Australia and AI adoption: how are we comparing?
Brent Balinski spoke to the Australian head of professional services company Genpact about the company’s recent report on artificial intelligence adoption and challenges.
BlueScope workers concede to company over pay
Analysis by Peter Roberts If ever there was a demonstration that times have changed in industrial disputes in manufacturing it is clear from this week’s decision by BlueScope steel workers to accept its latest pay deal. Workers at the Port Kembla steel works agreed in 2015 to a three year pay freeze, and cuts in…
Site visit: Native Secrets
Dubbo’s Native Secrets has caught a whiff of interest in their essential oils and skincare products lately. Co-founder Phil Thompson reckons they are about to break through as a supplier to a multinational hospitality company.
EOS success points to defence industry lethality dilemma
Recent successes by Canberra’s Electro Optic Systems (ASX: EOS) in selling lethal weapons overseas have raised an issue long avoided by the defence sector – is it right to sell arms to despots? Analysis by Peter Roberts
Uber for manufacturers? It’s on the way
The future will deliver a Uber-like scenario for manufacturers and their suppliers, according to the R&D head for one of the biggest computer aided design software companies.
Why we need to take action to curb the financial services sector
Comment by Peter Roberts Slowly, slowly lawmakers are getting round to tightening up laws covering the sort of white collar crime evident in the recent Banking Royal Commission. But as the Commission itself failed to come to grips with the real problem with the financial services industry, so too will our politicians. While I welcome…
Profiles of success: the manufacturer making dumb machines smarter
If you’re not a digital business, believes Movus co-founder Brad Parsons, then in a few years you will be out of business.
Where does Australia stand in digital transformation?
Analysis by Peter Roberts Digital technologies giant Dell Technologies released a survey on digital transformation this week that suggested Australia, and its manufacturers, were confident about their path and progress towards a digital future. But on reading the results I am not so sure – perhaps we are further behind than we think. The global…
CSL – the star performer in manufacturing
Analysis by Peter Roberts Blood and vaccine product company CSL (ASX: CSL) is living proof that manufacturing can not only prosper from an Australian base, but can find support among Australian investors. The company along with medical device makers, Cochlear and ResMed, stands alone in an investment landscape that otherwise is patchy in its support…
Profiles of success: the Australian manufacturer making rubbish road ready
The concept of the circular economy has gained traction lately, as more people and the businesses that sell to them acknowledge growing populations and limited natural resources. Multinational brands are setting ambitious targets on reusable and recyclable material use. And ambitious countries such as the Netherlands are getting involved. The Dutch have committed to halve raw resource use by 2030 and to “achieve circularity”, or a completely circular economy, by 2050.