Manufacturers' Monthly August 2011

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS Years

manmonthly.com.au

Est. 1961

Print Post Approved PP255003/00324

August 2011

MANUFACTURING FOR MINERS >> How to take advantage of the resources boom

INSIDE Industry News >> Latest Products >> Industry Opinion >> Motors & Drives >> Fluid Handling >> Weighing, Testing & Measurement >> Industrial Doors >> RFID & Warehousing Software >> Fasteners & Adhesives >> Bulk Handling

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Servicing the Manufacturing Industry for 30 years Hydraulic and Industrial hose and fittings 90 Service and Supply Centres Australia wide National fleet of 320+ fully stocked mobile service workshops Rapid response time, 24 hours 7 days All Service and Supply Centres ISO9001:2008 accredited NATA certified hose testing facility Registered training organisation Nationally accredited and certified technicians National pricing policy

Publisher Michelle Graves michelle.graves@reedbusiness.com.au Editor Sarah Falson Ph: (02) 9422 2480 Fax (02) 9422 2722 sarah.falson@reedbusiness.com.au Journalist Annie Dang Ph: (02) 9422 2964 Fax (02) 9422 2722 annie.dang@reedbusiness.com.au Editor-at-large Alan Johnson Ph: (02) 9422 2325 Fax (02) 9422 2722 alan.johnson@reedbusiness.com.au Graphic Designer Ronnie Lawrence ronald.lawrence@reedbusiness.com.au Creative Director Julie Coughlan Production Co-ordinator Mary Copland Ph: (02) 9422 2738 mary.copland@reedbusiness.com.au VIC/Overseas Sales Michael Northcott PO Box 3069 Eltham VIC 3095 Ph: 0448 077 247 michael.northcott@reedbusiness.com.au NSW Sales Anthony Head Tower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood, NSW 2067.

Ph: (02) 9422 2368 Fax: (02) 9422 2722 Mobile: 0414 644 664 anthony.head@reedbusiness.com.au QLD Sales Sharon Amos PO Box 3136, Bracken Ridge QLD 4017 Ph: (07) 3261 8857 Fax: (07) 3261 8347 Mobile: 0417 072 625 sharon.amos@reedbusiness.com.au SA/NT & WA Sales Reed Business Information Ph: (02) 9422 2368 anthony.head@reedbusiness.com.au Head Office Tower 2, 475 Victoria Avenue, Chatswood NSW 2067 Locked Bag 2999 Chatswood DC Chatswood 2067 Ph: (02) 9422 2999 Fax: (02) 9422 2966 Published 11 times a year Subscriptions $140.00 per annum. (inc GST) Overseas prices applyPh: 1300 360 126 Printed by Geon Impact Printing 69 – 79 Fallon Street, Brunswick VIC 3056 Ph: (03) 9387 7477

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Inside AUGUST 2011

For daily news visit manmonthly.com.au

22

4 Editorial ■

How the carbon tax can boost your business.

■

6

Sydney’s $3.6 billion, China-made Waratah trains came in 15 months late, riddled with OH&S problems. Would Australian manufacturers have done a better job?

6 Comment Industry faces double tax: Ai Group’s Heather Ridout.

8 Analysis News ■

What if Australia had made the Waratah trains?

■ Stay skilled with the latest training and events.

■ Manufacturing booms in June.

■ Women challenging the manufacturing stereotype.

14

12 IT@MM ■

ERP system improves warehouse operations.

■ Management software for metal fabrication industry.

14 Manufacturing for Mining ■

How to get your foot in the door of the resources boom.

22 Fluid Handling

30 Industrial Doors

■

■

Why pump whole life costs are more important than energy efficiency.

■ Humidity and temperature measurement.

■

34 Weighing, Testing & Measurement ■

24 Motors & Drives

High-speed dominance.

Energy-saving foam door.

■

Checking food for bad culture.

Explosives thermometers.

■

16 New Products ■

Our pick of the top industrial releases for August.

CELEBRATING 50 YEARS Years

manmonthly.com.au

Est. 1961

August 2011

Print Post Approved PP255003/00324

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MANUFACTURING FOR MINERS >> How to take advantage of the resources boom

INSIDE Industry News >> Latest Products >> Industry Opinion >> Motors & Drives >> Fluid Handling >> Weighing, Testing & Measurement >> Industrial Doors >> RFID & Warehousing Software >> Fasteners & Adhesives >> Bulk Handling

Choosing the right drive voltage for your process.

■ Switchboard factory goes lean and mean.

36 Materials Handling ■ ■

Rack cladding doubles space.

Small, fast palletising robots.

Behind the cover WELL-KNOWN within Australian industry for small geared motor and drive solutions, SEW-Eurodrive’s big gear units and conveyor drives are breaking new ground. With a range of products and configurations, they are suitable for applications within the food, sugar, mining, bulk handling, ports and harbour industries. Specially designed for heavy-duty applications with high-transmitted loads,

SEW-Eurodrive industrial gear units are available in a range of helical, bevel helical, planetary and extended bearing distance configurations, with torque ranges up to 475kNm. To learn more about SEW-Eurodrive’s comprehensive range of heavy-duty motor and drive solutions, visit SEW-Eurodrive at AIMEX: Stand 1311, Sydney Showgrounds, 6–9 September 2011. Visit www.sew-eurodrive.com.au

Don’t overdose chemicals Rugged IP66 metering pumps • Safe dry running, +- 0.5% flow accuracy • Minimal maintenance • Many control options • No ancillary equipment needed enquiries@wmbpumps.com.au www.wmbpumps.com.au manmonthly.com.au

Tel: 1300 WMBPUMPS Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 3

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Editorial

SARAH FALSON – Editor

editor@manmonthly.com.au

Carbon tax: who will benefit?

It’s high time Australian businesses stopped complaining about the carbon tax and made the most of the opportunities it poses for technology suppliers.

M

ANUFACTURERS and suppliers of energy management technology will be the big winners from the government’s carbon tax – if only they can see the light.

While the majority of industry is reeling at the $23-per-tonne carbon price Prime Minister Julia Gillard says will be introduced from 1 July 2012, a percentage of manufacturers will actually be better off as a result of the scheme.

But, naturally, Australian businesses are too busy feeling sorry for themselves.

A researcher from Ovum, Dr Steve Hodgkinson, can see the writing on the wall; he claims the climate change plan finally gives businesses clarity over the importance of investing in technology to reduce CO2 emissions.

“We expect that the [climate change] plan, assuming it proceeds to legislation, will lead to increased opportunities for companies that specialise in the software and systems needed to manage energy use efficiently and to report on compliance under the new carbon pricing arrangements,” he said.

Dr Hodgkinson is right: we're not going to lower those carbon emissions without first investing in some pretty advanced, energy-

Industrial, commercial and domestic energy-saving equipment will be needed for Australia to survive the carbon tax; and guess who will be called-on to supply it?

We might not have taken advantage of the resources boom, but we'd be insane to let another opportunity like this pass us by. saving equipment. Before the carbon package was even announced, the government was already providing tax offsets and grants to help Australians invest in equipment to reduce their emissions. This includes $35 million for the textiles, clothing and footwear (TCF) industry, in the form of the TCF Strategic Capability Program, designed to help TCF companies reduce their

carbon and boost their manufacturing capabilities to become more competitive globally.

And as part of the carbon plan, the steel sector will receive a whopping $300 million to help them invest in energy reduction technology.

Another $10 billion is being put towards a Clean Energy Finance Corporation to help industry across the board install carbon reduction measures.

All up, $9.2 billion of industry assistance is expected to be allocated over the first three years of the carbon tax alone.

That's a lot of money up for grabs – and it will be spent on

smart, energy-saving technology, for industrial, commercial and residential areas.

So while most sectors will be affected by the tax, some segments will be laughing all the way to the bank.

The biggest carbon polluters (industry) will need new automation, robotics, software, test and measurement gear, instrumentation, metering, and more.

Likewise, homeowners will be investing in solar panels, star-rated appliances and gas heating.

Systems integrators will be needed to install all these systems, and ongoing support and maintenance will be required to keep them functioning.

Spare parts, upgrades, software, logistics and warehousing companies will be called on to manage this technology boom.

Now isn’t the time to whinge and moan: it’s time for manufacturers to take advantage of the opportunities the carbon tax will generate for industry in Australia. And there are many.

We might not have taken advantage of the resources boom, but we'd be insane to let another opportunity like this pass us by.

Get off your bums and think about your business. You obviously can't rely on the government to bail you out. Industry has been complaining about the authorities taking with one hand and giving with the other for decades. The government won't change, so maybe you should.

It's pure, simple, Business 101.

sales

4 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

manmonthly.com.au

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3 +1 Y T N A R R A W R A E Y 1 A E X TR MATIC 2011.

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Comment

HEATHER RIDOUT – CEO Australian Industry Group

editor@manmonthly.com.au

Industry faces double tax The government’s climate package will serve industry a double blow, as existing carbon reduction measures are still in effect. Heather Ridout writes for MM.

A

i GROUP’S initial evaluation of the federal government's climate change package is that large parts of industry will be deeply concerned that their long-term competitiveness will be damaged.

The carbon tax represents another cost to be faced at a time of a high dollar, high interest rates, rising electricity prices and global economic uncertainty.

Though the government has gone some way to take account of industry concerns, a number of issues remain.

The initial price of $23 is excessive and should be reduced; the measures providing transitional support to trade-exposed businesses need to be strengthened; and there is no plan for cleaning-out the existing array of

6 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

inefficient and greenhouse gas abatement measures.

On the positive side, the government has sought to provide the greater degree of certainty required to support investment, particularly in energy generation, which will be welcomed by those supplying to the industry.

In sectors such as manufacturing, where margins have become relatively thin, the impact of these extra costs should not be underestimated.

For example, large iron casting businesses will not be eligible for permit allocation, but their liabilities could easily reach around $1.5 million in 2012–13, sapping the available cash flow and leaving little for investment, including in emissions reduction and energy efficiency.

The manufacturing support programs have a welcome and important emphasis on innovation and efficiency. However, they are in the form of matching grants and presuppose an available source of funding at a time when industry faces extra costs from the carbon price.

The initial price of $23 a tonne will present a major shock to industry and there is a significant risk that in 2012–13 at least, our carbon tax will be above global prices. Ai Group argued for a softer starting price of $10 per tonne, but wasn’t successful.

The $23 price is particularly hard to accept when it is added to the impact of the numerous existing, mostly wasteful, carbon reduction measures imposed by the federal and state govern-

ments. The fact that the package does nothing to eradicate these measures means that industry effectively faces a double carbon tax burden.

Ai Group's engagement and the spotlight we have put on small business and the manufacturing sector is reflected in the increase in the write-off provisions for small business; the comprehensive steel program and the clear focus on manufacturing in the Clean Technology Investment Program; the Clean Technology Innovation Program; the programs for the food and foundry sectors; and the Clean Energy Finance Corporation.

These programs will be important to industry's future.

Overall, the impact of the total package deserves further scrutiny as the detail is revealed.

Heather Ridout is chief executive of the Australian Industry Group.

Visit www.aigroup.com.au

manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisNEWS Waratah by name, not by nature The first Chinese-made Waratah train has arrived in Sydney, 15 months late due to a slew of OH&S defects.

But would the scenario have been different if these trains had been made locally? Hartley Henderson writes.

The Waratah trains’ windscreens appeared ‘milky’ when hit with direct sunlight (inset) – just one of the defects that attributed to the project’s 15-months-late delivery.

T

HE first of 78 China-made Waratah trains has finally been commissioned in Sydney, 15 months late and after a script of quality and OH&S problems were revealed. Is this an example of what can happen if you don’t keep it in the family?

Significant problems associated with Sydney’s $3.6 billion Waratah train project have further highlighted the need for greater involvement of Australian manufacturing companies in major rail projects.

Since the get-go, a range of problems has impacted the completion of the project including production rate, quality, safety, software integration and general cost-escalation issues, resulting in the first of the 78 trains being accepted for commissioning in June this year – more than 15 months late.

Which begs the question: why wasn’t the entire Waratah project

8 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

handed to Australian companies to begin with? According to Australia’s largest railway association, local companies had more than enough capability to deliver these trains, if only the timeframe was more lenient.

Keeping it in the family The cars of the Waratah train are built in China by Changchun Railway Vehicles Co Ltd (CRC), while the driver’s and guard’s cabins are manufactured at Cardiff in Newcastle by Downer EDI. According to Bob Newham of the Rail Tram and Bus Union (Locomotive Division) in Sydney, many quality and OH&S issues were identified with the Waratah train after manufacture.

“This includes windscreens that go ‘milky’ when hit with sunlight at certain angles, and padding that needed to be added to the ceiling-mounted guide rope pulleys for the passenger emergency

ramp at either end of the train.

These were installed within the crew’s cabin to protect from head injury when the crew is moving around the cabin in the performance of their duties,” he told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“Other problems included cable shrouding that partly obscured the driver’s peripheral vision, train monitoring computer screen glare and reflection issues, poor-quality stainless steel welding, and gaps in plastic moulding.

Stairwell hand rails were difficult to install because they did not line-up and had to be redesigned.

The handrails had to be connected with collars instead of internal spigots, and welded connections were removed and replaced with collars or clamps.

“However, the main issue with the train was the software package, which has to be enhanced.

These various issues raise the question as to how reliable the

Waratah Wonkys Would you have made these mistakes?

• ‘Milky’ windscreens • No ceiling padding • Cables shrouding driver’s view • Poor-quality steel welding • Gaps in plastic moulding • Handrails not lining up with stairs • Unreliable software.

Waratah will be in 10 years.”

The Australasian Railway Association’s Garry Whiting says that Australian rail industry manufacturers have the capability to deliver on major projects, but there can be a difficulty in manufacturing at the rate of delivery required.

“A long-term demand plan of 20 to 50 years is required to enable planned replacement of rolling stock so suppliers have some certainty in order to invest in skills and system performance improvement,” he said.

“Projects such as the Waratah should not be treated as one-off events, and the federal government should be taking a leadership role in long-term planning of infrastructure for Australia’s cities. Modelling is required based on factors such as population growth and urban planning, and the related need for investment in rail infrastructure and rolling stock.

“For our manufacturers, it’s more an issue of the timeline required for production, rather than the capability to build in Australia.”

Need to globalise Tony Carney, the national sector manager – rail, located in the Industry Capability Network (ICN), sees a need to globalise the Australian rail manufacturing industry to compete both locally and internationally.

“Continuing action is needed to manmonthly.com.au

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expose rail suppliers to best practice manufacturing and to facilitate integration into international supply chains. This can be assisted by building international competiveness, and developing international partnerships and technological innovations,” he said.

“Australian companies have the capability to manufacture rolling stock and their competitiveness would be greatly assisted by better forecasting the demand for passenger rolling stock nationally, thus allowing suppliers to better plan facilities and production schedules, and thereby reduce costs.”

General manager of the Australian Rail Manufacturers Group, Jill Walsh, believes that a major issue for the Australian rail manufacturing industry is that procurement of rolling stock is often in small orders, and is currently uncoordinated by state rail authorities.

“There is an evident need for better demand forecast information and some form of continuity

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between governments in the placing of orders to avoid volatile demand cycles,” she said.

“Australia has the capacity to build high-quality trains at competitive prices, but this would be significantly enhanced if procurement planning was streamlined so that orders were not required to be built in bits and pieces.”

Chief executive of Australian Made, Australian Grown, Ian Harrison, emphasises that governments at all levels should invest in Australia’s manufacturing industry through public infrastructure projects.

“This is where governments need to show leadership. It’s not just about governments paying more or less for the product. It is about governments working with the manufacturing industry to encourage innovation, expertise and greater capacity in the businesses contracted under the projects,” he said.

“Australian-made products are renowned for their innovation and quality. They are made by

AM

Australians, for Australian conditions and to Australia’s high standards.

“Yes, the $3.6 billion Waratah project has created hundreds of jobs for Australians, which is great, but it has also been hampered by quality and time management issues – these may have been avoided if local participation and local product had been increased.

“If Australia is to sustain and grow its manufacturing industry and economy, state and federal governments need to show leadership by increasing their own investment in Australianmade products.”

Technology roadmap Action has commenced to develop a technology roadmap for the Australian rail supply sector to 2040 and beyond.

The project is aimed at helping the industry leverage world-class skills and knowledge to identify the opportunities and prepare for the challenges of the future.

It will involve all stakeholders, from operators, manufacturers and service providers, to researchers, policy-makers, and industry bodies, to develop a unified vision and strategic plan.

Funding for the project, which is being undertaken by ANU Edge, is from the Commonwealth Government; the state governments of NSW, Victoria, and Queensland; and the Australasian Railways Association on behalf of industry.

A series of workshops is being conducted, as well as open surveys, and further information is available by visiting www.anuedge.com or phoning (02) 6125 9025.

ARM Group 03 8768 8119, www.armgroup.com.au Australian Made 03 9686 1500, www.australianmade.com.au Australasian Railway Association 02 6270 4511, www.ara.net.au Industry Capability Network 03 8689 2531, www.icn.org.au Rail Train & Bus Union 02 9264 3400, www.rtbu-nsw.asn.au

Range, quality, and expertise consistently comes from a Mackay mould.

Mackay makes rubber moulding for a variety of industries, from small to large and everything in between.

However it’s our technical know-how and high standards that make us the supplier of choice. Mackay’s design and manufacturing expertise allows us to incorporate materials not commonly associated with rubber mouldings.

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We are certain that Mackay can provide a solution to your rubber requirements – it’s amazing just how flexible we are.

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AnalysisNEWS EVENTS

Adjusting to the new business climate

BY ALAN OSRIN

AUGUST 2: Plantwide Benefits of EtherNet/IP Seminars Rockwell Automation in collaboration with Cisco Systems, Fluke Networks and Panduit will be presenting a series of one-day seminars on the Plantwide Benefits of EtherNet/IP. The series will be travelling to major cities around the country. au.rockwellautomation.com 3: IICA Mackay Technology Expo The Expo, hosted by the Institute of Instrumentation, Control & Automation (IICA), will feature over 30 companies showcasing their products related to the instrumentation, control and automation industry.

Entry is Free.

www.iica.org.au 16: QLD Gas Conference & Exhibition The two-day conference in Brisbane will attract up to 100 exhibitors, from the major exploration companies to major engineering firms and contractors, through to suppliers of specialised products and services. www.queenslandgasexhibition. com.au 30: Inaco Technology Tour Brisbane Inaco Automation Controls is giving attendees a unique opportunity to participate in hands-on labs and training, learn about new products, and understand more about Inaco’s products, services and solutions capabilities. www.inaco.com.au

SEPTEMBER TBC: Logistics & Materials Handling Mercury Awards Come and celebrate Australia’s leaders in logistics and materials handling innovation and technology at Doltone House in Sydney. www.logisticsmagazine.com.au/ awards 1–2: Queensland Supply Chain & Logistics Conference Brings together supply chain, logistics, transport and procurement professionals and practitioners at the Sofitel in Brisbane.

www.qldscc.com

10 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

T

HE May release of the ‘Sage SME Business Sentiment Index 2011’ highlighted that Australian manufacturers are shifting focus.

Where rising prices and other financially-oriented issues dominated concerns in 2010, new challenges are emerging as manufacturers adjust to a lowergrowth business environment.

Though almost four in ten manufacturers feel that business is performing better now than in 2010, and just over one in ten believe it is worse, almost half say they feel no difference in confidence at all. This is possibly a result of the manufacturing industry's particular cross – an anticipated continuing strong Australian dollar impacting on competitiveness.

Whatever the reason, it's a sign that manufacturers are realistic about their situation. We've entered a time of low-and-gradual economic growth and manufacturers, it appears, are planning accordingly.

2010 was a year defined by financial concerns for Australia's manufacturers, as evidenced by the following findings from our report: more than six in ten manufacturers nominated rising costs as their biggest challenge of the past twelve months compared to 47% of the total business population; more than seven in ten

Having access to the right skills in the workplace is one of the top priorities for managers this year.

manufacturers agree strongly that during this period, costs went up but revenues didn't rise by the same margin; almost half of the manufacturers and just 39% of all other businesses believe rising costs will continue to be an issue in 2011.

By contrast, in 2011, manufacturers are preparing for a new set of challenges. Rising costs still appear on the list but they are decreasing in importance and sit alongside new issues such as maintaining or growing revenue, and gaining new customers. Manufacturers are looking forward and considering the best ways to grow their business, given the confines of the market.

Cash flow, last year's second biggest business challenge, has

dropped to fourth place, coming in on an equal footing with concern regarding recruitment of new employees. Manufacturers have been quick to realise that in a tightly-fought market, having access to the right skills is essential.

So what are the likely focuses for manufacturers in the coming 12 months? Based on their professed investment desires, sales and efficiency will be key.

To satisfy the desire to gain new customers, twice as many manufacturers as all other businesses say they would like to invest more money in sales if only they had the budget. One quarter of manufacturers would also like to invest in export markets. Just over a third of manufacturers would like to invest more in marketing. It suggests a renewed competitive spirit after a year of focusing internally on financial matters.

The search for new efficiencies can be seen in the remaining two key investment priorities: infrastructure/premises and technology. It makes a lot of sense.

If expectations of no- or slowindustry growth are correct, and with funding concerns receding, now is an ideal time to make changes, update business systems and implement new, more efficient processes in the plant.

[Alan Osrin is managing director, Sage Software Australia.]

Australian industry booms in June

BY SARAH FALSON

LOCAL manufacturing performance grew during June for the first time since February, due to pleasing performance in the textiles, construction materials, basic metals and chemicals, petroleum and coal sectors.

New orders and production expanded during the month, lifting the Australian Industry Group – PwC Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index (Australian PMI) 5.2 points to 52.9, which is above the

50-point level separating expansion from contraction.

Though the strong Australian dollar continues to hurt manufacturers, the positive June PMI result is proof that local companies are still bucking the odds and performing well against obstacles.

Interestingly, the textiles sector was among the highest-performing during June, assumedly due to the government's $35 million injection in the textiles, clothing and footwear sector announced in April.

The main findings were: construction materials and basic metals expanded; new orders were up; production rose; and Queensland, Victoria and Tasmania recorded growth.

"The positive result, particularly the lift in new orders, is good news for a sector that has been weak for some 12 months,” said Ai Group chief executive, Heather Ridout.

“It will contribute to some extent in recovering lost ground after an extended run of contractions.” manmonthly.com.au

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Challenging the stereotype

BY MARGARET TRA

W

OMEN in manufacturing may seem taboo, but can women do the hard yards and lift heavy machinery when needed?

Events such as the International Conference for Women Engineers and Scientists (INWES), and awards programs from the MSA 2011 Women at Work – Making a Difference study, are enticing women to do just that.

The INWES conference, cohosted by the National Committee for Women in Engineering, Engineers Australia (EA), has been held every three years since 1964. This year will represent the first time it has been hosted in the southern hemisphere – last time it was held in France.

Marlene Kanga, co-chair for the INWES and national councillor for Engineers Australia, said the aim of the conference is to show that women can be great scientists and engineers.

“Part of our strategy is to challenge the stereotype,” Kanga told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

The conference has the theme ‘Leadership, innovation, sustainability’, and will showcase female leaders of science and engineering organisations from Australia and around the world.

manmonthly.com.au

Marlene Kanga is the co-chair of INWES, and has over 25 years experience in the industry.

“It’s not only about women. It’s just good to know the work they do speaks for themselves,” said Kanga.

“Women engineers currently represent less than 10% of the engineering workforce in Australia, which is one of the lowest participation rates of women across all professions.

“The conference will provide women in the engineering and scientific professions with a rare opportunity to meet and listen to many Australian and international leaders in women scientists and engineers and be inspired by their leadership journeys, their innovations and their recommendations for a sustainable future.”

As a chemical scientist with over 25 years’ experience, Kanga entered the industry due to her passion for chemistry and maths.

“I think a lot of people don’t know that science can be creative,” she said.

The International Conference for Women Engineers and Scientists recognises the need to

support women in their careers, providing additional opportunities for professional development with a large number of technical sessions on a range of subjects.

The Future Minds Expo, a program offered at INWES, provided high school students from around Adelaide with an opportunity to meet women engineers and scientists and discuss their career options.

“This is consistent with the strategy of ‘attracting’ women to science and engineering,” said Kanga.

Another program designed to attract women to the industry is Manufacturing Skills Australia’s (MSA) 2011 Women at Work – Making a Difference study award, which allows women to

share their success stories and be acknowledged for their achievements.

The chief executive officer of MSA, Bob Paton, said last year was the first year for the awards and it received a range of highquality applicants.

“The issue with women in manufacturing is that jobs aren’t appealing; they are physically demanding and can put women off,” said Paton.

MSA is hoping to attract more women to the manufacturing industry through this award, which includes $5,000 towards the winner’s training course.

MSA 02 9955 5500, www.mskills.com.au INWES 03 9682 0244, www.icwes15.org

Top Tweets in July What you missed last month…

• Robots and humans working together a reality (http://bit.ly/lM0jA9) • New Sydney switchboard factory focussing on ‘lean’ (http://bit.ly/jtr0Ek) • Heinz refusing long-service payments for redundant workers (http://bit.ly/mC08lt) • NSW manufacturers fined $193,000 after pallets fall on three men (http://bit.ly/kQRrhB) • Three secrets to a sustainable workplace (http://bit.ly/k8z5t5) Never miss out again! Follow us @manmonthly for all the latest news, product information and comment pieces from the industry.

Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 11

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TechnologyIT@MM

Since implementing the ERP system, Trumps has experienced strong ROI and operational benefits.

ERP used to improve warehouse operations Fruit and nut manufacturer Trumps has overhauled its warehouse operations and boosted workforce mobility using an ERP system. Tabitha Mathew writes.

I

T WAS growing pains that first set third-generation, Australian-owned and operated fruit and nut manufacturer Trumps on the hunt for a new IT system.

For managing director, Declan Dart, the turning point came when the business experienced a 70% growth surge in one year.

Active in the food industry for more than 50 years, Trumps is based in Brisbane and manufactures a range of raw and processed nuts, dried and glazed fruit, confectionery, seeds, flour and cereals.

With plans to export its products into overseas markets such as New Zealand, it was clear the company’s existing software and IT systems weren’t able to support projected growth.

“With well over 100 staff, we’d outgrown our accounting software and got to a point where we needed more control and visibility of our daily operations,” Dart said.

“An integrated IT system that 12 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

could help us manage the warehouse and all other parts of the business was mandatory for us. We didn’t want to continue fighting spot fires with disparate systems.”

Dart considered a number of options, including specialised warehouse and manufacturing software, but no solution offered the integration of Pronto-Xi, he said. This ERP offers a range of tools including financials, sales and warehousing.

Within three months, the system was up and running.

Improved stock control Manufacturing more than 500 product varieties for suppliers Coles, Woolworths and the Nutshack franchises, stock control is critical, said Dart.

“At any point in time, our central warehouse holds about 4,000 pallets and ships out almost 100 pallets a day,” Dart said.”

Now we have to control all these movements, which the system does automatically for us.

“Essentially, it controls all our stock rotation and tells us where anything is in the warehouse at any time.”

Before deploying the technology, Trumps was heavily reliant on paper-based systems to track all stock. Effectively, the warehouse is today a paperless environment.

All data is recorded by warehouse staff using radio frequency barcode scanners that automatically capture and feed back the product information into the system.

“All the data in our system is live, and because you can access the system through a web browser, our sales reps can access data from the system in real-time wherever they might be,” Dart explained.

Real time intelligence A feature of the set-up, which Trumps is now planning to embrace across the company, is its Alert Intelligence (AI) capability.

The real-time alert notification feature can issue instant alerts via SMS or email to staff, turning data from the system into action.

“AI is a fantastic tool that allows us to receive instant alerts about what is going in the business,” Dart said.

“For example; our staff can receive emails when stock levels are running low, or if a purchase order needs to be approved.

“Likewise, customers can be instantly alerted when their order is dispatched, which is a real boost to our customer service levels.”

AI ensures that managers have a constant, real-time view of data across the business, instead of relying on after-thefact reporting.

Supply chain advantage Recently, Trumps began using the system’s iSupply Global supply chain management tool.

The tool creates significant supply chain efficiencies and trading cycle accuracy and further opens up global trade by enabling companies such as Trumps to exchange universallystandardised supply chain data with their trading partners, via GS1net.

It also allows suppliers to collaborate more cost-effectively with trading partners, many of whom – such as Coles Myer and Woolworths – are mandating that their suppliers become GS1netcompliant.

“Pronto offers a highly-flexible system that enables us to continually add applications such as iSupply Global. In the future we also want to look at exploring the system’s web sales capability,” he said.

Since implementing the technology, Trumps has seen strong ROI and operational benefits across the business.

“It’s a system we wish we had in place before we grew so rapidly,” Dart said.

“It was a significant investment for us, but it has definitely paid for itself.”

Pronto Software 03 9887 7770, www.pronto.com.au manmonthly.com.au

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Wilson migrates to latest ERP and PLM THE Wilson Transformer Company, a leading Australian manufacturer of power and distribution transformers, has announced plans to implement the next-generation Epicor ERP software and in turn become the first customer in Australia and New Zealand to implement the software’s Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) capability.

With over 650 employees based in Australia, Wilson has two specialised manufacturing operations based in Victoria, one for power transformers in Glen Waverley and the other for distribution transformers in Wodonga.

The company says its decision to opt for the Epicor ERP solution was based, in part, on the success the company has enjoyed to date using the Epicor Vantage solution.

Wilson currently uses the Vantage solution to support its financial management system and logistics operations. More specifically, the company was vigorously searching for a robust PLM system.

“While we were very happy with the capabilities offered by the Vantage solution, we knew that the platform and upgrade path offered by Epicor’s nextgeneration ERP solution was ultimately a better fit for our organisation as we continue to grow,” said Ed Wilson, general manager, Power Business Unit.

“In particular we were also impressed with the product lifecycle management capability offered through Epicor ERP. “We have been looking for a

The PLM system offers complete visibility of all information pertaining to a specific product.

comprehensive PLM system for some time. Given the nature of our business, it is critical we have access to, and complete visibility of all information pertaining to a specific product including specifications, design, client liaison, service, maintenance, manufacture and procurement terms.

“Ultimately we wanted an endto-end solution that would enable us to generate greater efficiencies in terms of design, production and engineering workflows.”

Guy Barnsley, mechanical engineering manager at the Power Business Unit, said the out-of-the-box integration of the PLM system with Epicor, as well as its integration with other third-party systems including 3D CAD, was a huge draw for the company.

“By upgrading from Vantage to

Epicor ERP, we have the best of both worlds: we still retain a strong ERP infrastructure but now have the added integrated PLM component, which we have been striving for, for some time,” Barnsley said.

Wilson selected Epicor ERP through Epicor’s strategic partner, Cogita, which has worked with Epicor for more than ten years.

Roger Fairgray, client services director for COGITA, said the company is delighted that Wilson is expanding its engagement with Epicor.

“Increased functionality and scope of embedded modules include Advanced Planning And Scheduling, Maintenance Management, Enterprise Quality Assurance, Enterprise Performance Management, as well as expanding to PLM,” Fairgray said.

Cogita 02 9413 4339, www.cogita.com

Asset management capabilities expanded INFOR has expanded the asset management capabilities of its Infor EAM with enhancements to version 8.5, including strengthening fleet and transportation management, graphical scheduling and planning, and linear asset support.

Features include a streamlined, graphical process to schedmanmonthly.com.au

ule resources with advanced filtering across multiple weeks, ata-glance status indicators and a drag-and-drop approach enabling schedulers and planners to more effectively establish and refine schedules.

The latest version features automation and connectivity to easily establish and maintain rat-

ings for buildings and equipment, reducing administrative costs while enabling continuous improvement of sustainability programs.

New preventative maintenance and work management techniques for preventative maintenance are also included.

Development time slashed by 80% BY using advanced design software, Mitsuba, a Japanese manufacturer of wiper motors has been able to reduce development time of one of its products by more than 80%.

Using Matlab and Simulink to develop the controller of an innovative reversing wiper, the company was able to deliver a complete system in 81% less time than estimated.

By adopting Model-Based Design, including automatic production code generation, Mitsuba reduced its project development time from 16 weeks to three.

Due to its complex controls, Mitsuba says a reversing wiper system is more challenging to design than a conventional system. Additionally, the development process required rework because the previous process relied on paper-based requirements specifications and handwritten code.

As a result, the team found most errors in the later stages of development, when fixing them was more time-consuming and expensive.

In order to solve this problem, Mitsuba used ModelBased Design with MathWorks products for control modeling, simulation, verification, and automatic production code generation. The team used Simulink to model control structures, control functions, and test harnesses based on the specification.

With Simulink and SimMechanics, they created a plant model including the windshield wiper link mechanism, wiper arm, and body mount. By debugging and testing throughout simulation, before the hardware prototyping stage, Mitsuba developed, verified, and tested in a shorter timeframe.

Mathworks 02 8669 4700, www.mathworks.com

Infor www.infor.com Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 13

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AnalysisMANAGEMENT More cake for manufacturers Australia’s mining industry buys millions of dollars worth of technology, equipment and services every year, but local manufacturers only get a small slice of the pie. Alan Johnson investigates how this might change.

W

HILE major resources projects provide significant opportunities for Australian manufacturers, many companies are still missing out because of established global vendor lists, the trend towards pre-assembled modules, and not being proactive enough.

Getting a bigger piece of the action can be a challenging process, but there are a number of state and federal organisations available to help our manufacturers get a larger serving.

For example, hidden away in this year’s federal budget was a $34.4 million ‘Buy Australian at Home and Abroad’ initiative, designed specifically to give Australian manufacturers a better chance of benefiting from the nation’s major resources projects.

Industry minister, Senator Kim Carr, said this new initiative will ensure Australian manufacturers and service providers know where the opportunities lie, and how to recognise them.

“New Enterprise Connect Business Advisers will work directly with small companies to help them grow as suppliers to the resources sector,” he said.

“They will partner with new industry Supplier Advocates to embed Australian business in the resources sector supply chains.

“The government will also ensure that buyers understand the strength of the local manufacturing and service sectors.

Through the Industry Capability Network (ICN), specialist advisers will work with the procurement teams of major projects like the Woodside Browse LNG development in Western Australia, the INPEX Ichthys project in Northern Territory, and LNG projects in Queensland.

“Increased funding of $1 million per annum will expand the reach of the ICN’s vital work, making it easier and cheaper

14 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Getting on the mining bandwagon is not impossible.

The increase in imported fabricated steel is a major issue for the Australian Steel Institute’s members, especially in Western Australia and Queensland where the majority of the big resources projects are.

for buyers and suppliers to do business.”

Think global Ian Cairns from the Australian Steel Institute (ASI) told Manufacturers’ Monthly that its members are often frustrated with the mining giants, saying the increase in imported fabricated steel, for example, is a major issue for the association’s members, especially in Western Australia and Queensland.

“The steel fabrication and heavy engineering sectors are struggling and in danger of disappearing. Their share of the steel industry and heavy engineering local content in major projects in Australia has reduced significantly over the past two

years, now less than 10%, with much of the work being imported from China and other parts of Asia,” Cairns said.

But, as Linus O’Brien, ICN's WA Manager explains, the days of exclusive tendering in the domestic market are well gone.

“Quite often we are now seeing packages that are being tendered globally and while it is disappointing, local manufacturers are certainly getting more exposure to global supply chains,” O’Brien told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“With BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto getting back online with their projects, suppliers should endeavour to get in contact with the major engineering groups that are working on t

heir projects.”

However, O’Brien warns, manufacturers must be aware that the level of quality and certification required in certain resources areas may be much higher than they are used to.

“The oil and gas sector, like the mining sector, has high demands of safety,” he said.

O’Brien advises manufacturers to register with ICN’s Gateway as a first step. Being proactive also doesn’t hurt.

“As part of our vendor ID service, we research the Australian market. If an Australian supplier has the capability for a package, and they know all the constraints, we will try to get them to the starting line. By that I mean expression of interest, premanmonthly.com.au

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Get involved at AIMEX 2011 AIMEX (Asia-Pacific's International Mining Exhibition) 2011 will provide a major opportunity for Australia’s manufacturers, fabricators and machine shops to get involved with the mining industry.

To be held at Sydney’s Olympic Park, Homebush on 6–9 September, AIMEX 2011 will be the largest mining exhibition ever held in Australia, with more than 550 exhibiting companies, covering more than 45,0002m.

“It will be unique gathering in a single location of mining products and services from around Australia and throughout the world – and will offer manufacturers, machine shops, fabricators and other local service providers some unique insights into mining industry opportunities,” said Reed Exhibitions AIMEX exhibition director, Paul Baker.

“We are strongly encouraging manufacturing sector companies looking to take advantage of this once-in-a-generation mining boom to come along to AIMEX in September, meet with mining industry endusers and take advantage of the many networking opportunities that an event like this offers.”

One manufacturer taking advantage of the mining boom is gear units specialist, SEW-Eurodrive, which will be exhibiting at AIMEX with a range of helical, bevel helical, planetary and extended bearing distance configurations, with torque ranges up to 475kNm, destined for conveying applications for the mining industry.

qual leading to tender, and then it’s over to the company.

“Putting up an expression of interest is fine, but they should also invite them to their factory to show what they can do. Its pretty basic business development stuff really.”

Getting past the bouncers John Coyle from New South Wales’ HunterNet says the mining sector is not a closed shop, but he admits it does run in its own unique way.

“You need to be in the tent, if you are going to do any good,” Coyle told Manufacturers’ Monthly; HunterNet works as a collective body, identifying opportunities for its 180 members – many from the manufacturing industry.

“We can get into a mining company’s supply chain, have a look and feed that information back to our members.

That’s our approach, with the assistance of Enterprise Connect,” he said.

Coyle admits local manufacturers are challenged by the high Australian dollar, manmonthly.com.au

but says there are still opportunities out there.

“One of our key advantages is speed to market, plus we have to be innovative and identify niche opportunities, and give top service,” he said.

“Quality assurance is an important area for mining companies; people should get back into that game a bit more, if they are really serious about it.”

Coyle says the biggest opportunity for Australian manufacturers supplying to big resource projects is in the technology for carbon reduction area.

“This is real issue for us in the Hunter. We have a very carbon-dependent manufacturing/engineering base here with electricity generation, smelting and mining, so we see opportunities in OH&S, environmental and carbon management and in green energy. Those are areas where we can shine,” he said.

“True life support is another opportunity, and companies often get a better return in this area than

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when they are actually making the product”.

LONG SPAN SHELVING

Success story One manufacturer who recognised an opportunity in the mining industry a decade ago was J. Smith & Sons, a family-owned, Australian business operating in Gympie, Queensland. Joel McEnery, the company’s technical documentation officer, said the firm’s Hydrapede project was inspired by a noticeable gap in the mine haulage equipment market in 2000.

“The increasing incidence of satellite mines across Australia increases the necessity for vehicles that are capable of hauling large amounts of resource over long distances,” he said.

“It was noted that few alternatives to standard rear dump mining trucks existed.

Resultantly, the mining industry was limited to using vehicles with wide bodies which demand larger, more expensive road infrastructure and maintenance regimes; and short distance haulage capabilities due to large tyres.

“The Smith Hydrapede has been designed to provide a solution to these limitations and additionally, to provide increased payload and faster average haulage speeds,” McEnery said.

The latest Mk4 Hydrapede Dolly units have been successfully commissioned at the West Turner Syncline Mine in Western Australia.

They also took-out the prestigious Australian Steel Innovation category in this magazine’s 2011 Endeavour Awards, recognising the company for taking advantage of the booming mining industry.

ASI 2 9931 6666, www.steel.org.au.

AIMEX 2011 02 9422 2563, www.aimex.com.au HunterNet 02 4908 7380, www.hunternet.com.au ICN 02 6285 2033, www.icn.org.au J Smith & Sons 07 5482 1166, www.smithson.com.au

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Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 15

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What’sNew See more new products at manmonthly.com.au

variety of materials handling and processing applications, including conveyors, and require zero maintenance.

Air Springs Supply 02 9807 4077, www.airsprings.com.au

Steel Blue 08 9209 3322, www.steelblue.com.au

Enerpac 02 9743 8988, www.enerpac.com.au

systems for laboratory, field and near process applications.

Compact, flexible actuators

16 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Hydraulic bolt tensioners

STEEL Blue has introduced its new ‘Lifestyle’ range of sleek design, flexible safety footwear, made to provide workers with comfortable, durable and safe footwear options.

The new range is suitable for workers on factory floors, those performing maintenance jobs, and workers in manufacturing warehouses.

All shoe styles have anti-static, water resistance and shock absorption features. The shoes also feature a composite toecap and padded collar, and one style offers additional resistant.

Laboratory oxygen measurements

AIR Springs Supply has introduced the Firestone 70-P-13 Airomatic Polyactuators for hygiene-sensitive applications in the materials handling, food and packaging industries.

The compact pneumatic actuator stands at 16mm high deflated, with a stroke of more than 12.5mm and can exert forces of more than 0.45kN at 3.5 bar.

Fabricated from moulded plastic elements welded together in a sealed unit, the actuators reportedly maintain their full structural integrity, flexibility and shape over extended periods of service.

They can be customised to meet specific sizes and shapes for a wide

The GT-Series is available in capacities up to 2845kN (320 tonne) at 1,500 bar.

ENERPAC’S new GT-Series of hydraulic bolt tensioners are suitable for achieving known and accurate bolt loads across multiple applications, such as pipelines and flanges, the manufacturer says.

The tensioners come in capacities up to 2845kN (320 tonne) at 1,500 bar, making them suitable for industrial applications.

According to Enerpac, the tensioners offer precise fastening services, and are also safe and speedy to use.

Typical applications include those involving critical tolerances and multiple bolting tasks on heavy industrial processing, power generation and resource exploration and development equipment and infrastructure.

According to the company, a major advantage offered by the GT-Series hydraulic bolt tensioners is that multiple bolts can be fastened at one time, using exactly the same pressure from the same power source.

This ability to ‘daisy chain’ hydraulic tensioners gives even, precise load across a bolted surface, the company claims.

Sensors are available with three different lengths of cable.

METTLER-TOLEDO has introduced OptiOx, a new line of dissolved oxygen

The new OptiOx line offers two new meters – the SevenGo Duo pro SG98 (a dual-channel DO/pH/ORP/Ion meter), and the SevenGo proSG9 (a robust single-channel DO meter).

The portfolio also includes the Lab OptiOx sensor, a new dissolved oxygen sensor based on the optical RDO (Rugged Dissolved Oxygen) technology.

The OptiOx line offers stable results, rapid response time, rapid measurement and simple handling.

The sensor is available with three different cable lengths, and the RDO technology reportedly makes measurements and maintenance easier than ever before.

Additionally, the SevenGo (Duo) pro devices are watertight to IP67 protection to prevent dust, dirt or moisture penetration.

Mettler-Toledo 1300 659 761, www.mt.com

Lifestyle safety footwear

The compact pneumatic Airomatic actuator has a 76mm diameter.

manmonthly.com.au

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The welding machines come with inter-changeable ‘overlap kits’.

Automatic plastics welders TECHSPAN automatic plastic welders are designed for precise, efficient welding of thermoplastics, including tarpaulins, covers, banners, liners, structural fabrics, and water-proofing membranes.

The Techspan Tarpon and Planon automatic overlap welders feature inter-changeable ‘overlap kits’, enabling the weld seam width to be changed without having to purchase different machines for different widths.

The ‘overlap kits’ consist of four parts, and can be easily changed by the operator, with an allen-key, in less than five minutes, the company claims.

A ‘hem kit’ also enables the welding of hems, which can be adjusted for hem widths of 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40mm. Welding speed, welding temperature, and airflow volume are infinitely adjustable.

Techspan Group 1800 148 791, www.plasticweldingtools.co.nz

Device management software INTERMEC’S INcontrol device management software allows businesses to track mobile technology assets and secure network investments.

The platform is designed to help manufacturers avoid downtime through access to both standardised and custom asset reports, allowing IT managers to examine the current state, location and utilisation of mobile computers and networks.

manmonthly.com.au

INcontrol promotes the protection of vital business data; mobile computing devices that feature INcontrol can be remotely wiped if lost or if they have not checked into the network within a specified period of time.The system is available in three different platforms: INview, a basic model; INsync, a more robust option; and INcommand, for wireless networks.

Intermec 02 9330 4400, www.intermec.com.au

Asset management solutions HONEYWELL’s Asset Manager R400 is a reliability and asset management solution that helps integrate all aspects of plant maintenance and operations – people, processes and technologies – through a single solution.

Asset Manager R400 is designed to enable seamless integration with both Honeywell and leading third-party applications, such as IBM Maximo, in order to enable easier decision-mak-

ing, maintain asset integrity and support operations reliability.

It also enables users from all levels of plant operations to collaborate effectively in order to determine how to address abnormal equipment conditions, and to plan maintenance actions while assuring production dependability.

Honeywell Process Solutions www.honeywell.com

Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 17

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What’sNEW Form, fill, seal and weigh

Compressor adsorption dryers

ACCUWEIGH is now distributing a series of vertical form, fill and seal (VFFS) machines fitted with multi-head weighers, designed for food manufacturers.

Each system offers a compact footprint, measuring only 2.25 metres in height, saving space in the factory.

According to the company, the usual need for a working platform to access the multihead weigher is eliminated with the multi-head weigher, which is fully-supported by strong metal legs integrated into the unit’s chassis.

Constructed in stainless steel, Accuweigh’s AW-MVA series VFFS and multi-head weigher is available in configurations using either ten or fourteen weigh buckets.

Designed for small-to-medium size bags, the combination can weigh and package product into bags up to 190mm wide by 230mm long.

Both units use servo motors for

BOGE’S D series adsorption dryers for air compressors are designed to ensure only high-purity air is generated.

The units are reportedly energy-efficient and highly-reliable, suiting compressors in industrial applications.

The D series utilises a twin tower system, however each tower contains a cartridge with pre- and after-filtration, as well as the desiccant media. One tower adsorbs humidity, and the other one regenerates the desiccant.

Saturated compressed air leaving the compressor enters the inlet of one of the towers via a water separator which collects water in a special condensate chamber before passing through the pre-filter in the cartridge.

After being dried, the air passes through a particulate filter which is designed to collect any residual dirt or dust particles so that the air produced conforms to quality Class 2, according to DIN ISO 8573.1.

The VFFS machines have built-in multi-head weighers.

lower power consumption, and a large full-colour touchscreen provides functionality for both machines, Salter says.

Salter Holdings Group 07 3265 5520, www.salter.com.au

The D series ensures only high-purity air leaves the air compressor.

BOGE Compressors Australia 08 9528 2157, www.boge.net.au

Motion analyser package THE latest release of Rockwell Automation’s Motion Analyzer software, version 5.000, is designed to make it easier for machine-builders to analyse, optimise, simulate and select motion control systems.

The software now supports MPAI and Kinetix 3 products, and offers an enhanced SolidWorks interface.

More industry-standard indexes have been catered for, including 3rd Order Polynomial (Parabolic), 7th Order Polynomial, Adjusted Sine (Cycloidal) and Modified Trapezoidal.

Further additional features and fixes

in the new new version include registration for the ‘Pro’ version and multiple language support.

Using intuitive step-by-step data entry fields, users can rapidly build-up their motion application including options such as load type (linear, rotary and rotary complex) and load data (mass, force, friction and inclination).

This data can then be associated with a number of different variableversus-time motion profiles, the company says.

Rockwell Automation 03 9896 0300, www.rockwellautomation.com.au

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High-volume cutting and profiling LINCOLN Electric has introduced VERNON Tool’s pipe and tube cutting and profiling solution to the Australian market.

The system is reportedly ideal for use by high-production/high-volume handrail and fencing fabricators.

The MasterTubeCutter (MTC) and MasterPipe Profiler (MPP) models are suited to small- to medium-sized shops, looking to efficiently cut and profile tubes or pipes to improve joining preparation.

The 5-axis MTC has the capacity for 1–8 inches round (1–12 inches outside diameter) and rectangular (7.5 inches

cross section) pipe and tube cutting, with either plasma or oxyfuel cutting.

The system also has two additional profiling axes allowing for torch angle and linear motion.

The 2-axis MPP is capable of handling cutting and profiling operations for pipe with an outside diameter of 1–12 inches and a length of up to 40 feet.

Lincoln Electric 02 9772 7222, www.lincolnelectric.com.au The MTC and MPP efficiently cut and profile tubes or pipes for improved joining preparation.

Ergonomic safety buttons THE Rockwell Automation AllenBradley 800B 16mm Push Buttons are modular systems designed to help reduce downtime.

The Allen-Bradley Push Buttons are designed to help reduce maintenance and associated downtime costs.

Users needing compact, reliable Push Buttons for light industrial and instrumentation applications can take advantage of the E-stop Push Button, featuring a trigger-action anti-tease to help ensure the command will disengage equipment.

The units offer LED pilot lights that indicate if a motor is in operation.

They also meets global standards, including UL, CSA, CE and CCC. The entire family is constructed of durable

Limit switches The push buttons are designed for light manufacturing applications.

corrosion-resistant plastic materials that offer sealing at IP65/66.

According to Rockwell, the 800B devices offer bright, consistent illumination, in an ergonomic concave

shape. This helps the Push Buttons remain visible in low light areas, and ensures they’re comfortable to use.

Rockwell Automation 03 9896 0300, www.rockwellautomation.com.au

NHP’s range of Austrol Heavy Duty Limit Switches is manufactured to suit tough industrial conditions.

This range of Type 77 switches offers two models: Hatchway Limit Switch (77HL); and Track Limit Switch (77TL).

The units offer durable cast construction (cast aluminium and cast iron), and are weatherproof and dustproof to IP 54.

An oil impregnated bearing means lubrication is not required and the iron operating lever is adjustable to any angular position.

The contacts are manufactured in silver for improved reliability and reduced possibility of oxidation.

NHP 03 9429 2999, www.nhp.com.au

www.colby.com.au

ColbyRACK is quality assured, high strength steel

manmonthly.com.au

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Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 19

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What’sNEW - Fasteners & Adhesives Threadlocker in new tape format

Anaerobic adhesives and retainers

The tape is wrapped around the fastener’s threads, fixing in just 30 minutes.

THE Pratlok anaerobic range of adhesives and retainers includes eight different models, designed for varying manufacturing OEM and maintenance uses.

A Screw Lock model (Grade 0–6), a Nut Lock (6–10) and two Stud Locks (10–20 and 20+) are available, providing varying strengths of threadlocker adhesive for screws, bolts and flanged assemblies.

For more demanding applications,

four Grades including Penetrating, Bearing/Retainer, HYD and H-TEMP can be used for applications including ‘wicking’ into preassembled fasteners, retaining bearings onto shafts, and on hydraulic and pneumatic connections.

The range is distributed by Staetite Fasteners, and includes a line-up of DIY products for both home improvement and lighter industrial applications.

Staetite Fasteners 03 9455 0500, www.staetitefasteners.com

Adhesives, sealants range

LOCTITE is now supplying its anaerobic threadlocker in a new tape format.

Called QuickTape 249, the threadlocker is reportedly neat and clean to use, and is dry to the touch, making it suitable for a variety of demanding industrial applications.

The tape is applied just like any other tape product – the user simply peels the low-tack tape from the spool and wraps it around the fastener’s threads. The size of the fastener determines the number of wraps required for secure locking and sealing.

According to Loctite, the new tape is

a medium strength adhesive that provides the same high performance as liquid threadlockers, yet can be carried in a pocket or toolbox.

The tape can reportedly fix in just 30 minutes, with full cure achieved in 24 hours. The product offers an operating temperature range from -54°C to 150°C and, like its liquid and stick counterparts also sold by Loctite, offers a shelf life of two years.

This tape can also be pre-applied to fasteners for future assembly.

Henkel Australia 1300 885 556, www.loctite.com.au

Designed for OEM assembly and maintenance and repair applications.

ITW Polymers & Fluids is now supplying the Permatex range of adhesives and sealants to Australian industrial markets.

The Permatex brand is reportedly well-known around the world for its

high-quality adhesive technology and products designed for industrial OEM assembly and maintenance and repair (MRO) applications.

The range includes Permatex sealants, adhesives, gasketing products, threadlockers, retaining compounds, cleaners, and anti-seize compounds.

ITW Polymers & Fluids also manufacturers the Epirez, Galmet, Molybond, Rocol and Devcon ranges of adhesives and sealants.

The Permatex brand has reportedly been around since 1909, and has developed over time to aid the changing needs of industry.

Sectors including industrial, consumer, mining, automotive and construction can take advantage of ITW’s consumable products.

ITW Polymers & Fluids Australia 1800 063 511, www.itwpolymersandfluids.com.au

www.colby.com.au

ColbyRACK is improved safety, reduced damage

20 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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Why Pay More for a Red Bottle?

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FluidHANDLING Peristaltic pump technology lowers the total cost of ownership in terms of pump/motor assembly and spare parts costs.

Life-long friends Whole life costs are increasingly becoming more important than energy use for pumps sold into the water sector. Philip Bolton writes.

W

HOLE life costs are playing an ever-more important role in pump selection by the water and wastewater industry.

Interestingly, energy use is no longer the benchmark for making efficiency and cost comparisons.

For engineers and plant managers in the water industry, pump selection has long been a complex and time-consuming task, usually involving the collection and analysis of significant volumes of information with a myriad number of parameters to take into account.

Accurate assessment of head and flow, identification of the most suitable generic type or types of pump based on fluid properties and process requirements are needed for the preliminary selection, coupled with pump efficiency, long-term ener-

22 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Purchasers are increasingly aware that using energy consumption as the main determinant can significantly skew selection of the most appropriate, cost-effective pump. Energy use often masks hidden costs, rendering some choices uneconomical. gy, maintenance and service costs – key information to ensure that costly mistakes arising from inappropriate pumps for the job or poorly-performing pumps are avoided.

For many purchasers the sheer complexity of assessing such a wide range of variables has often meant that the focus has been on the most immediately identifiable and transparent area of energy costs. However, with the advent of more sophisticated manmonthly.com.au

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assessment tools which can cope with the input of a wide range of complex variables to generate more accurate analysis of whole life costs for pumping technology, purchasers are increasingly aware that using energy consumption as the main determinant can significantly skew selection of the most appropriate, cost-effective pump.

Energy use, frequently used as the benchmark in the decisionmaking process, often masks hidden costs, which if taken into account, would render some choices uneconomical.

LLC analysis Accurate LCC analysis looks at all the components that make up the total cost of pump ownership in the context of how the pump operates as part of the overall system – including both the internal components of the pump itself and external ancillary equipment – as a result, conventional approaches to pump selection are changing significantly.

This is particularly relevant in the context of peristaltic pumping technology – reflected in its increasingly-wide uptake across the water and wastewater industries.

The traditional approach of viewing whole life costing primarily in terms of energy efficien-

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cies is now increasingly being replaced with a far more comprehensive analysis – which includes other factors like maintenance, reliability, failure rates, replacement parts of associated equipment and so on.

One of the key things that is now changing is how the industry is making its assessment in a more systematic and informed way. In recent years the water and wastewater companies have become more aware of the significant benefits peristaltic pumping technology offers over conventional solutions in a wide range of pumping applications and treatments.

To state the obvious, low energy costs are irrelevant if pump components fail in the face of day-to-day operational requirements, when set against the plant operator’s need for day-in, day-out, delivery with minimal downtime, high reliability and low, straightforward maintenance needs.

Peristaltic pump technology undoubtedly lowers the total cost of ownership – both in terms of direct costs, including pump/motor assembly, all ancillary equipment and installation costs, and indirect costs, including spare parts, maintenancerelated labour and associated energy consumption.

Compared with other positive

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displacement pumps, peristaltic pumps, with only one wearing part, are very inexpensive.

Take into account the fact that they can run dry indefinitely, they are true ‘dry’ self-priming to 9.5 metres (30 feet), they are reversible, and have 100% volumetric efficiency – and the sums quickly start to add up.

Case study To look at one specific application, for example, in sodium hypochlorite dosing, the benefits are immediately clear.

Peristaltics are impervious to vapour locking, which commonly occurs as this type of chemical dosing is prone to gassing-off.

Mechanical diaphragm pumps are both complex and expensive to repair, requiring long periods of downtime. They are also inaccurate at lower turndown ratios.

In comparison, peristaltic tubing pumps are both simple and very inexpensive as only the tube needs to be replaced (with tube changes taking as little as 4 seconds!). They are also impervious to vapour locking and have massive flexibility with up to eight tubes and six ‘gangable’ heads per pump.

[Philip Bolton is water industry specialist at Watson-Marlow Bredel.]

Humidity, temp measurement THE Vaisala INTERCAP Humidity and Temperature Transmitter Series HMW80 offers both combined relative humidity and temperature measurement, as well as temperature-only measurement for temperature control applications.

Ready to use out-of-the-box, the HMW80 requires no preconfiguration or adjustment, and is easy to install thanks to its simple two-piece construction: just complete the wiring to the terminal block on the bottom of the unit, then snap on the lid of the electronics enclosure. The HMW80’s enclosure is made of UL V0approved materials and is IP30 protected. The new design in signal white (RAL9003) colour.

The high power output required by the measurement signals often distorts temperature and relative humidity measurements in wall sensors.

This problem has been minimised in the HMW80 by using thermal modelling and testing during the design phase.

Vaisala 03 9815 6700, www.vaisala.com/HMW80

Watson-Marlow Bredel 02 8787 1400, www.wmbpumps.com.au

www.colby.com.au

ColbyRACK is no problems, just solutions

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Motors& DRIVES

A typical 12 pulse, low voltage drive configuration.

same, and this means that where there is more than one possible solution, the most costeffective strategy is to conduct a cost/benefit analysis of the various options.

The first and often only consideration in choosing a drive is the initial capital cost. Even with recent developments, MV drives can be relatively expensive. Typically, the cost of an LV VSD and an output step-up transformer are much lower at only 50 to 75% of the initial cost of an MV drive.

However, to gain a true cost of an MV drive over a five-year operation period, many other factors need to be included, including harmonics, cabling, cooling costs and maintenance.

Choosing the right voltage Given rising energy costs and the increased efficiency of modern VSDs, many applications can be warranted on power savings alone, writes Craig Southwell.

M

ODERN variable speed drives (VSD) have evolved into reliable controllers, commonly used across manufacturing sectors.

Traditionally, VSDs have been used for process control of pumps, fans and conveyors, but with the rising costs of power and the increased efficiency and reliability of modern VSDs, many applications can be warranted on power savings alone.

The development of VSDs has been dramatic. VSDs can now be

applied in low voltages (LV) in applications above 2,000kW in low voltage, and medium voltage (MV) drives down as low as 400kW. This large power range overlap can lead to uncertainty on what factors should be accounted for when considering what voltage to use for a particular installation.

Today, advances in drive development give users many more options when selecting drive technology and voltage.

No two applications are the

Authority requirements As more applications convert to VSD control, the need to comply with Supply Authority requirements is increasing. This has seen a greater emphasis by utilities to comply with harmonic standards such as IEEE 519, EN61000-2-4 and G5/4. There are several methods to reduce harmonics on large installations and the best solution is usually a mix of methods.

For applications such as decline conveyors, where the drives are required to regenerate

excess energy back into the supply, active front end (AFE) drives are available in both MV and LV. An AFE drive also has the added benefit of operating with a greatly-reduced harmonic draw on the supply.

Although AFE drives do have warranted use for harmonic mitigation, they are unfortunately often overused at the risk of a reduced mean time between failure (MTBF) and reduced efficiency. Where harmonics are the prime concern and regeneration is not a factor, alternate solutions should be investigated. The most efficient and robust solutions can be found with active harmonic filters or multipulse variable speed drives, which can reduce the lifetime cost of the drive system.

Total harmonics For higher powered drives, a multipulse supply transformer is often the best solution – these transformers effectively increase the number of phases to be rectified, thus reducing the total harmonics produced at the standard three-phase supply.

For example, a ‘12 pulse transformer’ will supply six phases to the drives. The actual cost of the drive is not significantly affected by this design. Typically, a 400kW VSD has parallel rectifiers, allowing simple integration into either a standard six-pulse (three-phase) or a twelve-pulse (six-phase) supply.

Integrated input With higher-pulse-number MV >>

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maxon motor driven by precision 24 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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Making your world turn efficiently without wasting energy.

Some 65 percent of all the electricity consumed by industry is used by motor-driven applications such as pumps, fans, mixers, compressors and extruders. That is why ABB has developed some of the most energy-efficient motors in the world. Many of these motors benefit from the use of variable-speed electric drives, further reducing energy bills by 20 to 60 percent. Why not join in and turn your world into a more energy-efficient place, visit: www.abb.com/motors

ABB Australia Pty Limited Phone: 1800 222 668 E-mail: motor.sales@au.abb.com

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Motors &DRIVES drives, one common method of achieving harmonic reduction is through an integrated input transformer with multiple phaseshifted secondary windings.

These work on the principle of ‘the higher the pulse number, the greater the degree of harmonic reduction.’ For example, with the use of a 36-pulse MV drive, compliance to these standards is usually automatic, with the added benefit of higher overall efficiency and reliability. These drives can be supplied with the primary winding made to suit the existing supply voltage, for example 11kV. This can remove the need for an intermediary transformer, reducing the losses and simplifying the installation.

cooling. All equipment that uses or handles power generates heat.

With high-power drive systems in enclosures, this heat needs to be dealt with.

Most drives are air-cooled, and when operating at high power, heat losses become significant.

For example: a 3% loss at 1MW is 30kW, a figure which would well justify the use of alternate cooling methods for VSDs and associated components.

An alternative to traditional cooling is the use of a separate air flow system. With this method, the option of using outside air via ducting to cool the heatsink is simplified. This results in only the control losses that need to be dealt with for the switchroom.

Drive installation

Heat exchangers

Another solution is the use of active harmonic filtering. This technology corrects the harmonics on the supply bus and is fitted in parallel to the drive installation. This makes it easy to retrofit to an existing installation and also means that it can compensate for several VSDs and other harmonic loads at the same time. Large plants can also be compensated centrally at the medium-voltage level via an auto-transformer.

With the increased use of power electronics in most of our everyday products, harmonics are here to stay. It is important to understand their content and effects, as well as to actively implement solutions to reduce or manage harmonics in installations to avoid faster aging of equipment and unforeseen outages resulting in loss

The alternative of liquid cooling effectively removes about 90% of the heat generated by the VSD losses out of a control enclosure, but involves additional costs for pumping cabinets and heat exchangers, if not already available on the site.

The decision between air conditioning or liquid cooling is usually application- based, and best made after assessing the availability of either option at the site.

The cooling concept needs to be considered at the beginning of the planning, as changing an existing cooling concept ranges from uneconomical to technically-impossible.

[Craig Southwell is Drive Systems Manager at Schneider Electric.]

A medium voltage, 36 pulse drive structure.

of productivity and efficiency.

To determine the correct harmonic mitigation equipment required, a simulation should be undertaken.

The distance between the drive and the motor is a critical factor when determining the correct drive technology and configuration. As cable distances increase between the drive and the motor, more consideration is required to ensure both the drive and motor are adequately pro-

tected from over voltage spikes as well rapid voltage changes (dV/dt). The cable costs and increased losses can be significantly higher with LV applications. Therefore, the longer the cable length the more weighting needs to be given to a medium voltage solution.

Traditional cooling In addition to cabling, another cost that must be considered when comparing VSD solutions is

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Motors &DRIVES

Switchboard factory goes lean and mean A new factory designed to minimise waste and materials allows a growing electronics manufacturer The Smithfield factory has been designed to optimise the flow of material through the production processes at the plant.

to expand its product range. Kevin Gomez writes.

P

RIVATELY-owned switchboard manufacturer, K E Brown, has opened a new ‘lean’ manufacturing facility in Sydney’s western suburbs, to cater for growing local demand for its products.

The 1,650-square-metre facility specialises in producing custombuilt and modular switchboards for light and power, and motor control centres. It is equipped with CNC busbar bending equipment, as well as electric cabling and switchgear assembly areas.

The plant was designed and laid-out from the ground up to minimise waste-in-time and materials. A keen focus on

28 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

OH&S factors also added to the smart layout.

Slim and trim “The new premises will allow us to meet the growing demand for the company’s wide range of products, with increased manufacturing efficiencies and reduced waste," said K E Brown general manager, Bob Day. “The lean manufacturing process will focus our production team on eliminating waste, thus enhancing our competitiveness and the inherent value for money that K E Brown customers have come to expect.”

The Smithfield factory has

been designed to optimise the flow of material through the production processes at the plant.

"In our old plant we estimated the material moved 150 to 200 metres through the plant, even though it was half this size. It was poorly-optimised," said Day. “Now, as the heavy material comes in the door, it’s unpacked into racks. It moves maybe half a metre to be cut and punched and then it can be distributed to the boards. We have taken all the unnecessary movements out, with material travel down by more than two-thirds.”

As well as improving the movement of the material through the plant, Day focused on the valueadd part of the manufacturing process when designing the new factory.

“We now have dedicated areas of the plant to optimise the assembly of distribution boards.

We have taken control of that process, so customers now have the same engineering team that designed the main switchboard, designing the distribution boards, with K E Brown trades-

men completing the manufacture, assembly and testing of the switchboards,” said Day. “Rather than getting a K E Brown badge over the top, our customers are getting a full K E Brown-built switchboard, the same as they would with the main switchboard, meaning guaranteed quality of product.”

Multi-tasking There are 25 staff members at the Smithfield facility, with three fully-qualified electrical engineers designing switchboards utilising K E Brown’s in-house CAD facilities.

“They work on the latest versions of AutoDesk’s AutoCAD which is installed here and in Warriewood. All our designs are full CAD-based designs and can be shared across the two facilities seamlessly,” said Day. He is presently working with Swinburne University to put key staff members onto the Certificate 3 Advanced Manufacturing course, to be held across the two factories.

K E Brown 02 9979 6499, www.keb.com.au

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One of the stainless steel lifting baskets, loaded with aluminium extrusions, is gently lowered in to the acid tank.

Opening the door to efficiency Door manufacturer Rylock has doubled its production through a new, automated pre-treatment plant that relies on a NORD drive system. By Tony Sculpher.

A

NEW pre-treatment plant recently installed by door manufacturer, Rylock, has raised production output and saved strenuous manual handling tasks at its factory in south-east Melbourne. The plant etches and prepares the surfaces

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of the doors’ aluminium extrusions, ready for powder coating.

Smart design The new pre-treatment plant contains eight large vertical steel towers, positioned in a large, square-shaped pattern, all

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connected by an overhead structure. Suspended from the overhead structure are two large lifting frames, onto which stainless steel baskets containing extrusions are loaded.

These baskets are then moved automatically through the sevenstage pre-treatment process.

Basic parameters can be changed to account for changes in drying time and chemical strength.

The lifting frames along with two full baskets can weigh as much as 1,600kg, so counterweights are employed to offset some of the mass. During the removal from the tanks, the lifting baskets are tilted at 8 to 10 degrees to facilitate fluids draining.

Each tank measures approximately 7.2x1x1.2m (LWH), with each containing around 4,700L of processing liquid.

The control program commands four separate 0.75kW frequency inverters, which, in turn, control four NORD Helical geared motors from NORD Drivesystems AU, positioned at the top of each vertical tower.

The electrical cabinet door has an external keypad control for simple operation.

The Helical motors offer 279.60:1 ratio, and were supplied complete with an electromagnetic brake, and an incremental encoder for individual positioning feedback to the frequency inverters. The hollow shaft design and external foot mount

gear case provided simplicity to the installation, especially with the height required.

These geared motors were selected to complete a high-duty cycle. They were chosen for their long-life expectancy, and to help future-proof Rylock’s new pretreatment plant.

The seven tanks are arranged in order of the preparation process: Tank 1 has a mix of Hydroflouric and Sulfuric acid for removal of the oxide layer on the aluminium extrusions; Tanks 2 and 3 are for water rinsing; Tank 4 has Chromic acid which etches the aluminium and provides the lattice work on the aluminium surface for good powder adhesion; and Tanks 5, 6, and 7 are for water rinsing.

Production gains Rylock’s older, manual pre-treatment plant required the attention of one operator for four hours each day, to manually-load and move the lifting baskets in and out of the tanks.

With the new automated pretreatment plant, the process system loads and processes one full basket every 25 minutes, which effectively doubles Rylock’s production output, and requires minimal input from the operator in the areas of loading and unloading.

[Tony Sculpher is regional sales manager – Vic/Tas at NORD.] NORD Drivesystems AU 03 9394 0500, www.nord.com

Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 29

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IndustrialDOORS

M.T.I Qualos national sales manager Mill Lozanovski (pictured), says technology improvements have raised demand for high-speed roller shutter doors in the local market.

High-speed dominance Automatic doors are becoming the more popular option for companies requiring high levels of ‘opens and closes’. Annie Dang writes.

A

S functional pieces of equipment, new advances in industrial doors don’t reinvent the wheel.

However, there is one crucial capability the industry is increasingly demanding from its access systems: automatic, high-speed functioning.

Compared to standard industrial doors, including roller shutters, plastics curtains and swing models, automatic high-speed offerings are becoming a popular choice for manufacturing and logistics companies who require high levels of ‘opens and closes’ throughout the day.

According to Albany Doors national products manager, Andrew Bykersma, industrial doors are becoming faster, safer and more flexible.

Speaking to Manufacturers’ Monthly, Bykersma said the company’s Rapid Roller 3000 was designed for manufacturers who require a door that can cope 30 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

with up to 200 cycles a day, with open and close speeds of up to three metres per second.

According to Bykersma, development of new compliance regulations, specifically in the food manufacturing sectors, has been one factor spurring growth in demand for high-speed doors.

“Contamination control and compliance are some of the reasons why manufacturers consider speed to be a main requirement when it comes to choosing the right door,” Bykersma said.

“Obviously, a door that also offers security is a bonus, but keeping unwanted traffic from entering the facility remains the key consideration for manufacturers when looking at the basic ‘opening and closing’ functions of doors.”

M.T.I Qualos national sales manager, Mill Lozanovski, says high-speed roller shutters are becoming more popular as rollerdoor technology improves.

“Industrial high-speed roller shutter doors have been around for a couple of years, but their technology has improved dramatically,” Lozanovski said.

Customers now demand toller shutters with three-fold benefits: speed, safety and security.

“Previously, manufacturers were looking for doors which were very quick-acting and cheap. One of the main reasons for the change is efficiency and simplicity,” said Lozanovski.

Lozanovski explains that new models can help businesses reduce costs by taking-on functions previously provided by a combination of doors in a warehouse.

“Why use two different doors for one application, when you can use one door that can do both jobs?” he asks.

Assessing your options There is a number of key considerations manufacturers should

take into account when choosing doors, including traffic frequency, purpose and weather impact.

DMF International export director Stephen Fell says understanding the level of traffic flow as well as frequency of movement through the doorway is the first step in determining which door option is most appropriate for the application at hand.

This involves working out the number of times the door is required to go ‘up and down’, and at what speed. Knowing the frequency required will also help point manufacturers to the best type of activation for the door – for example, remote control or sensor detection.

Other considerations should include the door’s purpose, such as temperature or dust control, or security, in which case these features should be a focus.

“Safety is always a paramount requirement when it comes to door design and operation and this extends to wanting to not only protect the personnel using the high speed door, but also protection of the investment in the door,” Fell said.

Lozanovski from M.T.I Qualos says that while door investment is usually a long term purchase, maintenance and aftercare service should still be a consideration for every manufacturer.

“Depending on the number of cycles, we would generally advise companies to have their doors serviced between every 300,000 to 400,000 cycles. This translates to about every four to six months, which is about two-tothree services per calendar year,” Lozanovski said.

Bykersma from Albany Doors agrees that manufactures should consider after sales service.

“While most manufacturers have an in-house maintenance team, access to 24-hour maintenance and after sales service can be useful if there is any issue with the doors,” he said.

Albany Doors 1300 666 232, www.albanydoors.com DMF International 02 96365466, www.dmf.com.au M.T.I Qualos 03 9450 1900, www.mtiqualos.com.au manmonthly.com.au

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Industrial DOORS Foam food door M.T.I Qualos’s V 3515 Iso is an energy-saving internal door designed for cold and fresh food warehouses.

Created for areas without wind pressures, the foam door has a 2-metre-per-second opening speed and can be manufactured to 3.5 metres square with foam thickness of 30mm.

The door is available in widths of up to 3.5m and heights up to 3.5m. It features a crank handle for emergency opening, with optional automatic opening via UPS during power failure.

The foam door is said to be ideal for use between warm and cold/fresh areas, and in front of deep-freeze areas in conjunction with a deepfreeze door.

The side elements, operator and control cabinet can be heated if required.

M.T.I Qualos 03 9450 1900, www.mtiqualos.com.au

32 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Laser scanner for high-speed roller doors DMF International has introduced Efaflex’s new EFA-SCAN, a laser scanning system which is said to carry-out the tasks of activation and safety better than any other technology in the door market.

By emitting 16,000 signals per second, the laser technology reportedly guarantees a split-second opening of doors.

The system’s area of sensing is adjustable and can extend for almost 10x10 metres in front of the doorway, covering the entire area of the front door and more.

According to DMF, it is the first laser scanner to be used on a door in the world, using intelligent direction recognition.

On the scanned graphic (right), the green colour represents the safe area, where any movement will cause the door to stay open.

The orange section is the activation area, which can determine the direction of traffic movement, so that only movement

The EFA-SCAN system turns a roller door into a high-speed automatic system.

towards the door will activate the sensor and open the door.

These zones are fullyadjustable through programming, which means the chances of the doors being impacted by a forklift, or personnel being

injured, is reduced significantly, says DMF. Software algorithms also prevent the sensor triggering during rain, snow and extraneous light.

DMF International 02 9636 5466, www.dmf.com.au

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WeighingTESTING & MEASUREMENT Nineteen percent of food recalls in the last 10 years were due to Salmonella contamination.

Checking for bad culture One of the most critical roles of the food manufacturing industry is to deliver food to the Australian people that is of good quality and safe to eat. Rita Mu reports.

B

EING aware of food safety risks at an early stage of production can not only save on costs and time, but help to improve public health and build consumer confidence.

Microbiological testing According to Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ), 36% of food recalls over the past 10 years were due to potential microbial contamination. The three most common bacteria include Listeria, Escherichia coli (E. coli) and Salmonella. FSANZ statistics show that 48% of food recalls in the last 10 years were due to Listeria monocytogenes contamination; 19% were from

34 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Salmonella contamination; and 12% as a result of E. coli.

Most microbiological contaminations result from poor food handling practices or inadequate temperature control. For example, the presence of E. coli in ready-to-eat foods can result from insufficient heat treatment.

According to FSANZ, E. coli should not be detected in foods at a level exceeding more than three per gram. The standard plate count, also referred to as the aerobic plate count or the total viable count, is one of the most common tests used in microbiological food testing.

Medvet Laboratories and Arrow Scientific offer microbio-

logical testing services to the food industry. Arrow Scientific’s range of HACCP-verified 3M testing plates for bacteria including E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria, can help verify sanitation at critical control points throughout the production line.

The latest addition to the company’s product portfolio – the 3M Petrifilm bacteria testing plate – is suitable for both raw materials and finished products and enables food processors to perform onsite microbial testing.

Chemical analyses Conducting chemical analyses are equally important to ensure food safety. Chemical tests can be applied to identify contaminants such as cleaning products, pesticide residues and metals.

Food manufacturers may also perform chemical tests to identify product quality. For example, tests on nutritional content and ingredients such as protein, salt, dietary fibre, fat, oil or alcohol content. Companies including MEP Instruments, Graintec Scientific and Arrow Scientific offer a variety of instruments that measure food ingredients.

MEP Instrument’s new modular Packaged Beverage Analyser for Beer (PBA-B) from Anton

Paar performs multiple measurements in one cycle – including density and specific gravity, alcohol content, original extract, extract content, apparent extract, degree of fermentation and carbon dioxide content.

According to MEP Instruments, the PBA-B yields results in four minutes and requires only water and a water/ethanol mixture for adjustments and calibration.

Water activity Determining the water activity of a product can help define critical limits for microbial and chemical parameters, which need to be controlled to prevent food safety hazards. It is also an important measure of product quality. For example, information on water activity can set critical control points to avoid loss of crispness in dry products and caking and clumping of powders.

Marketing and sales manager at Graintec Scientific, Craig Moore, says the company’s Decagon water activity devices are the company’s best sellers.

The Decagon AquaLab DUO range measures water activity and moisture content simultaneously. The sample equilibrates in a sealed chamber and the Duo analyses sample moisture – both water content and water activity – by measuring relative humidity in the chamber.

“Water activity provides a lot of information to manufacturers about the shelf-life, texture, taste [and] smell of their product,” Moore said.

“Water activity is not linear, and thus manufacturers can gain a wealth of information about how they can better develop their product, determine how much water they can use in a product without changing the texture, increase their profits, and avoid nasty product recalls.”

Looking for qualifications in food testing? TAFE offers courses specific to the food manufacturing industry that can help you and/or your workers develop their laboratory skills.

TAFE NSW 131 601, www.tafensw.edu.au TAFE SA 1800 882 661, www.tafesa.edu.au manmonthly.com.au

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IEC-compliant

Portable amplifier measurement

An all-in-one solution for galvanically-isolated amplifiers.

THE portable DEWE-3020 is claimed to be the smallest, rugged “all-in-one” measurement system for galvanically-isolated amplifiers.

The unit includes a built-in touchscreen display, high isolation signal inputs, high sampling rates up to 1 MS/s, up to 24 bit resolution, and a data through-

power analyser

put of 70 MB/s. The DEWE-3020 can be powered from AC or DC, or used completely independently from external power with the hot-swappable battery power supply option.

Analogue, digital, CAN-bus, GPS, video data and counter are synchronised during recording and guarantee qualitative and efficient data processing. The software DEWESoft enables synchronised data acquisition and analysis from different signal sources. The Intel Core 2 Duo processor supports online mathematical functions, displaying data on different screens.

In analyse mode, the mathematical functions can be applied to previously-acquired channels, and simple reports can be generated. Results are shown online on the 15.4” TFT touchscreen display.

THE Hioki PW3198 Power Quality Analyser is a Cat IV (600V) instrument capable of harmonic and inter harmonic measurements to the 50th and 49.5th orders (including power harmonics) respectively (including phase angles) for both voltage and current.

Inrush current and transient over-voltage impulses (to 6 kV), voltage swell and dip, as well as flicker measurement are part of the suite of protocols.

The PW3198 is compliant with the latest IEC requirements, IEC 61000-4-30 Edition 2, Class A standard, making the instrument suitable for power line analysis acceptable to distribution authorities.

It is a four-channel unit, suitable for three-phase, three- and four-wire reticulation.

Metromatics 07 3868 4255, www.metromatics.com.au

Power Parameters 1800 623 350, power@parameters.com.au

Leadership has a class of its own

FLIR E-Series: Picture Perfect A new generation of FLIR hand-held ‘point & shoot’ thermal imagers is here. Packed with class leading features, the E-Series is designed for applications including electrical, industrial, mechanical, HVAC and building.

Take your pick of three pixel resolutions – all with 60Hz frame rate and a 3.0 Meg visual camera built in.

The new FLIR E-Series. It’s all class.

Get Connected!

Connect to iPhone or iPad via Wi-Fi to use the FLIR ViewerApp for processing and sharing results.

◊ Mobile Device Wi-Fi Connectivity ◊ Large Bright Touchscreen ◊ Built-in Digital Camera & Laser Pointer ◊ Groundbreaking Performance & Affordability ◊ Superior Point & Shoot Thermal Imagery

FLIR Systems Pty Ltd. 10 Business Park Drive, Notting Hill, VIC 3168, Australia VIC: 03 9550 2800 NSW: 02 8853 7870 WA: 08 6263 4438 QLD: 07 3861 4862 SA: 08 82743747 Tel: 1300 729 987 Email: info@flir.com.au www.flir.com ISO No. FLIR20837

manmonthly.com.au

Manufacturers’ Monthly AUGUST 2011 35

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MaterialsHANDLING

The Meca rack-clad warehouse now offers double the storage capacity for Boral.

costs associated with other more traditional methods.

The Rack Clad warehouse was managed by Meca Racking Solutions national project manager, Andrew Quinn. After the initial consultation with Dowell Windows, Quinn was able to provide a tailor-made solution for the client.

“In the early stages of briefing with Dowell, we realised the business requirements were much more than purely cantilever racking. Hence, we needed to provide a solution that resolved storage capacity, OH&S and site logistics whilst also providing a long term material handling solution,” Quinn said.

To reduce the impact on what is already a busy and demanding site, Meca Racking Solutions completed the project over the Christmas shut-down period.

Dowell have been manufacturers of aluminum and timber door and window solutions for

Racking doubles capacity A new warehousing system maximises land and vertical air space for Dowell Windows in Victoria, providing efficient stock control and protecting merchandise.

M

ECA Racking Solutions has completed the first Rack Clad warehouse installation in Australia for Boral-owned Dowell Windows, in Bayswater, Victoria.

The Rack Clad Warehouse was built as a structure, doubling the storage capacity for Dowell. The new warehouse reportedly provides an efficient stock control system, protecting materials and merchandise from environmental

elements while maximising both land and vital vertical air space.

The structure was designed for use with Cantilever Racking, which is – with the addition of columns and roof trusses – clad with COLOURBOND to create the walls and roof.

The design gives the inherent stability and strength of a Cantilever structure as a framework for the outer cladding, thus reducing the dependence on and

generations, designing products to suit Australian lifestyles and climatic conditions.

The project was completed over four months, from the initial consultation, to design and construction and has reportedly allowed the client to adhere to tighter OH&S practices, with clear pedestrian access and easier management of traffic flow.

Meca Racking Solutions 03 8671 1500, www.mecaracking.com.au

Adaptive materials handling system for component manufacturers INDUSTRIAL Conveying is now providing a materials handling system especially for companies involved in component manufacturer. The system is suited to auto parts and general manufacturers working with large numbers of components.

36 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Called Creform, the unit reportedly allows production plants to operate without lift trucks and fixed racking, while increasing OH&S standards for employees, reducing inventory and maximising open space.

Creform includes a line of

plastic-coated steel tubes, fittings and accessories that allow building and modification of materials handling structures that can be changed again and again to match ongoing needs.

Industrial Conveying 03 5440 5100, www.icaust.com.au

The IRB 460 robot is said to be the fastest palletising robot in the world.

Small, fast palletising robots MANUFACTURERS can now take advantage of two new ABB palletising robots, three new grippers, and a related software program.

The compact, 110kg capacity IRB 460 robot is reportedly the fastest palletising robot in the world. Capable of up to 2,190 cycles per hour, the 4-axis robot is designed for high-speed, endof-line palletising and bag palletising. The IRB 460 has a reach of 2.4 metres, occupies 20% less floor space and runs 15% faster than its nearest rivals, supplier ABB claims.

For high-output, full-layer palletising, the IRB 760 robot boasts a payload capacity of 450kg and a reach of 3.2 metres. The unit features high-wrist inertia, which enables it to rotate heavier and larger products quickly. This speed makes the IRB 760 suited for palletising beverages, building materials and chemicals.

Three FlexGrippers are also part of the new range, including a Clamp, which comes in two sizes for handling cases; a heavyduty Claw for high-speed bag palletising; and a Vacuum gripper that can handle up to five products at once.

A new software package, RobotStudio Palletizing PowerPac, runs on a PC, allowing users to configure, simulate and program ABB robots and grippers for palletising solutions, with little or no robot programming experience required.

ABB 1300 782 527, www.abbaustralia.com.au manmonthly.com.au

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INNOVATIVE. MODULAR. SYSTEMS. >> >> >> >>

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www.cornerstoneautosys.com.au sales@cornerstoneautosys.com.au CASI ANZ Pty Ltd, 22 Grasslands Ave, Craigieburn, Melbourne 3064 MM1107

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Materials HANDLING

Automated storage system A NEW, modular automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) for unit loads, such as palletised goods, is said to significantly reduce the lead time, engineering complexity and costs associated with implementing automated storage solutions.

Dematic’s RapidStore requires aisles 250mm wider than the load and reaches up to 24 metres high as standard (30 metres at reduced speed and/or load).

While every system is tailored to suit the particular application, Dematic claims users can expect to achieve an average retrieval rate of 63 pallets per hour or 40 double cycles in a single deep system that is 24m high with a 65m long aisle. Such a system would accommodate up to 1,600 standard pallets in a single aisle and 3,200 pallets in a doubledeep configuration.

The system reportedly requires a much smaller building footprint to house the same number of pallets, reducing associated

38 AUGUST 2011 Manufacturers’ Monthly

The system reportedly achieves an average retrieval rate of 63 pallets per hour.

land, building and/or leasing costs. It also offers faster cycle times than manually operated narrow aisle turret and reach trucks, reducing labour and operating costs.

The RapidStore storage and

retrieval machine incorporates a unique mast design that allows it to operate at travel speeds up to 240 metres/min, with hoisting speeds up to 85 metres/min and fork speeds up to 90 metres/min.

High-speed sorting conveyor VANDERLANDE Industries’ Posisorter parcel sorting system is a horizontal, high-speed sorting conveyor suitable for a variety of parcel types.

The system has extruded aluminium carriers on which moulded divert shoes are mounted, keeping parcels safe and on-track.

At the sort destination, these shoes are diverted through an angle of 20 or 30 degrees, causing them to slide across the carriers and push the products gently and positively into the output spurs.

According to Vanderlande Industries, in express parcel environments the system can sort cartons or totes with an accuracy of less than one mis-sort in 10,000 parcels.

The system is available for single- or dual-sided sorting.

Agito Group 0417 660 526, www.agito.com.au

Dematic 02 9486 5555, www.dematic.com.au

manmonthly.com.au

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LOGISTICS & MATERIALS HANDLING

NOMINATIONS

ARE NOW CLOSED

GOOD LUCK Have you got your tickets yet for the logistics and materials handling industries’ night of nights?

The 6th annual Mercury Awards recognises individuals and companies that have contributed to the success of Australia’s industry. In 2011, the Awards have been expanded to include – for the first time – two brand new materials handling categories.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW For more information and to buy your tickets, visit www.logisticsmagazine.com.au/awards or contact Alex Evans E: alex.evans@reedbusiness.com.au P: 02 9422 2890 Proudly brought to you by Logistics & Materials Handling and the following sponsors

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Discover the full potential of Loctite速 Cost Saving Solutions Book a Maintenance Workshop Today 1300 88 555 6 www.iloctite.com