Manufacturers' Monthly October 2022

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Inside

Manufacturers’ Monthly Contents

Behind the cover

There are many different fabrication processes in manufacturing that depend on the initial material and the desired end product.

In the October magazine, Manufacturers’ Monthly is providing an opportunity for every fabricator to

services. The showcase gives businesses the chance

service

their services

to demonstrate the

the industries they serve.

segment is for Australian businesses who offer

LUCKEY:

At Capral, we recognise how important it is to partner with our customers. Our experienced account managers are experts in their field, backed by Capral’s in-house metallurgists, logistics specialists, technical, procurement and manufacturing teams.

We recognise that your success is our success. We are always looking for ways to help you achieve the best outcome for your business – From custom extrusions and fabrication solutions to supply chain management and project support; we are ready to assist your business. If you want an Aluminium supplier that understands your business and delivers practical solutions, Capral can do.

Upskilling Australia’s manufacturing workforce

THIRTY-SIX immediate actions have been agreed upon after this year’s Jobs and Skills Summit in Canberra. At the summit, the government pledged to take forward initiatives to help build a bigger, well-trained and productive workforce, boost wages and living standards, and create more opportunities for Australians.

The Federal Government, led by prime minister Anthony Albanese, has also said that full employment, productivity growth and equal opportunities for women are key objectives of its economic and fiscal policy.

Some of the key initiatives include an additional $1 billion in joint Federal-State funding for fee-free TAFE in 2023 and accelerated delivery of 465,000 fee-free TAFE places, modernising Australia’s workplace relations laws, increase in the permanent Migration Program ceiling to 195,000 in 2022-23 to help ease workforce shortages and extending visas and relaxing work restrictions on international students

to strengthen the pipeline of skilled labour.

It’s pleasing to hear some of the key concerns of manufacturers addressed and highlighted, but we need action. When Manufacturers’ Monthly connects with industry partners, SMEs and other organisations, we hear the long overdue need to expand, modernise and make more accessible our skills and training system. One such problem in Australia at the moment is the skilled migration policy – Australia is seemingly not the destination it once was for many of its skilled migrants.

The new pledge is a step in the right direction, with potentially thousands of engineers settling into Australia – the brightest scientific minds who move around the world are opting for countries such as Germany, the UK and Canada, so we must regain the lost momentum in this key area.

Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil announced the increase to 195,000 workers this financial year, saying Australia has recently had too much of a

focus on temporary migration.

“One of the big problems is that we’ve created one where it is very easy to come as a temporary worker probably in a pretty low-skilled job but virtually impossible to come here permanently as a high-skilled worker,” she said. “We need to think about migration as a driver of productivity and great jobs. The system in place today doesn’t help us do that.”

It’s not so simple to transition entire operations into robotics and automation, but the hand of more local business is being forced by a lack of specific and required skills in different manufacturing.

Ai Group chief executive Innes Willox said his organisation has long advocated for action to create a revitalised and appropriately funded Vocational and Education Training system.

“VET is the bedrock of the skills for our nation. Never before has the demand for skills been more urgent or more important. The establishment of Jobs

and Skills Australia is a critical step in driving a high-performing training sector with industry engagement at every level. The task ahead is large, achievable and urgent,” he explained.

Meanwhile, ACCI chief executive officer Andrew McKellar said peak business and union organisations share genuine willingness to work together to solve this problem

“Skills reform is needed to provide consistent funding increases to vocational education and training, and grow apprenticeship numbers, ensuring the system is in lockstep with industry needs,” he said.

In our industrial settings, the issues of energy prices and supply disruptions are front of mind, but a concentration on making sure Australians have the right skills for the future is of upmost importance. In order to build sovereign capability, we need the skills to support well-paid jobs within our local operations.

steel and

Comment

A proven framework for manufacturing innovation

WHEN it comes to manufacturing, I am a realistic optimist. So, before we start talking about why manufacturing innovation matters in Australia, it is important to reflect on the challenges we face.

Much news has been made of Australia’s further slide down the rankings of the Economic Complexity Index (ECI). We now sit in the bottom third, ranked 91 of 133 countries measured. Why is this? To be blunt, we simply don’t design, manufacture and export enough diverse, complex and high-value products to warrant a higher position. Australia also scores low on the proportion of businesses collaborating with universities, sitting at the bottom when compared to other OECD nations. Additionally, foreign investment into Australia has gone backwards since 2019. And against the backdrop of the pandemic and recent geopolitical tensions, we have realised just

how reliant we are on global imports.

Now let’s consider the good in Australian manufacturing. Importantly, we have a renewed focus on the design and development of complex goods and services to increase our self-reliance. If well targeted, this can help grow our ‘sovereign’ capability and capacity, drive sustainable economic growth and deliver stable, well-paid jobs – a topic I explored in my comment last month.

Since 2016, the Innovative Manufacturing CRC (IMCRC) has been selectively investing Commonwealth and other cash into transformative manufacturing research and development (R&D) projects. These projects are led by ambitious businesses that collaborate with Australia’s leading universities and the CSIRO. While diverse in nature, the collaborations are designed to drive industrial transformation, apply Industry 4.0 technologies, embrace new business models and deliver real-world

commercial outcomes.

Over the past six years, our team has met with hundreds of Australian manufacturers to see how we can help accelerate and magnify their investment in manufacturing innovation. And with over 70 collaborative and transformative projects reaching completion this year, IMCRC has deployed a proven business model for establishing effective and focused projects and partnerships between manufacturers and research organisations. So, what does this business model look like and how can it be used to drive success for the wider manufacturing community?

Manufacturing Readiness Levels and Stage-gate design

To achieve a commercial outcome when undertaking complex innovation and R&D, it’s critical to start with a clear objective in mind and create a focused pathway that maps the manufacturing innovation journey from proof of

concept to commercialisation – whether this is a product, process, service or platform.

IMCRC’s approach has been to align Manufacturing Readiness Levels (MRLs) with Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs), so that the ‘manufacturability’ is developed with new or applied technology and in tandem with the business model. We have invested primarily in the MRL/TRL 4-7 journey – taking projects from proof of concept through to readiness to invest in production and commercialisation. We have helped our project partners define and set R&D milestones and build meaningful and transparent structures to support their technology innovation journeys through to manufacturing maturity. And we host frequent project reviews, including chairing annual stage-gates (or ‘Traffic Light Reviews’) to ensure the projects are delivering or exceeding intended outcomes, with

return on investment a key metric. This is also designed to ensure we don’t hear the phrase ‘well it didn’t quite work, but we carried on anyway’, which is too often a temptation in medium to long-term R&D.

This structured approach to measuring levels of research success, together with state gates, has been foundational in helping manufacturers and universities work together to drive research outcomes into business growth.

A shared vision for commercialising know-how, IP and innovation

What else works well? A good cultural fit, mutual respect and trust between project partners, and a shared understanding of the technology being developed, have all proven to be critical enablers of effective collaboration. So too has an open approach to ownership of the know-how and intellectual property (IP) created through the project. It’s also important that no barriers are placed in the way of commercialising.

At IMCRC, we took a strategic view from the start that we would take no ownership of IP developed. Instead, we would help ‘broker’ the agreements around ownership and use, consistently leaning towards whoever was best placed to commercialise and deliver manufacturing outcomes. This approach has removed one of the barriers that continues to exist when manufacturers look to undertake collaborative R&D. Australia has an abundance of research talent. By leveling the IP ‘playing field’ between industry and universities,

we can more effectively harness this capability and maximise the number and scale of successful collaborations.

Whole-of-house collaboration

With the rise of Industry 4.0, manufacturing innovation has evolved far beyond simply creating a new product.

As R&D progresses, a new product or manufacturing process often transforms into a new service offering, business model or even a new platform.

IMCRC has encouraged our industry partners to embrace this by engaging with the broader research community. By finding partnerships with additional university schools and faculties such as business, data analytics and social sciences, partners can add much-needed experience, ideas and solutions to the project. Collaboration can happen at multiple levels – and we see real potential for this ‘whole-of-house’ approach, but it is yet to become normal practice. Manufacturers that have embraced this approach have benefited from an accelerated innovation journey – one that is quicker to deliver real-world commercial opportunities and outcomes.

standards. However, the team quickly learnt that a part of the challenge was transitioning Boral’s customer base away from traditional mixes to lower carbon concrete, and so Boral also engaged the UTS Business School to assist with the development of a commercialisation strategy based on the benefits of using lower carbon concrete across the entire value chain. This is just one example of what IMCRC has seen ‘good’ in manufacturing R&D look like.

Boral has accelerated the commercial opportunities for its lower carbon concrete.

Take, as an example, IMCRC’s partnership with Australia’s largest construction materials and building products supplier, Boral. Working with experts at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Boral has accelerated the research, development and commercialisation of its lower carbon concrete. The focus of the research collaboration was on developing a lower carbon concrete that replaced up to 70 per cent of the most widely used concrete binder, Ordinary Portland Cement, with supplementary cementitious materials while meeting industry

To manufacture more complex and higher value-added products, processes and services in Australia, we need an ecosystem that cultivates more of this good. And we can achieve this by supporting innovation and R&D that prioritises collaboration, sets clear milestones and encourages mutually beneficial pathways to commercialsation. What we have seen proven to work at IMCRC can and should be scaled up to drive broader collaboration between manufacturers and our research community.

The realist in me knows challenges lie ahead. But the optimist recognises that within these challenges lie opportunities for the bold, ambitious and willing to embrace innovation and collaboration in the manufacturing space.

David Chuter, IMCRC CEO said leveling the IP ‘playing field’ between industry and universities is a crucial objective.

Comment

Life after prison: VET training and employment pathways

With close to half-a-million vacant jobs in Australia, Weld Australia recently hosted a Welding Employment Expo to help facilitate connections between prisoners and prospective employees.

AUSTRALIA’S prison population continues to grow at a rate that is four times that of the general population. According to the most recent figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, from 30 June 2020 to 30 June 2021, the total number of Australian prisoners increased by 5 per cent to 42,970.

Australia’s imprisonment rate also increased by 5 per cent from 205 to 214 prisoners per 100,000 adult population. This rate well exceeds that found across countless nations, from Scandinavia, Western Europe, Canada and the United Kingdom, through to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, China and New Zealand.

As at 30 June 2021, the median age was 35.6 years for all prisoners. When comparing the prison population to the general adult population, prisoners are much younger—2 in 3 (65 per cent) prisoners were under 40, compared with about 2 in 5 (40 per cent) in the general adult population.

And, possibly most concerning, once prisoners enter the correctional system, finding their way out can be tough. The Australian Bureau of Statistics latest report showed that prisoners with prior adult imprisonment increased by 5 per cent from 30 June 2020 to 30 June 2021.

All these statistics paint a clear picture: our prison population is rapidly expanding, and is increasingly comprised of younger people and reoffenders. This gives rise to the need for practical rehabilitation and vocational education and training (VET) programs that can help alleviate recidivism.

Rehabilitation and training programs

Many prisoners have education and skill levels well below the Australian average. Almost 2 in 3 (63 per cent) prisoners have an education level of Year 8 or below.

The introduction of VET programs as part of prisoner rehabilitation offers opportunities for prisoners to reduce

this disadvantage, increasing the likelihood of successful re-integration into the community and reducing the risk of reoffending.

A recent study confirmed that participation in VET whilst incarcerated helps prisoners to remain custody free post-release. In fact, prisoners who successfully completed VET were 59.96 per cent more likely to remain custody free at two years post-release; and 78.23 per cent more likely to remain custody free at five years post-release.

VET and rehabilitative efforts are generally successful in reducing recidivism. In fact, there is some evidence to suggest that without rehabilitation, sanctions and incarceration alone may result in increased rates of reoffending.

VET Centre of Excellence in Welding at HM Prison Langi Kal Kal

Given the proven success of VET

programs for prisoner rehabilitation, in 2022, Corrections Victoria expanded the VET Centre of Excellence model to deliver Fusion Welding to ISO 9606 certification standard to complement their Metal Fabrication industry at Langi Kal Kal Prison. Federation University delivers the training program with the support of Weld Australia and on-site prison industry staff.

As part of the program, augmented reality training was introduced to expand the welding skills of the prisoner learners to meet international standards. A welding workshop sits alongside the augmented reality training room so that participants can work on projects to use and practice their welding skills in the physical as well as virtual environments.

To participate in the program, prisoners are invited to submit an Expression of Interest and then selected through an interview process. Up to eight participants can be accommodated in the intensive 14-week program.

There is a need for practical rehabilitation and VET programs to help alleviate recidivism.

According to Andrew Glisson (Teacher, Federation TAFE), “The students all demonstrate potential and are showing excellent aptitude and skill development as we move forward through the course.”

“It has been enjoyable watching the students have ‘light bulb’ moments in their own personal skill development. It has also been rewarding to see a student develop confidence when they discover they are capable of more than they thought.” Student *Daine said, “I wanted to take part in this course to not only further my knowledge and experience of welding but to be able to give myself the ability to provide a positive, reliable, and sustainable future for my family.”

“When I am released, I am keen to find as much work as possible in the engineering trade working in the railways, or similar areas that require good welders. I don’t see my life revolving around prison and I want to have real work opportunities in the community when I’m released.”

*Name changed to maintain privacy.

Gaining and maintaining employment

The ability to gain and maintain employment post-release is equally as important as training when it comes to the successful reintegration of former prisoners into the community. And yet, few ex-prisoners are able to find meaningful work.

Prisoners often come from a socioeconomic group that already faces difficulties in gaining employment. They generally have high levels of drug and alcohol misuse, high levels of mental health issues, and poor work histories. Imprisonment adds to this mix, making it even more difficult for prisoners to find a job.

According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare fewer than 1 in 4 (22 per cent) of former prisoners national wide report that they have paid employment organised to start within two weeks of release from prison. This can also be exacerbated at times by parole conditions that make full-time employment more difficult to manage.

The VET Centre of Excellence model links participating prisoners with prospective employers and pre-andpost-release support service providers. These connections provide prisoners with sustainable pathways to employment and support to reintegrate to society postrelease.

In conjunction with Weld Australia, Langi Kal Kal Prison recently hosted a Welding Employment Expo to help facilitate connections between

prisoners and prospective employees. The Expo was attended by several Weld Australia members, including Jeff Wanliss (Engineering and Business Development Manager, Keppel Prince). Based in Portland, Victoria, Keppel Prince specialises in the construction, fabrication and maintenance of industrial structures and equipment, ranging from wind farms to bridges.

“I didn’t really know what to expect from the Employment Expo, but the experience was a big eye-opener for me. I was very impressed by the facilities at Langi Kal Kal. The equipment is excellent and in line with industry standards, which helps ensure the prisoners are prepared to walk into any workshop – they’ll be comfortable from day one,” said Wanliss.

“The level of instruction was top class. The welding supervisor was equipped with a wealth of knowledge and experience, having previous experience as a boilermaker. The level of passion from all the correctional officers was clear. They’re all dedicated to working with the prisoners, bringing out the best in them, and giving them a solid grounding in the skills needed for life.”

“During the tour of the facilities, one of the prisoners produced an industry standard vertical up weld – one of the hardest welds to do. We would have accepted that weld in our workshop.

It can be difficult to find potential employees with the skills and experience needed in our workshop. I’d definitely consider employing any of the guys based on the standard of welding they’re doing.”

A successful future Australia is facing a looming shortage of skilled welders – 70,000 additional welders will be needed in the next 10 years. Welders are more in demand than ever with several large-scale, highvalue projects on the horizon, from the

Australia has a looming shortage of skilled welders and 70,000 welders will be needed in the next 10 years.

rehabilitation could help alleviate some of – but to help provide secure employment opportunities post-release.

If you would like to get involved as a prospective employer, please contact Geoff Crittenden (Chief Executive Officer, Weld Australia) on g.crittenden@weldaustralia.com.au.

News @MM

Energy Renaissance set to launch Australia’s first lithium-ion giga-factory

Australia’s first lithium-ion battery gigafactory is a step closer to commencing operations with the successful completion of a pilot program backed by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC).

Formed in 2015, Energy Renaissance’s (ER) lithium-ion batteries have been designed for high temperature and humidity environments. Leveraging local suppliers and supply chains, ER aims to offer products that are as close to 100 per cent Australian content as possible, with the company currently at 92 per cent.

The ER pilot program developed and tested manufacturing processes, systems, and plant design ahead of commissioning its full-scale manufacturing facility in Tomago,

NSW. Completion of the pilot program is a crucial step in ER’s scale-up program before it moves into its custom-designed, 4,500-square-metre ‘Renaissance One’ manufacturing facility.

The facility will house over 700 employees and initially produce up to 300-megawatt hours of energy storage annually, scaling to 5.3-gigawatt hours of energy storage per year via its ground-breaking battery system. When in operation, the facility is expected to contribute $97.5 million to the Australian economy.

ER development director and founder Brian Craighead said, “With the support of organisations such as AMGC and our partners, we have been able to

develop a world-leading lithium-ion battery for domestic and export use and soon, we hope to expand the impact of this program to add value to Australia’s abundant raw materials by embarking on cell manufacture.”

Dr Jens Goennemann, managing director of AMGC said that ER is proof that Australia can be a world leader in the renewable energy industry.

“Energy Renaissance’s approach typifies how we should be seeking to move away from our reliance on raw commodities and tap into our abundant human, commodities and manufacturing prowess to transform it into complex goods for local and export markets.”

The collaborative project, worth

Energy Renaissance is preparing to launch a new lithium-ion giga-factory with AMGC support.

$1.47 million, was supported through a $525,072 co-investment administered by AMGC and matched by Energy Renaissance, with project partners contributing a further $427,681. Project participants include the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), ATB Morton and MACCOR.

Completion of the pilot-facility program follows on from an earlier AMGC co-invested project where ER and CSIRO first developed a proprietary battery system, superRack and superPack, which is a unique plug-andplay prismatic cell system.

For further information on the AMGC-supported project visit www.amgc.org.au/project.

News @MM

Tritium launches facility for Biden’s green initiatives

Australian manufacturer Tritium has opened its first fast charger manufacturing facility in the US.

The manufacturer of chacharge (DC) fast chargers for Electric Vehicles (EVs), has opened its first US-based fast charger manufacturing facility in Lebanon, Tennessee.

The facility will bolster the growth of EV charging infrastructure in the US, meet government decarbonisation goals, and create over 500 jobs over the next five years – playing a key part in the Biden administration’s clean energy initiative.

Tritium chief executive officer Jane Hunter said the opening of the Tennessee factory is an important milestone for Tritium, for Tennessee and most importantly, for American drivers.

“As many as 35 million electric vehicles are expected to be in use by 2030 and those vehicles will require more powerful and convenient charging infrastructure,” she said.

“It’s crucial that America’s charging infrastructure is built right here in the US. Americans will rely on it to get to work, to school, to doctor’s appointments, and more. It needs to be reliable, and it needs to be able to grow to meet their needs. And when we make chargers here in the US, we reduce supply chain and shipping delays, and we help build the manufacturing ecosystem

that will employ more Americans.”

Tritium chief operating officer Glen Casey added, “I’ve worked in manufacturing for more than 30 years and I can truly say that this new facility is world-class. Like our products, we’ve designed our manufacturing process to be modular and scalable. This design allowed us to bring the Tennessee factory online in five months, which is one of the fastest setup times I’ve experienced in my career.”

The facility will initially produce Tritium’s award-winning RTM fast charger, and production of the top-ofthe-line PKM150 is expected to begin in early 2023. The PKM150 chargers are compact, reliable, cost-effective, and compatible with all EVs, marking a significant advance in EV charging technology.

Additionally, the PKM150 is anticipated to fulfil requirements for the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in

Tritium has opened its new fast charger manufacturing facility in the US.

the US, which was recently enacted to fight inflation and help reduce carbon emissions by roughly 40 per cent by 2030. It is also expected to meet the Buy America Act standards in Q1 2023, thus making the PKM150 an optimal candidate for funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.

The facility was announced in February 2022 at a press event at the White House.

the Hunter Valley

Manufacturer Focus

Three prototype XL-AUVs will be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy over three years.

Luckey Strike

Before the age of 20, American tech maverick Palmer Luckey had started his first company, Oculus VR, transforming the virtual reality game. A billionaire by his early 20s – and still not yet 30 years old – his attention has turned to building a defence manufacturing capability that will see Western liberal democracies through potential future conflicts. His defence manufacturing outfit, Anduril, has set up quarters in Australia for R&D and manufacturing of export articles. On a recent visit to Sydney, he sat down with Edward Cranswick to talk through his gameplan.

an American, and a very proud American, but we’re not known for a swift approvals process for exporting defence articles,” Palmer Luckey – the US tech wizard who created the Oculus Rift VR headset in his late teens, was a billionaire by his early 20s, and is now changing the game in defence manufacturing with Anduril Industries – told Manufacturers’ Monthly on a recent visit to Australia.

Luckey, who has a passion for the preservation of liberal democracies over and against threats from military powers

like China, is on a mission to advance US and allied military capability with state-of-the-art technology; bringing to bear the best in manufacturing thinking and practice in an area that he says has been given insufficient attention for too many years.

And that’s why he’s been in Australia, on business to shake up not only the defence manufacturing space, but to potentially change the course of future world conflict.

“The American approvals process is particularly ill-suited to a company like

Anduril, where we’re always making new versions and adding new capabilities to our defence equipment,” Luckey said. “If we were to be exporting everything from the US, we might be waiting a year or two every time we have a new product to be able to get it out there. In Australia, by contrast, I think there’s a much stronger desire to be able to quickly manufacture things and export them, not just for defence reasons, but also for economic prosperity reasons.”

By setting up an R&D and manufacturing base in Sydney, Anduril

is supporting its partnership with the Australian Defence Force for an AU $140 million co-funded program to design and develop its extra-large autonomous undersea vehicles (XL-AUVs). Three prototype XL-AUVs will be delivered to the Royal Australian Navy over three years, with a manufacture-ready vehicle at the end of 2025.

“The goal is not just to build these vehicles for the Australian Navy, but also to build them for our allied export partners –countries like Taiwan and Japan, as well as those in Europe,” Luckey said.

“I’M

Manufacturer Focus

But it’s not just for regulatory or approvals reasons that Luckey chose Australia to be Anduril’s new manufacturing hub.

“Another key reason is that – despite Australia having a pretty small population relative to the US – it has a very skilled technology workforce. We’re not just making vehicles here, we’re not just manufacturing. We’ll also be designing subsystems, designing sensors, and designing a lot of the software here in Australia.

“I’d also add that because Australia is an enormous place with a sparse population, it’s a perfect fit for what Anduril does – which is to develop technology that allows autonomous handling of moment-to-moment management.”

One of Anduril’s missions is to build AI that allows one person to manage dozens of different robotic systems, he said, which minimises the use of manpower in

Our choice to set up base in Sydney is about much more than geography. I find that people in Australian tech understand defence issues intuitively – they understand that defence is one of the most important things you can work on.

military and defence contexts.

“Honestly, in the United States, we have a large enough population that we can afford to simply throw more people at the problem,” Luckey noted.

“Australia doesn’t really have that option. You guys can’t just make your military 10 times bigger if you need to, even in the middle of a conflict. This means that, philosophically speaking, the Australian Defence Forces are very much aligned with what we’re doing.

“Our choice to set up base in Sydney

is about much more than geography. I find that people in Australian tech understand defence issues intuitively –they understand that defence is one of the most important things you can work on.”

From virtual reality to defence manufacturing

Palmer Luckey is only 29 years old – but has crammed an extraordinary amount of innovation and creativity into fewer than three decades.

Home-schooled till 15, a college drop-

out by 18, he was living out of a camper trailer when he started his first company

“Before I started Anduril, I started a company called Oculus VR when I was 19,” he said. “We made virtual reality headsets. And even though we were a really scrappy operation in the early days, we did some incredible things. We built virtual reality headsets that were cheaper than anyone had ever seen before, while still being very high quality. I mean, we were making headsets for $300 that were better than those competitors sold for $30,000.”

In his early 20s Luckey sold Oculus VR to Facebook for US$3 billion and subsequently worked a few years as an executive for the social media giant.

“It was during this period that I became interested in defence technology, as I realised China and Russia were both developing pretty advanced defence systems and that the United States defence apparatus – our major contractors – did not have the talent

Manufacturer Focus

to beat them in areas like artificial intelligence or sensor fusion.”

He also realised that large tech companies in the US would not be part of the solution in closing this gap, as their manufacturing bases were all in China.

“There’s never been a point in United States history where our most innovative technology companies refused to work with the US military,” Luckey said. “That’s never happened. Imagine if in World War II our greatest technological assets had said they weren’t going to help, because they thought imperial Japan was too big of a business opportunity? That’s actually the position we’re in today. Many big players can’t upset the Chinese Communist Party because 95 per cent of their manufacturing is in China.

“It’s not a matter of right-or-wrong for them. It’s a matter of survival. If they upset China by helping the US military, they will simply cease to exist.”

This motivated Luckey, a proud American patriot and enthusiast for liberal democracies across the globe, to

We’ve hired a lot of people who would never have gotten hired at other companies for want of a formal education. It’s those companies that have lost out, and Anduril that has benefited. It’s an approach that we’ll continue to make hay out of in Australia – and it presents terrific opportunities for latent manufacturing talent down under.

stop thinking about video games and start thinking about defence.

“I got into the defence space so that I could steal people from these companies that are very technologically advanced, but aren’t working on anything important, and put them to work on things that really do matter. Like preserving democracy, like preserving the Western way of life. I think that’s why we’ve been able to find so many people

that want to work with us. Anduril has about 1300 people now – so there are at least 1300 people who agree with me.”

Australian manufacturing talent

Luckey noted that another advantage to locating Anduril’s manufacturing hub in Sydney is the fact that Australia has a strong pool of talented people from which to draw.

are two ways in which this is evident: very specialised domain expertise – like maritime engineering – and doing boat construction, building antifouling materials and things like that.”

He said that because so much Australian industry is along the coast or coast-related, compared with the US – which has people distributed more evenly throughout the country – it has fostered much local talent in maritime engineering and related fields.

“Separately, there are people who are working in Australia in areas that don’t necessarily seem defence-related, but are in actual fact quite applicable,” Luckey said. “We hire a lot of people from Snapchat, people who build photo filters and the like, because it turns out that many of the same AI algorithm techniques they’re using to build toys are the same things you need to build a computer vision system that can detect surfaceto-air missile launchers that have been

Palmer Luckey created Anduril Industries to bring a Silicon Valley approach to defence technology.

Manufacturer Focus

camouflaged in the woods.

“Australia has a lot of people like this – people who are in the tech industry, building things that have nothing to do with defence, but their skills and their minds are just as applicable to defence problems.”

Securing future defence manufacturing capability

Once Luckey became more engaged with defence issues – and aware of the disparity between the manufacturing capabilities of liberal democracies versus strategic competitors like China – he determined that a key goal of Anduril would be to secure the manufacturing and supply chain integrity of the company.

“We need to ensure we’re able to make things without relying on materials or manufacturing capability that’s trapped in China,” Luckey said. “Look, I’ve made a lot of stuff in China. The Oculus Rift VR headsets I made were all manufactured in China – so I get it’s not easy to do without them, as there are lots of things where it’s cheaper or easier to have them made over there. But, at Anduril, we’ve just completely bypassed that ¬– completely eliminated China from our supply chain.

“And it’s not just from the components you would expect – like imaging sensors and processing chips – but also for things like rubber gaskets, fasteners, and paint. Everything made in China is completely out of our supply chain, because the last thing you want when dealing in defence articles is to be figuring out how to get alternate suppliers in the middle of a conflict – or an embargo or sanction situation.”

He said that Anduril has been encouraging companies they work with to do the same thing, whether in Australia or Europe or the US.

“The problem is that we’ve shifted most of our manufacturing capacity over to China, and we’re going to have to fix that – at least to some degree ¬– if we want to be responsible for our own destiny in terms of manufacturing defence articles.”

The offshoring of manufacturing capability in the US has gone handin-glove with a diminution – or misallocation – of intellectual capital, moving as it has from defence functions into other domains, Luckey believes.

“I can’t speak to the case in Australia, but in the United States one of the problems we have is that so many of our

smartest kids are opting for finance and sales instead of defence – because that’s where a lot of money can be made. And those are people who in the past would have wanted to go into aerospace or manufacturing.”

The US has created an economy where the incentive structure is all muddled up, he said.

“Because we’ve shipped all of our manufacturing to China, why would anybody want to go to school to learn how to be a manufacturing process engineer?” he asked. “There are people who do it, of course, because they’re passionate about it. But, on the other hand, there are a lot of people who instead decide to go into finance or law – who might be better suited to and more profitable for the country – in defence.

“A lot of aerospace companies in the US used to be very cool and, therefore, attract our best people. But now defence is considered to be the home of very slow, very boring jobs; where you’ll get to work on one project for 10 years – and maybe it will ship, maybe it won’t.”

Home-schooled as he was – and a college drop-out – Luckey wears as a badge of honour the fact that no job at Anduril requires a college or university degree.

“It’s something I’ve pushed very strongly since the start of the company,”

he said. “We only look at what people have done – what their capabilities are; not whether or not they have a piece of paper that says they’re good at something. What I’ve always wanted to see are people’s projects. What have they done at home? What have they done in their garage? What have people done on their own time when they weren’t being forced to do it by a teacher?

“We’ve hired a lot of people who would never have gotten hired at other companies for want of a formal education. It’s those companies that have lost out, and Anduril that has benefited. It’s an approach that we’ll continue to make hay out of in Australia – and it presents terrific opportunities for latent manufacturing talent down under.”

Looking ahead

Manufacturers’ Monthly asked Luckey what is in store for Anduril Australia over the next five years. What is the five-year plan?

“The five-year plan is to grow in Australia from where we are today – 40 people – up into the hundreds of people,” he said. “I don’t think we’ll hit thousands within five years, but if you consider the fact that Anduril has a workforce of 1300 people within five-and-a-half years of its beginning – that’s a pretty breakneck growth rate.”

According to a public statement by David Goodrich, OAM, Exec Chairman and CEO of Anduril Australia, while extralarge autonomous undersea vehicles are the primary focus for now – the company’s sights are set far higher than underwater.

“XL–AUVs are only the beginning,” Goodrich said. “We’ve got plans to become a major player in the thriving defence industrial base in Australia, working together with Australian industry partners and contributing to Australia becoming a leading exporter of cuttingedge autonomous capability to the rest of the world.”

Closing out our interview, Luckey summed up his ambitions for Anduril Australia:

“Within five years, I’m confident we’ll be employing hundreds of people in Australia who are designing very highend payload systems; designing very cool propulsion and energy storage systems, and manufacturing large numbers not only of submarines, but also air vehicle and ground systems.

“Within five years I’d also like to be doing some cool stuff in the space area here too. We probably won’t be that far along in five years – because I’m afraid space seems to move slowly in every country,” Palmer Luckey said.

“But we’ll see.”

David Goodrich, Anduril CEO, APAC with Palmer Luckey.

A new hybrid machine with novel 3D printing technology for cutting tools

The global cutting tool industry will soon have access to an innovative cutting tool manufacturing platform, thanks to a research collaboration between leading CNC grinding machine manufacturer ANCA and Australia’s national science agency CSIRO. Billy Friend finds out what’s behind the project.

ALWAYS an essential part of a manufacturers’ toolbox, high quality cutting tools are needed more than ever for sectors looking to expand product ranges and complexity. A recent project by ANCA and the CSIRO highlights the advantages of investing in a technologically advanced future, with the development of a new additive manufacturing process for tungstencarbide tools.

The nine-month, $928,000 initiative supported by the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research

Centre (IMCRC) is set to bring affordable, high-performance tools to be manufactured using one platform, replacing the current production process of mould pressing, sintering, brazing and grinding.

Now in the advanced phase, the research is focused on refining the additive manufacturing technology ahead of ANCA taking the hybrid manufacturing platform that contains the innovation to market. Dr Dayalan Gunasegaram from CSIRO played a critical role in leading the project after

spending a six month secondment at ANCA – immersing himself into the company’s research and development process.

Gunasegaram is a mechanical engineer with a depth of knowledge as a computational modelling specialist who uses software tools to investigate and optimise manufacturing processes. In his nearly two decades at CSIRO, he has consulted for several industrial clients and co-authored patents for new technologies. Consistent through his career is the desire to improve

manufacturing processes through modelling and simulation. At the start of this particular project, getting to know ANCA’s strengths was key.

“ANCA provided me with the opportunity to understand what they do really well,” he said. “I knew CSIRO’s capabilities, but I had to spend time at the company to match our strengths together – they are world leaders in subtractive manufacturing, so we looked to combine that with our expertise in additive manufacturing to develop a hybrid platform.”

ANCA Integrated Manufacturing System.

Engineering Focus

technologies. Dr Kathie McGregor, Research Director for Advanced Materials customers are more likely to take a chance on something new.

ANCA’s advanced grinding machines for cutting tool manufacture.

ANCA’s headquarters in Melbourne.

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Financial Services

accounting firm with more than 1400 personnel today.

This year, the sixth biggest audit, tax and consulting network in the world is celebrating 100 years in Australia.

RSM Australia was founded on Edgar Robert Woolcott’s idea to bring the accounting service to the customer, rather than asking them to travel into the city. Meeting the families behind the place of business or farm helped Woolcott understand what was required and the approach was largely responsible for the growth of the practice in the years to come.

RSM is applying a similar mindset to Australia’s modern manufacturing ecosystem. Four years ago, the firm decided to home in on certain sectors, to act as the trusted advisors for a range of manufacturers, from small manufacturing businesses who are looking to commercialise new products or expand into new local and global

sector of the business combines industry knowledge, deep resources, and personalised service to help manufacturers take a next growth step.

To illustrate this, RSM has a national manufacturing committee comprising staff from across its Australian offices, that meets each month to share technical insights and explore opportunities to produce thought leadership. Jessica Olivier, partner and national leadermanufacturing services, said RSM had chosen to differentiate its approach in how it delivers services to its clients.

“Having a deep understanding of the specific industry and the nuances of the challenges that various industries are facing is very important,” she said.

“A cross-divisional approach to sectors allows our people to spend their time really immersing themselves not just in the financial side but in the overall business opportunities and challenges – so

well as professionals in accounting.”

Like many professional services providers, RSM provides a full suite of financial services including tax, financial statement preparation, audit and strategic outsourcing of accounting functions. However, how the business is gaining

country,” she explained. “What’s important now is the ability to adapt and understand what the pinch points are and acknowledging that, for example, while one person may not be a specialist in ERPs or Cyber, we can still leverage those service lines from relevant experts across the 32 offices to provide a more bespoke solution for optimal client outcomes.”

Combining traditional adviser relationships and accounting services with overarching consulting in areas like Digital Transformation, Cyber, ERP and ESG is bearing fruit for SME manufacturers in the 5 to 200 million dollar turnover range.

“While we’re in a professional services firm, we have Cyber, Data Analytics and a team of ERP specialists. We also look at certain digital apps which can help companies in this sector, for instance. This tailored approach to service delivery has led to us becoming the advisor of

speaks with the professional services firm about its focus on businesses and the communities in

Jessica Olivier said RSM ‘s overarching consulting is helping SME manufacturers.

RSM has been in Australia for 100 years.

Financial Services

choice to the middle market across Australia”

For the fourth year in a row, RSM Australia has won the Client Choice Awards Best Accounting & Consulting Services Firm >$200m revenue.

“I work with start-ups, SMEs and Australian family businesses through to large multinationals in manufacturing. These clients come to us to use our cross-divisional services, so they have everything they need from one advisor, rather than isolated services.”

A summary of RSM’s manufacturing services

• Strong accounting systems, processes & records – Accurate accounting is critical for Manufacturers. We have deep experience in manufacturing accounting, and advise on system, process and software solutions for all of your manufacturing specific accounting requirements

• Transaction Advisory – Through M&A lead advisory, debt advisory, due diligence, and technical services such as valuations, tax advisory and financial modelling we assist Manufacturers from growth and funding stages, through to business sale.

Data Analytics – for insights into your manufacturing chain in areas such as business process improvement, customer growth, data management and more

• Transfer Pricing – Assistance for manufacturers with international related party sales and supply chains

• R&D and Government Incentives –Access a potentially refundable tax offset for clients using new technology in their manufacturing processes or new or improved products, processes and equipment. R&D and government grants can be a critical funding source for innovative manufacturers, particularly those in start up and growth phases.

• Software – Offering advice on the right digital ecosystem for a manufacturer, including ERP and other digital solutions for manufacturers who need more sophisticated platforms for cost accounting, inventory and other manufacturing accounting requirements. We walk you through your digital journey.

management reporting and dashboarding, tailored to give manufacturing business owners and managers better business oversight and insights Ross Dixon, senior manager, works extensively with SME manufacturers who are looking to corporatise their family office, assisting businesses as they look to drive growth through commercialising new products or expanding into new markets both domestically and internationally.

“Because we have both the metro and the regional presence, we have an ability to provide the appropriate solution at the appropriate price point through someone’s journey from sole trader to listing,” he explained. “Through both our Australian and International network we have been able to provide bespoke solutions which leverages the necessary technical specialists as required

We’ve had a huge amount of traction with the mum and dad operator who have scaled rapidly and are ready to corporatise their family office and business structure – Jess Olivier runs one of the largest’s R&D tax services divisions in Australia. Assisting manufacturers get access to access to programs such as R&D Tax Incentive for the first time has been huge as historically they have either not been encouraged to access the program

RSM’s bread and butter, the expertise in areas such as digital transformation and R&D is a difference-maker. A large network of offices allows the firm to work closely with regional manufacturers, of which it has had much success in North-East Victoria and the Riverina. Across the Eastern States outside of metro areas, RSM has offices in Port Lincoln, Gosford, Toowomba,Wagga Wagga, Goulburn, Albury, and Ballarat. RSM also has a large presence across regional Western Australia.

“If a large manufacturer is looking to set up a shop and they want to locate in Regional Australia , then they’ve got that

We’ve had a fair amount of traction in North-East Victoria and the Riverina with over 150 staff across our Ballarat, Albury and Wagga Wagga offices”.”

With the push for sovereign capability not losing momentum, work in the regions continues to be vital to Australia’s success as a manufacturing nation. One of RSM’s strategies to help Australia’s onshoring is through education, bringing industry associations and universities to the businesses.

“Traditionally, people would have to band together, fly to the University of Wollongong or UNSW,” he noted. “We’re trying to bring these institutions to us. We’ve hosted events and roadshows where they all attended. We don’t charge for the seminar structure, and we’ve found that’s a useful strategy for building that local capability and creating a more cohesive local manufacturing ecosystem.”

National partners of RSM – like his colleague Jessica Olivier flying across the country to be a part of a truly national network – has made a huge difference for the firm, according to Dixon.

“It’s so cliché, but I genuinely see us as part of these businesses and our role is times is to be a concierge by using our extensive network to provide an appropriate contact or technical specialist as and when we need to leverage

Ross Dixon, senior manager RSM.

RSM provides tax, financial statement preparation, audit and strategic outsourcing of accounting functions for manufacturers.

Compressors

Business as usual during a power outage

production, plant, fridges, computers, lights, and staff not working for one hour, two hours or more?

With the recent run of natural disasters in Australia, and a reluctance by power companies to build new coal or gas fired power stations, it is little wonder that many businesses are investing in backup generators. By using an auto-start equipped generator and an automatic transfer switch (ATS) connected into mains power, your business can continue to operate efficiently with little interruption during a power outage.

Complete in-house solution

Delivering a back-up diesel generator, especially for the manufacturing segment,

requirements.

Our generators

However, a wise tip is to always buy a quality generator, as it will last for many years and work when it needs to work.

Buying the cheapest unit could be a false economy and not provide the reliable power you are aiming for. Afterall a cheap generator that will not start when needed is the same as having not installing a generator at all.

CAPS Australia only supply quality generators including the KOHLER range from France. KOHLER has 100 years’ experience in the power generation segment. CAPS has also introduced its own newly released range of generators

CAPS Australia has launched the new Ingersoll Rand RM Series of oil flooded rotary screw compressors.

Maintaining a high-quality supply of compressed air remains essential for Australian manufacturers.

CAPS Australia’s complete solutions provides a system design via its in-house engineers.

right generator for your business, and most local electricians can connect the generator and transfer switch to your power system. KOHLER is one of the world’s leading generator suppliers and is widely used and trusted in critical applications including high-rise

commercial buildings, airports, water authorities, data centres and RSL clubs to mention a few. We are also excited about the recently launched CAPS range which features quality components and an exceptional build standard.”

CAPS Australia is a leading Australian

agent for KOHLER and have branches throughout Australia to provide sales, technical support, service support and parts.

24/7 rapid response service

To ensure your back-up power equipment is always ready to perform when needed, CAPS offers a nationwide service network with the ability to service and repair your equipment. Our highly trained technicians continually update their knowledge, and they have the model-bymodel knowledge required to give you piece of mind.

Safety is a core value of CAPS, and our goal is never to put people, plant or the environment at risk. You can be confident that our technicians will be completely compliant to any site-specific safety requirements you have.

Who is CAPS Australia?

CAPS Australia is a privately owned and proud Australian company intent on remaining at the forefront of compressed air, gas generation and power generation solutions. We serve the

Compressors

manufacturing, mining, food & beverage, wastewater treatment, construction, oil & gas and much more nationally and internationally.

Over 40 years of experience in the Australian market.

9 branches reach right around the country with over 160 employees.

60 service technicians covering the full national footprint with a 24/7 service offering.

A vast inventory of spare parts.

• An independent company with the flexibility to search globally for the best products and technologies that best serve the Australian market’s needs.

CAPS has world-renowned partner brands such as Ingersoll Rand, Kohler, AIRMAN, Sauer, Pedro Gil and many more.

Custom design, manufacturing, supply and service ISO 9001 accredited facilities

For further information, call your local CAPS Australia office on 1800 800 878 or visit our website www.caps.com.au

Electronics

Investment in the right technology

Elexon Electronics is forging its future in the defence space via extraordinary innovation. Manufacturers’ Monthly speaks with co-owner Leigh Bateman about the company’s sensor technologies and a range of products for niche local and export markets.

which are embedded in the orebody – the technology within these trackers spin at a particular speed to generate a magnetic

“We use very sensitive magnetometers to look at the rotating magnetic fields and triangulate their rotating position through solid rock,” he explained. “That way we can get a triangulated location of these beacons, and then look for movement of those beacons, giving the mine engineers the ability to understand which parts of the cave are moving and

Part of Elexon’s innovation strategy is to collaborate with Australian industry, exemplified by the Cave Tracker system’s

“The IP for the rotating magnet came out of a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) in Brisbane,” he said. “We worked with the CRC and several large mining companies to form a three-way partnership to then develop that IP into a commercial product, which involves investment from the mining companies, investment from us and grants from the

ELEXON

Electronic’s roots begin in 1992, when entrepreneur Leigh Bateman founded its predecessor – an engineering company called IEDEC. In 2006, Bateman was approached by a former customer, Pieter Kuiper, who has a wealth of experience in the industry.

“When Peter approached me, I was reaching the end of my limits in growing the company and he had a lot of skills to add,” said Bateman. “He comes from the big end of town having worked for the European Space Agency and as a chief engineer with over 100 engineers underneath him at Boeing. He knew the big systems and processes, so we decided to combine our skills and started Elexon. My engineering street smarts and his process acumen was and continues to be a great combination.”

Today, Elexon has grown to be one

of Australia’s most exciting innovators.

The company recently enhanced its manufacturing capabilities, procuring six new state-of-the-art machines for its Industry 4.0 manufacturing facility as part of its defence-readiness program. With interconnectedness front of mind for the company, Elexon has set its sights on building upon the IP it has developed – having already pioneered various highly innovative and commercially successful products for a range of industries such as mining, pathology, automotive and recently defence.

Mining

Elexon’s mining division, Elexon Mining, provides innovative tracking devices for measuring ground movement in underground and surface mines. The wireless underground systems allow

more accurate and active management of the ore body and help open pit mine operators manage mine assets.

“Our journey in mining started with a gentleman I met who was doing a PhD in understanding how ore was flowing in an underground mining process. In above ground mining, for every bit of ore you want to extract, there’s overburden to remove which is expensive. Underground mining has higher up front capital costs but much lower operation costs, but underground geology is super complex and it’s hard to understand how this expensive asset is performing.”

Elexon Mining has developed the Cave Tracker System in collaboration with Newcrest, Mining3 and Rio Tinto, to provide real-time insight into cave flow and cave propagation.

Cave Tracker uses magnetic beacons

“A practical example of the application is a project where there was 100 million dollars of ore between two caves,” he said. “By seeding our systems into the gap between the two ore caves, we could prove that the asset was being extracted.”

Elexon’s other system for mining is called the Smart Marker, which uses hardened radio frequency identification (RFID) technology to automate the marker detection process.

“The short distance communication radio devices are put in strings down holes and communicate data up and down the holes,” he said. “The tilt of the marker can be recorded because we have very accurate accelerometers that measure the rotation of the device. We can also put in pore pressure sensors, which effectively measure the hydrostatic water pressure underground in the mine.”

The system provides a more robust

Over the past 16 years, Elexon Electronics has established itself as a global electronics player.

and versatile alternative to other cave monitoring systems because the data is transmitted wirelessly through rock and therefore isn’t vulnerable to hole dislocation and cable breakage.

Microbats

Almost a fifth of the whole mammalian species are made up of microbats – a fact which surprises most considering they are rarely seen from day to day. As a result, the bats are crucial for our ecosystem and much research is undertaken about their habits.

Elexon Electronics is the world’s second largest manufacturer in microbat instrumentation. One such system involves active handheld instrumentation which displays a spectrogram to identify the species of bat when they vocalise.

“We’ve made systems now that you can leave for a month strapped to a tree, and it will record all of the ultrasonic bat calls in that one month period onto an SD card which you can then later analyse on software we’ve developed as well,” Bateman noted. “We even manufacture the specialist ultrasonic microphones with different polar patterns on site as well.”

This data is used to monitor ecosystem health. For instance, white nose syndrome is a fungal disease rapidly decreasing America and Canada’s bat population and much research is being done to understand how to stop millions of bats from dying prematurely. The same system has multiple applications, however, and Elexon is looking to expand its range to suit more industrial applications.

“For defence it could be passive field sensors that will look for acoustic

signatures the military are interested in,” he explained. “Or you might have a conveyor belt which goes for 20 kilometres and you want to monitor the health of the bearings, helping you do early failure analysis.”

RFID readers

All livestock in Australia are tracked by the National Livestock Identification scheme, which is a key pillar in biosecurity for the country. All cattle have an electronic and visual ear tag which tracks their movements from the farm through to the saleyard and abattoir, which is collated in a national database.

Victoria has mandatory EID for sheep, and the rest of Australia is expected to follow suit.

“RFID reading has been a 15 year journey for us,” Bateman began. “We’ve developed the world’s best performing industrial readers with the longest read ranges in industry. We’re about the only system in industry that can properly survive the conditions that the livestock industry needs. It’s very rough, the animals are big and robust, so we have multiple types of reader systems to read these electronic tags.”

This technology is feeding into the mining and defence space for Elexon, leveraging experience in the low frequency RFID range (around 130 kilohertz) to develop new products.

Subheader: Reshoring supply chains

Global supply chain issues have tilted more focus onto onshoring and returning Australia’s sovereign capability. Elexon has turned to local manufacturing to avoid supply hold-ups and travel costs.

“The mining products use specialist plastic, which we found was more commercially viable to make in Australia than in China where they were previously manufactured,” Bateman said. “Almost all our plastics are made locally. The reasonably elaborate metal boxes made up for the mining industry to house the electronics are all fabricated locally which is a win for Australian industry.”

Elexon has recently worked with Australian telemetry solutions provider Gasbot, who help gas companies schedule refilling of their gas bottles.

“Initially Gasbot was using an Australian manufacturer to outsource its fabrication to China,” he said. “There were multiple issues in that process, from communication to time delays.”

Over the last 18 months, Elexon has helped Gasbot reshore that manufacturing back to Australia and mass-manufacture the growing product to volumes which will likely be hundreds of thousands per year.

“The product is an IoT system which helps to develop a comprehensive understanding of gas levels across an entire fleet of LPG tanks,” Bateman added. “Instead of trucks having to waste fuel filling half empty tanks, they can now use these IoT systems to schedule when the trucks are going to refill, saving money and helping the environment.”

Future plans

Elexon recently invested a further $1.9 million in developing its state-of-theart Industry 4.0 defence and aerospace manufacturing facility by securing a Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority

grant (SICP). The company is taking strides in the defence space, and now has the appropriate government backing after engagement with the Centre for Defence Industry Capability (CDIC).

The successful implementation of environmental management standards ISO 14001 and aerospace quality standards AS 9100D involved also Elexon upgrading its physical and cyber security to protect IP – both Elexon’s and that of trusted Defence partners.

“We theorised about why Germany is such a great powerhouse of manufacturing when they have a very high-cost base like Australia,” Bateman explained. “They invest heavily in tools, people and systems and expect a return on that investment. Despite a higher upfront investment, they reap long term rewards of a lower cost of manufacture.”

The SICP grant turbocharged Elexon’s ability to bring in capital equipment as well as training for its workers. The interconnected new facility contains equipment such as jet printing , vacuum vapour phase soldering, automatic optical inspection, selective soldering, robotic encapsulation, flying probe testing, robotic board marking and conformal coating, board cleaning and automated storage towers.

“Before it would take us six hours to change over a job on our robots,” he said.

“You can imagine that when you’re a short-run manufacturing facility, that sixhour changeover is a productivity killer. The new robots can be loading on the next job while the current job is running so the changeover time is a matter of minutes.”

Elexon Electronics has spent the past year working tirelessly on its Defence-readiness plan.

Elexon Electronics’ Industry 4.0 defence and aerospace manufacturing facility.

Aluminium

Crafting sustainable outdoor play for Australian communities

Manufacturers’ Monthly finds out how a Queensland business is working with Capral Aluminium to create 100 per cent recyclable children’s playground equipment and fitness systems.

WillPlay builds outdoor play and fitness equipment for children and adults.

ALL in the name of play – rapidly growing business WillPlay set out on a journey to create recyclable pirate ships, giant treehouses and rockets.

Since its start-up in 2013, councils, schools and commercial developments around Australia have been lining up for WillPlay’s outdoor play and fitness equipment, tailored to their site and budget requirements. The business is now producing 30 to 40 projects every month.

With designs to delight and challenge both kids and adults, the outdoor play and fitness equipment – open space recreation solutions include equipment, shade, installation and soft fall surfacing – are designed and manufactured to withstand Australian conditions.

Jared Silcox, WillPlay design manager said he challenges his team to constantly dream up the next big thing in outdoor

fun and fitness. The mantra of WillPlay to bring communities means the company’s catalogue reads as a wish list for active kids, grownups and dogs – from fairytale adventures, giant treehouses and street climbers to climbing orbs, bike tracks, cableways, urban warriors and dog agility equipment.

Recent projects include a destination pirate park at the Gold Coast’s Palm Beach, a giant seven-metre Goliath tower within a multi-faceted adventure play park in Adelaide and the Donnybrook Apple Fun Park in Western Australia.

“The latest trends include councils’ development of larger, destination parks, like the Pirate Park at Palm Beach,” Silcox said.

“This includes a pirate ship with climbing nets and ropes, telescopes, cannons, crow’s nest towers, row boats

with talk tubes, caves, a flying fox, an eight-metre-long tunnel slide and more.

If I were a kid, I would want to be out there having a go.”

Silcox explained ensuring the playgrounds and fitness systems are easily

assembled and installed requires a raft of specialist skills and experience.

“We look after all the design work in-house and have about 40 years of experience in our design team,” he added.

“In the workshop, we’ve got years and

WillPlay produces 30 to 40 projects every month.

Aluminium

years of experience in cabinetmaking, carpentry, boiler making and fitting and turning. By doing everything in-house, we can control our quality.”

Part of WillPlay’s commitment to maintaining quality is ensuring material and finish selections are fit for purpose and withstand the rigours of many years of active play by communities across Australia.

One material that features prominently in WillPlay installations is aluminium – Jared said aluminium is used extensively throughout the company’s range and custom-designed solutions for three fundamental reasons:

“One, it’s lightweight, but two, it’s also strong. And thirdly, it is sustainable,” he said.

“Its weight saves on freight around Australia, and it survives our climate from the ocean to the deserts. And importantly, aluminium can be recycled at the end of a product’s life.

“Our playgrounds are 100 per cent recyclable, so everything that gets taken off one of our playgrounds can be taken to a recycling facility. It sets us apart.”

Since the business started, sourcing aluminium locally has been a priority for the WillPlay team, which works closely with Capral Aluminium.

“We have been associated with Capral since we started nine years ago, and they’ve really helped us along,” Silcox added.

Custom-designed aluminium extrusions developed by WillPlay and extruded by Capral have helped WillPlay streamline their projects’ design and installation, reducing installation complexity and time.

“We have a custom extrusion that allows us to install our systems as easily and quickly as possible. It’s like a giant Meccano set with blocks on its sides that enable us to drill through. It works effectively and makes our systems go

together quickly,” he noted.

“We can also order raw or powdercoated extrusions, saving us time.”

Capral works closely with WillPlay to develop prototypes for custom extrusions, enabling the business to quickly review new extrusions to ensure they will provide the required functionality and flexibility to bring WillPlay’s big ideas to life.

“Once it ticks all the boxes and goes into production, we order a tonne of it,” Silcox laughed.

Although said partly in jest, the new purpose-designed WillPlay facility in Bundaberg has provided the team with the space to stock more material and to bring their creations to life under one roof.

“Our new facility has made manufacturing more efficient. The business had expanded so quickly that we had been operating out of different buildings,” he said.

Now everything gets cut, drilled and manufactured at the same facility. WillPlay has its own CNC routers to cut all the plastic tubing and a rotor moulding machine to create slide and tube pieces.

Jared observes that WillPlay’s success speaks for itself: “You can find WillPlay playgrounds and fitness equipment pretty much anywhere in Australia now.”

To watch a video of WillPlay’s Crafted with Capral story, scan the QR code.

Aluminium is strong, lightweight and sustainable.

Industry 4.0

Why 5G is the heart of manufacturing digital transformation

Manufacturers’ Monthly spoke with Philippe Gerard, Head of APAC Manufacturing & Logistics at Nokia, about digitalizing the manufacturing process, and why 5G implementation is the cornerstone upon which Industry 4.0 successes are built.

MUCHhas been made in the manufacturing industry – and beyond – of the possibilities inherent in Industry 4.0 for building resilient, dynamic, productive, efficient, sustainable, and safe operations.

And yet, the full range of those possibilities hasn’t yet been fully explored, said Philippe Gerard, Head of APAC Manufacturing & Logistics at Nokia. More specifically, while digitalization has for years been a big factor and talking point on the IT side of operations, even relatively recently opportunities for digitalization had not penetrated down to the manufacturing floor.

“Three years ago the focus was still primarily on connecting – and

interconnecting – IT systems,” Gerard said. “But today we are having more conversations about the possibilities of 5G for digitalizing and optimizing the manufacturing side of things.”

Gerard noted that 5G is a gamechanger for manufacturing processes by virtue of its “low latency” – minimal delay processing and communicating data between points in a network system – and its “robustness” compared with competing alternatives.

“Speed in transferring data wirelessly on the manufacturing floor is obviously a big advantage, as more and more processes are automated, but how this is achieved in practice is where we see the advantages of employing 5G,” he said.

Gerard contrasted using 5G on the manufacturing floor with using Wi-Fi to wirelessly connect systems and transfer data. While Wi-Fi is a suitable technology to support IT operations and certain non-critical workflows on the production floor, 5G offers the bandwidth, speed

and reliability most manufacturing applications require.

“With Wi-Fi, you require a lot of access points because it has a relatively short radius – and so therefore mobility on the manufacturing floor becomes a challenge, just as it would were a user jumping from one Wi-Fi connection to another with their mobile phone rather than being connected all the time to a 5G network.

“It’s a distinction our customers have come more and more to understand in the past few years,” he said. “But for noncustomers it’s a key message we are still communicating: 5G is high speed, mobile, and very resilient. This latter quality –resilience – is key here. For example, we’ve worked with customers manufacturing steel products and doing welding at their operations. Such operations often have a lot of radio interferences, which easily disrupt attempts to digitalize processes with Wi-Fi. 5G, on the other hand, is immune to such disruptions.”

Building a 5G digitalized ecosystem

Building a 5G digitalized ecosystem starts with innovation and collaboration through projects like Arena 2036 in Germany, the 5G futures lab in Australia and other innovation sites in Japan, and Korea. These initiatives allow companies to collaborate in real-time to build-out

5G manufacturing networking has the high-bandwidth connectivity to support new levels of automation.

4.0

and prove use cases before they reach the factory floor. An example of this work is the innovative 5G and robotics work being done by Nokia and OMRON. This work will help advance factory robotics through 5G connectivity to bring Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) technologies to the forefront of the manufacturing toolset. Instead of feeding materials into one end, and having different modules directly connected to each other – working and shaping the materials in one way, then passing them directly to the next for further modification, with the final product coming out at the end – now separated manufacturing modules can operate independently and flexibly, with mobile robots taking the output from one module and carrying it to various different modules.

This introduces great flexibility and productivity into manufacturing operations, because the various modules are no longer all connected together to output one final product. Instead, by splitting up the process, individual material outputs from one module can be carried by mobile robots to various different locations as inputs for myriad different final products. This is a boon because, while each final product might be different, oftentimes they are comprised of individual components and materials that are shared with other final products.

The benefits of these innovations pay forward when we see leading companies like Arcelik, one of the world’s largest consumer appliance manufacturers, bring the benefits of 5G and robotics technologies into their own plantoptimizing their operation to include enhancements like real-time asset tracking with high-accuracy indoor positioning and new video analyticsbased applications for improved site safety and security.

Automated manufacturing floors employing mobile robots that interact with different modules require robust and low latency transfers of data. And that’s why 5G is the best option.

“Reliable, high-performance network connectivity is at the heart of digital transformation,” Gerard said. “High-performance 5G networks can be combined with other Industry 4.0 technologies – such as digital twins, data analytics, IoT [Internet of Things], and AI –to build a smart, flexible, and sustainable manufacturing ecosystem.”

5G smart factory solutions can accelerate IIoT adoption and Industry 4.0 transformation.

The results of Industry 4.0 digitalization speak for themselves.

In a recently conducted ABI Research/ Nokia survey of 1000 manufacturers globally, 71 per cent of respondents indicated their digitalization strategy had not been impacted by the global pandemic, and they were either able to accelerate or stick with their Industry 4.0 digital transformation plans.

Not only that, but manufacturers also reported significant impacts to their operations, including improved productivity (28 per cent), maintaining business continuity (24 per cent), adapting to remote work (20 per cent), adapting to supply chain changes (17 per cent) and a further 11 per cent noting “other benefits”.

In today’s manufacturing environment, reduction of human labour in operations means reduced costs, greater speed and efficiency, and reduced safety risks – not only because fewer human errors means fewer dangers to others in high-intensity environments,

but also because the experience of the pandemic has hammered home the need for correct social distancing procedures.

And by freeing up human labour on the manufacturing floor from tasks that can be automated and digitalized, that human labour can be redeployed to tasks that require the creative and lateral thinking skills of which only humans are capable.

“A big part of what we do is empower workers by bringing them the knowledge they need, when they need it, and coordinating and automating tasks that they don’t need to be concerned with,” Gerard said. “In addition to its role in communicating from machine to machine, 5G-based operations allow data to be shared in real time with workers who can assess that data and make more informed decisions because of it. This might be information that workers can use to identify areas of opportunity for better productivity, or to identify potential safety risks, or even incorporating interactive and accessible

training modules that expedite worker education and upskilling.”

As well as creating an effective internal ecosystem for a manufacturing operation, Gerard adds that a crucial component of ensuring the success of Industry 4.0 digitalization is having an ecosystem of collaboration between technology partners.

“Manufacturers looking to deploy Industry 4.0 technologies should look for vendors with a big partner ecosystem that can also give them the confidence to provide close long-term customer support,” he said. “At Nokia – we have that ecosystem.”

With digitalization starting to take centre stage on the production floor, manufacturers wondering where to begin need to look no further. Because of 5G’s high performance and its ability to seamlessly interconnect all Industry 4.0 technologies, implementation of 5G is not only at the heart of digital transformation in manufacturing, but the perfect place to start digital transformation.

Machine Maintenance

Low flow and high-pressure lubrication

Manufacturers’ Monthly spoke with JSG lubrication product manager, Rainer Bels, about two grease guns that are helping manufacturers in a range of industrial environments.

INDUSTRY

studies and data have shown that lubrication accounts for about one to three per cent of the overall cost of a manufacturer’s maintenance budget. However, the impact of poor lubrication on equipment in terms of premature failures can become very costly, amounting up to 40 per cent of their same allotted funds.

To help manufacturers avoid unnecessary downtime, JSG Industrial Systems (JSG), a John Sample Group business, uses its vast application engineering resource base, as well as OEM factory specifications, to determine the correct lubrication system needs for customer applications.

JSG provides access to a complete service for the supply of automatic lubrication systems covering system scoping, design, installation, and commissioning through a national

Heavy-duty units

JSG has recently made the new Lincoln 1886 20V Li-Ion Powerluber grease gun available on the Australian market to compliment the 1882 20V and the 1262 grease guns.

The 1882 20V is a general-purpose grease gun, which has a high-tech LCD screen and can accurately measure the quantities outputted while the 1886 20V Li-Ion Powerluber grease gun is a basic unit, which doesn’t have a screen, but is more powerful with a higher flow and is better suited to harsh environments.

“These products and the 1262 grease gun are used in all industries from agriculture to automotive, construction, general maintenance in industrial applications from the food industry to the steel industry,” Rainer Bels, JSG Lubrication Product Manager, said.

The food industry is keen on measuring how much lubricant goes into a bearing because it doesn’t want it spoiling its products. Therefore, the 1882 is suited for this space because you can easily measure that using the screen.

While the heavy mining industry might be interested in the 1882, it won’t provide it with the high volume that it may want so it should consider the 1886

“You can see exactly how much lubricant you are putting into a bearing,” Bels explained. “You can have a grease gun running but not pumping any grease. The screen will tell you if you are pumping any grease, which is a big

The mining industry has larger bearings, so it needs more lubricant to

put into them, he noted, adding that it’s a time-saving decision – whereas the packaging and food industry has much smaller outputs.

The 1886 arrived in Australia nine months ago and is rugged because its motor is larger than that of the 1882 –although Bels said it’s important to note both can produce high pressures up in the 1690 bar range (maximum).

He said the company has a huge stockholding of the 1886 in Sydney and receives weekly shipments from the US and Europe, so there’s no concern regarding supply.

Another option for manufacturers, the 1262 grease gun’s three-point base keeps it upright and stable, and its light weight and comfortable grip reduces fatigue and makes lubricating easier.

Grease guns with an edge

Bels noted that Australia and New Zealand is the only region worldwide that uses a 450-gram grease gun cartridge. Other regions instead use the traditional 400gram cartridge.

“We have an adapter kit which allows you to use the 450-gram Australiansized cartridge,” he explained. “We sell them for the 1882 and the 1886. They’re more popular than the European-sized cartridges, which is important to note.”

JSG cooperating with distributors and businesses

“JSG is a wholly family-owned company and has been in the automotive and lubrication industry for over 100 years,” Bels explained. “We have branches in every state of Australia, as well as New

Zealand, South Africa, Singapore, and Indonesia.

“We work only through distributors, who are situated close to the businesses they are looking after. For example, there are distributors in the mining areas who look after the local mines, and they have a reputation with the local people to support them and offer our products in the area. This is something that’s been done for a very long time.

“We support them fully with technical help. We have a small engineering team. Our knowledge is as good as the manufacturer of our products because of our long history. I’ve been working with the European and the US arm of Lincoln for at least 25 years.”

Other services JSG offers include troubleshooting and design. Its team is extremely familiar with the equipment sold so it can easily and quickly solve any problems the customers might have with their purchases.

Effective lubrication helps machinery operate at maximum productivity level.

“JSG is a wholly family-owned company and has been in the automotive and lubrication industry for over 100 years.”

Material Handling

A no-brainer for fabricators

ONEof the first adopters of robotic fabrication, Bossong Engineering was born in 1988 when Steve Bossong decided to branch out from working with his father at Falcoln Engineering in Western Australia. His son Paul continues to lead the company into the future with his brother Mark by building on a portfolio of advanced manufacturing systems at the Welshpool and Broome operations – with robotics, a large fabrication department along with assembly and a machine shop at the facilities.

“When it comes to robotic fabrication,

normally you make motorcars for example – one thing for its whole life,” he explained. “We did our own system integration to make the robot facilitate jobbing. Because there was no support for robotics in Western Australia, the business had to be its own pioneer.”

This approach bared fruit for Bossong, eventually leading to work on all the iron ore wagons for BHP, making the sub-components for up to ten wagons per week in the Pilbara. The company was required to pivot in 2005 when the wagons were offshored, moving its expertise more heavily into the oil and

gas space. Providing solutions for the oil and gas industry meant a lot of pipe movements in Bossong’s yards, which is why it decided to join forces with materials handling specialist Combilift.

“What we needed was to bring pipe and tubulars into our shed,” Paul explained. “Drill pipe typically weighs around 500 kilos each so you need to be able to move them inside and onto pipe racks for servicing.”

At the core of Combilift’s philosophy as a material handling solutions provider is its ability to provide the safest and most efficient way to handle long and

heavy loads.

The multidirectional range of forklifts and pedestrian stackers offer the ability to quickly change direction – the four-way movement gives the range of forklift trucks the versatility to transport very long loads through narrow doorways and around objects with confidence and safety.

“ You could have a 16-tonne forklift and pick the pipe up, but the issue is you can’t get it through the doors,” Paul said. “The ability for the Combilift to pivot and just drive in sideways through the doors just opens up your envelope on what you can

Manufacturers’ Monthly speaks with Bossong Engineering about how Combilift forklifts help support the innovative manufacturing processes used in the company’s two facilities.

Combilift helps Bossong Engineering effectively move pipe into its shed.

Material Handling

do inside. We’ve got two Combilifts – an eight tonne and a twelve tonne and they are extremely useful for our operations.”

The C-series has been designed to improve workflow by effectively becoming three forklifts in one, a

sideloader, counterbalance and narrow aisle forklift. This essentially eliminates double handling of material, improving productivity around a facility.

“They’ve got some great features, including a ramp system. When we lower

the pipe, it rolls back towards the mast. It can take a full truckload off so it’s a safer way to move the pipe. It’s easier for the guys to get close to the truck to unload and load the tubulars, so there are big safety advantages to go with

The Combi C-Series is built to last, suited for the demands of harsh industrial environments as well as more modern automated fit-outs. The forklifts are built with the highest quality standard components and only essential sensitive electronics, which extends their operational lifespan. Driver-comfort is another factor etched into the design, with a spacious, easy to access cab fitted with an easy to adjust, full suspension seat. The controls are intuitive and ergonomically positioned.

“It’s been the best solution we’ve seen,” he said. “We’ve been an advocator for some of the other service companies to adopt the technology as well simply because it works. Pipes in a yard are notoriously dangerous. Having control over how you move your pipe and keeping everyone safe in the yard is a no-brainer. We will definitely be using Combilift going forward to keep us safe and keep up efficiencies in the yard.”

Finding the best use for robotic welding

One of Bossong’s unique identifiers is its capabilities in the robotic welding space. The engineering company has the latest in welding technology, working with its clients to get the best use out of robotics for specific projects. At the design stage, Bossong can assist with the design solution to make it more conducive to using robotics.

“The robotics are programmed and configured for flexible manufacturing using our own sophisticated robotic welding systems,” Paul added. “We really like to put ourself forward as having sort of the best in advanced manufacturing solutions to set us apart. Some people in the industry argue robots are stealing jobs, but I’d say they are actually creating jobs because by having that robotics technology in house you’re attracting more work to be done locally than going offshore.”

The team of welding experts includes an international weld supervisor and senior welding inspectors who are trained to use the robots for the best outcome. With this backing, Bossong doesn’t rest on its heels, always looking for the latest technologies which bring something new to common problems.

“As much as new technologies exist, you need to make sure it’s commercial and applications locally to execute it,” he said. “That’s what we do – the quality attracts fabrication work in the sub-sea space. We have made structures that have to fill in the seabed for 30 plus years and have hydrocarbons running through them. We do conveyor frames for the kilometre-long conveyors up in the Pilbara as a couple of examples.”

Bossong is not only a master of its domain with systems developed inhouse, it acts as a solutions provider for some of the biggest mining companies and other industry.

“We focus on the applications and solutions from our systems which can be used in the field. We know how to design for manufacture. We’re in a manufacturing environment which means we can get feedback from the shop floor directly, which allows us to envisage a project from start to finish and optimise design for every step in the process.”

Two Combilift forklifts help Bossong Engineering increase safety.

Endeavour Awards

Supporting local capabilities in supply chain integration

Honouring the capability of local businesses is at the heart of what the Industry Capability Network does, which is why it is sponsoring the Global Supply Chain Integration of the Year Award once again this year at the Endeavour Awards.

AS an ongoing sponsor of the Endeavour Awards, the Industry Capability Network (ICN) has seen the event as a great platform to highlight the capabilities of Australian manufacturers.

“We’ve seen great benefit in sponsoring support primarily because it really speaks to the heart of what we do, which is to honour the capability of local businesses, which is what we have been doing for close to 40 years as a network,” ICN executive director Warren Jansen said.

“Because of everything that’s happened in the last couple of years, we see it as a responsibility to keep on pushing local content and the capability of Australian companies to the world. These awards support that.”

Regarding the recent challenges around supply chain disruptions, Jansen said that the manufacturing industry has displayed great resilience.

“A lot of manufacturers have shown grit, courage and adaptability that has been pivotal to the way we’ve come out on the other side,” he said. “We’ve got a long way to go, but I think resilience has played a huge part in being able to navigate what’s been a very turbulent couple of years, which will be quite a test for the new government as well and how they navigate and help manufacturers get back on track.”

To pivot and withstand external pressures, Jansen believes that discussions

occurring at a policy level need to be informed by what’s happening on the ground and vice versa to ensure that businesses are supported. It is also key to act quickly and decisively to combat internal and external factors felt across supply chains.

“The Jobs and Skills Summit was targeted towards helping industry thrive and I think that if some of those plans really come to fruition it will be good for us in the long run,” Jansen said. “But I think decisiveness and speed to act is going to be critical in impacting not just local companies, but manufacturing in general.”

Additionally, investments made by government such as the National Reconstruction Fund and the Buy Australia plan will shape active change within the industry in the long term. A new way of thinking and a new focus on technology will also support a healthier economy in the future.

“The appetite for manufacturers to explore the art of possible has forced people down this path,” Jansen said.

“We are moving into a new wave of manufacturing things that are more tech-focused, which will have a longer-term impact on everything we do. Because of the appetite for a more tech-focused industry to grow and thrive and its implications on our industries, I think we will be in a better position if investments are driven in that space –

companies to projects large and small, and aids manufacturers as they look to expand into new areas. At the heart of ICN’s service is ICN Gateway, an online system that connects buyers and suppliers looking to build partnerships. However, this system has evolved greatly over the years as it looks to become more of an end-to-end service.

“For the longest time, we’ve been seen

as a bit of a matchmaker between buyers and suppliers. But I think our journey and evolution has taken us to this new place where we are on the cusp of becoming an end-to-end service,” Jansen said.

“We’re not just the tech platform that puts businesses front and centre, we’re also real people on the ground backing this awesome network, helping companies not just showcase their value in a platform but also understand their real capability. We’ve delivered close to $40 billion worth of work over almost 40 years.”

With over 80,000 companies taking part on the platform and over 100 people in the network supporting local industry, ICN is now a broader ecosystem that has extended beyond ICN Gateway. Perspective by ICN is a capability analysis tool designed to increase the understanding of business capabilities in different regions and sectors, while Procure by ICN streamlines all procurement processes into one, easy-to-use system. Also, Insight by ICN provides real-time data visualisations, helping to make informed decisions to drive strategic actions.

As ICN plans to add a social procurement and carbon neutral strategy to its roadmap, it will strive to continue supporting local manufacturing capabilities.

ICN is sponsoring the Global Supply Chain Integration of the Year Award at the Endeavour Awards 2022.

ICN executive director, Warren Jansen.

Endeavour Awards

Celebrating excellence in growth

BDO has witnessed a strong growth trajectory in Australian manufacturing under its ongoing sponsorship at the Endeavour Awards, and continues to support manufacturers as they innovate during a challenging period.

INNOVATION

is a key part of a manufacturers’ lifespan; and when delivered on, growth usually follows. One company that has been consistently synonymous with growth while supporting the Australian manufacturing industry is BDO, which is sponsoring the Excellence in Growth Award for a third year.

BDO offers a range of accountancy, tax and advisory services to clients Australiawide and is connected by its global network. With deep sector experience, BDO takes a holistic approach to help manufacturers improve their day-today business performance, manage their risks and enable their people to deliver on Industry 4.0. BDO’s specialists provide practical and strategic guidance by helping to identify and leverage key competencies.

“BDO is a full service accounting, tax advisory, business services firm with a long standing history of working with manufacturers for many years,” BDO National Manufacturing & Wholesale leader Ryan Pollett said. “We’re big supporters of the manufacturing industry in Australia and our involvement with the Endeavour Awards has been one way we’ve been able to assist with that.”

However, growth is not always a simple endeavour. In light of the recent challenges that have affected the manufacturing industry, Pollett believes Australia has fared better than most, but still has a way to go before it recovers.

“From talking with clients, even as recently as the last couple of weeks, you can tell that a lot of those disruptions are still impacting businesses,” he said. “They’ve got order books at record highs, but are struggling to deliver in terms of the global supply chain in particular with high lead times and high freight costs. The skills shortage is also causing a lot of headaches at the moment.

“What we’re seeing is manufacturers adapting and dealing with these situations. We’ve seen clients sourcing more products and raw materials locally

where they can, investing in technology and the circular economy and improving supply chain resilience. They’re tapping into global supply chains and becoming involved with trusted trade programs to fast track imports and exports. On the skill side, a focus on skills and training has been really important, upskilling existing workers and getting the most productivity that they can out of the resources they have, such as TAFE programs.”

Pollett said encouraging companies down the right path via the acceleration of Industry 4.0, introducing circular economies, and government initiatives like the National Reconstruction Fund would be beneficial. BDO also assists Australian manufacturers in these challenges and as they grow through establishing and maintaining strong relationships with industry clients.

“A big area for BDO is advisory and consulting services. Often it might start with an audit or tax relationship and then we begin to add value for our clients over time,” Pollett said. “For example that might be helping clients secure grant funding, or working with government

through what can be a difficult process, particularly in terms of larger grants or unsolicited proposals.”

Various consulting teams are available at BDO to tackle specific challenges for manufacturing clients, focusing on

technology, ESG, training and upskilling people, corporate finance, and supply chain resilience.

“In terms of that growth mindset, we’ve had a number of clients that we’ve taken all the way through from start-up or small family business and they’ve grown over time – maybe they’ve done some acquisitions along the way and ultimately listed the business on the ASX,” Pollett said. “That’s really gratifying when we can be involved in that process from start to

In support of growing manufacturing in Australia, BDO is pleased to be sponsoring the Excellence in Growth Award again at this year’s Endeavour

“We work with organisations like the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre and support things like the Endeavour Awards because we see a positive future for manufacturing in Australia,” Pollett said. “No matter the headwinds, there’s been a lot of fantastic innovation over the past few years during COVID and I think we’re on the right path to success – and hopefully that can continue on.”

BDO is sponsoring the Excellence in Growth Award in the Endeavour Awards 2022.

BDO National Manufacturing & Wholesale leader, Ryan Pollett.

Endeavour Awards

Upskilling the Australian manufacturing workforce

Through engaging with the industry, IBSA Group has seen that a shortage of skilled labour has not stopped Australian manufacturers from doing what they do best – innovating and collaborating to find the best solutions.

TO develop the qualifications and training packages that are needed to upskill, engaging with the manufacturing industry as a whole is essential. That is why Innovation & Business Skills Australia (IBSA Group) is pleased to continue sponsoring the Excellence in Manufacturing Skills Development Award this year.

IBSA Manufacturing is the Skills Service Organisation that enables the manufacturing industry to establish world-class, nationally recognised qualifications that ensure businesses and their workforce stay at the forefront of global competitiveness and innovation. It is responsible for Training Package Review and Development, supporting industry engagement with Training Packages and developing Industry Skills Forecasts.

“At many levels, our engagement with industry is critical to the work we do in developing training packages and qualifications and getting real insights from industry as to what’s emerging, developing, changing, and how that needs to be reflected in the way that people are trained and educated,” IBSA Group Industry Engagement manager Philip Clarke said.

Despite the recent pressures the manufacturing industry has experienced around a shortage of skilled labour, Clarke said that IBSA Group has witnessed a positive outlook following the Group’s Manufacturing Skills Forum on 17 August. Through various innovations stimulated during the pandemic, manufacturers have quickly and adeptly re-evaluated their strategies to succeed. At the Forum, there was a strong sense of collaboration in the lead up to the Jobs and Skills Summit which is needed to achieve the best outcomes.

“Collaboration is a big thing often spoken about, but it’s got to be done and filter through to more flexible training solutions,” Clarke said. “And a greater sense of responsibility for scaling the workforce involves investment from government, industry and individuals.”

As an example, the Victorian state government is supporting Hanwha Defense Australia for the build of its new facility in Avalon. Manufacturing hubs have also been created across Australia that are facilitating more opportunities for manufacturers to collaborate and upskill, including Tonsley Park in Adelaide and the Swinburne University of Technology’s Factory of the Future.

There was also discussion at the event around how to attract more people into the industry. While ramping up skilled migration was deemed part of the solution, it was acknowledged that other high wage countries including Canada and the UK are also competing to attract skilled immigrants.

“At the end of the day, migration will be an important part of the fix, but it will only be through attracting new, local people into manufacturing and training them very well that will see those opportunities realised,” Clarke said.

“There was a lot of discussion around underutilised cohorts – like women over 50 and people with disabilities – and attracting them into the workforce. As automation increases dramatically in manufacturing, there are people who might have a disability, like autism for example, who actually have talents that

are particularly important in areas such as automation and artificial intelligence.”

By hosting events such as the Manufacturing Skills Forum, IBSA Group engages with the industry to find solutions that drive manufacturing skills excellence.

“By running events like the Skills Forum, we bring people together to share ideas and opinions,” IBSA Group Communications lead Danielle Parker said. “The Scaling Up Series that we

did last year resulted in a big report to government as well. We held webinars with every section of the industry that we cover over about two months in total, then collated the findings and had it validated by associations like the Business Council of Australia and Australian Industry Group.”

To further support the industry as manufacturers upskill their workforce, IBSA Group has reviewed each of its nine qualifications over the past year. For example, the Engineering Training Package will help Australian manufacturers to implement Industry 4.0 technologies via a range of advanced VET qualifications. As technologies including robotics become more prevalent in Australian manufacturing, IBSA Group works to help develop the skills needed to support the industry as it evolves.

“It’s about identifying the skills that people need for the future, for the roles that are coming up, and to make sure that we move with technology,” Parker added. “That’s probably one of the biggest ways that we support manufacturing.”

Join IBSA Group on 3 November in Sydney to celebrate excellence in manufacturing skills development: www.endeavourawards.com.au/ awards/

IBSA Group is sponsoring the Excellence in Manufacturing Skills Development Award at the Endeavour Awards 2022.

IBSA Group Industry Engagement manager, Philip Clarke.

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Defence Manufacturing

Becoming Defence ready

There has never been a greater need for Australia to develop and maintain a sovereign defence industrial base. Sascha Sinclair from Systematiq shares with Manufacturers’ Monthly how to best deliver products to the defence industry.

AS Australia faces an increasingly contested geopolitical environment, it is important for the Australian Government to grow the industrial base required to support the Australian Defence Force.

The Hon. Pat Conroy MP, minister for defence industry and minister for international development and the Pacific recently stated, “Our strategic environment dictates the need to build and maintain a robust, resilient, and internationally competitive sovereign defence industrial base. This is an absolute necessity in order to provide the support our men and women in uniform need. There are significant opportunities to grow our industrial capabilities through collaboration with key partners. In order to grow these capabilities, we must do more than just highlight them, we must support their growth in Australia.”

There’s never been a better time for advanced manufacturing businesses to look towards the defence industry for opportunities in supply chain participation. The benefits can be great: business growth, jobs growth, long term security, and a chance to contribute to the local economy, not to mention be part of some innovative programs developed by the ADF and its strategic allies.

But delivering your products into a Defence program is not like any other commercial arrangement. You need to structure your business in a way that conforms to the requirements of working with the Federal Government and Defence Force. If you don’t prepare adequately, you may succumb to some of the risks of project failure that unfortunately are all too common.

Risky business

The ADF and the large prime systems integrators who establish local supply chains and engage SMEs are extremely risk adverse. They will be looking to engage businesses who provide the least

right evidence to support your business case and tick all the boxes when it comes to producing compliance documentation. This may include becoming ISO9000 certified, providing previous financial history, and evidence that you are locally owned and operated.

SMEs also need to demonstrate their ‘ability to supply’ and the capacity to support a project through its entire development and delivery. This can be demonstrated by making sure you have identified people who can be dedicated to the project, and if they aren’t available, a suitable budget and a plan to recruit and train for the project or a partner or supplier who can assist. Often businesses don’t plan for this and overload their workforce, which can cause strain on staffing.

Systematiq’s director of strategy, Brydon Johnson also noted, “A key aspect that a lot of businesses overlook is documenting how the project elements will be delivered. While the solution is important to the Department of Defence, the way your business plans to implement the solution is just as important. Your response needs to reflect the project

From little things, big things grow

Queensland generator manufacturer

Eniquest is an example of a company who successfully moved into the Defence sector, with the majority of their business now supplying units for various Defence programs.

“The transition wasn’t without challenges,” Eniquest general manager – Don Pulver said. “But the benefits are enormous. The Australian Defence Force is one of Australia’s largest customers so you’re never going to go to sell as many products as you can to Defence.”

Pulver’s advice to SMEs eager to pursue Defence contracts is simple: start by understanding the products needed, establish how you can meet those needs, and reach out to those in the supply chain that you can partner with.

“We started our defence business 19 years ago, sourcing and suppling in service spares. Our first Commonwealth contract was more than 10 years ago. It was a minor contract to manufacture and supply Field Power Distribution Boxes. Follow-on orders still continue today.

program and hopefully more to come.”

LAND 8140 is the Deployable Force Infrastructure Project and aims to modernise deployable sanitation, catering, water management and treatment, shelters, and power generation. It will provide responsive, scalable, and adaptable deployable infrastructure to meet the evolving operational needs of the Australian Defence Force.

Ex-Defence Industry Minister Reynolds stated, “While this modernised capability will be used on missions overseas, it will also enhance support the ADF provides for humanitarian assistance and responding to natural disasters, including bushfire emergencies in Australia.”

The program is also providing significant new partnership and supply chain opportunities with Australian defence industry and will provide ongoing work for years to come.

Don Pulver commented also on the benefits to Eniquest that have resulted from these contracts. “We’ve experienced continuous growth from 10 to 25 per cent a year,” he said. “Our recent L8140 contract

SMEs need to demonstrate an ability to support a project through its entire development and delivery.

Defence

will more than double our business and will require up to 20 new staff including 12 new technicians and up to 8 new support staff. To support this new business, Eniquest is expanding its facility by another 2,600 sqm on its current site including stores, machine shop, and assembly areas.”

All in good time

Often the Defence program lead time is lengthy – from an initial Request for Information, through to the tender process or Request for Tender, then the decision and mobilisation of delivery can be years. A business needs to be able to withstand these timeframes and manage their own expectations through this process – which can often be opaque and delayed.

“You need to be good at what you target before you attempt to get this business,” Pulver added.

“Once you have an initial contract you can expand on this, but it is a process, so be patient and remain focused. We always had a vision to win a contract such as L8140. Even before we knew the requirement, we developed products with anticipation. These products were

far more advanced than the current in-service equipment and provided increased capability so when the opportunity for a tender final came, we were already on the front foot.

“You’ve got to be patient and you’ve got to be persistent.”

One of the major challenges with this process can be managing cash flow and resourcing. This can be especially tricky with the current labour shortages and material delays being experienced across the globe. Being aware and planning ahead as much as possible will prepare you to weather some of the challenges that come with delays and uncertainty.

Pulver agreed with this sentiment, “Such growth comes with strain on cash flow and while we are extremely grateful for the contract, we are under immense pressure to ensure we balance this correctly to deliver a successful program.”

Brydon Johnson added, “One area often overlooked is how you can break up a project into milestones to assist with cashflow pressures. We assist SMEs with this process by developing Work Breakdown Structures which can be very

effective in easing this burden.”

Landing opportunities

This year’s Land Forces exhibition and conference, from 4-6 October 2022 at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre in Brisbane, Queensland, will be a key meeting hub for Australian and international industry, defence, academia, and government, as the Australian Army implements the most substantial period of recapitalisation and optimisation since the Second World War.

Land Forces is always a powerful forum for key decision-makers from throughout the region, enabling government representatives, defence officials, military procurement managers and senior army officers to network with defence materiel manufacturers, equipment suppliers and service providers. State and Commonwealth representatives, along with all the major primes and defence industry partners are able to engage in a range of information and networking events.

This year will prove to be no different with the increase in focus in our region,

and the upcoming Defence Strategic Review that aims to help Defence better understand where it should prioritise investment.

Systematiq, a Defence Industry consulting company, that provides procurement, consulting, and project management services, will be in attendance and encourage all SMEs who are interested in becoming a supplier to the defence industry to take the opportunity to attend.

“Land Forces is really the premier event of the year when it comes to the defence industry supporting the Australian Army,” Johnson said.

“We see it as a great opportunity to connect not just with our clients, but with other industry partners, and get a sense for what direction the Government is going and what are the key focus areas for the short, medium, and long term. Not to mention the fact that the products on display are always impressive and feature some of our most innovative developments.”

Systematiq looks forward to seeing you there.

Defence Manufacturing

Distribution is an Australian steel and aluminium supplier of product, processing and supply solutions, supporting a wide range of customers in many industries, including residential and non-residential building, infrastructure, farming, mining, oil and gas, manufacturing, renewable energy and defence.

BLUESCOPE

million capability was conceptualised with the goal of providing a unique and domestically coordinated supply chain solution, assisting in the delivery of largescale national projects.

point of contact for all material and steel & aluminum processing requirements.

The last three years have certainly highlighted the vulnerability of global supply chains and the difficulties that many industries have faced in securing vital goods and materials, including building products.

Irena Kupkovic, sales manager National Products, Processing and Solutions Hub, said Bluescope Distribution’s newly commissioned $6.9

“We saw the opportunity to bring some stability to projects through surety of supply,” she said. “The facility is about providing end-to-end solutions – a more a holistic product and service offering that will help customers deliver significant projects Australia-wide. We’re focusing on project management as well as material supply.”

TheHub is the 16th site for BlueScope Distribution in Australia, providing processing of semi-finished components and project management solutions relating to surety of supply and a single

TheHub complements BlueScope Distribution’s existing national network of strategically located branches in metropolitan and regional sites. With a national presence, BlueScope Distribution enables customers to access a comprehensive steel and aluminium product portfolio, and the ease of dealing with one single-source provider of product, processing of semi-finished components and project management solutions to deliver projects on time and to specification.

“By looking at a project in its entirety, we can meet with clients to truly be a partner,” Kupkovic explained. “We’re acting as the conduit between the tier

one contractor or developer and the manufacturer. We can work with multiple businesses as a collaboration so the job can be done locally and supplied nationally.”

Mick McPhan, national manager operations and National Products, Processing and Solutions Hub, BlueScope Distribution echoed his colleagues’ sentiments.

“We’re offering local solutions, a domestically managed supply chain and working with well trusted partners; this value proposition has already been very warmly received by both new and existing customers - even though the facility was not officially opened until May 2022, we were already providing materials to some partners in December 2021,” he said.

BlueScope Distribution’s new National Product, Processing & Solutions Hub is strengthening local supply of steel and aluminium for the navy’s next generation ships as well as other projects in the

Boosting sovereign capability

BlueScope Distribution’s national network provides steel and aluminium processing capability to deliver projects Australia-wide.

Defence Manufacturing

“We can produce kits and shorten the supply chain for customers who are delivering large scale projects. We can deliver parts that are ready for fabrication – we’re reducing the need for customers to spend time undertaking weld preparation.

“We’re geared to undertake all the work on customers’ infeed materials, allowing them to concentrate on their core areas of business, and in doing so, providing added efficiencies. Offering customers an alternative, by providing them with semi-finished components means they can concentrate more on what their business specialises in.”

Processing capabilities

The BlueScope Distribution network including the National Product, Processing and Solutions Hub provides customers with state of the art steel and aluminium processing including:

• Straight plasma cutting

Constant angle bevel

Complex variable bevel and K bevel

• Power hole thermal cut

Drilling

• Tapping Etching

• Laser or inkjet printing

Blast and prime (available on request)

• Sheet & coil processing

Aluminium routing cutting

• Aluminium sheet shearing to size Structural beamline processing BlueScope Distribution’s National Products, Processing and Solutions Hub utilises a state of the art, MicroStep multi-functional processing line to deliver both Plasma and Oxyfuel cutting capability. BlueScope Distribution can provide unique, optimal solutions across a range of thicknesses up to 150mm while maintaining cut tolerances to meet or exceed ISO 9013 standards. The market leading integrated laser scanning and auto-calibration capability allows for this to be achieved while maximising yield performance for customers. In addition to thermal cutting, BlueScope Distribution has an operational capability to deliver on a range of high-end product solutions, including complex variable bevels, drilling and tapping capabilities rounded off with a variety of marking functionalities including etching, laser and inkjet marking.

“We have large, modern plate processing facilities, straight plasma cutting, complex variable bevelling and thermal cutting. We can handle all weld preparation work for downstream fabricators. We ink jet mark, drill, tap and counter sink,” Mcphan explained.

“Many of our customers also tell us that floor space within their own operations is vital. Offering customers

semi-finished components often saves them considerable floor space and frees up their own labour,” he added.

A dedicated team

As well as offering the added capacity to handle significant projects and the convenience of dealing with a single provider for product, processing and service solutions, the dedicated teams from across the network of locations offer customers complete and customised endto-end solutions, depending on project requirements.

The teams offer industry expertise, technical know-how and local product and processing knowledge which customers can benefit from throughout their projects.

Having strong industry insights and a focus on listening to customer enable BlueScope Distribution teams to excel. Customer’s may need multiple steel and aluminium products, delivered at different stages and often processed. By taking the time to learn what clients require the team can offer a complete solution complementing product, service and value.

Offering centralised project management services, which help coordinate the complex supply chains that are typically associated with large steel intensive projects, providing supply

chain certainty. Collaboration with trusted supply partners is a vital part of how BlueScope Distribution provides further value to customers. As part of the broader BlueScope group and having well-established supply partnerships with suppliers such as Bisalloy Steel and blast and prime partners, BlueScope Distribution can manage all aspects of a project’s steel and aluminium requirements. This provides a well coordinated and lean supply chain solution for customers.

A strategic footprint

The combination of BlueScope Distribution’s national network and the purpose-built, capability in TheHub enables the team to support customers right across the country and with projects of various size. The comprehensive range of products is complimented by various processing capabilities to support customers with finished components ready for fabrication or assembly.

The addition of the National Product, Processing and Solutions Hub also means that BlueScope Distribution can also support major projects which require an added level of project management required to ensure large scale defence, infrastructure and renewable energy projects are deliver on time and to specification.

Passionate workers at the National Product, Processing & Solutions Hub.

BlueScope Distribution brings stability to projects through surety of supply.

Hoists & chains

Lifting with air hoists

Glenn Morgan, national hoist specialist at KITO PWB, spoke to Manufacturers’ Monthly about the range of ENDO products it offers to clients in industries such as construction, mining, and oil and gas. One such product is the air hoist, a tool that’s safer and easier to use than its electric counterpart in certain environments.

GOING

on more than 40 years of working relationship, KITO PWB is the exclusive distributor of ENDO quality products in Australasia. KITO offers two main product ranges from the quality Japanese brand – spring balances and air hosts.

The air hoists have lifting capabilities ranging from 120 kilograms to six tonnes and are popular in various industries, especially with mining and oil and gas companies.

Glenn Morgan, KITO PWB National Hoist Specialist, said ENDO has been making air hoists for more than 50 years and KITO PWB has associated itself with the Japanese company for a long time for a clear reason

“ENDO is a quality manufacturer and are known for a high level of reliability,” he said. “The Japanese company has strong business ethics – They don’t swap or change their dealers and they believe in being committed to their clients and vice versa.”

Air hoists are a pneumatic product, using compressed air as the power source from an air compressor. There are several advantages to foregoing electric and manual hoists in certain environments, including a boost in safety within hazardous work conditions.

“Where the operators are using it a lot all day every day, air hoists are a good option for that,” he said. “Air hoists tend to be used in applications where you don’t want to have an electric motor because of surrounding flammable material.”

They’re also suited for delicate loads where manoeuvrability is required, utilising variable speed expertly.

Compressed air goes into what’s called a ‘rotary phone motor’ in the device. It spins the motor depending on what direction the airflow goes into the vein.

The user can control this via levers to either lift or lower. The hoists have what is classified as an ‘infinite duty cycle,’ which means the user can run them repeatedly without causing them to overheat, and

has infinitely variable speed.

Operators use very high duty cycles a lot every day, noted Morgan. This is where the air hoist is a good option – despite being more expensive.

“There are two different types of controls for the motor, and they depend upon how much air is used,” he said. “The difference between the air and electric hoists is that the harder the user pushes the button, the faster it will go. They can control the speed so when they’re lifting it into things, they can gain much better control compared to using a standard electric coil.”

“Once you have either what they call a ‘pull cord control’ – you pull down one cord and it raises, and you pull down the other cord, which lowers,” Morgan said. “You can also use a pendant control. You push a button, and it goes up, and you push a button that goes down.”

The air hoist is also valuable when space is at a premium. While a pneumatic hoist needs to be connected to an air

Air Hoist can be used for loading and unloading, and transport.

compressor in order to work, the unit can be located anywhere that is out of the way – including outside the building where your air hoist is installed.

“The hoist has a compact but powerful body,” Morgan added. “There is also a range of customisable options and special accessories available for every model.”

Some of these extra features include a cleaner accessory, longer chains or cables, extended control tubes, pendant controls and different trolleys.

Morgan explained that the air hoist is appropriate when the product might be hot or dangerous to handle. It means the user can’t push the product because it might have wet paint on it, or it could be over an AED where it needs to be driven.

“The backend of the hoist is a costeffective high quality Japanese product,” Morgan said. “It has a basic range and can do up to six tonnes. What we offer is for the volume type market. We don’t do the higher capacity. People get 25 to 50-tonne air hoists, but we don’t do that.”

Because of the customisable nature of the product, different industries are utilizing the air hoist. Fitted with rotary vane motors with lightweight aluminium bodies, the hoists are not restricted to mining and oil and gas, but useful for chemical plants, paper mills, construction, engineering and shipping.

The air hoist range has functionality for operations that require high speed.

Problem Solved

Innovation. Quality. Performance.

Water is used in virtually every step of every manufacturing process every day.

That’s why it’s so important to ensure your filtration helps to meet your efficiency, productivity, regulatory and conservation goals.

Whether it’s incoming raw materials, continuous or batch process or final filtration, 3M has the solutions you need to help you to maximise and streamline your water and application processes.

more information,

3M.com.au/purification

is

Filtration

A wide scope for better filtration

3M’s housing solutions solve problems for customers in a variety of manufacturing sectors, the oil and gas industry and food and beverage processing. Manufacturers’ Monthly finds out why the DuoFLO bag technology is a fit for a broad range of environments.

THE Separation and Purification Sciences Division at 3M has been designing and manufacturing

bag,” he said. “You can solve the nature of different issues with different technologies, but experience tells me

of suspended solids. DF fits very well between strainers and cartridges as a suitable and reliable filtration method.

use it either as a pre filter to the high flow or as a general use filter that gives you a lot of scope, going from 200 all the way down to one micron in size. If the manufacturer thinks the problem is with 150 micron particles, but the fluid is still coming through dirty, they can adjust to 50 microns and then down again to 25. In my experience the 3M DF Technology is an excellent filtration option in these circumstances.”

perspective, one micron is a 1,000th of a millimetre and a grain of sand is about 50

In the Australian market, the DF range is used a lot in craft brewing and chemical industrial manufacturing because they are batch processes. In filtration, there’s classifying filters and clarifying filters. In beer and wine production, for example, filtration takes out a certain amount of particulate or contaminate out of the product, however it doesn’t take the

The DuoFLO filter system is an alternative to standard bag filters.

Another key advantage of the DF range is the increased surface area of 62 per cent that it provides compared to a standard bag or sock filter. The extra layers of filter media allows a longer service life between bag changes which

Excellent

capital

minimises productivity loss, labour cost, disposal cost and less frequent operator exposure to potential harmful fluids.

This was seen in a recent project 3M had with a liquid fertilizer manufacturer, whose products are used for crops in the agriculture space.

“The product itself, the liquid fertiliser, comes in usually as a powder form in large 1000 litre bags or even sea containers of powder from overseas. And then it comes into Australia and it’s blended by the local liquid fertiliser companies,” Hawks explained. “The issue

for this client was that in this powder form, there’s all sorts of particles that are in there – sand, grit, hairs, bits of rubber, whatever can be picked up at a source overseas.”

3M does have the capability to do initial screening of the product, but in this case its expertise came at the second stage where the business blended the powder with water to make the fertiliser. The fluid is mixed in a blending tank, and then it needs to be filtered to a certain level – usually around 100 microns.

When changing filter bags, the holdup volume in the DF bag is 67 per cent less than a standard bag. “When you pull the filter out, you don’t lose nearly as much of the valuable fluid,” he said. “It may hold 100 ml of unfiltered fluid compared to 300 ml in a standard bag, for example. This is important with higher value fluid in the beer, wine and chemical environments.”

The 3M DF series element is comprised of two cylinders bonded to a top plate and a lower seal plate. The 3M DF series design incorporates an innovative new geometry of both filter element and restrainer

basket which provides 100 per cent three dimensional support of the 3M DF series media.

“The in-line bottom inlet and outlet provides easy and cost-effective installation by reducing the complexity of the piping scheme which means it’s easy to add on more housings if required,” Hawks noted.

The advantages of the 3M DF technology comes down to four main points:

• Up to 3 times or more the service life

Superior contaminant reduction efficiency

Enhanced flow per filter element

• Reduced costs associated with frequent filter change-outs, (production downtime, disposal, and labour costs)

The intricate design has led to real results for customers. Hawks has seen it time and again when working closely with different businesses.

“It’s a go-to product and is a safe option, which gives me comfort that we’re providing a solution which will work for the customer.”

The DuoFLO graded porosity media.

NOW ON SALE

Women in Industry

Louise Adams wins Excellence in Engineering Award

Manufacturers’ Monthly congratulates Louise Adams as the winner of the Excellence in Engineering Award for Women in Industry 2022.

ASAurecon’s group chief operating officer and former CEO for Australia & New Zealand, Louise Adams is one of Australia’s highest profile female engineers. With over 20 years of experience as a chartered civil engineer, Adams became the first female executive director on Aurecon’s Board in 2013.

Under her leadership, which focused on inclusion and wellbeing, Aurecon continued to grow and deliver outstanding financial results during the turbulence of the pandemic. Adams’ track record as a well-respected, empathetic and effective leader makes her a valued keynote speaker at engineering industry conferences.

Adams is a passionate advocate for female leadership and equality within STEM. In 2018, she was awarded a Chief Executive Women (CEW) Scholarship to attend the Wharton Business School and is a member of Australia’s CEW group. She is also a committee member for Infrastructure Partnerships Australia’s Women’s Infrastructure Network Steering Committee and chair of Consult Australia’s Male Champions of Change.

During the pandemic, Adams led Aurecon with a focus on innovation, inclusion and wellbeing. Despite turbulent market conditions and skills shortages, Aurecon continued to grow and deliver outstanding financial results, including above target revenue and profit growth.

Adams’ passion for innovation comes from her desire to help engineers become more visible and vocal about their role helping society solve the world’s most complex issues. She believes we are currently in the “age of the engineer” and led Aurecon’s transformation of engineers from responders who receive briefs to trusted advisors who consult and push the status quo with clients.

She has also shaped the industry

through her valued contribution as a keynote speaker at engineering industry conferences such as the ATSE Net Zero series, Disruptive Innovation Summit, Future of Construction Summit, and ATSE New Fellows Seminar. Adams has also been heavily involved in addressing the shortage of engineers and significant infrastructure spend impacting the industry. She has worked with the National Advisory Board of Infrastructure, Consult Australia, Engineers Australia and top-tier Australian universities to build a steady pipeline and engineering workforce for the future.

Adams has been a champion of change in promoting women in STEM, inclusivity, and supporting a bilateral

economic relationship between Australia and Vietnam. She is Aurecon’s global spokesperson for Women in Leadership and has championed the closure of the gender equity pay gap, while facilitating inclusive leadership training and an Active Bystander Campaign to provide practical recommended actions if people encountered sexism and sexual

harassment. Following the Second Australia-Vietnam Economic Partnership Meeting held in October 2021, Adams was appointed as one of three inaugural Business Champions to further two-way trade and investment opportunities to business communities in Vietnam and Australia.

Congratulations Louise Adams!

Excellence in Engineering Award winner, Louise Adams.

Louise Adams is the group chief operating officer and former CEO for Aurecon in the ANZ.

Women in Industry

Helen Tower wins Rising Star of the Year Award

Manufacturers’ Monthly congratulates Helen Tower as the winner of the Rising Star of the Year Award for Women in Industry 2022.

HELEN

Tower is a validation specialist in the Analytical Science and Technology function at Seqirus, the vaccinemanufacturing business of global biotechnology company CSL.

Tower has demonstrated a passion for achieving excellence in her work across the entire Seqirus product portfolio, which includes the locally manufactured Influenza vaccine, Q Fever vaccine, Australian antivenom products, and the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Tower was pivotal in creating frameworks that enabled Seqirus to nimbly adapt its manufacturing process to produce the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. She also led the modernisation of assays used for the testing and manufacture of Australian antivenoms and optimised the potency testing for the world’s only Q Fever vaccine.

Tower’s passion for science is further reflected in her extensive mentoring pursuits, where she inspires and empowers science students in their transition for university to the workplace. She shines brightly on the front line of public health in Australia.

The rising star’s keen interest in the immune system, coupled with her academic background in pharmacology and immunology, provided Tower with the perfect platform to secure a place in the 2019 CSL Graduate Program. In a close alignment with CSL’s value of patient focus, she is inspired by the ability of vaccines to harness the power of the immune system and protect us from disease, which ultimately saves millions of lives worldwide.

Throughout her time as a graduate, Tower completed several rotations in the Seqirus business over a two- year period, gaining a wide variety of industry skills, experience and knowledge. These rotations included Quality Control Immunology, Front Line Quality Assurance, Quality Batch Release, Analytical Science & Technology and Project Management Office departments.

A notable achievement from Tower’s

Graduate Program experience was her role as project lead and lead author for the restructure of the Seqirus Contamination and Cross-Contamination Control Strategy. This involved extensive cross-functional collaboration with Seqirus senior management to reshape the framework by which Seqirus controls contamination across all product portfolios, thereby protecting the safety and quality of all products. Tower also managed the implementation of this new framework across individual facilities at the Seqirus Parkville and Woodend sites. Throughout this project, she demonstrated exceptional leadership ensuring the new strategy was embraced by senior leaders across Seqirus’ Australian manufacturing sites.

The new contamination control strategy that Tower created proved to be pivotal for the manufacture of the AstraZeneca

COVID-19 vaccine at the Seqirus Parkville site, a project in which she took a leading role on the project management team. In this context, the contamination control strategy ensured clear product segregation and controls for implementation of the novel COVID-19 vaccine product.

This enabled Seqirus to be a pandemic partner of choice for the Australian government and deliver vaccines to the Australian public and our Asia Pacific neighbours. While still a graduate, Tower’s role on the project management team ensured Seqirus could release the first batches of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine ahead of schedule, announced on 24 March 2021.

Furthermore, on 2 April 2021, the company announced a commitment to manufacture 50 million doses to protect the Australian public and neighbouring Asia Pacific nations during

the devastating COVID-19 pandemic. Seqirus is currently on track to fulfill the commitment of 50 million doses.

Upon completion of the Graduation Program, Tower was promoted to her current role as Validation Specialist in the Analytical Science and Technology function at Seqirus. She specialises in the development and validation of analytical methodology to support quality testing of Seqirus products.

Further demonstrating her ability to exceed expectations, Tower has delivered key project outcomes in this role across all product portfolios at Seqirus on company-wide projects.

Tower role focuses on immunological and biochemical analytical methods, aligned with her passion for the immune system and improving public health.

Congratulations on your achievement, Helen Tower!

Rising Star of the Year Award winner, Helen Tower.

ULTRA-EFFICIENT

Fabricators Showcase

The Kemppi Master M with the sub-feeder SuperSnake GTX.

Leading international welding equipment manufacturer, Kemppi, has released its new Master M welding machines with the needs of the fabricator very much in mind. The new series offers MIG and MAG machines for manual, synergic and pulse MIG welding.

The compact and powerful Kemppi Master M range comes with Weld Assist as standard with the function ready to use straight out of the box. Weld Assist lets fabricators set-up welding parameters up to 60 per cent faster when compared to manual setup, saving precious time. By simply selecting the joint type, welding position and material thickness, fabricators are ready to weld.

Equipped with memory channels, the Master M range also lets fabricators save chosen parameters for fast access. The ability to save customised settings means

fabricators do not have to go through an initial setup for every job, again, saving valuable time. At the turn of a knob, they can highlight the desired setting and proceed to weld. The Master M 353 and 355 come with six stored channel memories, while the 358 boasts a massive 100.

Auto Calibration for best welding results

Auto Calibration is also a standard function on the new Master M range. It guarantees best performance and ensures the meter voltage accurately matches

the arc voltage, which is critical for WPS compliance.

Better arc performance for quality welds and more productivity

Quality welds are synonymous with the new Master M range. The clean arc start ensures consistent, quality welding results. For greater welding productivity and control, the Master M 355 and 358 models can switch on the new, optional MAX arc performance welding processes. MAX Cool, MAX Position and MAX Speed are new Kemppi

welding processes that offer solutions for challenging steel, stainless steel and aluminum welding applications by increasing productivity, minimising spatter and speeding up welding without compromising quality. The MAX software options easily integrate with the Master M 355 and 358 models.

For even greater productivity and performance, fabricators can choose the optional Master M Cooler liquid-cooled package. This lets you maximise the use of the 350A 40 per cent ED welding power at 40°C, enabling fabricators to weld for longer without breaks.

Fabricators can weld more and weld better with the new Kemppi Master M range

Fabricators Showcase

Greater Safety

Equipped with integrated and selfcharging LED work lights, the new Master M range helps improve worksite safety, efficiency and convenience. The LED lights operate with and without mains power to help enhance productivity in low light conditions.

Plus, the cabinet window provides a clear view of the wire spool and has LED lighting within, making it easy to see the spool level.

What’s more, both the 353 and 355 models have a custom LCD user interface with backlit navigation buttons for ease of use even in low light work environments. The 358 model has a full colour TFT display that fabricators can personalise with a screen saver image to their own

Easy to move

Work pack of welding programs

The new Master M series also incorporates various welding programs as standard. This allows fabricators to weld a broad range of materials including Fe, Ss, Al, CuSi, CuAl, Fe Metal, Fe Rutil, and FCCrNiMo.

Easy power adjustment

Fabricators can conveniently change their power level while welding thanks to the Powerlog trigger logic. This feature allows fabricators to move between three alternative power levels to easily and effortlessly change their settings using a standard gun trigger and without the need to stop welding.

The Master M series is also easy to move to and from the worksite as the various models are compact and have a sturdy, safe-lift grab handle that can also be used to lift the power source by crane without a separate chassis. Fabricators can also

choose from four different transport cart options depending on their setup needs.

Greater reach with the SuperSnake GTX

The new Master M range can be combined with the compact sub-feeder SuperSnake GTX to extend the reach of the welding gun. This provides greater convenience when working in hard-to-reach areas. The SuperSnake GTX includes digital metering, a safetylock ON/OFF switch and a strong protective frame.

Digital wireless connectivity with the Master M 358

Integrated digital connectivity lets users examine their welding data. The Master M 358 can be easily connected to Kemppi WeldEye ArcVision. This software solution lets users track and record arc-on time and welding parameters for better insight into welding production. Raw data is collected digitally from connected welding stations and processed, and it can be viewed directly from a laptop. The Master M 358 includes a free three months’ trial licence for WeldEye ArcVision. Digital WPS (dWPS)

is an optional feature for the Master M 358.

Quality range

Designed and made in Finland, the Master M range has been built to last. The new series features an injection-molded, reinforced plastic casing that is strong and robust. The casing absorbs knocks, and ensures the machines can withstand challenging environments.

“The new Master M range is a real standout for fabricators. This premium suite has been designed with professional welders and many aspects of the welding process have been considered from the user’s perspective during creation. This has resulted in a variety of valuable features being incorporated in the machines - from digital arc control, to fast set-up, to LED work lights - that won’t disappoint and which help deliver quality welds and make every day industrial welding tasks fast and easy,” added Paul McVicar.

For more information on the new Master M range call Kemppi Australia on (02) 8785 2000 or email sales.au@kemppi.com

The new Kemppi Master M range.

Safety Storage Efficiency

Enhance the Safety, Storage & Efficiency of Your Manufacturing with Combilift

Combilift is the perfect fit for the manufacturing industry. Our versatile range of multidirectional forklifts, straddle carriers and pedestrian forklift trucks are designed for narrow aisle operation, allowing you to maximise your storage, efficiency and safety.

With a lifting capacity of 5,000kg the new COMBi-XLE electric multidirectional forklift combines powerful, emission-free performance for applications that require an electric truck that can handle more demanding work conditions.

Contact Us Today

To find out how Combilift can help you unlock every inch of your storage space and enhance the performance and safety of your operations.

Fabricators Showcase

Fabricators Showcase

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Fabricators Showcase

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Fabricators Showcase

FabricatorsShowcase

Ventilation

The right ducting making the difference

Manufacturers’ Monthly speaks with Nordfab branch manager David Inifer about why installing the correct dust collector is vital to a manufacturer’s operations – and a recent success story with a roof truss manufacturer.

AS the world’s largest manufacturer of clamp-together ducting for dust collection and process ventilation, Nordfab’s presence in the Asia Pacific region has given Australian manufacturers access to industrial ventilation that is locally made.

According to Nordfab branch manager David Inifer, there are huge advantages to this.

“One big advantage for customers is we build our own dust collectors, so there’s a great advantage if something goes wrong as customers can easily get spare parts,” he said.

Peuker and Alexander is a familyowned business which has been supplying the building industry for over 70 years, manufacturing quality roof trusses and wall frames at its Campbellfield and Dandenong sites. Inifer noted that Nordfab’s previous track record with the manufacturer meant it was an easy decision to partner with them for its new facility in Melbourne’s south.

“When they purchased the new factory over in Dandenong it required a little bit of refurbishment,” he said. “They were getting new machines and new saws in and they needed a extraction system to suit. They contacted us and were so happy with our previous work they didn’t shop around.”

Nordfab installed a MDC12000P system for the new factory, a decision based off its staff’s experience and industry-know how. Nordfab’s main market is the timber industry, where it has been supplying its ducting over the world for more than 40 years. For dust collection in woodshops, from oneperson shops to large manufacturing plants, Nordfab’s modular and easy to put together or take apart ducting has become a standard for the woodworking industry.

“In Victoria, at least 80 per cent of our business is associated with cabinet makers and woodworking companies,” he said. “As a result, we have an eye for what works in these environments. I have also picked

via the Eziduct rotary valve.

The dust collector works under negative pressure so no waste or dirty air passes through the units highefficiency 15kW fan. The dust collector is constructed from robust corrosion resistant galvanised steel sheet and

block the extraction filters.”

Because of this observation, Inifer recommended the Melbourne business use a reverse air pulse dust collector.

“Reverse air pulse has the best qualities to get rid of the fine product which can block the filtration,” he added.

the air flow rate that is required for the machines, determining the size of the dust collector needed.

“We came to the conclusion that 12,000 cubic metres an hour should be sufficient for the whole factory,” he said.

The dust collector was connected to

Nordfab installed a MDC12000P system for Peuker and Alexander’s new factory.

Ventilation

the machine using modular ducting. Nordfab’s modular ducting provides the best airflow on any ductwork for extraction systems on the market, according to Inifer.

“The modular bends are up to 300 millimetres in diameter to entire smooth air flow,” he noted. “And it simply clamps together which cuts down installation time significantly and makes it easier for the customer to modify or pull the ductwork apart.”

Peuker and Alexander can expect

a cleaner factory, but also an uptick in production with the newly installed ducting systems, noted Inifer.

“I think they will be first and foremost much cleaner factories,” he said.

“Crucially, there will be just one collection point for the dust instead of them having to use bags to collect dust from several extraction machines. They now have one central point where a three-metre cubic bin underneath our extractor collects the material, meaning their operations won’t be interrupted as they were before.”

MDC12000P is a fully automatic self cleaning dust collector.

Industrial Equipment

Worth the wheat: upgrade solution for grain processing OEM

From wheat and barley to various pulses and oats, Australian grain farming spans across northern and southern cropping regions, utilising the country’s optimal rain patterns for diverse plantation yearround. Roughly 22 million hectares of domestic commercial grain crops are planted annually, and national exports account for 10 to 15 per cent of the world’s global wheat trade.

ESTABLISHED in Wagga Wagga in

1979, Grainline is a family owned and operated business, supplying the rural agricultural industry with mobile augers, rota doors and other grain harvesting equipment. Their in-house fabrication lends itself to the ongoing development of safety and flexibility features, as well as comprehensive quality control.

Grainline’s flagship 15” Bunker auger offers an efficient method of transferring grain into storage bunkers up to 35m wide with an unloading capacity of 340t per hour. Hydraulic remotes on a tractor are used to control the wheels and hopper ramps, which are designed in line with standard Australian grain storage facilities.

Russell Randal, national account manager for Agriculture at Motion Australia, recently collaborated with the Grainline team to upgrade the standard

bearings on these augers to great success.

“Grainline approached us for a more reliable solution. “The parts were situated in hard-to-reach places, up high and often fully submerged in grain, so they weren’t able to be lubricated frequently enough.”

“To combat this, we suggested a changeout to the NSK Molded-Oil bearings. These are a fully sealed unit, and are selflubricating, so nobody has to manually pump grease into them at any time. Conversely, there are no complications due to over greasing, which can cause the seals to pop out or become damaged.”

The Molded-Oil bearings from NSK feature a solid lubrication element constructed from polyolefin resin. The slow release of oil from this part of the bearing mitiGates the need for manual attention, ensuring longer service life and less scheduled downtime for maintenance. According to Bryce

Langfield, purchasing manager at Grainline, the full-mold design of the NSK product was a necessary upgrade from the previous spot-molding application.

“Grain is probably one of the most abrasive materials in agricultural processing, and these machines are having to contend with water ingress as well,” he says. “This can take a huge toll on moving parts and wear things down a lot quicker. Russell told us how these bearings had been performing exceptionally well for the sugarcane industry up in Queensland, so we were eager to make the switch.”

“Another reason we opted for the Molded-Oil was the safety aspect. We needed to eliminate the need for workers to get up high and in precarious positions just to lubricate components, while also making sure they were serviced appropriately.”

the harvest period, the NSK bearing will likely become standard specs for these machines. Every time a manufacturer like Grainline sells equipment, it sits out in the field with their name on it – we need to make sure that we supply parts in line with their standards of reliability, and the Molded-Oil solution delivers on that promise,” he concludes.

Grainline is a family-owned business that makes mobile augers, rota doors and other grain harvesting equipment.

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Mechatronics

The first point of call for industrial electronic equipment repairs

Building from a base of offering a unique service to the automotive market, Injectronics is starting to make a big impact in the industrial space. Manufacturers’ Monthly finds out how the company is helping businesses avoid unaffordable downtime.

whether it can be repaired. The industrial applications include control modules, industrial control panels, human machine interfaces, programmable logic controls and variable frequency drivers.

“We have proven there’s a need in the industrial market,” he added. “If a job is of high importance and extremely time sensitive, we can have all hands on deck to achieve that fast turnaround. We find the whole emotion around remanufacturing and repairing is changing in this country.

The first instinct can’t be to throw something away – Injectronics provides feedback that could mean the difference between ordering a new part, repairing the existing, or uncovering that the part in question has no fault at all.”

As Injectronics continues to provide solutions for industry, its service only grows in strength as it collates a database of common faults.

MANUFACTURING in Australia has a long history and has grown efficiently with the use of electronic assisted production lines. While we have some of the latest manufacturing technology, thanks to both local and international suppliers, we are also a country that maintains and continues to service existing equipment. It is not uncommon for some of our production lines to be utilising 10-ormore-year old technology.

For business owners and service agents, this creates a challenge when faults develop. Replacement parts are commonly no longer available, if they are in stock the parts are typically from European manufactures and take time to dispatch to Australia, but often the price is prohibitive and this is all with the question – will the new part even fix the problem?

Injectronics is an integral brand from the Innovative Mechatronics Group (IM Group), having supplied solutions for electronic and mechatronic components in Australia since 1983. Over the years, the business has earned a reputation for a unique skillset – having expertise to establish the route of a problem, and the capability to quickly turn around a solution lead to Injectronics becoming a leading supplier of quality new and remanufactured automotive electronic components.

In 2017, the IM Group was acquired by GUD Holdings and is now an important part of the GUD Automotive arm.

Previously a privately owned company, Injectronics began to expand its footprint around Australia and take on successful expansion programs. To do this, the company invested in becoming closer to its customers, opening branches in

Sydney, New Zealand and will soon add Western Australia.

Rajbir Singh, general manager remanufacturing, technology & operations, said the company’s expansion into heavy commercial vehicles like trucking Engine Control Modules and agricultural equipment, led to a simple realisation.

“People were not asking us how much, they were asking how long,” he said. “The cost of having a truck off the road is going to be much more than a repair, so they want a quick turnaround for that matter, which is why we opened more facilities around the country to reach the customer faster and reduce the price of shipping.”

By collaborating with local businesses, Injectronics works with the customer to analyse production line machines and other equipment that has become faulty to identify – usually on the same day –

“Our electrical engineers have familiarised themselves with certain types of modules, which is handy,” Singh explained. “Once we see something, it’s in our system so we can apply, for example, the solution to the same Siemens panel in Western Australia just as we have done in Victoria. We see repetitive jobs which is a good thing about electronics. It’s all reverse engineering and we have that capability.”

Singh had a very simple message for manufacturers, hoping that Injectronics can be the first point of check for faulty devices, equipment and machines.

“The feedback we hear is there is fairly set standard and we are hoping to break that cycle,” he said. “When your machine breaks down, you call the electrician, who works out a certain device is playing up and you buy a replacement from the manufacturer. We are asking as a business owner, before you order that new part, to come see Injectronics. With a very small test fee, the professional diagnosis we do within 24 hours can help you make the best decision.”

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The Last Word

DR JENS GOENNEMANN –ManagingDirector,AMGC

Advancing manufacturing is the key to complexity

RICH, dumb and getting dumber.”

Personally, I would not use such strong words to describe Australia. Notwithstanding that, their deployment by a journalist in 2019 to characterise our Economic Complexity Index (ECI) results was memorable.

If nothing else, it’s a catchy phrase and I’ve seen it reproduced by others drawing attention to our dire ECI performance.

Updated rankings, based on 2020 export data, were released in August and they brought little in the way of better news. I said it in August, and I’ll say it again: These ECI results are mortifying for Australia!

We placed 91 out of 133 countries, sandwiched between Kenya and Namibia. When the rankings were first published in 1995, we were #55, and we’ve trended downwards since.

Paying attention to the ECI is like a nation looking into the mirror without any makeup on – the reflection tells the truth, and in our case the ugly truth. Nations who rank highly on the ECI tend to be industrial powerhouses, like Japan, Germany, and South Korea. Absent of the resource riches that we enjoy; they’ve had to manufacture their own luck.

While we are famously lucky, the new ranking comes with a clear warning that our luck is fading.

What does it mean?

Economic complexity is based on the sophistication and diversity of a nation’s exports. Those who rank highly on the ECI are nations who make and ship products that are hard to make.

Or as the folks from the Harvard Growth Lab put it: “High complexity countries are home to a range of sophisticated, specialised capabilities and are therefore able to produce a highly diversified set of complex products.”

A good analogy comes from the lab’s Dr. Muhammed A. Yıldırım, explaining how productive knowledge fits into it.

He invites us to think of each type of productive knowledge as a letter tile in a scrabble rack, and a finished product as a word. A good diversity of letters will give you a better chance of high-value words, while a deck with a poor range of letters

limits your chances to win the game.

Yıldırım writes that “only those with a larger diversity of letters will be able to make more and more unique products. On the other hand, words that require more letters will be made only in the countries that have all the requisite pieces.”

Why does it matter?

As a country industrialises and builds up an ecosystem of smart, capable people, it will tend to make more and more complex (and valuable) things.

Professor Ricardo Hausmann, Founder and Director of Harvard’s Growth Lab, says a stylised version of the world is that poor countries produce “few things that everyone knows how to produce, while rich countries produce many things including some things few countries know how to produce.”

“Growth is being driven by a process of diversification to enter more, and increasingly more complex, production.”

All well and good, the scrabble tiles

and the complexity and the diversification and the rest of it, but you might ask, what does this mean to me? .

If the researchers behind the rankings are to be believed, the “true value” of their work is the accuracy with which it can predict future growth “…better than any other single measure,” says Hausman.

Australia’s wealth is surprisingly high for a country with economic complexity so low: the ninth highest per capita income overall. This is where our luck figures. But it’s also running out.

While we’ve gotten wealthy, we’ve also gotten complacent. At the same time, our neighbours have been improving the contents of their scrabble racks, and they do well out of it.

China, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and India are among those tipped to grow fastest, propelled by their improving economic complexity.

We have been blinded by the ‘good times’, or the luck we have derived from being the world’s hotel, farm and quarry.

Our low complexity versus current wealth will result in slow growth, averaging two per cent a year up to 2030, “ranking in the bottom half of countries globally,” according to Harvard.

Another concern around the narrowness of our exports is our relationship with one single customer, accounting for nearly 41 per cent of our exported wares, and that relationship has its challenges. Cheers to that with our wines they didn’t buy.

Another conclusion is that our fossilbased commodities, representing some of our top export earners, will not be as in-demand as they are now.

Manufacturing is the answer

Overall, I agree with the substance of the ECI, and its explanations of economic growth. It has its shortcomings, however.

It does not consider the technological sophistication involved in extracting resources, something Australia has led the world in. But this technological sophistication is of not much use to

Jens Goennemann said achieving scale for manufacturers requires investment from multiple parties.

our global trade if we have it locked up onshore – we have to export.

A mantra of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre is “it’s not what you make, but how you make it.” The ECI does not examine the complexity of manufacturing and its value chain, but of finished products or components.

The Harvard researchers recommend what they call a “strategic bets” approach, with few nearby opportunities and therefore a need “for coordinated long jumps into strategic areas with future diversification potential.”

Until recently, these strategic bets for Australia were called “National Manufacturing Priorities”, and I have

reason to believe that its fundamentals can also be recognised in the makeup of the National Reconstruction Fund.

I believe that Harvard’s research and the ambitious National Reconstruction Fund show us how urgent our need is to grow manufacturing capability – how else do we realise the promises and opportunities of such a fund? Funding is one thing, utilising it in an impactful way for the nation another.

So, what would I do to act on this?

There are examples we can learn from, especially from those of countries who rank high on the ECI. One example is

close to home: AMGC has co-invested as little as $57 million in 141 projects with Australian manufacturers. This comes with a requirement that they collaborate with other manufacturers and with researchers, something our own research shows increases the chance of success. (It’s also something high-complexity countries generally do very well). Insofar, AMGC is copying the Fraunhofer model but on a smaller scale.

From this modest investment alone, we see a predicted economic impact of $1.6 billion additional revenue for Australia, together with over 4,000 highly skilled, high-paying additional jobs. On a bigger scale, this is how entire nations invest in manufacturing capability which in turn leads to ECI advancement.

There are some 47,000 manufacturers in Australia, many of them with incredible global potential as well as complex products and services attached to these. Their main issue is scale. This will require investment from multiple parties: Modest amounts and thinly spread can go a long way, as we’ve

measurably evidenced by copying the approach of other successful nations.

Another related ingredient is focus.

We cannot be great at everything and shouldn’t try. We do have areas of comparative and competitive advantage, and these are what we should build on.

Where we do well, for example in extracting the critical minerals we possess, we can do better by adding value to them.

Focus is also required from policymakers, public service, industry and applied researchers, paired with consistency in industry policy.

Two examples are the Fraunhofer network of applied research centres and the UK Catapults who were also inspired by the Fraunhofer model. Whereas the UK Catapults are around for over 20 years now, Fraunhofer is for 73-years. Both initiatives are good industry policy, and both are above politics.

As one well known idiom states, the best time to plant a tree for shade was ten years ago, the next best time is today.

Growing complexity and capability takes time. Let’s plant now.

I believe that Harvard’s research and the ambitious National Reconstruction Fund show us how urgent our need is to grow manufacturing capability – how else do we realise the promises and opportunities of such a fund?