Perth shipbuilder Austal (ASX: ASB) has rapidly bosted turnover and sales on the back of accelerating construction of combat ships for the US Navy. Austal said in a statement that revenue for the first half of 2019 was up 31 per cent to $851.5 million. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) was up 52 per…
Details
Composites manufacturer Quickstep Holdings (ASX: QHL) has announced two contracts which further commercialise its advanced manufacturing processes. The company is developing its Qure process for manufacturing composites without autoclaving, and its Quickstep lean Production System (QPS). CEO Mark Burgess said in an announcement: “We are continuing to develop our state-of-the-art process technologies to support both…
Details
If robots do ever rise up and attack the human race, Australians don’t need to worry too much, according to the CSIRO’s Dr Sue Keay. She said: Ïn terms of the safest country to be in in case of a robot uprising, we are pretty safe. “That’s because we don’t have many of them.” Keay’s…
Details
CSIRO and Boeing have extended their long running research partnership, adding space industry to areas being jointly investigated. The two have collaborated since 1989, and will now work on five technology areas: advanced manufacturing, data analytics, energy, future insight consulting services, and space technology. CSIRO head Larry Marshall said: “Extending our partnership with Boeing into…
Details
An RMIT PhD candidate has won the Young Defence Innovator Award for a project demonstrating that 3D printed steel cutting tools suitable for machining titanium parts.
Details
The Australian government and Boeing have partnered to develop an unmanned fighter jet, the first combat aircraft developed locally since World War 2. In a stunning announcement at the Avalon air show, defence minister, Christopher Pyne said Australia was investing $40 million alongside Boeing developing the ‘Loyal Wingman’ aircraft. Pyne said: “The partnership will produce…
Details
A very normal reaction to new technologies and work, is to think that the latest machines are going to ‘take my job’. While technology has typically created more jobs than it has destroyed, people still think things are ‘different’ this time around. There is no doubt that artificial intelligence (AI) will be a transformative force…
Details
NZ dairy giant Fonterra is embracing the industrial internet from cow to consumer, according to Dave McPherson, infrastructure and global IS engagement manager. Speaking at the Industrial Internet 4.0 conference in Sydney, McPherson outlined the power of cheap IoT sensors installed in multiple locations. Monitoring and data gathering begins on the farm for Fonterra, the…
Details
Comment by Peter Roberts Occasionally you meet or hear someone who can cut through to the big question facing Australia’s mainly SME manufacturing community – how do I start the journey to industry 4.0? We all know we should be capturing, analysing and feeding back learnings from data in real time to our manufacturing processes.…
Details
Comment by Peter Roberts The federal government has resurrected a discredited policy from the past to fill the gap left by its failure to pursue its own National Energy Guarantee. Prime Minister Scott Morrison resurrected the discredited Abbott-era direct action plan in announcing his latest climate and business policy. His $3 billion Climate Solutions Package…
Details