational tools to allow the firm to respond.

Using these tools, CEOs and CIOs can gain increased predictability of thei financial forecasts, and better control over the fate of their firms.

What does the future hold for IBP? After finance has been integrated into operations, allowing much better understanding and control of the revenue and cost implications of operational planning, leading companies will add additional tools to refine planning and aid in control.

Cincom Systems of Australia 02 8875 1400, www.cincom.com.au

Scott Dawes is vice president, Applications Business Unit, with Oracle Australia & NZ.

GS1 Australia and HP will develop a cloud-based recall service to remove potentially harmful food, healthcare and other products from the supply chain.

The service, GS1 Recallnet, will run on the HP cloud computing platform for manufacturing, which allows companies to see and share information across the supply chain.

It allows Australia to rapidly exchange recall notifications both within the border of its own supply chain and with other countries. Food and consumer products organisations can use the service to reduce errors, decrease the amount of time it takes to respond to a recall, and mitigate the costs associated with managing the recall process.

GS1 Recallnet will reinvent the way recall information is handled between businessesm the company claims.

GS1 Australia 1300 366 033, www.gs1au.org

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Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 21

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TechnologyIT@MM

BY HANY FOUDA

T

HE last ten years has seen a dramatic change not only in radio technology but how it is used by instrument and control engineers.

The business case behind deploying wireless instrumentation is a compelling one. By eliminating cabling and trenching, users can dramatically reduce the cost of deployment by as much as 70%. Since wireless instrumentation is battery-powered, they are much easier to deploy in the field relative to their conventional counterparts.

Wired systems can take days or weeks to be properly installed, whereas wireless instruments require only the sensor to be installed in the process.

By deploying wireless instrumentation and eliminating cabling and trenching, users can reduce the cost of deployment by as much as 70%.

Wireless instrumentation So if the business case is that strong and the ROI is solid, why are some still reluctant to deploy wireless instrumentation in their facilities? There are three main reasons: Reliability: radio signals are subject to reflection as a result of structures, trees, water bodies and buildings.

However, RF design is getting better in addressing many of these issues and by designing highly sensitive radio receivers, and using the transmit power more efficiently with high gain antennas, engineers can establish highly reliable RF point-tomultipoint links.

Adaptability: Wireless instrumentation networks are required to adapt to the existing environment. It is not practical to move a compressor or a separator just to create a reliable wireless link.

It is sometimes difficult to find a location for an access point or base radio that provides reliable communication with the wireless instruments. Relocating the access point or base radio to improve the RF link with one sensor could result in degrading the links with other sensors in the same network.

Adaptability can be addressed by using lower frequency bands, such as the license-free 900MHz, which tends to provide better coverage, longer range and better propagation, allowing the sig22 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Improving SCADA operations nal to penetrate obstacles. Also, high gain external antennas that can be mounted as high as possible on a structure allow access to hard-to-reach sensors which could be located at the bottom of a tank. Improved receive sensitivity of radio modules also plays a crucial role in ensuring network adaptability to various industrial environments.

Integration: Managing and debugging dispersed wireless networks presents a new level of complexity to field operators that could deter them from adopting wireless instrumentation despite the exceptional savings. The wireless network integration dilemma is more apparent in SCADA systems. Since wireless instrumentation networks are supposed to tie into the same SCADA infrastructure available at site to relay valuable operating data to the SCADA host, having the ability to manage the complete infrastructure as one network becomes essential. Despite the abundance of tools to capture, process and analyze data in the process control market, ensuring data integration is still a major problem.

Standardising SCADA and wire-

less hardware from a single vendor makes it simple to connect remote sites to a central SCADA systems.

Addressing the challenges A new breed of advanced wireless instrumentation base station radios or gateways is now emerging in the marketplace.

This new generation of gateways integrates both a wireless instrumentation base radio and a long range industrial radio in the same device.

The integrated long range remote radio is configured as a remote device relaying information to a master radio at the main SCADA centre.

The available two serial ports on the radio are configured to tunnel Modbus polling and diagnostic data simultaneously to the wireless instrumentation base radio. This allows operators to manage and diagnose the wireless instrumentation network through the existing long range SCADA infrastructure. Live data and status information for all field units are displayed in a separate view or integrated in the SCADA host. On the data integration front, modern SCADA

host software offers a fully integrated environment that includes an integrated and scalable historian to handle more additional data without going through expensive and sometimes lengthy upgrades.

Conclusion As the adoption of wireless instrumentation networks increase, users will be faced with a number of challenges to ensure the reliability, adaptability and tight integration with their existing infrastructure.

New RF and antenna designs help to address reliability and adaptability challenges.

Hybrid gateways, where sensor network base radio and long range radio are integrated, allow users to view, manage and diagnose their dispersed wireless systems from a single point.

Similarly, advanced SCADA host software, with an integrated historian and rapid development environment using templates, can facilitate the integration of new data points generated by a growing network of wireless sensors.

Hany Fouda is VP of Marketing at Control Microsystems, www.controlmicrosystems.com manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisMANAGEMENT Pathways to lean manufacturing Lean manufacturing initiatives in Australia are increasingly being linked to sustainable manufacturing programmes in the pursuit of bottom line benefits for businesses. Hartley Henderson writes.

V

ARIOUS views are emerging as to how Lean manufacturing programs should best be developed, including for example, whether there is too much emphasis on tools and not enough on leadership and management practices.

Certainly though, existing Lean manufacturing initiatives within enterprises are increasingly being linked to Green initiatives in the pursuit of triple bottom line benefits.

At the recent Lean Vision 2010 Conference in Melbourne, recipient of the 2010 Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME) Jim Watkins Hall of Fame Award, Ian Young, stated that “a Lean organisation is not necessarily sustainable, but you cannot be a sustainable organisation without being Lean.

“Less than 20% of the materials that we take from the earth make it to a useful product.

Some things are consumed and disposed immediately, while many others have a shelf life of less than a year,” he said.

“We are being very wasteful, but how do we go about rehabilitating our organisations, and how can we change and maintain stability at the same time? We need to challenge design principles and review our thinking in relation to waste, obsolete products and sustainability.

“The industrial revolution is dying of natural causes because resources are finite, so we need to make some critical transitions. Importantly, we need to recognise that over consumption of resources due to inadequate product design and incapable processes, will increasingly have a huge impact on the bottom line.”

Young says there is currently a big focus on training rather than education. “Training is about how to do things, while education is more holistic and broader manmonthly.com.au

Lean manufacturing is often described as creating flow by removing waste.

focussed on how and why we need to think differently,” he told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

Untapped human potential Hugh O’Donnell, director of the High Performance Consortium, says Lean may be described as creating flow by removing waste and that the greatest waste in organisations is the untapped human potential.

He asks why organisations struggle to engage people, and believes it is important to look at an organisation’s culture and establish whether it is a learning or a blaming and hiding organisation.

“People should be placed in an environment where they can use their knowledge, skills and abilities to the fullest,” O’Donnell said.

“Leaders tend to see Lean as a program rather than adopting a socio-technical approach where the people aspects are adequately addressed.

“A world of increasing complexity and speed requires a distributed capability to sense and respond, and to free up the organisation by getting people

into the flow and involved. In many instances the current Lean approach is too technical because of too much emphasis on the tools alone.

“Work should be addressed at a systems level where the whole system is visible from past, present and future perspectives via a socio-technical approach.

Leaders must practice observing the organisational dynamics, which is sometimes referred to as getting on the balcony and observing the dance floor,” O’Donnell said.

Driving improvement Autoliv, which supplies complete safety systems for cars, has deployed Lean systems throughout its 80+ global operations to drive continuous improvement.

According to Autoliv Australia’s managing director, Seamus Power, every single company facility has employed Lean utilising a Cascading Policy Deployment Process down through the organisation, together with a comprehensive plan with strong people involvement.

“The aim is to ensure flexible and motivated employees and a

key means for doing this is the establishment of self-directed work teams that bring multi-discipline and multi-functional people together,” Power said.

“Training is cascaded down the organisation so that the trained become the trainers, and people are empowered at all levels.

Continuous improvement workshops are also conducted with cross-functional teams so that people can check what they are doing and how they are doing it.

“Waste elimination is fundamental to all operations and all employees are trained to spot each type of waste. Use of 5S is a very important part of our Lean drive in helping to make the workplace safer, simpler, cleaner and clearer.

Power says there is also a strong focus on quality through elimination of bad design, poor components, poor manufacturing, and non-conforming products. “The aim is to have zero defects and rejects – Autoliv now enjoys very close to zero customer rejects,” he said.

AME 1300 263 287, www.ame.org.au Autoliv 03 9355 5500, www.autoliv.com.au High Performance Consortium 0410 689 815, www.hpc.org.au Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 23

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AnalysisMANAGEMENT

Leading your Lean transformation

BY TIM MCLEAN

O

VER the past couple of years, visiting speakers at lean and operational excellence conferences have emphasised the importance of leadership in ensuring lean success.

I have personally found these talks very frustrating for two reasons. Firstly it is self evident that for any change to occur in a business (lean or otherwise) leadership from the top and alignment through the organisation is essential.

Secondly, many of these speakers have railed about the lack of leadership at the top, but have provided few practical suggestions about what leaders need to do in order to successfully lead a lean transformation.

At the strategic level, Hoshin Kanri or Policy Deployment has been introduced to ensure that there is alignment on strategy through and across the organisational structure and to provide two way feedback on strategy.

But the policy deployment process, while important, does not ensure that leaders introduce the right behaviours and take the right actions every day to ensure that their improvement efforts are successful and sustained.

Implementing Lean As most readers will know, the essence of the lean approach is eliminating waste through reducing the lead time in a process.

As a result, the pace of the business increases and more decision making needs to be made on the shop floor to keep up. Inventory buffers are removed and quality or mainte-

24 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

nance problems previously hidden by these buffers quickly come to the surface and need to be addressed.

All this adds up to a dramatic change in the role of front line leaders as they move from a traditional top down approach to supporting their teams to perform in a lean environment.

Front line leaders need to be equipped to deal with the new operating environment – expecting problems to occur and knowing how to confidently manage these problems.

Support from middle and senior management is helpful if delivered in a consistent agreed way. Effective support sees managers setting realistic expectations for consistent improvements.

Frontline leaders also need to have realistic expectations of themselves during a lean transformation.

As people we can be very harsh on ourselves and the front line leader’s desire for perfection needs to be managed to a realistic level.

LDM – a system for front line managers Lean Daily Management (LDM) brings together a range of foundation lean tools and processes to create a daily management system for front line leaders and line managers. The key elements of LDM are: 1. Visual management including daily measurement of plant and work cell level KPIs. 2. Structured daily problem solving using the TXM “Solving Problems Every Day” methodology designed to find root causes and address problems.

3. Simple, quick “stand up”

Lean Daily Management brings together a range of lean tools and processes to create a daily management system.

meetings in the workplace to review KPIs, take action to resolve problems highlighted by the KPIs and ensure that improvement actions are completed and front line teams are getting the support they need.

4. Management standard work where managers and supervisors have standard routines that ensure that they address problems and observe the factory floor every day.

Lean daily management brings these together in to a system that can customised for each management role.

In particular it provides a set of behaviours and routines that managers can follow in order to support and reinforce the lean implementation efforts of their teams.

work. In reality there are always unexpected problems or activities that a manager will need to engage in.

Therefore we do not attempt to structure a manager’s entire day. Instead we provide checklists of tasks managers should do every day.

There are also regular commitments such as the stand up meetings which occur every day at fixed times for a fixed duration (not open ended) and are mandatory.

Leader standard work does not structure a manager or supervisor’s entire day, but it ensures that managers get out of their office regularly, notice how their section is performing and get involved in problem solving.

Select simple KPIs But management work is not ‘standard’?

The most controversial element of the lean daily management approach is leader standard

By measuring performance daily at the work cell (or department) and plant level, leaders can find and respond to problems quickly rather than waiting for the end

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of the month to find out what is going wrong. LDM encourages use of simple KPIs that can be measured directly by observation in the factory, rather than using complex ratios and measures that need to be worked out by a computer at the end of every month.

For example, with one of our clients in China, we have encouraged them to drop complex, ratio-based calculations of work in progress and instead simply count the number of WIP pallets at each process every day.

Why LDM is needed to sustain Lean Lean represents a dramatic change to how a business operates.

It involves major changes to the roles of front line leaders and requires these leaders to organise their day differently and respond differently to their factory floor.

It is also very important for front line team members to see

Lean Daily Management encourages use of simple KPIs.

their leaders engaged in the process of change and providing support to make the change sustainable.

Lean daily management is a structured and time effective way for leadership teams or individuals to show support for the

front line team and reinforce lean.

It also provides front line leaders with a simple set of guidelines on how to manage their section in a lean environment.

So, if you are concerned about

what to do the next time an overseas conference speaker lectures you about lean leadership, LDM may be the step you need to take.

Tim McLean is MD of TXM Lean Consultants.

Contact the company on 03 9607 8241 or visit www.txm.com.au

Customised Labels In Seconds Visual Order

Visual Production / Inventory Control

Sustain your gains from Lean Manufacturing with custom labels Brady’s label printers drastically reduce the time to create professional custom labels. Our range of high performance, industrial strength labels are designed to remain legible, identifiable and keep their adhesive

Visual Standards

Visual Metric / Displays

properties for years.

Brady printing solutions enable you to effortlessly create labels for

Visual Equipment

Visual Safety

To receive a FREE sample bag visit www.bradyaust.com.au/labels/mm

MM_NOV2010

multiple Lean Manufacturing applications.

For more information or to request a FREE catalogue contact Brady Customer Service or your local distributor.

Freecall: 1800 620 816

manmonthly.com.au

Website: www.bradyaust.com.au

Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 25

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Industrial-grade glass SCHOTT Tubing produces 60 different special glass types in a range of dimensions for various applications.

One offering, called DURAN glass, is suitable for use as tubing, capillary and rods, for installation in large-scale industrial plants, engineering and designing laboratories, chemical apparatus and environmental technology applications.

According to SCHOTT, DURAN's unique qualities make it extremely versatile. It offers high temperature resistance and minimal thermal expansion

as well as high corrosion resistance to acids, salt solutions, caustic solutions and organic substances, the company says.

DURAN tubing can be used for test tubes, filter apparatus and flowmeters, but also for refrigeration and distillation systems. Other applications are pipeline construction for chemical and waste water plants, heat exchangers, gas desulphurisation plants, solar collectors and explosion-proof lamps.

SCHOTT Australia & New Zealand Pty Ltd 02 8426 1606, www.schott.com

Programmable automation controllers

The PACs provide enhanced memory and speed.

ROCKWELL Automation has announced two additions to its AllenBradley ControlLogix family of controllers, both leveraging the single design-environment and networking protocol within the company’s

26 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Integrated Architecture system. The ControlLogix L73 and L75 programmable automation controllers (PACs) are said to provide advanced memory, speed and processing capabilities for a wide range of control demands, from high-performance logic and motion to information-intensive process applications.

The PACs’ enhanced memory and processing capabilities are said to help improve production rates, boost overall equipment effectiveness, and provide more timely data for improved decision-making capabilities.

For complex, high-performance motion applications, the ControlLogix L73 and L75 PACs reportedly link seamlessly with motion drives through EtherNet/IP and SERCOS network interfaces. The controllers are capable of supporting as many as 100 axes.

A 1GB, secure digital card that ships with each controller provides improved data integrity, and faster reads and writes than previous CompactFlash technology, Rockwell Automation claims.

Rockwell Automation 03 9896 0300, www.rockwellautomation.com.au

The glass can be used as tubing and rods.

Capping machine head load tester SI Instruments has developed the mini TehloTest for measuring head load force in capping machines.

The mini TehloTest is said to be ideal for small bottles, as it is only 42mm in diameter and 101mm tall.

The unit can be wirelessly operated from a distance of up to 30 metres; no wires need to be pulled or damaged while the unit travels through the capping machine.

Designed for use in the production line, the mini TehloTest consists of two

parts: the mini TehloTest unit containing the load cell (in a custommade sleeve to imitate the exact size and shape of the bottles); and the user interface, containing the control module.

The possibilities extend further with EasyPlot graphing software, making it possible to obtain a full graph of the capping force on a computer screen, SI Instruments claims.

SI Instrument 08 8352 5511, www.si-instruments.com

Hydraulic hole puncher THE model RW-M2 electric hydraulic portable hole puncher by Kamekura is now available from Stainelec Hydraulic Equipment.

The portable hole puncher has been designed for use with punching round or slot holes from 8mm to 20mm in 10mm thickness materials, such as copper and mild steel. The unit is also capable of punching 6mm thickness stainless steel for 8mm to 20mm diameter.

According to the manufacturer, the unique design of the hole punchers allows the operator easy positioning by adjusting the movable back gauge as well having an in-built LED lighting system which can clearly light up the desired punching position for accuracy so the user can punch holes in the material piece precisely.

The inching button allows further accuracy to punch on pre-marked centre lines of the work piece material, the company says.

Stainelec Hydraulic Equipment 02 9824 2499, www.stainelec.com.au

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Industrial PVC cable markers INDUSTRIAL Labelling Solutions is now offering robust cable markers custom-printed for specific requirements.

Both the sleeves and markers are manufactured from quality PVC materials which ensures that labels, printing and sleeves are waterproof and are robust enough to withstand the requirements of industrial markets including manufacturing, engineering and processing, the company says.

The PMT-CT series PVC Cable Markers are said to be self-extinguishing to UL94V-0 and are available in 35 and 70mm offerings in either white or yellow colours.

Label text can reportedly be printed in a choice of either black, blue, green or red colours for specialised labelling applications.

The company uses software that can fit over 20 characters 5mm high on a 70mm label.

Industrial Labelling Solutions 0420 933 866, www.industriallabelling.com.au

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Handheld XRF analysers THERMO Fisher Scientific and Portable Analytical Solutions have launched a new range of Niton handheld XRF analysers – the XL3T GOLDD Plus and the XL2 GOLDD – for use in manufacturing, petrochemical and other engineering applications.

These two models are said to offer major improvements in detection, speed and efficiencies that surpass any competitors currently in the market.

According to Thermo Fisher Scientific and PAS, the XL3t GOLDD

plus and XL2 GOLDD are set to reposition how handheld XRF is utilised in industrial areas.

The analysers have a number of uses in manufacturing including positive materials identification and analysis of welds for weld integrity, in which case the units include cameras to get in to very tight sections.

The analysers are also used to test thickness coatings on various kinds of materials.

Portable Analytical Solutions 02 4381 2844, www.portableas.com

The analysers can be used to test coating thickness.

Machine design software reduces development time SIEMENS PLM Software has announced a new integrated machine design solution to create value for companies that develop and market machine tools and production machines. The Mechatronics Concept Designer offers a systems engineering approach to machine design that is

said to capture ‘voice of the customer’ input, while managing early requirements and facilitating the simultaneous definition and simulation of the mechanical, electrical and automation software found in today’s tools.

According to Siemens, the interactive simulation capability is based on

gaming technology that can significantly reduce development time and improve product quality for the global machine design industry.

The software works in conjunction with Siemens Teamcenter software.

Product Lifecycle Management (Australasia) 1300 041 291, www.plma.com.au

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What’sNew See more new products at manmonthly.com.au

The unit allows manufacturers to re-use their swarf.

Swarf compactors reduce scraps ACCESSORIES for Manufacturing is now distributing the Australian-made Command series of swarf compactors.

The Command swarf compacting systems are designed to transform process scrap into compact, moisturefree briquettes for re-use.

According to Accessories for Manufacturing, this increases the value of scrap metal, reduces a company’s environmental footprint, and helps companies recover their coolant.

Models in the Command series were designed to comply with the latest CAD modelling software from PTC,

and meet CE levels of compliance as well.

The units meet a variety of swarf production conditions; the 200, 400 and 600 models can process aluminium from 100-270kg per hour and steel from 200-640kg per hour.

Coupled with auger box, shredder and coolant filtration products, the Command series is said to offer a new level of efficiency and reliability that has not been seen before in swarf compacting machinery.

Accessories for Manufacturing 03 9546 3733, www.accmfg.com.au

Pneumatic vacuum cups KNIGHT Pneumatics is now supplying hundreds of styles of Vicas vacuum cups and vacuum accessories including vacuum generators and fittings to suit various styles of pneumatics system.

The vacuum cups are manufactured from vinyl, oil resistant vinyl, urethane or silicone.

28 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

One model, the Durometer, ranges from A20 to A75 in size, in thousands of styles including: standard concave; bellows; and oblong.

Diameters of the cups range from 8.5mm to 355mm. Metric, push-on and other types of fixing are used.

Knight Pneumatics 03 9555 4666, www.knightpneumatics.com.au

The compressors reportedly offer 15% more energy savings.

Hybrid oil-free compressor HURLL Nu-Way is supplying the Delta Hybrid from Aerzen, which comprises a combination of blower and compressor technology for various industrial uses.

The Delta Hybrid packages have been designed for oil-free compression of air and neutral gases in various industries including in food and chemical processing, wastewater treatment plants and power generation plants.

The new compressors are said to dis-

tinguish themselves by being especially favourable in terms of price performance ratio due to their lower investment, energy and maintenance costs compared with a turbo or screw compressor.

According to the manufacturer, these compressors offer energy savings of up to 15 % compared to conventional compressors, along with low maintenance and service costs.

Hull Nu-Way 1300 556 380, www.hnw.com.au

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Fast retractable hose reel TECPRO Australia’s new Ramex AV500 hose reel with dual retraction springs has a capacity of 25 metres for a one-inch hose or 30 metres for a 3/4-inch hose, and is suitable for industrial applications.

The unit offers dual springs which provide the necessary force to rewind the full length of hose completely and quickly.

The AV5000 reels are available in 304 stainless steel, along with painted carbon steel, and 316 stainless steel

for marine or corrosive environments.

All wetted parts including the swivel joint are manufactured from stainless steel.

The dual spring hose reel is said to be ideal for applications where strong retraction is needed.

According to the manufacturer, the Ramex hose reel is suitable for 3/4and 1-inch hoses, and is quite a cost effective offering.

Tecpro Australia 02 9634 3370, www.tecpro.com.au The Gateway is said to help release finished goods faster.

The hose reels are available in a range of industrial materials.

ERP integration gateway ROCKWELL Automation’s Enterprise Planning (ERP) Integration Gateway application is said to allow plants to more easily and cost-effectively exchange transactions and execute business processes across the plantfloor in real-time.

According to Rockwell, this exchange is a critical component in achieving demand-driven, agile manu-

manmonthly.com.au

facturing and the ability to deliver a perfect order.

The ERP Integration Gateway is designed to allow exchange of common types of information required for agile manufacturing, such as quality, order planning and scheduling, as well as accounting of production costs.

Rockwell Automation 03 9896 0300, www.rockwellautomation.com.au

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Ball flow indicators SPRAY Nozzle Engineering’s FLOW VIEW Ball Flow Indicators are designed to be connected to a liquid dispersant system, allowing the user to check that the correct amount of liquid is flowing to the desired spray nozzles or opener outlets, even when the nozzles or outlets cannot be seen.

Each flow indicator column can supply liquid for up to three nozzles, openers or other supply lines to be monitored. When the liquid is flowing equally to the desired supply lines, the balls hover at the same level. When a

ball hovers lower than the others, it indicates that one or more of the nozzles, openers or supply lines supplied by that column is restricted or blocked.

The FLOW VIEW’s modular design has individual columns and fittings that connect together with Wilger’s O-ring seal and joint clips, allowing the construction of a system that is tailormade to suit individual requirements, the manufacturer says.

The units are designed to be connected to liquid dispersant systems.

Spray Nozzle Engineering 03 9583 2368, www.spraynozzle.com.au

Low pressure, double acting hand pumps PT Hydraulics Australia is now offering a range of low pressure, double acting hand pumps and steel tanks.

The units are suitable for a range of applications in the industrial, agricultural and transport fields, including manufacturing, processing and other engineering areas.

30 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

The new double acting hand pumps come in 6cc, 12cc, 25cc or 45cc models and are also available in a range of configurations.

The single configuration consists of acting pumps with single pistons or with two-speed dual pistons, base or flange mounted, that are available with

or without reservoirs and control valves.

The PTHA range also includes double-acting pumps and pumps with four-way valves for use with double acting cylinders.

PTHA pumps reportedly provide an economical means of supplying on-

the-spot manual hydraulic power in industrial plants, at construction sites, and in remote locations where emergency standby power is needed.

All pumps come standard with nitrile seals for use with most hydraulic oils.

PT Hydraulics Australia 03 9562 8800, www.pthydraulics.com.au

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Paddle sifter breaks-up hard product

The sifter breaks up lumpy product.

THE Fresco paddle sifter is designed to break-up hard and lumpy product which would otherwise be rejected from a vibratory or rotary sifter.

The paddle sifter mounts directly onto a blender, bag dump, screw conveyor or other process equipment, reducing floor area and need for interconnecting conveyors, Fresco says.

The sifter can handle difficult products

like cheese, salt, icing sugar, whole milk powder and waxes, which all tend to lump during transit and storage.

The compact design can be easily retrofitted to existing processes reducing manual handling and increasing productivity, the manufacturer claims.

Fresco 1800 141 414, www.frescosystems.com.au

Powder handling systems FRESCO Systems Australasia designs, manufactures, installs and commissions complete powder handling and liquid processes that are tailored to suit individual applications.

The systems are designed matching the product types with the system throughput and process requirements.

Depending of the powdered material source, a silo, bag dump or bulk bag unloader will be selected with either a flexible screw conveyor or metering screw feeder used to provide a controlled metered feed into the liquid mixing tank.

Variable powered feed rates are achieved by adjusting the discharge flow rates of the metering device. The liquid mixer is filled to preset levels based on whether it is a continuous or batch mixing process.

During the consultative design process, Fresco will recommend the appropriate mixing technology based manmonthly.com.au

Powder handling systems are designed to suit certain products.

on past experiences developing custom products, the company says.

Fresco on 1800 141 414, www.frescosystems.com.au Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 31

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Motors& DRIVES As one of the biggest energy users in industrial plants, electric motors consume more than 60% of all generated electrical energy.

would be less efficient.

Businesses should also keep an updated list of new motors coming in and old motors going out of the plant.

Replacing old technology

WEG’s new W22 three-phase electric motor is said to save energy and increase productivity.

Combating the power gobbler Facilities must reduce the energy consumption of electric motors, despite ongoing uncertainty about the Government’s climate change policy. Emily Mobbs writes.

T

HE guessing game around Australia’s future climate change framework has begun but regardless of whether there will be a carbon price or not, electricity costs are still set to surge.

Pricing website GoSwitch predicts electricity prices will double over the next five years – and that is without a carbon tax.

In addition, the Energy Users Association of Australia (EUAA) reported that as of 1 July 2010, regulated electricity charges would increase by an average of 10% in New South Wales, 13.3% in Queensland and 8.6% in South Australia.

WEG Australia national product manager – automation, Sean Richardson, says instead of being concerned about possible government legislation, manufacturing companies should look at the situation with a more pragmatic approach.

“I think the whole issue with CPRS (Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme) and it being rejected and the question about what we need to do post-CPRS is 32 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

a big question and in many respects it’s a philosophical one,” Richardson told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“So if we can limit or reduce the energy consumed per machine, for example, we can then either afford to run more machines or we can save money in energy. Both those options are positive and all of them are based on a simple logic: the ability to save money or to expand.

“I think that’s why energy efficiency these days is so important. It’s less of a regulated thing and more of a common sense approach.”

As one of the biggest energy users in industrial plants, electric motors consume more than 60% of energy.

Richardson claims they are also responsible for potential losses of up to 10 to 20% of converted electricity and, as such, maximising motor efficiency could result in cost savings.

Motor appraisal According to Baldor Australia managing director, Daniel Vera,

one of the first things a business should do when looking to reduce the energy consumption of electric motors is to conduct an audit which documents important component details.

This will provide companies with information including a kW rating, and serial numbers to determine a date code from manufacture which may provide history of the motor.

“Some businesses might have hundreds of motors in their plant and just by habit, whenever they have motor failures, they pull them out, get them rewound and put back in. These motors might be 5, 10, or 20 years old so the efficiency levels would be much lower than that used or mandated today,” Vera said.

He says companies should be replacing standard motors with high efficiency models, if they are less than 15 to 22kW and more than 10 years old.

Minimum Energy Performance Standards (MEPS) for electric motors were introduced in 2001, so if motors were manufactured prior to that year, it is likely they

Richardson says the introduction of MEPS regulations in Australia has forced manufacturers and end-users to invest in electrical motors with a normative efficiency level. The problem remains however, that in order to significantly reduce energy consumption manufacturers need to look at the complete drive system and not just the individual parts that make up the system.

“In some cases it [MEPS] worked with respect to highlighting the need for more efficient motors but in other cases it didn’t because it didn’t mandate if you’re going to use a high efficiency motor you must load it to a certain percent or you must use high efficiency mechanical products in conjunction with it,” he said.

“So you might have a highly efficient motor running with a really inefficient gearbox and that becomes a bit of a paradox.

It’s not worth it.”

According to Richardson, companies should consider the replacement of old, less efficient mechanical elements with more modern technology.

“There is a lot of old mechanical technology out there which has been superseded by better methods and users have really got to consider that the motor is driving something and that something is going to be mechanical,” he said.

“Electrical and mechanical efficiency can be increased if users get an overall system approach development mindset.”

Baldor Australia 02 9674 5455, www.baldor.com.au WEG Australia 03 9765 4600, www.weg.net/au manmonthly.com.au

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Gearmotors \ Industrial Gear Units \ Drive Electronics \ Drive Automation \ Services

Drive Electronics from SEW-EURODRIVE From simple to advanced, we’ve got the solution

SEW-EURODRIVE offers a diverse range of drive electronics. From simple speed control to advanced positioning or synchronizing, SEW can provide an inverter to suit your purpose. The MOVITRAC LTE B provides the perfect solution for quick & easy installation, commissioning and operation. With its small size and straightforward keypad operation, it provides a low cost solution for simple applications. Meanwhile, the MOVIDRIVE B is the industry leading application inverter for more advanced motion requirements. With IPOSplus intelligent control included as standard, the MOVIDRIVE B can also be combined with MOVIPLC to provide motion and PLC functions. Inherently energy efficient, SEW-EURODRIVE’s drive electronics are engineered to operate seamlessly with the SEW gearmotor range and of course, as always our products are backed by our unparalleled technical support and know-how. That’s what we call Drive 360° – Seeing the big picture: A vast range of inverters to solve your drive equation.

1300 SEW AUS Melbourne (HQ) I Sydney I Adelaide I Perth I Brisbane I Townsville

www.sew-eurodrive.com.au

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Motors &DRIVES

Dye Solar Cells on-the-move An Australian solar cell manufacturer is relying on Baldor motion control systems, including servo motors and HMI, to develop its Dye Solar Cell (DSC) technology.

Limit switch MOTION Technologies has designed a programmable limit switch solution which is reportedly simple to use and easily-programmable.

The system combines ELAP’s MEM absolute multi-turn rotary encoder with SSI output (1024 steps/motor turn) and the CM78 microprocessor digital display with SSI input.

According to the manufacturer, this solution will give accuracy only available on expensive scientific limit switches and can be configured to many applications.

Motion Technologies 02 9524 4782, www.motiontech.com.au

Output filters NHP’s new range of Schaffner Sinusoidal FN5040/45 Output Filters are said to ensure cooler and more reliable drives.

They are designed to prevent premature failures and downtimes by smoothing the modulated output voltage of modern drives and provide the motor with a clean sinusoidal voltage with low residual ripple, in turn preventing premature ageing of the AC motor.

NHP Electrical Engineering 03 9429 2999, www.nhp.com.au

D

YESOL is a world leader in the development of Dye Solar Cell (DSC) technology which produces electricity in a process that utilises the principles of nanotechnology and photosynthesis. The primary advantage of DSC technology over silicon-based cells is that DSC is particularly efficient in real-life conditions such as low or dappled light, and uses lowcost, sustainable materials together with low-cost, low-energy manufacturing techniques.

Today, the Dyesol group concentrates its efforts on the industrialisation and commercialisation of DSC technology throughout the world, assisting solar cell manufacturers to develop their own products, improve cell performance and develop low-cost mass production systems.

“There are a number of processes in the production of a DSC cell, and it is in one of these processes that Baldor motion control technology has proven so beneficial”, said Anthony Oh, Senior Design Engineer at Dyesol’s headquarters in Queanbeyan NSW. “We have used Baldor equipment in previous designs and have found it to be very successful, and from our point of view Baldor offers us a good development platform, a neat package with proven compatibility between components and robust design.”

Dyesol used a combination of a Baldor controller, HMI panel, servo drives and servo motors in its installation.

The DSC cells are manufactured by preparing glass outer skins with a printed circuit on one side, followed by a layer of porous titanium dioxide and application of the dye to the entire surface. The Dyesol Dye Profiling Machine equipped with Baldor motion control systems is used to accurately remove sections of the applied medium from the glass panel. This results in multiple individual cells on the glass panel, joined by the printed circuit. The cell is completed by vacuum backfilling with the electrolyte (iodide) and finally sealing with thermoplastic, resulting in a DSC solar cell capable of producing an electrical current.

“Our latest dye profiling machine incorporates a Baldor NextMove e100 multi-axis controller along with Baldor HMI touch-screen control panel, operational software developed by

Dyesol based on the inbuilt Baldor Mint software, 2 x 3 amp Baldor MicroFlex servo drives and 2 Baldor BSM brushless servo motors”, said Oh. “The NextMove e100 is very powerful and capable of controlling up to 16 interpolated axes, yet is still cost effective for our 2 axis application. We also like the MicroFlex e100 ethernet-based servo drives because now we can connect all of the limit and home position switches back to the MicroFlex servo drives. This significantly reduces the amount and complexity of wiring and connections around the machine and leaves the I/O capabilities of the NextMove controller free for additional machine functions.

“We have included limit switches on our Y-axis, and two optical sensors on the X-axis for positioning.”

Baldor Australia 02 9674 5455, www.baldor.com.au

maxon EC motor

From 0 to 100,000 rpm in 5 milliseconds.

Modern arm prostheses feature e.g. maxon EC drives.

When an extremely high speed range is called for, maxon EC motor provides the answer: Brushless DC motors with ironless winding, Ø6 to 60 mm, up to 500 watts. In addition a modular system that contains gearheads, encoders, brakes and electronics. maxon motor is the world’s leading supplier of high-precision drives and systems of up to 500 watts power output. Rely on the quality of the highly specialized solutions which we develop with and for you. www.maxonmotor.com.au

maxon motor driven by precision 34 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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Automation&ROBOTICS

Integrated vision systems are said to increase the accuracy of handling large parts.

Key to vision system success Vision systems are gaining ground in industrial automation applications, but experts say end-users need to be mindful of the basic rules. Emily Mobbs writes.

J

ust as human inspectors working on assembly lines visually inspect parts to determine the quality of workmanship, so too can machine vision systems.

The technology is becoming increasingly popular among manufacturing sectors which require visual inspections with high-magnification, 24-hour operation and repeatability of measurements –

36 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

most notably the food and beverage and automotive industries.

SAGE Automation senior systems engineer and vision team leader, Mark Dankiw, says a vision system essentially provides an unbiased and repeatable inspection but it will only be as good as the lighting and the rules established for it.

“The camera will only do exactly what you specify it to do.

It won’t do anything more or anything less,” Dankiw told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“Companies will need to determine what criteria and tolerances are required in order to build up some rules which then become the program.”

He adds vision systems work best and are most reliable in batch processes where variables do not often change.

“You really need to contain the environment which means not changing anything, including lights. If the cell is open, you can’t even put up an extra little fluorescent light next to your cell,” Dankiw said.

“Because essentially it’s been programmed to certain rules and as soon as you change that environment and those rules don’t deal with that, you’re going to be affecting reliability.”

Dankiw says when looking to install a vision system, companies first need to identify what they actually need from the solution which can often be done by talking to the process and quality assurance departments.

“They need to look at where the rejects and defects are and need to determine how much revenue is being lost in the process due to labour, material and lost production,” Dankiw said.

It’s all in the lighting According to Dankiw, lighting is one of the most critical components involved in settingup and operating a successful vision system.

There are three main lighting techniques: dark field illumination which is used for inspecting defects that are either raised or lowered; bright field illumination which works like a spot light to illuminate the object and provide an even light; and backlighting which is used to show the outline of a part.

Backlighting is typically used in bottle cap detection >>

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Automation &ROBOTICS continued from page 36

The simulation system allows users to test-out production line concepts and identify any problems.

Robotics simulations ROBOTIZE is now offering customisable robotics simulation systems to help weed out possible problems in the production line at concept stage.

The Flexsim system is said to cost around 1% of the project value, and provides a fully-customised simulation that tests-out the concept solution and identifies any problem areas, resulting in reduced risk and overall cost for both the equipment supplier and the customer.

The simulation system works by identifying a range of bottlenecks and limitations in a process, and tests a system’s ability to cope with different situations. Users can test out a range of scenarios such as: what happens when an operator is late in removing a finished pallet; how

38 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

long it takes to clear a backlog of production if a robot stops for a few minutes; what impact different pallet handling solutions have on the solution; and how much time a forklift operator needs to dedicate to the system.

The Flexsim generates all of the graphs and statistics needed, including a realistic 3D representation of a system – which is great for bringing a solution to life, engaging stakeholders and being able to better see where improvements can be made.

Users will be able to see a simulation of the boxes and pallets travelling along the conveyors, forklifts coming and going and everything responding to the variables built into the system.

Robotize 0411 349 211, www.robotize.com.au

or gauging applications.

“Dark field illumination requires the light to be situated at 90 degrees to where the camera is looking and quite low to the part, meaning anything that is smooth on the object will look quite dark and any bumps or dints will look bright,” he said.

“You can still look for dints and bumps using bright field illumination but they will be dark instead of light.”

Dankiw also says speed and depth of field play an important role in achieving a reliable vision system.

“By depth of field I really mean how well the camera can keep a large object in focus. If you’ve got a stack of boxes on a pallet and you’ve got a camera on top, the top box might be in focus but by the time you get to the bottom layer it might be out of focus,” he said.

“You really have got to be aware of limitations and that’s where experience comes in: knowing what sort of equipment you need to select to actually solve the solution or problem,” Dankiw said.

Integration Vision systems are also suitable for production lines which contain product variables, but Dankiw says the technology normally has to be integrated into some sort of external input for it to work.

“Because not all production

lines are batch product lines there might be instances where there are different parts so you might need to give the system some specific information about the part that it’s inspecting,” he said.

One such example is John Hart Automation and Robotics’ new multi-view integrated vision system which combines articulated robots with camera technology. The offering is an Integrated Vision (iR Vision) suite installed on Fanuc’s R-30iA robot controller.

According to John Hart Automation and Robotics automation sales manager, Matthew Plant, the system is suitable for applications including: pick and place; machine loading; palletising; part assembly; and welding.

He says generally one integrated camera will be sufficient but the robot controller does have the capability to connect to up to 32 CCD cameras or four 3D laser sensors.

“For larger parts the multi-view option will combine the images from two separate cameras and calculate an accurate part position, which cannot be achieved by just looking at one small area of the part through one camera,” he said.

John Hart Automation and Robotics 03 9542 6262 www.johnhart.com.au/automation SAGE Automation 1800 724 373, www.gotosage.com

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Cutting timber production time The latest evolution of AE Gibson and Sons’ automated endmatcher features servo motor and drive technology, in place of a traditional pneumatic system.

A timber industry OEM leverages servo motor and drive technology to help Coffs Harbour Hardwoods streamline its timber production process, while providing flexibility for future expansion. Martin Broglia writes.

I

nnovation has been the key to driving global timber production, with the development of sophisticated labourand time-saving technologies resulting in today’s automated high-volume timber milling and production facilities. One Australian company leading the way in the development of such innovative timber production solutions is AE Gibson & Sons.

The innovative first-phase evolution of AE Gibson and Sons’ automated end-matcher introduced standard motor and drive technology, in place of a traditional pneumatic system.

However, recently the company developed this technology further, teaming up with motor and drives company SEW-Eurodrive to design a servo motor-based end-matcher for timber product manufacturer, Coffs Harbour Hardwoods (CHH).

End-matching is a floorboard production step, which involves cutting a tongue or groove joint at either end of the board respectively. As part of a progressive plant upgrade, CHH recently replaced its legacy pneumatic end-matching machines with two servo motor-driven end-matchers from AE Gibson & Sons.

“The latest evolution of our motor-driven end-matcher required more sophisticated drive technology than the previous version, so we got SEW involved,” said Christian Gibson, AE Gibson & Sons Manager Electrical Control. “This resulted in an extremely fast and accurate end-matcher.”

Both end-matchers are equipped with two SEWEurodrive geared servo motors.

Each servo motor is paired with the company’s MOVIDRIVE ‘B’ application inverter, while the MOVITRAC standard inverter is manmonthly.com.au

used to drive the site’s two profile cutters. All electronic drives are linked to a PLC via a DeviceNet communications network, and can be configured via a user-control panel.

According to SEW-Eurodrive NSW sales manager, Martin Broglia, the MOVIDRIVE ‘B’’s integrated IPOS positioning and sequence control is vital to the accurate operation of the endmatcher.

“The IPOS control with encoder feedback is ideal for accurate positioning, to ensure a straight profile cut every time,” he said.

CHH general manager, Garry McCarthy, said: “The new endmatcher machines produce an improved finish on the profile cut compared to our legacy pneumatic system. The end-matcher’s precision positioning combined with its strong clamping means we are able to achieve consistently square cuts.”

With a design throughput rate of 25 boards per minute, AE Gibson & Sons’ new end-matcher has been developed with speed in mind. More than doubling the typical throughput rate of pneumatic end-matchers (12 boards per minute), the servo motorbased end-matcher incorporates some clever system design and drive programming.

Importantly, each of the endmatcher’s servo/MOVIDRIVE ‘B’ combinations has the ability to switch between ‘torque control’ and ‘position control’ operating modes. “It’s this kind of flexible operation that permits such a fast processing rate,” said Broglia.

“The new end-matchers produce finished boards faster than we can pack them. However, we are able to configure the units to deliver finished boards at a rate

matched to our current packing capabilities, or ramp it up to meet production demands. It provides real operational flexibility,” said McCarthy.

With the end-matchers online, CHH is looking to the future.

“The new end-matchers are performing well and providing us with high levels of operational

flexibility,” McCarthy said.

“AE Gibson & Sons and SEWEurodrive have helped us lay initial foundations which will allow us to optimise and expand our production process when the time is right.”

Martin Broglia is SEW-Eurodrive NSW sales manager. Contact the company on 03 9933 1000 or www.sew-eurodrive.com.au

Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 39

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Metalworking& MACHINE TOOLS our key people in the operation and how the software works. Our people found the programming and the operation to be user friendly and straight forward.”

Benefits & surprises

A plasma cutter is ideal for heavy plate work.

Plasma cutter cuts downtime The first CNC plasma cutter brought into Australia for Aus Iron Industries has reaped considerable time and cost savings. Keith Watts writes.

H

eadquarted in South Dandenong, Aus Iron Industries supplies, fabricates and installs structural steel projects for the construction, building, power and mining industries.

The company manages a wide client base and recent major projects include the new AAMI Park stadium, the Melbourne Airport extension and a 65,000square-metre distribution centre for K-Mart.

Over the last few years, Aus Iron Industries managing director, Danny Morino, felt the company was subcontracting out so many plate processing jobs that it was starting to lose control over its workload.

Morino addressed the problem by making the major decision to import the first CNC Plasma Cutter (Model BPL-H) into Australia from Baykal in Turkey.

Aus Iron Industries had been 40 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

dealing with Baykal’s Australian distributor, Hare & Forbes, for over 12 years and had bought Baykal presses and guillotines previously.

“We have enjoyed remarkable service and excellent advice from Hare & Forbes, particularly their sales manager, Steve Calderone,” said Morino.

“I was happy with the Baykal products so I visited the Baykal factory in Turkey. I was impressed with what I saw and gave Hare & Forbes the go ahead to bring the CNC Plasma Cutter into Australia for me.”

Plasma versus laser Morino chose the plasma cutter over a laser cutter as it suited his company’s type of work, which includes column base plates, haunches and general plate parts.

A plasma cutter is ideal for heavy plate work which doesn’t

require a really fine finish and the capital and running costs are a lot less than a laser machine.

The plasma cutter was in the region of $250,000, whereas a laser cutter would have cost well over $1 million. Also, the laser table would not be as big as the plasma.

The Baykal CNC Plasma Cutter features a three-by-tenmetre table and is capable of plasma cutting up to 63mm thick and oxy up to 200mm plate.

Aus Iron Industries operations manager, Robert Hade, was impressed with the speed of installation.

“The set-up time was short and efficient. It only took four days to put the machine together and we had it working productively within five days and it hasn’t stopped since,” he said.

“The installation costs included the services of a technician from Baykal who trained some of

Prior to installing the plasma cutter Aus Iron Industries had to outsource plate processing jobs.

It was expensive and they had no control over the time which had the potential of compromising the clients’ time schedule.

“With the new machine that’s now all gone. We now control the time and the priority in our workshop. We don’t have to outsource and by avoiding double handling and with lower costs it means that we maintain a competitive edge,” said Hade.

Morino said: “If we can prove to our clients that we can do things in-house and can deliver on time or early then it’s an advantage. At the end of the day it’s time, cost and quality. Having the Baykal CNC Plasma Cutter has certainly improved our competitiveness.”

An unexpected benefit was that the company founds it was able to cut staunches (a steel section split diagonally).

“This process was performed by steel merchants. Control of this process had always been on issue as it could take days and sometimes weeks to complete the process. Now, when I get the drawing and specifications from the engineer I can cut the job the next day. This came as a pleasant surprise,” said Morino.

Aus Iron Industries is now able to run the plasma cutter on a double shift when required. If anything goes amiss during cutting in the absence of the operator, the machine has a built-in safety factor and simply shuts itself down.

Hade feels now the company has more control over its jobs it is able to expand its selection of work.

“We now have more security over what we do and we are confident that we can deliver on time,” he said.

Hare & Forbes 02 9890 9111, www.machineryhouse.com.au manmonthly.com.au

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A 9-metre 10000SX router specifically designed for the boat- and ship-building industry had a huge hand in building this 25-metre vessel.

En-route to success Aluminium Dynamics’ decision to purchase two Australian-made CNC routers has resulted in improved component quality and efficiency for the business. Barbara Schulz writes.

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T sunrise this year, a new 25-metre vessel can be seen docking at a local boat ramp somewhere along South Australia’s coasts laden with fresh crabs destined for Australian markets. The work boat, cut and supplied by Adelaide-based Aluminium Dynamics, will weather many a morning on the high seas.

Established in 2003 by Jon and Grant Kemp, Aluminium Dynamics has drawn on its expertise in the supply of CNC boat kits to the marine industry to expand into the supply of engineered products for the defence, mining, transport and marine industries – both locally and internationally.

“Our primary role was to supply the aluminium boat building industry in the form of fully-cut CNC aluminium kits,” explains Aluminium Dynamics general manager, Tony Pal. Grant started his first busi-

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ness, Oceantech Design, in 1996, which grew steadily for the next seven years. However, it wasn’t until he decided to establish Aluminium Dynamics together with his brother in 2003 that the business took off with its inhouse aluminium cutting capabilities.

“Oceantech Design used to outsource all the aluminium cutting, however, delivery quality and finish were an issue with the plasma-cut parts. The decision was based on several key factors, such as no heat-affected parts, clean-cut edges and dimensional accuracy. Most importantly, cutting in-house also meant delivery and quality were now under our own control,” said Pal. “Since using the CNC router the quality improvement has been incredible.”

Hence, it comes at no surprise that it didn’t take long until the team at Aluminium Dynamics decided to invest into a second

router from Brisbane-based Advanced Robotic Technology (ART).

The decision to buy ART machines came at Austech 2005, where Grant met ART director Peter Nolan and was soon convinced of the high quality and capabilities of ART’s Australianmade machines.

“For us it is very important to support the Australian industry, hence we always look for highquality locally-built machines, and ART fits these criteria perfectly,” Pal said. And though he admits they had to dig a bit deeper into their pockets, he knows that “you do get that

additional value on the machine, it is as simple as that.”

“We find ART’s service excellent. Most issues are solved over the phone and more serious problems are treated with urgency to minimise our downtime. Moreover, Peter Nolan is very upfront and an honest and decent guy to deal with, which makes all the difference when making an investment decision,” Pal said.

Aluminium Dynamics runs two ART routers, while the latest addition is the 9-metre 10000SX router specifically designed for the boat- and shipbuilding industry which typically processes a >>

Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 41

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Metalworking &MACHINETOOLS The laser can cut copper and brass.

Thin sheet metal cutter THE TruLaser 5030 fibre from TRUMPF is being marketed as an economical solution for efficient and thin sheet metal processing.

The unit incorporates a fibre-guided TruDisk laser from TRUMPF that is said to offer energy efficiency and high feed rates.

The laser processor is said to take up approximately 20% less space than other models on the

market and offer integrated switch cabinets and a compact dust extractor.

Users can cut copper and brass, and process PVC-coated stainless steel without any problems, TRUMPF says.

The unit also offers a universal cutting head with a collision protection feature for all sheet thicknesses.

Headland Machinery 03 9244 3500, www.industryexchange.com.au

ESAB Falcon Fully Integrated power supply, software and hardware.

The ESAB Falcon is a remarkably versatile cutting machine for plate processing that can meet the needs of your current production with the option of upgrading in the future if your cutting demands change.

The ESAB Falcon can be used for Oxy-fuel, Plasma or combined Oxy-fuel and Plasma cutting.

Extensive control functions, interfaces and an integrated cutting database with 65 fixed programs deliver a high degree of cut quality.

Two tool carriages, Oxy-fuel and Plasma for wider variety of cutting options.

Low level outboard rail allows for easy loading and unloading of the table with forklifts.

Backlash free cutting accuracy.

Solid reinforced main beam.

IN STOC K

NOW

Options for

• Cutting tables • Fume extraction

This versatile heavy-duty water-cooled plasma cutting and gouging system is ideal for mechanized applications.

Precise setting of the cutting torch height is achieved automatically ensuring optimum cutting quality at all times.

Each tool carriage is provided with a reliable automatic ignition device.

Ask for a “No obligation demonstration” at the Westgate Hi-Tech Machinery ESAB Centre of Excellence.

Tel: (03) 9391 1133 Fax: (03) 9391 1244 sales@westgatehitech.com.au www.westgatehitech.com.au 5 Sutton Street, Sth. Kingsville, 3015, Victoria ABN 37 395 752 411

42 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

continued from page 41

huge amount of aluminium sheets and plates. With a process area of 9200x2500x250mm, the machine features a 16hp 25,000rpm liquid cooled spindle, an automatic rotary tool changer for 10 tools as well as a 360-degree inkjet head for plate marking and an integrated swarf system.

All these features ensure increased productivity, reduced labour costs, a maximised material yield and great flexibility while maintaining a high quality standard.

“The accuracy, repeatability and ease of use of the ART machines is great and make a huge difference to our business,” says Pal. “Lead times are very important for us – if the machine does not run for a day, the downtime costs are significant.

Contributing to machine up-time is its build quality and performance as well as the fact that we do not continually push our machines. We are conscious of the wear factor and work at about 70% of capacity, sometimes up to 90%.”

ART has developed its CNC routers and plasma cutters through continual feedback and dialogue with past and present customers. Its association and support from a variety of contractors and support businesses enables ART to respond to their customers' needs and wish lists in developing its machines. With every machine, the company looks at ways to further streamline the construction process and endeavour at every mission to set a high standard of quality for Australian-made machinery.

One example of the continual development of its machines to increase its customers’ profitability is the integrated swarf transfer system, eliminating waste.

“The investment in the swarf extraction system and in particular the liquid-cooled spindle has made a huge difference, it's just a ripper. Also, the extra rigidity in the bridge and frames are noticeable – it is just a very good solid machine and it all comes down to ART’s experience and service,” Pal said.

Advanced Robotic Technology 07 3393 6555, www.advancedrobotic.com manmonthly.com.au

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Metalworking&MACHINETOOLS Steel building components can be cut to precise specifications or prefabricated off-site, meaning on-site waste is minimised.

Sustainable steel This article discusses the sustainability implications of using steel in construction and its recyclability. Kerri Thurlow writes.

T

HE advantages of using steel are apparent in construction as well as in their manufacture. Steel is lightweight compared to many other materials used for the same purpose. For example, one kilogram of steel is likely to be sufficient to clad almost nine times the area of one kilogram of roof tiles. This means that when flat steel is transported, more functional units can be transported in each load than other materials used for the same purpose.

Because steel building components – and entire building envelopes – can be cut to precise specifications or prefabricated off-site, on-site waste is minimised. Any waste that is created as components are cut to specification can be reused in the steelmaking process. No off-cuts need to be disposed of in landfills, as may occur when waste is produced by contractors on-site.

Dematerialisation and increasing material efficiency are part of the strategy to achieve the commitment BlueScope Steel has made to continually improve the environmental footprint and sustainability of its steel products. The high strength steels BlueScope Steel produces mean that the same functionality can be achieved using less material.

44 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Although steel products have long lifespans and can be used to create adaptable spaces or to add volume to extend the life of existing buildings, eventually most buildings will be decommissioned. Reusing and recycling building components is inherent to sustainability at this phase of a development’s life. One of the emerging strategies to increase sustainability is to design for disassembly. High-grade, durable materials – such as steel – work best in designs for disassembly, where building components, or entire buildings, are removed and reused.

Steel is theoretically 100% recyclable: if recovered at the end of each use phase, the life cycle of steel is potentially endless. Recycling prevents the waste of potentially useful materials, reduces consumption of raw materials and energy – thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions – compared to virgin production, and reduces pollution. Therefore, ensuring that any steel components that cannot be reused are recycled is a meaningful contribution to resource sustainability.

Kerri Thurlow is BlueScope Steel's strategy & sustainability manager.

Contact the company on 1800 800 789 or visit www.bluescopesteel.com.au manmonthly.com.au

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MaterialsHANDLING Crane compliance

New safety standards for the use of hoists, winches and cranes are being drafted.

Crane, hoist and winch users can now benefit from tailored business advice to help them meet new safety and compliance standards.

A

NEW safety and compliance service has been setup to protect crane-, hoistand winch-owners from the risk of accidents or financial penalty as new regulatory requirements for safe crane use are drafted.

The new service, offered by ideas*, called ideas* Cranes, was developed to help crane-owners update their knowledge and manufacturing to comply with safety requirements.

According to ideas*, the company developed the service in response to the Council of Standards Australia looking to introduce new standards for the safe use of hoists, winches and cranes for manufacturers operating high-value assets.

Changes in the new standards, which have recently been reviewed, place increased onus for safety and compliance on crane owners, including: new requirements in the maintenance of crane duty records; annual third party inspections’ and changes to the cranes condition monitoring standard, ideas* said.

“Cranes are high value capital assets and carry complex and constantly changing regulatory requirements. Most crane companies focus on repair and maintenance services, leaving owners

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exposed and in the dark about their responsibilities and compliance risk,” said ideas* managing director, Mike Percy.

Ideas* Cranes is designed to bring crane owners and operators up-to-speed with the compliance status of their fleets and provide advice on practical ways to resolve any potential gaps or problems. According to the organisation, crane-owners can gain advice from some of Australia’s most experienced structural, mechanical and electrical crane engineers and technicians when using the service.

The team at ideas* Cranes can provide a suite of services including crane risk management audits to assess the current crane management and individual cranes’ compliance with regulatory and safety requirements.

The company can also help users implement a cost-effective crane management system to ensure that regulatory compliance is maintained, it claims.

Ideas* also offers third-party audit and inspection services designed to resolve management, safety and compliance issues.

“Our focus is on the big picture – how to cost effectively manage your crane asset. ideas* Cranes can highlight and resolve

any compliance gaps, and as experienced, professional crane engineers, can provide certification of compliance with Australian Standards and regulatory requirements,” said Percy.

“Crane operators need to pro-

tect themselves from financial penalty or potential accidents by ensuring their cranes meet regulatory standards. ideas* Cranes can help them do that.” ideas* Cranes 03 9763 4332, www.ideascranes.com.au

Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 45

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Materials HANDLING Pallet inverter increases safety A MAJOR dairy company has reportedly saved money and reduced worker safety risks after purchasing a King Pallet Inverter system from King Materials Handling.

The dairy company required a better way of transferring incoming products from wooden to plastic pallets.

According to a spokesperson from the factory, “We were using traditional methods of transferring the pallet load of bags or cartons by hand, from wooden delivery pallets over to hygienic plastic pallets, before requiring storage in clean warehousing, as we had no record of where that wooden pallet had been”.

All goods used to be manually transferred to plastic pallets, using spring loaded pallet stands and vacuum lifters prior to installing a King Pallet Inverter.

“Now, the pallet inverter removes all manual handling, and speeds up the process, allowing warehouse staff to tend to other duties,” said the spokesperson.

The requirement was to check each item for contamination, spill or damage, especially the bottom layer, where it was imperative to ensure no splinters, nail tears, wetness or prior product contamination was present.

Therefore, all of the transfer and inspection work was done by hand.

According to King Materials Handling, when the dairy company looked around for a solution, the company contacted suppliers and manufacturers, then sent a

The conveyor offers gentle handling.

Gentle conveying

The unit inverts pallets in 20 seconds.

team out to view pallet inverters in the field.

The company then formed a committee to discuss the pros and cons of pallet inverters currently in use in the market.

The one overriding feature the group preferred was a non-hydraulic system, as they feared hydraulic fluid could contaminate their food manufacturing operation.

The King Pallet Inverter reportedly does not use hydraulics in any way. It is a purely electro-mechanical operation, therefore it cannot spill oil, and does not require hydraulic service inspections, pumps, control systems, parts or hoses to replace, the manufacturer claims.

The dairy processor can now save time (it now takes 20 seconds to invert a load, compared with 10 minutes to do the same job by hand) and operator effort, by simply rotating the load, inspecting the underside, then placing the load onto a plastic pallet and de-hiring the wooden pallet.

The company also requested safety measures including a mesh cage to prevent staff from entering the rotating area, and category 3 light curtains to shut the system down if entry to the area was accessed.

Installation, commissioning and staff training was completed in one day.

FORKLIFT GAS CYLINDER CAGE

THE JNI PALLET SYSTEMS FORKLIFT GAS CYLINDER CAGE IS DESIGNED TO SECURELY AND SAFELY STORE YOUR 15kg and 18kg GAS CYLINDERS. FEATURES: • Welded construction • Strong yet lightweight • Lockable • Mesh cladding allows for full ventilation & ease of identification • Galvanized sheet lid is available for outside storage • Forklift anti tip base • Suit both 15kg and 18kg size cylinders • Standard 6 and 10 bottle capacity cages

46 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

FLEXLINK’s X45 and X45e conveyor platforms were designed for small products production lines that demand production and automation efficiency.

X45 is a compact conveyor platform which is said to offer easy integration with machines and space-efficient filling, production and packaging lines.

The unit reportedly offers gentle and stable product handling, contributing to high product quality standards and high line efficiency. It is also said to offer a long service life and low noise level.

The X45e is a platform for automated processes such as assembly, controlled filling and samples analysis, and is designed to complement the X45 conveyor, according to FlexLink.

King Materials Handling 03 9720 7181, www.kinggroup.com.au

FlexLink Systems 03 9542 4400, www.flexlink.com

Manufactured from high strength, welded construction, pre-galvanized 35 x 35 rhs & clad with 75 x 50 x 4.0 mm galvanized mesh. The base configuration allows for easy transportation by forklift with the frame having the safety of an anti tip base construction in case of uneven or unlevel ground. Security is a breeze as they are also lockable.

A ROBUST, YET ECONOMICAL CAGE.

W: www.jnipallets.com.au

18 Garner Place Ingleburn, NSW 2565 Austrailia Telephone: + 61 2 9605 4844 Facsimile: + 61 2 9605 4843 E : sales@jnipallets.com.au

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‘Go-anywhere’ conveyor adds versatility A GOUGH Econ-branded bucket elevator that moves material in three different directions for optimum flexibility is available from Australis Engineering.

Gough Econ is an American company that manufacturers bulk material handling solutions along with bucket elevators for sanitary to tough applications in food and heavy-duty industrial industries.

The multi-axis Gough Elecon bucket conveyor and elevator system from is said to be ideal for applications requiring gentle handling and industrial applications such as delivering blanks to stamping presses at The Royal Australian Mint in Canberra, Australia.

Known as the ‘Go Anywhere Conveyor,’ the unit uses cantilevered buckets that move vertically, horizontally and can turn any direction up to 90o without having to transfer the load being conveyed.

According to the manufacturer, this makes it one of the most

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Ideal for applications requiring gentle handling.

flexible systems of its kind in the world.

The conveyor is designed to fit within a user’s production facility instead of modifying the facility to accommodate the material handling system.

The conveyor has applications in the food industry include handling items such as cereal, cof-

fee/tea, confectionary, pasta, pet food, salt/spices and snack products. Industrial applications range from handling catalyst to chemicals, fertiliser, metal powders, carbon black, battery powders, coal, sand and coin blanks.

Australis Engineering 02 9707 5877, www.australiseng.com

Automated loading solution INDUSTRIAL Conveying is designing and engineering loading/unloading solutions where the function of forklifts is replaced by tailored automated solutions.

Introduction of the company’s automated, PLC-driven technology solutions coincide with a time when workplace injury statistics reveal an alarming rate of forklift related accidents.

“If a warehouse or transport depot is loading/unloading trucks with a forklift fleet, the downtime associated with a queue of waiting trucks can be extensive,” said Industrial Conveying managing director, Don Erskine. “In the medium to longer term, automated docks are a much cheaper and safer option for the workplace and the end-user.”

Industrial Conveying (Aust) Pty Ltd 03 5440 5100, www.icaust.com.au

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Welding&PROFILE CUTTING Plastic welding with lasers The benefits of laser plastic welding can far out-weigh traditional plastic joining techniques for thermoplatsics manufacturing, writes Lexie Henderson-Lancett.

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HANKS to its specific advantages, laser plastics welding offers a far more efficient technique for joining applications of thermoplastics, opening up new opportunities in product development and new markets.

In addition to the higher flexibility and accuracy attained, this new alternative solves every major drawback in traditional plastic joining techniques: it is contact free, vibration free, clean [no adhesives], minimal thermal stress on joined parts, handles 3D welds, there is no liquid or fumes to affect surface finish, nor are any consumables required.

Added to this are the benefits laser technology offers of optically perfect welding, exceptional levels of process control, high precision and finished high tensile strength.

Laser plastics welding is a relatively new process enabling the joining and effective clamping of two types of polymers, transparent and absorbent. During the process, relatively light clamping pressure is required, just enough to keep the parts in contact and stationary. One of the joined parts is transparent to the laser wavelength, but not necessarily to the eye, while the second part absorbs the laser energy in order to transform the laser light into

Laser plastic welding requires minimal thermal stress on joined parts.

heat. This leads to melting of both materials at their contact area (interface). After a matter of seconds the joint is cooled resulting in strong, hermetically sealed welds with minimal thermal and mechanical stress.

Laser beams usually have gaussian profiles, meaning a high power at the centre of the beam, and a lower power around it. Lasea has developed a special optical system creating a ‘flattop’ profile to avoid the creation of air bubbles or fumes at the centre while keeping an efficient weld on the sides.

Such precision makes Lasea lasers suitable for use in assembling medical devices, vaccine vial sealing, making of plastic automotive parts, lab-on-chip, fuel cell technology, sensors, renewable energy devices, and even the manufacturing of radiotherapy masks.

Laser plastic welding brings economic advantages into the spotlight, not only offering high quality joins, but fast development and low total cost of ownership.

Raymax Lasers 02 9979 7646, www.raymax.com.au

Multi-task gantry loader DIMAC is now distributing the Winning Sam multi-task gantry loader for unloading of billets, shafts, casting parts and bars at a floor area of only 2.25m x 2.25m.

This universal loader concept is said to allow the automatic loading and unloading of slugs, shafts and form parts.

The unit also provides the option to reverse the parts over in order to machine the other side on single-spindle lathes.

Winning Sam also allows users to feed round or profiled bar stock with the same multi-task loader, with the additional option of recovering the machined parts, separating chips 48 NOVEMBER 2010 Manufacturers’ Monthly

The loader has a built-in magazine bar loader.

and stocking fragile parts in a part magazine.

The system recovers end-of-bar scrap, and separates it from chips and machined parts. It is still, however, possible to pass parts on to a part control station interfaced with the lathe in automatic mode.

Dimac Tooling 03 9561 6155, www.dimac.com.au manmonthly.com.au

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Designed for the Professional Welder.

The Miller range of Digital EliteTM Auto-Darkening ening Welding Helmets delivers on protection, performance formance and comfort. Miller is the right choice when you need to handle the toughest welding conditions ons and environments.

welding.com.au 1300 300 884

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Premium products and services Manufacturers' Monthly's bi-annual Products & Services Showcase features an array of new products and services available to help Australian manufacturers work smarter. To promote your product or service in the Products & Services Showcase, contact Michael Northcott on 0448 077 247 or email michael.northcott@reedbusiness.com.au 3D MILLING & ENGRAVING SOLUTIONS Roland DG Australia

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Manufacturers’ Monthly NOVEMBER 2010 51

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