This the third in our series on the importance of onshoring manufacturing operations looks at how Australia and New Zealand lost, and are now regaining, industrial capabilities. Here Peter Roberts looks at the core element of many manufactures – printed circuit boards. Richard Brady and Daniel Baxter have seen Australia and New Zealand’s capacity to…
French defence group Thales has fired another round in its war with critics of buying defence good locally, with the release of a detailed economic analysis of how defence spending flows through to the national economy. The company, which came under fire in an auditor-general’s report which said armoured vehicles similar to its Hawkei vehicle…
Australian Bus Corporation and Dutch company Ebusco have announced a regional partnership that would ultimately see carbon fibre-bodied buses made in Australia.
Reed Exhibitions has postponed the major manufacturing event held every second year in Sydney, the Advanced Manufacturing Expo Sydney due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Reed, which also produces National Manufacturing Week in Melbourne, today announced the postponement of AME Sydney which was to have run at the Sydney showgrounds from 18-20 November. @AuManufacturing is the…
Diversified building products and investment group Brickworks has suffered a sales downturn in Australia and the United States during the Covid-19 pandemic, the company has confirmed. Now the US riots have emerged as another factor threatening business stability, with riots taking place close to a new brick retail design centre under construction in Philadelphia. CEO…
Submarine specialist ASC, is backing the use of additive manufacturing technolgies to help repair Australia’s six Collins class submarines. The Adelaide company has teamed up with CSIRO’s Lab22 and DMTC Limited to develop portable ‘cold spray’ technology for repairing damaged metal surfaces, enabling future in situ repair of submarine components even when at sea. Successful…
SpaceX has well and truly revolutionised space travel. But what does this mean for the many Australian companies making up a new space sector Down Under?
Fast-growing trans-Tasman dairy group Keytone Dairy has reported strong growth and diversification in the past year with the company now operating from five manufacturing facilities in Australia and New Zealand. The manufacturer of formulated dairy and health and wellness products reported a loss of $7.45 million for the year to 31 March on turnover of…
Innovative X-Ray machine manufacturer Micro-X has moved closer to launching the militarised version of its Nano machine following the completion of compliance testing. The Adelaide company said today it had successfully completed the electrical and mechanical safety test programme for its new Rover X-Ray machine (pictured), the final requirement before applying for US Food and…
There is no doubt that COVID-19 has plunged our country, and the world, into economic chaos. The impact of the virus has truly challenged the old order and we are being forced to decide what we want the future of Australian manufacturing to look like.
As the fourth largest industry in Australia, manufacturing is critical to rebuilding the health of our economy.
Industry Minister Karen Andrews has recently stated that although COVID-19 highlighted a number of serious sovereign capability gaps, total domestic self-sufficiency shouldn’t be the goal for our future. I agree and believe instead we must mature those niche opportunities that draw on Australia’s own resources and R&D strengths and focus on the manufacturing and broader industrial races we can win, both locally and globally.
