A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO

A VISIT TO PERTH

I visited Callidus, an innovative company that has delivered engineering solutions to the oil and gas, mining, and renewable energy industries since 1997.

I met with Gentronix. With a rich legacy dating back to 1982, Gentronics has been dedicated to providing unrivalled expertise and a comprehensive range of welding products, consumables, and

industrial supplies. Their mission is to empower clients to achieve the best results by offering the best selection of high-quality products at competitive prices. Along with One Gas Australia, Gentronix is set to sponsor our Western Australia Welding Excellence Awards this year.

I spent several hours with the team at Bradken. From a small Australian based foundry business, Bradken has evolved over the past 100 years to become a leading wear solutions provider to the global mining and resources market. Today, Bradken specialises in solving mining customers’ wear challenges, supporting their bulk handling and

mobile plants to operate at peak efficiency. Bradken does this by using innovative technologies and project focused engineering to design, manufacture and supply high quality parts and services. One of the key topics discussed with Bradken was diversity in the welding workforce. Bradken has some fantastic initiatives underway in this space, which will be highlighted in an upcoming edition of Australian Welding magazine.

I then toured the facilities of Hofmann Engineering in Bassendean. Hofmann has recently invest in a range of advanced manufacturing equipment, including welding robots and a profile cutting and milling machine. It was

fantastic to see their state-of-the-art facilities. Again, keep an eye out for a more detailed article upcoming edition of Australian Welding magazine.

I paid a visit to Progress Rail. With coverage spanning across 23 locations throughout Australia, Progress Rail is a leader in rolling stock and infrastructure solutions. Their overhaul capabilities support a range of organisations in the mining industry.

Last, but by no means least, I met with South Metropolitan TAFE. Working in collaboration with the National TAFE Consortium, Weld Australia has made great progress this year with the development of nationally consistent online learning resources for the Metals and Engineering (MEM 2.0) training package. In a very important step for the entire industry, these learning resources will be launched in 2023.

South Metropolitan TAFE has already adopted the use of these resources, and there are plans to do so on a state-wide basis. We are hopeful that all the other TAFEs that have participated in their development will do likewise.

This represents a huge overhaul of welder training in Australia. It will help ensure consistent welder training, regardless of where in the country students undertake that training. The new resources are completely online and accessible via phone, mobile device or computer. This will allow students to access learning at the time, place and pace that suits them best.

MANUFACTURING THE RENEWABLE ENERGY TRANSITION

Over the last month, I have given multiple presentations on the challenges and opportunities associated with manufacturing the renewable energy transition. While in Perth, I presented at a leadership conference hosted by Synergy—Western Australia’s largest energy retailer and distributor. I also visited Albury-Wodonga, where I gave a similar presentation to local manufacturers.

The Australian Government has legislated emissions reductions targets of 43% (on 2005 levels) by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

Importantly, these targets will necessitate the construction of new infrastructure on a massive scale. Australia’s existing renewable energy generation of 64GW is forecast to grow to over 218GW by 2050.

This will comprise 90GW of wind, 39GW of solar, 18.7GW of water, and 35.9GW of battery storage.

For example, it is expected that over 11,000 wind towers will need to be produced, each requiring 500 tonnes of plate steel (for onshore wind towers) or 750 tonnes (for offshore wind towers). The annual production of plate steel in Australia is currently 400kt.

To connect all this new generation to consumers, AEMO estimates that more than 10,000km of new transmission lines and 25,000 transmission towers (at 30 to 60 tonnes of steel per tower) will need to be constructed around the country.

Australia’s renewable energy industry will need a raft of additional resources to deliver on these ambitious projects, including: manufacturing and fabrication capacity, raw materials (particularly steel), and contracting and contractor resources. Plus, new technologies will need to be developed and deployed.

All this the renewable energy infrastructure will require a veritable army of skilled workers, including welders. The renewable energy industry will require huge volumes of fabrication in the coming years. While this represents enormous opportunities for Australia’s welding, fabrication and manufacturing industries, there are also enormous challenges ahead.

The Federal Government and state governments can wish their renewable energy policies into existence, but without a massive investment in local manufacturing, it will not be achievable.

To explore these all of these issues in much more detail, I encourage all members to register for the National Manufacturing Summit.

Weld Australia, in collaboration with the Australia Institute’s Centre for Future Work, will host the National Manufacturing Summit at Old Parliament House on 2 and 3 August. The theme of the Summit is ‘Manufacturing the Energy Revolution: Industrial Opportunities from Renewable Energy’.

Our keynote speaker is Adam Hersh. Adam is Senior Economist at the Economic Policy Institute in Washington, DC, one of Washington’s most influential think tanks. Adam’s work focuses on international trade, industrial, climate, China, and macroeconomic policies. Adam is currently leading a major research project on the industrial opportunities associated with new green energy policies.

By uniting industry leaders from both the manufacturing and energy sectors, the Summit aims to leverage the opportunities presented by the renewable energy revolution and translate these into action. The Summit will foster collaboration, drive innovation, and facilitate the exchange of knowledge to empower sustainable growth and technological advancements in these interconnected industries.

For further information and to register, simply visit: manufacturingsummit.com.au.