Manufacturers' Monthly March 2012

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ANALYSIS >> TECHNOLOGY >> SOLUTIONS

Est. 1961

March 2012

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INSIDE Industry News >> Coming Events >> New Technology >> Laser Technologies >> Cloud Computing >> Compressors Exporting >> Fasteners and Adhesives >> Forklifts

SAFETY IN ACTION >> Your survival guide for Melbourne’s 2012 conference and exhibition

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Inside MARCH 2012

4 Editorial ■

6 Comment ■

Dollar a game changer.

8 Analysis News ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

18

10 minutes with Quickstep Holdings’ Phillipe Odoard.

Manufacturing workforces of the future.

Beyond domestic shores.

Under-rated over-50s.

Engineering the dream.

20 Exporting ■

Dollar is painful but no predator.

38

Manufacturers are continuing to export, despite the dollar – but it’s not easy.

24 Travel ■ ■

Manufacturing value with smarter air travel.

Travelling to China?

33 What’s New

46 Fasteners & Adhesives

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Products for your plant.

Anaerobic threadlocker for the food industry.

38 Compressors 26 IT@MM

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■

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Cloud computing is not all fluff.

■

Air standard pending.

Portable diesel air compressors.

Industrial oxygen generators.

28 Safety in Action Preview ■ ■

New products to see at the Expo.

Melbourne Materials Handling show in brief.

manmonthly.com.au

ANALYSIS >> TECHNOLOGY >> SOLUTIONS

Est. 1961

March 2012

Based on an independent survey conducted by Peerless Media Research Group.

INSIDE Industry News >> Coming Events >> New Technology >> Laser Technologies >> Cloud Computing >> Compressors Exporting >> Fasteners and Adhesives >> Forklifts

NMW 2012: essential strategies for growth This year’s National Manufacturing Week (NMW) - the largest event on industry’s calendar –is squarely aimed at helping manufacturers seize new opportunities for driving growth and profitability.

NMW 2012 (May 8-11, Sydney Showground – Sydney Olympic Park) will once again be co-located with Austech, and will include technology, innovation and education streams reflecting the central theme, Essential strategies for Australian manufacturers in 2012 and beyond.

manmonthly.com.au

For daily news visit manmonthly.com.au

20

‘Up-skilling’ our future.

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Publisher Michelle Graves michelle.graves@reedbusiness.com.au Group Editor Sarah Falson Ph: (02) 9422 2480 Fax (02) 9422 2722 sarah.falson@reedbusiness.com.au Deputy Editor Annie Dang Ph: (02) 9422 2964 Fax (02) 9422 2722 annie.dang@reedbusiness.com.au Journalist Angela Welsh Ph: (02) 9422 2898 Fax (02) 9422 2722 angela.welsh@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 NSW, SA/NT & WA Sales Reed Business Information Ph: (02) 9422 2368 anthony.head@reedbusiness.com.au

SAFETY IN ACTION >> Your survival guide for Melbourne’s 2012 conference and exhibition

48 Materials Handling ■

Why forklift tyres matter.

50 Jobs 43 Lasers ■ ■

■

The future of laser.

Auto-adjusting fibre laser unit.

The latest manufacturing jobs on offer so you can make the most of your skills.

Behind the cover IN an independent survey conducted by Peerless Media Research Group, Hyster Forklifts ranked No. 1 in the category of lowest total cost of ownership. Based on current U.S. customer ratings, Hyster led all full-line forklift truck manufacturers.

“Being recognised by the marketplace as the forklift provider with the lowest total cost of operations is proof positive that Hyster delivers true value to its customers”, said Hyster Company

A one-day forum - running alongside the exhibition - will present tools and processes for manufacturers aiming to utilise innovation, technology, value adding, collaboration and sustainability.

On the exhibition floor, NMW 2012 offers two new Product Zones – Metals & Composites and Sustainable Manufacturing – bringing the total to a record 12 Product Zones. The new Zones support an increased level of specialisation that will give a sharp focus to the innovations in each sector.

With two months until NMW 2012 commences, more than 90% of available space has been allocated. Leading brands such as Nord Drivesystems, Sullair Australia, ITW Polymers, Kemppi and Bestech are confirmed, alongside

Distribution President, Jonathan Dawley.

“It is our constant interaction and involvement with our dealer network that allows us to blend smart products and services with a full line of tough, reliable, purpose-built forklifts. At Hyster, we do one thing and one thing only: build the lowest operating cost forklifts – period.”

For more information or a free demonstration: Adaptalift Hyster 1300 880 335, www.aalhysterforklifts.com.au

companies exhibiting – several for the first time – a range of solutions to strengthen the manufacturing process.

If you are thinking of exhibiting, please contact the NMW team – via the website or guy.freebody@ reedexhibitions.com.au – as soon as possible.

If you are thinking of visiting, please go to NationalManufacturingWeek.com.au – to register and for more information.

Look forward to welcoming you to NMW this year!

Paul Baker Exhibition Director National Manufacturing Week

Manufacturers’ Monthly MARCH 2012 3

Editorial

SARAH FALSON – Editor

editor@manmonthly.com.au

‘Up-skilling’ for our future We are committed to securing the next generation of manufacturing workers – and we know you are, too.

O

VER the years I’ve spent writing for this magazine, it has become clear to me that Australian manufacturers are all advocates of skills retention, training and development – because they realise the importance of keeping this industry thriving in to the future.

However, there seems to be a ‘disconnect’ between what they’d like to do and what they can do to solve the problem of recruitment.

So, the team at Manufacturers’ Monthly will be holding a ‘Leaders Summit’ (aka ‘Roundtable’) event during National Manufacturing Week (NMW 2012), focusing on the topic: ‘Recruiting the next generation of manufacturers’.

We all know we have to raise awareness of manufacturing jobs if we want to get young, skilled workers into the industry, but how do we do it? Well, our Leaders Summit will gather together up to 30 spokespeople from different areas of the industry who will come up with a framework to ensure fresh blood continues to pulse in our sector.

The Summit will take place on the morning of 8 May, from 10am to around midday, and lunch and refreshments will be served. I will be personally inviting delegates ‘in the know’, from government, unions, manufacturers themselves, vendors, educa-

facturing workforce ‘skilled’, and I believe you all are, too.

Endeavour Awards

We have to work together to fix manufacturing’s ‘bad rep’.

tion and industry representative groups, to come up with a framework to tackle the problem – a ‘recommendation’, if you will.

Some of the topics we’ll cover are: getting kids interested; the manufacturing industry’s ‘bad image’; education and courses; apprenticeships; up-skilling; the mining industry stealing our talent; and the ageing workforce.

This Recommendation will be published in Manufacturers’ Monthly and on our website, and will be distributed to Unis, TAFEs, government departments, vendors, and more. Part of the ‘plan’ will include: revisiting this topic in future issues of the magazine and on our website; rewarding young people through our Young

Manufacturer of the Year award at the annual Endeavour Awards; and a new ‘Jobs’ page (see p.50 of this issue), showcasing a snapshot of great manufacturing jobs on offer, to supplement our weekly Jobs e-newsletter which goes out on Thursdays. If you haven’t signed-up to our jobs newsletter, or indeed our daily e-newsletter – which also features an array of manufacturing jobs, every day – go to our website and sign-up for free.

If you don’t receive an invite to the Leaders Summit, but you believe you could add something valuable to the conversation, please email me (address below right) with the title ‘Roundtable’ in the subject header. I’m really committed to keeping our manu-

Another really important element of this project is our 9th Annual Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards, for which we are still accepting entries (until 14 March)! The Awards recognise leadership and excellence shown by local manufacturers over the past year – so don’t miss out on your chance to be congratulated in front of your peers.

The following categories are open for submissions: Technology Application of the Year; Australian Consumer/ Trade Product of the Year; Australian Industrial Product of the Year; Australian Steel Innovation Award; Exporter of the Year; Environmental Solution of the Year; Enterprise Connect Significant Achievement Award; Global Integration Award; Young Manufacturer of the Year; Lifetime Achievement Award; Female Manufacturer of the Year (new category); and Most Innovative Manufacturing Company.

Download your entry form from www.manmonthly.com.au/awards or phone Madeline Prince on 02 9422 2759.

For more information about the Leaders Summit, phone 02 9422 2480 or email sarah.falson@reedbusiness.com.au

sales

4 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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Comment

HEATHER RIDOUT – CEO Australian Industry Group

editor@manmonthly.com.au

Dollar a game changer for automotives Regardless of the challenges, car-makers remain committed to producing in Australia.

N

O ONE should be surprised by what’s happening in the auto industry.

Ai Group has been warning for some time about the pressures on domestic manufacturing from the high dollar and the auto industry is at the pointy end of these impacts.

The shift to the high-value currency has meant that Australia has become a high-cost country. On a comparative basis, Australian costs rise as our currency appreciates. This erodes margins for local exporters and makes competing against imports more difficult.

While the strength of the local currency is at the centre of the changed game, the challenges for the local automotive industry are not confined to the dollar. Exporting is made more

difficult by tariff and non-tariff barriers in other countries.

Productivity growth across the economy has been slow for over a decade. Energy prices are rising sharply and carbon pricing is set to add a new layer to these costs. Workplace agreements are becoming less flexible.

Notwithstanding these challenges, the car-makers remain committed to producing in Australia. The car-makers have very important links into the extensive network of automotive component suppliers found in Australia’s manufacturing heartland. Car-makers and the broader automotive supply chain invest heavily in domestic R&D and the benefits of this spill over to a wide range of other producers and other industries. Carmakers make a very sizable con-

17-19 APRIL 2012 MELBOURNE EXHIBITION CENTRE

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tribution to workforce and management training in Australia and managers, engineers and tradespeople trained in the auto sector are found right across the economy. They apply the expertise picked up in the car industry to lift productivity and improve processes in a very wide range of other industries.

It is very important that Australia builds a long-term future for the auto industry.

A central difficulty here is the level of government support of one form or another available in just about every country with a local car industry. Alongside global automotive subsidies put at close to $50 billion, the level of assistance received by local carmakers is relatively small.

Nevertheless, it would be naive to think that domestic

auto-makers could survive a sudden withdrawal of government involvement in the industry.

The challenge for Australia is to put in place a sensible longterm strategy that allows the car industry to work through the variety of challenges it currently faces. This approach should be complemented by a range of policy adjustments to lift national productivity.

The objective should be to build areas of global competitiveness in the auto industry so that this critical industry continues to play the pivotal role it has played for so long in generating widespread benefits across the manufacturing sector and, indeed, across the broader economy. www.aigroup.com.au Comment manmonthly.com.au

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EFIC DID MORE THAN FINANCE OUR EXPORTS

THEY TOOK US TO THE NEXT LEVEL. Michael Lavis, Managing Director, JML Engineered Facades Pty Ltd

Winning another contract in the Middle East was an exciting step for our business. After working on the Dubai Airport we won the contract to manufacture the glass façades on the Doha International Airport. However our bank required full cash cover for the million dollar bond demanded under this latest contract – locking up valuable funds that could otherwise be used on other business ventures.

So we turned to EFIC for support. EFIC focused on what it would take for us to succeed. They were able to draw on their relationships with international banking networks to establish a structure for a local bank in the Middle East to issue a bond to us in Qatar, secured with a guarantee by EFIC. EFIC’s assistance allowed us to use our capital to keep expanding our operations while fulfilling a key contract that helped us gain an even stronger position in the Middle East.

Overcoming financial barriers for exporters.

Visit efic.gov.au/mm

AnalysisNEWS Should you spend more to make more?

BY ANGELA WELSH

A

MAJORITY of manufacturing businesses that invest in new technology do so to boost productivity. The question is, do these technologies result in real productivity gains, and if so, by how much?

Over 70% of manufacturing, service and construction businesses that invested in new technology over the last three years did so to improve productivity, found an Australian Industry Group (Ai Group) and Deloitte survey of 540 chief executive officers. Of the businesses surveyed, new technologies accounted for 16% of the productivity gains achieved.

Speaking at the National CEO Survey launch, Deloitte technology, media and telecommunications leader, Damien Tampling, said half of those technologies

8 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

purchased externally were adapted to the specific needs of the business.

Around one-quarter of technology investments were done so in conjunction with internal R&D, including robotics, automation and control equipment, electronics/systems integration, and instrumentation.

Beverage giant Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) for example has used automation to boost its productivity, spending $450 to rollout a new technology designed specifically for its polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles.

The “blow fill” project represents the single largest investment by CCA in the last decade. It began in 2010 and is due for completion by 2015, and includes the company’s new $57 million Eastern Creek facility, which makes the PET resin moulds (pre-forms) used to man-

ufacture plastic bottles.

The project is a large component of CCA’s Project Zero, a capital works and supply chain program which has seen the company invest in an end-to-end, order-to-cash technology platform, as well as fully-automated distribution centres (DCs) in Australia and New Zealand.

To put this in perspective, in 2001 CCA’s Return on Capital was 7.6%, and today the company generates more than 25% return before tax, a CCA spokesperson told Manufacturers’ Monthly. At least half that gain has come from efficiency gain through capital investment in technology and supply chain capability.

The largest enabler of investment in new technology, according to the National CEO Survey, was the knowledge and skills of a company’s workforce, followed

by the fact that competitors were adopting new technologies. The third factor was rising labour costs.

Ai Group chief executive Heather Ridout said the report is very timely, as “the immense pressure of the multi-speed economy is bringing up a whole lot of tradable sectors in the Australian economy.”

“Everyone is saying that manufacturing is going to be ‘in the gun’ for this change, but we have structured change occurring all over the place – in retail, in tourism – it’s quite a broad-spread problem,” she explained.

Ridout said companies across the board are “hand-wringing, thinking and strategising” over what to do about the issue.

“What comes through in this report is one of the things they are doing is investing in new technology,” she said.

manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisNEWS EVENTS MARCH March 6–June 7: Rockwell Automation On The Move Visitors in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth will experience new technologies, products and services and talk to industry experts in automation, process control and safety solutions. au.rockwellautomation.com 6-8: Occupational Health and Safety Summit The Queensland Summit will cover day-to-day business safety, future predictions, new legislations, and new technology. www.ohsstrategy.com.au 14-15: Boilers & Burners Forum 2012 The Melbourne Forum will include small to large boilers and burners with a focus on selection, safety, legal obligations and design. www.idc-online.com

APRIL 17-19: Safety In Action/ Melbourne Materials Handling To be held concurrently at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre, providing an effective way to keep track of the latest safety products and services. www.thesafetyshow.com.au www.materialshandling.net.au

MAY 7-10: AUSPACK PLUS The largest biennial packaging and processing machinery and materials exhibition in Australia will be heading to Sydney Olympic Park. www.auspackplus.com.au 8-11: NMW 2012 Brings Australia’s manufacturing industry together in Sydney to showcase new capabilities. www.nationalmanufacturingweek. com.au 18: Manufacturing Skills Conference and Awards Based in Queensland, the event brings together industry, government, academia and training organisations to address the challenges facing the manufacturing industry. www.msq.org.au

12 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

10 minutes with Quickstep’s Philippe Odouard

BY SARAH FALSON

R

EADERS might recognise Quickstep Holdings primarily for the success of the company’s Quickstep Process curing technology, which was chosen by Lockheed Martin to manufacture parts for its Joint Strike Fighter defence vehicles.

But the local manufacturer has recently signed a contract to develop automotive components for manufacturing giant, Audi, and is well on its way to becoming one of Australia’s great manufacturing exports.

The company’s managing director, Philippe Odouard, opened-up to Manufacturers’ Monthly about Quickstep’s products, potential future growth markets, and how the company became what it is today.

Q. What’s the best thing about being MD of Quickstep?

I love working in the global composites industry, which is undergoing such a dramatic transformation at the moment with the move towards lighter and more fuel efficient vehicles – we’re already seeing cars and aeroplanes that are almost entirely constructed of composite materials, and over the next 10 years I think that shift will really start to accelerate.

Q.How much time do you spend at your manufacturing facilities?

At the moment I split my time fairly evenly between our existing manufacturing headquarters in Western Australia and our new facility which is under construction at Bankstown Airport in New South Wales. As we transition more of our manufacturing business across to New South Wales I will increasingly spend more of my time there.

We also have Quickstep development centres in Germany and the United States.

Q. What’s the one piece of technology that the Bankstown plant couldn’t live without?

Definitely our ‘Quickstep Process’ curing technology.

Small companies have to focus on the highest return industries where they know they can make a difference, advises the MD of global composites manufacturer, Quickstep.

We use traditional autoclave technology for most of our manufacturing contracts at the moment, but our aim is to introduce our own technology into the manufacturing of parts once we move to Bankstown.

The Quickstep Process offers significant advantages over traditional manufacturing techniques such as autoclave, including significantly shorter cure cycle times, reduced energy consumption and enhanced design flexibility.

Q. Did you expect Quickstep to become this successful?

When I joined the company three years ago I analysed the technology and immediately knew the potential was immense. Carbon fibre was a fast growing market.

However, the potential for success in the automotive sector was a lot less obvious at the time. We persevered with the development of this technology and as soon as the market recovered, we had very encouraging results to report on our research.

In addition, suddenly there was a compelling argument to reduce the weight of cars – restrictions on CO2 emissions and the increasing price of fuel. These obligations forced a very conservative industry to change their way very quickly.

Q. Does the government do enough to help manufacturers?

The Australian government has a very positive attitude towards R&D. It allows generous tax deductions and funds new technologies in a positive way.

However the long term support to industry is sometimes reactive rather than proactive and is tainted by the market approach that both sides of politics have been defending. Most European countries, Asian countries and the US are mandating that a large percentage of public purchasing must be done domestically. I believe the Australian government could introduce similar measures.

Q. Do you think the mining and manufacturing industries in Australia can co-exist?

I believe they can co-exist, but I think it’s vital we recognise we’re mining finite resources and the mining boom can’t last forever. We need to nurture the manufacturing sector by fostering innovation and by encouraging consumers to buy locally produced technology if it is good enough.

Q. Have you been allowed to go for a joy-ride in the JSF vehicles?!

I am not a pilot and the Joint Strike Fighter is a single seat aircraft... so I haven’t and will probably never fly in a JSF aircraft. I would love to do a run in a simulator – that would be real fun! manmonthly.com.au

Manufacturing workforces of the future In times of critical skills shortages, older workers are providing a solution to labour supply problems for many Australian businesses – but only if employers manage to hang onto them. Katherine Crichton writes.

O

VER a third of Australia’s workforce is made up of baby boomers, with the majority preparing to retire between 2015 and 2020 resulting in a huge loss of skills, knowledge and experience.

However, there’s still reluctance to invest in this older workers, according to a 2010 survey by Monash University of over 2,000 Queensland companies.

“Mentoring and knowledge transfer is popular with organisations – get what they can before older workers leave – but there’s this attitude there’s little point in training older human capital because it will be gone soon”, Monash University director of research and graduate studies, Professor Philip Taylor explains.

“This is not just an issue for individual workplaces but for the nation. We need to view older workers as a long-term investment.”

Far-sighted manufacturers like FMP Group (Australia) are investing in their older workers by incorporating an ageing workforce as part of the company’s strategic plans.

It was in 2006, after a review of the company’s Workcover premium history, that managers at the Victorian-based automo-

Australian manufacturers are waking up to the fact they could lose half their workforce due to retirement over the next 10 years.

tive component supplier realised they could lose over half their workforce of 280 employees due to retirement in 10 years.

“This generated much discussion around succession and workforce planning, injury and risk management, training, job design, new technology etc – all things we had considered in the past but never with explicit consideration for the large number of employees we had nearing retirement age,” explains FMP human resource manager, Susan Honeyman.

“With such a large portion of the workforce in the ‘ageing’ category, we wanted to ensure training and up-skilling oppor-

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tunities are offered to all workers to keep them interested and engaged,” she said.

Honeyman explains that a key part of managing an ageing workforce is to “maintain an open and honest dialogue with

M I L L I O NS

O F

employees and to provide flexibility when deciding on work arrangements”.

“However employees have to feel safe to report physical and mental conditions,” she said.

“The entire workforce needs to be aware of the issues surrounding an ageing population – to help them understand that today it is their work mate, neighbour or parent, but one day it will be them.”

When it comes to recruiting older workers, Honeyman advises manufacturers to look into initiatives such as the Federal Government’s experience + program which provides assistance to older workers and employers with (re)training, new opportunities and job retention.

FMP Group (Australia) 03 5327 0214, www.bendix.com.au Experience + 13 17 64, www.deewr.gov.au/ employment/programs/expplus

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AnalysisNEWS

Beyond domestic shores

Under-rated over 50s

BY CAMPBELL SMITH

BY ERIK SALONEN

T

THE ageing of the population and therefore the workforce remains a real challenge in the manufacturing sector.

But, while Australia struggles with a skills shortage, other countries are tapping into a particularly rich vein of talent: the over-50 market.

Many reports have highlighted the economic benefits of having older people in the workforce.

It is no secret mature-aged workers play an important role in any organisation, and the vast amount of intellectual property they take with them when they leave can have a serious impact on a business.

Attracting and retaining aged workers is a key to fighting the skills shortage.

The 2012 Manufacturing Skills Conference and Awards (to be held in Brisbane on Friday 18 May), organised by QMI Solutions’ Skills Division, Manufacturing Skills Queensland, will provide a forum for major industry players to discuss viable options to retain and attract workers.

No doubt, flexibility is the key to retaining older workers.

Phased retirement, part-time and job sharing arrangements are all good options, and are just some of the topics that will be covered at the Conference, designed to inform and help delegates make the most of this unrealised resource.

For more information about the Manufacturing Skills Conference and Awards and to register, call or visit the website below.

[Erik Salonen is the general manager of Manufacturing Skills Queensland.]

ODAY, there are 171 cities in China with a population larger than a million. Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, boasts a higher per capita GDP than traditional trading partners Britain, France and the United States. Closer to home, Indonesia’s populace of 240 million people has grown by nearly 30% in the last decade.

Given these numbers, it is clear that the opportunities lying on Australia’s doorstep are fabulously rich for Australian companies. But it’s also clear that attempting to grasp those opportunities without the right preparation, understanding or groundwork can be mere wishful thinking for a business – especially in uncertain economic times like these.

When local racking and storage systems manufacturer, Dexion, realised in the mid2000s that the next stage of its growth lay beyond domestic shores, it became clear that the then-current shape of the business was unsuited to the task.

“We knew the sorts of things we wanted to do in the region.

There was evident demand for the kind of product and category leadership that we were good at, but we had to get the conditions for the business right first.

And that was where the hardest decisions had to be made,” said CEO, Peter Farmakis.

This included the shareholders’ decision to sell the company to GUD Holdings in September

Dexion integrates materials handling systems to increase productivity and profitability.

2010. However, the sale, and subsequent injection of cash and capital, allowed Farmakis and his management team to get those ‘conditions’ right.

Dexion had already decided to broaden its manufacturing base, having established additional facilities in Malaysia and China before the sale to GUD. But the restructure and re-alignment meant that these assets could start growing export markets of their own. Proximity to boom economies in Asia and the Middle East meant that projects could be supplied more locally, and at a cost base more in keeping with local expectations while still meeting the quality and service expected of the brand.

Eighteen months on from the GUD acquisition, and Dexion’s new direction has started to pay dividends. In partnership with Vocollect (voice solutions), TGW (automated logistics) and Texo

Applications (robotic shuttles), Dexion has secured a string of significant new projects across the region. These include: the largest satellite DC in China, with more than 80,000 pallet positions; and the largest DC in Indonesia, with over 160,000 pallet positions.

“Our relationships with Linfox, Recall and Toll all originated with Australian projects. But as they’ve moved into markets in Asia, we’ve been able to support them, which is very pleasing. Systems integration is our strength. Working closely with our customers and supply partners, we are able to deliver our customers solutions in line with their strategic business plans.

We’re hoping to announce some more exciting developments soon,” Farmakis said.

Dexion 1800 100 050, www.dexion.com.au

Manufacturing Skills Queensland 07 3364 0680, www.msq.org.au

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AnalysisNEWS

Only 23 and engineering the dream

W

HEN Defence Recruiting came to William Carter’s high school, the Year 10 student was immediately enthusiastic about the career opportunities the Australian Defence Force could offer. The most attractive, according to Carter, was Navy.

“The thought of multiple postings sometimes involving completely different jobs, overseas travel, and the unique experiences of serving at sea, sealed the deal,” he said.

At 23 years of age, Carter has already explored many of the diverse opportunities a career in Navy has to offer – all thanks to his Defence University Sponsorship. Since graduating Carter has undertaken a number of job-specific courses and is currently doing his Masters.

Carter applied for the Defence University Sponsorship in 2005 after completing his first year of Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronics). He was on the sponsorship for his final three years studying at the University of Queensland. He was paid a salary and his remaining HECS debt was taken care of, along with a number of other benefits.

During university semesters, Carter had few Navy commitments other than the occasional meeting or function. This left ample time for studying and other university commitments.

“The Defence University Sponsorship gave me the opportunity to allocate more of my time to my academic studies and

Lieutenant William Carter is now weapons electrical engineer officer of the Australian Navy.

Engineering careers available as a Defence University Sponsored student.

alleviate some of the stresses and pressure that are sometimes involved in maintaining a work/ study/life balance,” he said.

“It was great to have a job to jump straight into given the

fact that a number of my friends found it difficult to find jobs after uni.”

In his current role as weapons electrical engineer officer, Carter manages a Defence con-

tract, which provides various support services to the Commonwealth for circuit card test and repair.

His role gives him the opportunity to work alongside not only Navy personnel, but also a range of civilian counterparts.

“My position is embedded within Defence Material Organisation, allowing me to work with both public servants and contractors, and that gives me insights into the broader Defence organisation,” he said.

A job as a weapons electrical engineer officer in the Navy differs from civilian engineering careers with the possibility of being posted to sea.

“You always have to prepare for the unexpected, but this also provides some great career possibilities,” he said.

There is also the potential to undertake further study in his career.

“Defence personnel may be required to undertake specific courses when they are posted into different positions,” he said.

“I’ve already taken a couple of courses in procurement. Each of these courses will give me extra skills that I can not only use in my current position but in my future career.”

Currently studying a Masters in Project Management through distance education with the University of New South Wales, Carter is enjoying the challenge of balancing work and study.

Australian Defence Force 13 19 01, www.defencejobs.gov.au

Young minds and the young at heart

BY SARAH FALSON

ROBOTICS specialist ABB is passionate about securing the next generation of manufacturing workers. So much so, that the company is supporting the 9th Annual Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards, by sponsorship the Young Manufacturer of the Year Award.

“At ABB we have a strong graduate program and a culture 18 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

of inclusiveness. Since we are engaged with the development of young people all around the world, we felt that this category was an ideal platform to support and recognise young achievers,” head of automation and motion division, Jussi Rautee, told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

Rautee is looking forward to the announcement of the finalists, in the April edition of Manufacturers’ Monthly. He

hopes to see a diverse range of skills, particularly leadership skills and business ethics.

“Something inspiring and technologically advanced would be really great. For finalists to get to that, they would certainly need the ability to approach challenges head on plus to be passionate about their project,” he said.

According to Rautee, ABB recognises that a diverse and tal-

ented workforce is a key competitive advantage.

“We invest a lot of time and effort in our employees across the organisation,” he said.

Entries for the Awards close 14 March, with winners announced at a dinner ceremony in Sydney on 8 May. ABB 1300 782 527, www.abbaustralia.com.au Endeavour Awards 02 9422 2759, www.manmonthly.com.au/awards manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisMANAGEMENT Dollar is painful but no predator Despite the strong Australian dollar, exporters are continuing to supply overseas markets profitably, but it’s not easy. These manufacturers share their stories and offer some tips for success. Alan Johnson reports.

A

S I write this article, the Australian dollar is sitting at an incredible $US1.07 and many exporters around the country are facing sleepless nights as they struggle to compete internationally.

However, for most manufacturers there is no alternative, and they are forced to find ways to remain competitive.

For Herbert Hermens, chief executive officer of Keech Australia, a 78-year old family owned foundry based in Bendigo, the investment in the new technology is the longterm answer.

“Of course the high A$ is having an impact on our competiveness, however we have invested a lot of money and resources in developing our IP and making sure that we can validate the value, particularly going overseas,” he told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“Just 18 months ago or so, the dollar was around 70c, so now we are around 35% more expensive.

“We must justify that increase by pointing out to our customers that that value can be validated in the application of the product.

“We have put a lot of time into that, we have also put a lot of time rationalising our production costs, and investing into our equipment to improve our efficiencies and value.

“Our number two foundry has been refitted with the latest pouring and moulding technology for steel casting.

“We need to fill existing customer orders and future contracts, so we are putting on new weekend shifts and more full time positions in foundry operations, patternmaking, engineering, IT, logistics and R&D. “We are also attacking our fundamental underlying costs within the organisation as well.”

However, Hermens says pro-

20 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

To remain competitive, Keech Australia has invested a considerable amount of money and resources in developing its IP.

tecting the company’s IP is a continuing problem, especially as the company exports to China.

“You just have to keep improving and finding new developments within your products. You can’t sit still.

It’s an enormous problem, and an enormous challenge,” he said.

“The good thing is it’s not always easy to copy our products; they have to invest in new patterns and engineering and pouring high quality steel; that does limit their opportunities.”

Though he admits the company does get ripped off, “it gets found out very quickly in the field as the counterfeit products fail very quickly,” he said.

“We manufacture and export steel castings for the rail industry, but the biggest part of our business is in the mining industry, manufacturing and supplying ground engaging tools, the teeth on the huge buckets, both locally and exporting to China, Japan, Chile, Russia, Sweden Canada and Brazil.

“The issues with these products are the quality of the steel, the design and how quickly they can be changed when they wear out.

“Some of these teeth only last one shift on a bucket. The material they are digging out, such as gold and uranium, can be very aggressive.”

Hermens believes Australian companies have a good reputation overseas, but admits some Australian manufacturers are setting up operations in China and elsewhere.

He warns companies that do set up in China and transfer their technical knowledge there that the advantages are going to be very short-lived.

“Instead, we at Keech have made a conscious decision to continue to manufacture and develop in Australia,” he said.

“We have increased our engineering here massively, because we know we are not only competing against external manufacturers, we are also competing against Australian companies

who are manufacturing in some of these low-cost labour markets.

“We deal with this by being better. We have automated many of our processes, and that’s the future for us.

“We are improving our productivity all the time and have a very good team willing to go on this growth journey with us.

“We currently employ more than 160 people across Australia, 150 of who are located at our headquarters in Bendigo.

“With this new foundry we will have three times the production with roughly the same number of people we had in the original foundry.”

Aerospace industry Philippe Odouard, managing director of Quickstep Holdings, manufacturer of composite materials for the aerospace and defence industries, is also working at improving the company’s productivity to overcome the problems of a very high dollar.

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AnalysisMANAGEMENT and the high dollar is by far the largest problem we have,” he told Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“We have no problems with the quality of our products, it’s just the competiveness of our product; the rate of the Australian dollar compared with the US dollar.

“We need better margins and recover as much as we can, which means buying as much as we can in US dollars ourselves, shifting some of the risk to others and hope the Australian dollar will go down.”

Though not overly optimistic this will happen in the short term, Odouard says our government could do more to address the issue and take a lead from the Swiss Government.

“When the Swiss franc was too high, and was damaging its industry, the government sold Swiss Francs until a particular threshold was reached,” he said.

“The Swiss Franc dropped relatively quickly and their industry regained its competiveness.”

Medical industry Though Barry Thomas, managing director of Cook Australia, a division of Cook Medical, the world’s largest privately-owned medical device manufacturing company, has the luxury of being in a high margin industry, he remains concerned about the possible effects of the high Australian dollar.

“How do you compete with such a high Australian dollar is a big question with a number of angles to it,” he said.

“All our export business and all our interaction with other countries is all done in $USD, so we don’t have to worry about fluctuation of other currencies.

“And luckily we import all our raw materials in $USD, which allows us some natural hedging.

“And like all companies we are looking at all our costs and with labour our single biggest input we are looking at efficiencies in manufacturing wherever possible.

“In our needle manufacturing, for example, we have outsourced to China the labour-intensive part of that process.

“The first part of the manufacturing process we do here in 22 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Agreement to benefit trade with China

Cook Medical’s Brisbane plant focuses on the quality part of the process.

Brisbane, then we send that off to China where they do all of the fabricating of the product and the packaging, then they send it back to us for sterilising.

“We have looked at automating the manufacturing processes, but we have found it very difficult.

“Presently we are looking at automating our needle grinding process and we have some machines that are helping us do that, but in our biggest area which is aortic stent grafts, it’s all hand sewing and we can’t find a machine that will do it.”

Thomas says the number-one benefit of manufacturing in Australia is quality. “We are in health care and quality is very important in all our work, coupled with being able to protect our IP for a significant amount of time, which is also very important,” said Thomas.

“That’s part of the reason we only send the needles to China where the IP risk component of that manufacturing process is kept here.

“Here in Brisbane, we tend to focus on the high end part of the manufacturing process and the quality part of the process.”

Thomas explains that contracts with overseas distributors and suppliers are becoming more important.

“In the past it was a case of ‘out of sight out of mind’, but now if there is any issue, anywhere, it comes back to the manufacturer, both on the side

of how you manufacture, but also on how you do business,” said Thomas.

“With the new laws around the foreign corrupt practices act, the UK bribery act, etc, companies that act for you are in fact an extension of you.

“So if they are doing something that is not the correct way to do business, then we are held accountable as well.

“Recently, we have just spent a great deal of time and effort travelling through Asia training all our staff and all our distributors’ staff on the issues of corrupt practices and the bribery act and how to conduct businesses ethically.

“That’s certainly becoming a business challenge, however we are getting extremely strong feedback from the market that we took that initiative.”

Thomas advises manufacturers looking to export to new markets, China and India for example, to spend a considerable amount of time understanding their culture and learning how they do business differently to us. Thomas recommends spending “several months” researching this.

“That has really helped us both on the selling side and on working with them on the manufacturing side and has been an important part of our success. It’s also about teaching your organisation about how to do business in that part of the world,” Thomas said.

A RECIPROCAL Risk Participation Agreement signed in February between the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) and the Export-Import Bank of China (EXIM China) looks set to benefit Australian companies who trade with China.

The agreement is a framework for financing goods and services exported from Australia or China and overseas investment from the two countries.

It follows a multi-lateral framework agreement endorsed by the Asian EXIM Banks Forum at its 16th Annual Meeting on October 2010 in Busan, South Korea.

Under the Agreement, eligible Australian exporters can benefit from financing jointly provided

by EFIC and EXIM China particularly when Australian and Chinese companies are working together in a third country.

“With this agreement we will broaden the ways our organisations work together to help exports and investments to continue to grow between our two countries, to the benefit of Australian and Chinese companies” said Angus Armour, CEO and Managing Director of EFIC. According to Armour, the agreement could also be used to facilitate the financing of resource projects in Australia where the resources are to be exported to China.

“Risk-sharing agreements allow us to pool resources to meet the financing needs for projects which we wish to support.

“Recent projects in the resources sector in Australia, where EXIM banks and ECAs play a crucial role in the financing, are examples of situations where both Australia and China can mutually benefit,” Armour said. “With EFIC’s support Australian companies can win sub-contracting work to these projects.”

EFIC 1800 093 724, www.efic.gov.au manmonthly.com.au

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AnalysisTRAVEL Manufacturing value with smarter air travel Travel management companies can help manufacturers boost savings by up to 30%, using a technique called ‘best fare policy’, Sally Gordon writes.

Is it possible... for local manufacturers to access the world’s leading travel management company?

F

OR many manufacturers interstate and international travel is an essential business enabler. But with more companies focused on reducing operating costs, manufacturing firms are increasingly turning to travel management companies to ensure long-term cost containment on travel.

Corporate Traveller area leader Matthew Campbell says he had noticed a rise in manufacturing firms in the small-to-mid market engaging the services of a travel management company to reduce the cost of travel.

“The manufacturing sector, more so than any other industry, has been very focused on strategies to reduce costs and increase the value of their spend on travel,” he said.

“Manufacturers have been interested in everything from travel policy development, airfare strategies, hotel program development, online booking and reporting in order to streamline their travel processes.”

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1300 558 041 fcmtravel.com.au Better travel ideas. Greater savings.

Australian OpCo Pty Ltd (ABN 20 003 279 534) trading as FCm Travel Solutions. Licence numbers NSW 2TA002547, VIC 32360, ACT 18800566, QLD 3124259, SA TTA192799, WA 9TA1362, TAS TAS160, NT LTA149.

24 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

FCMAUS49678

manmonthly.com.au

According to Campbell, the majority of spend for manufacturers with a high volume of staff travel is generally on airfares. â&#x20AC;&#x153;So much of the work we have been focused on for this sector has been helping companies to cut the cost of air travel with strategies such as best fare of the day (BFOD) policy. A BFOD policy means that a business will select the cheapest airfare across a spread of airlines or a selection of airlines within their travel policy, rather than having an exclusive procurement deal with one airline,â&#x20AC;? he said.

Campbell claims manufacturing firms that have incorporated a BFOD rule in their travel policies were realising savings of between 20 to 30% on their annual airfare expenditure. â&#x20AC;&#x153;By using a BFOD strategy, manufacturers are going to achieve savings because their overall spend is generally less and theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll also be seeing the cost benefit of increased com-

pliance, which can also lead to greater travel savings,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;BFOD ensures customers are getting air travel that not only suits their business needs but secures the cheapest possible fare available in an open sky environment â&#x20AC;&#x201C; rather than with one select carrier. As well as the cost benefits of using BFOD, manufacturers are benefitting from greater fare flexibility as offered by all carriers operating in the market. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A travel manager like Corporate Traveller can help you build guidelines in your travel policy around BFOD and help to monitor the use of BFOD. A travel manager also has the online systems to search, track and select the best fare within minutes, which can save companies a substantial amount of time,â&#x20AC;? he said.

[Sally Gordon is corporate communications manager, Flight Centre Limited.]

Flight Centre Limited 07 3170 8116, www.flightcentre.com.au

Travelling to China? *H[OH` 7HJPMPJ HUK ZPZ[LY HPYSPUL +YHNVUHPY HYL UV^ VMMLYPUN MYLX\LU[ MSPNO[Z MYVT (\Z[YHSPH [V *OPUH *H[OH` 7HJPMPJ J\YYLU[S` VMMLYZ TVYL [OHU MSPNO[Z H ^LLR MYVT (\Z[YHSPH :`KUL` 4LSIV\YUL )YPZIHUL *HPYUZ (KLSHPKL HUK 7LY[O [V /VUN 2VUN ^P[O NVVK JVUULJ[PVUZ VU[V :OHUNOHP HUK )LPQPUN ^OPSL +YHNVUHPY HSZV MSPLZ PU[V [OLZL [^V JP[PLZ HSVUN ^P[O V[OLY THPUSHUK *OPUH KLZ[PUH[PVUZ œ *OHUNZOH *OLUNK\ *OVUNXPUN -\aOV\ .\HUNaOV\ /HUNaOV\ 2\UTPUN 5HUQPUN 5PUNIV 8PUNKHV :HU`H >\OHU ?PHTLU HUK JVKLZOHYL [V +HSPHU HUK ;PHUQPU 7S\Z I\ZPULZZ [YH]LSSLYZ ^OV OH]L ^VYR [V KV PU IV[O /VUN 2VUN HUK THPUSHUK *OPUH JHU Z[VW VMM PU /VUN 2VUN LU YV\[L VU [OL VUL [PJRL[ (JJVYKPUN [V 9PJOPRV 6SYPJOZ THY RL[PUN JVTT\UPJH[PVUZ THUHNLY *H[OH` 7HJPMPJ (\Z[YHSPH [OLYL HYL V[OLY ILULMP[Z MVY WHZZLUNLYZ MS`PUN ^P[O [OL HPYSPUL [V *OPUH ¸7HZZLUNLYZ JHU MS` PU[V VUL *OPULZL JP[` HUK V\[ VM HUV[OLY MVY [OL

ZHTL WYPJL HZ H YL[\YU MYVT [OL ZHTL KLZ[PUH[PVU š ZOL ZH`Z ¸;OPZ TLHUZ ZVTLUL KVPUN I\ZPULZZ PU .\HUNaOV\ HUK HSZV >\OHU JV\SK [HRL [OL MHZ[ [YHPU MYVT [OL ZV\[O \W [V >\OHU HUK YL[\YU [V (\Z[YHSPH ]PH /VUN 2VUN VU [OL ZHTL [PJRL[ š *H[OH` 7HJPMPJ HSZV VMMLYZ H UL^ I\ZPULZZ JSHZZ ZLH[ VU TVZ[ MSPNO[Z MYVT :`KUL` [V /VUN 2VUN ^OPJO ^PSS IL YVSSLK V\[ PU MYVT V[OLY WVY[Z ¸0[ PZ HU L_JLW[PVUHSS` JVTMVY[HISL ZLH[ 0[ PZ H SVUN HUK ^PKL ZLH[ HUK ^VYRZ IYPSSPHU[S` HZ H JVTWSL[LS` MSH[ ILK VY HZ [OL WLYMLJ[ ZWV[ MYVT ^OPJO [V KV ^VYR ,]LY` KL[HPS OHZ ILLU JVU ZPKLYLK MYVT [OL WVZP[PVU VM [OL WV^ LYWVPU[ [V [OL <:) WVY[ š ZHPK 6SYPJOZ Cathay Pacific Australia 08 8234 3288, www.cathaypacific.com/au

Hills Holdings â&#x20AC;&#x153; We helped hoist international airfare savings by $171,000*.â&#x20AC;?

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*These savings are based on Corporate Travellerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s internal benchmarking system. ^If you find a cheaper available airfare quote, we will beat it or the full ticket price will be waived and you will Fly for Free. Applies to genuine quotes from airlines and Australian registered businesses and websites for travel that originates/ departs from Australia. Quote must be in writing and must be presented to us with your price beat request prior to booking. Fare must be available and able to be booked by the general public at the time of booking. Fares available due to membership of a group or corporate entity, subscription to a closed group or exclusive arrangements with suppliers are excluded. Must be for same dates and flight class. The fare comparison excludes payment processing fees and also excludes service fees applied in accordance with the terms of your service contract. We will beat price by $1.00. If we are required to beat your airfare quote and we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t then you Fly for Free. If you find a cheaper available room rate, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll beat it or youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll Stay for Free. A written quote must be provided to your travel manager prior to any booking being made. Stay for free guarantee is based on identical products available on the same dates within Australia. If we do not beat the price by $1 you will stay for free. Excludes client negotiated volume discounts, industry rates and other closed user group pricing arrangements. Please direct requests for Stay for Free bookings to your travel manager. Australian OpCo Pty Ltd (ABN 20 003 279 534) trading as Corporate Traveller. Licence numbers: NSW 2TA002547, VIC 32360, TAS TAS160, ACT 18800566, QLD 3124259, NT LTA149, SA TTA192799, WA 9TA1362.

COT50051

manmonthly.com.au

Manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Monthly MARCH 2012 25

TechnologyIT@MM

A recent survey suggests two-thirds of US manufacturers are sold on the concept of cloud computing.

Are you?

Cloud computing is not all fluff Offering benefits including lower IT costs and improved security, cloud computing’s ‘silver lining’ is slowly becoming obvious to manufacturers. Alan Johnson reports.

A

RECENT survey by IDC manufacturing found that 22% of manufacturers in the United States (US) have already incorporated cloud computing into their IT portfolios, and that 44% were in the process of doing so or have firm plans to do so.

26 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

That means two-thirds of US manufacturers are sold on the concept of cloud computing; with a mere 2% having no plans for cloud adoption.

Whether that’s the case in Australia today is not clear.

What is clear is that cloud computing is able to cut a company’s

IT costs, and manufacturers should be taking advantage of the technology where possible.

However, Andrew Milroy, vice president, ICT Research, Asia Pacific, with Frost & Sullivan, warns the phrase ‘cloud computing’ is being used to describe a continually growing list of

computing products and services – and this can lead to confusion about its benefits.

“Many people are using the term to include on-premise IT implementations, sometimes known as ‘private clouds’,” Milroy told Manufacturers’ Monthly. manmonthly.com.au

The Key Attributes of Cloud Computing (CC) CC offerings are services, not products.

CC allows customers to increase and decrease the number of users that have access to services, exponentially.

CC allows customers to provision new services to users instantly or within hours. CC turns computing resources into operational expenses rather than capital expenditure. CC enables organisations to pay for computing resources based on consumption of the resources in question.CC allows multiple, diverse customers to share computing resources. CC service enhancements, such as updates, are automatic. CC resources can be accessed using any Internet-enabled device, from any location. CC integrates security into services. CC eliminates the need for support contracts. CC costs less than on-premise alternatives. CC allows the purchase of services without human interaction. CC integrates automatic backup into services.CC services are delivered from remote locations. CC services are delivered by a third party.

CC services are delivered via the Internet or via an IP VPN. Users reportedly notice no difference, with applications running on the cloud as seamlessly as if they were running locally.

Milroy says a great way to simplify the concept of cloud computing is to list the key attributes of the technology using non-technical terminology that non-IT specialists can understand (see The Key Attributes of Cloud Computing (CC), above right).

“Buyers of IT products and services can use such a list to determine where their computing resources sit on the cloud computing spectrum,” said Milroy.

“They can also use it as a roadmap to determine what needs to be undertaken or negotiated in order to reap the benefits of cloud computing.

“A spectrum of attributes allows us to illustrate where a service fits with respect to cloud computing.

“For example, services provided by public cloud vendors such as Salesforce.com, Netsuite and SuccessFactors satisfy most of these attributes.

“Hence, it seems reasonable to refer to their offerings as cloud manmonthly.com.au

computing services. ‘Private clouds’ typically satisfy less of these attributes. Therefore such offerings can be mapped on a different part of the overall spectrum.”

Shane Muller, managing director of OBT, a leading cloud services provider, explains that cloud environments are widely regarded as being made up of three core components; Software-as-a-Service (SaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS).

“SaaS provides for rapid deployment and enables organisations to scale up or scale down their IT requirements without the need for allocating resources to supporting on premise computing infrastructure,” Muller said.

“At the same time, companies can focus their IT strategies on their own specific application needs which will help drive their own individual business requirements.

“However, not all cloud serv-

ice providers are able to effectively manage software updates in the cloud, while companies also need to be vigilant of their potential need for speedy retrieval of data in a useable format.

“Organisations also need to be aware of the location where their specific data is being held as there can be risks in jurisdiction if your customer data is held in an overseas location.

“PaaS, on the other hand, enables developers within IT departments to take advantage of the scale and reach that they can achieve for their key core IT applications.

“In addition, developers can launch their latest manufacturing application on a global scale in a matter of minutes, saving time and money in ensuring a consistent deployment.”

But as with SaaS, Muller warns there are risks involved in managing data in overseas jurisdictions and issues may arise with integration and customisation of legacy applications.

“Manufacturers should also be advised that not all IT developers can handle what might be your own individual, timely need for specific software updates,” he said.

Muller says IaaS is ideal for manufacturers who need to conserve their overall IT budget or redirect precious funds to new projects.

“As with other cloud computing services, organisations can reap the advantages of the scale and speed of growth which hosted infrastructure affords while removing the headache of constant refresh cycles,” he said.

“However, IT managers need to ensure they work with an IaaS vendor which has a culture and style of management which can complement their own organisation’s management model and ensure that any chosen supplier has comprehensive disaster recovery programs in place.

“After all, it is your data – whether hosted in the cloud or on premise.”

OBT 02 9286 3400, www.obt.com.au Manufacturers’ Monthly MARCH 2012 27

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OH&S in harmony at safety expo )@ (3(5 16/5:65

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HIS year see’s OH&S back in the spotlight, this time for the right reason, with the enactment of the harmonisation of Australia’s workplace health and safety laws on January 1 this year.

The move to a nationally uniform legislation represents a fundamental shift in the traditional regulation of OH&S in Australia, and is probably the most significant reform of OH&S laws in the past 30 years.

Businesses are being urged to act now to ensure they comply with OHS harmonisation laws.

Adrian Manessis, from safety management software company myosh, says companies should act now.

“Although some states are lagging, workplace health and safety harmonisation will eventually be the standard for all, and businesses should not forget existing regulations,” said Manessis.

“What the legislation requires is manageable, but anyone conducting a business or undertaking needs to understand the duties and obligations,” he said.

Manessis says non-compliance can bring severe fines for staff and senior officers, including directors and board members up to $600,000 and five years’ jail for a senior officer and $3m for a body corporate; “And ignorance is no excuse”.

Safety in Action is designed to provide an effective way to keep track of the latest safety and productivity enhancing equipment and services.

NSW, Queensland, the ACT, NT and the Commonwealth have met the 1 January 2012 deadline to adopt the new harmonisation laws.

However, the South Australian and Tasmanian Bills have been blocked in the upper houses, Victoria says it will delay harmonisation by 12 months and WA has made no commitment to the harmonised laws.

Manessis says Myosh will have a strong presence at the Safety in Action Trade Show at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre from 17-19 April.

To be held in conjunction with Melbourne Materials Handling,

Safety in Action is designed to provide an effective way to keep track of the latest safety and productivity enhancing equipment and services.

Myosh is the principal corporate sponsor and one of more than 200 exhibitors that will showcase safety and productivity enhancing products and services.

The categories include personal protective equipment, machine guards and light curtains, height safety and confined space equipment, health and safety management software, risk management programs, safety signage, security and communication equipment,

measurement control and monitoring equipment, flooring and flooring surfaces, health and safety consultants, workers compensation, first aid, medical and rehabilitation services, vehicle safety, ergonomics and office safety, electronics, electrical safety, hygiene services and equipment, fire safety and evacuation, legislation advisory organisations, environmental safety, building safety, training providers, gas detection, spill control and hazardous goods handling.

Safety In Action/Melbourne Materials Handling 03 8672 1200, www.safetyinaction.net.au www.materialshandling.net.au

Not just Gearboxes, but Total Solutions We make it easier for you by designing solutions for your specific needs using our wide range of gearbox products, ancillaries and services. Call us NOW for details.

Brevini Planetary Samhydraulik VPS Brevini Brevini Winches

Brevini Hydraulics Aron Hydrapp Pullmaster

28 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

PIV Bevel Helical Emmegi PT Tech PIV Posiplan

Phone 1300 657 771

Email sales@brevini.com.au

www.brevini.com.au manmonthly.com.au

Wearing safety gumboots shouldn't feel like you're walking in wet cement, unless of course, you're actually walking in wet cement. The new Oliver 22-205 Safety Gumboot provides greater comfort and superior protection. It's the only gumboot designed to incorporate the patented METprotect Metatarsal Protection and the unique Oliver Comfort System. So get gumfortable visit www.oliver.com.au

Love your feet more

Preview

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Safety books

Utility safety boots

THE Tennyson Group stand will show its specialty - Take 5 Safety books - along with an array of other printed safety items including durable signage, safety tags and pre-start checklist books at Safety in Action.

The Take 5 book allows holders to accurately and promptly report hazards in the workplace and complete a simple Risk Assessment, while also offering safety tips that are simple to follow.

It comprises of two duplicate NCR Pads (Hazard Report and Personal Pre Task Risk Assessment), 10 double-sided vinyl pockets to hold safety tips and contact information, and a laminated risk assessment card for users to accurately assess their risk.

I

Tennyson Group 07 3803 6400, www.tennysongroup.com.au

The Take 5 book allows users to report hazards in the workplace and complete a simple Risk Assessment.

Diadora 03 9819 9055, www.diadora.com.au

Worker care with sensor technology

V

System can measure a worker’s movements and muscle activity.

ISAFE’S breakthrough wireless sensor technology, which measures movements and muscle activity of the lower back, shoulder, upper and lower limbs for people performing work tasks, will be demonstrated at the dorsaVi stand.

As the sensors are small and low profile, workers can wear them unimpeded over a whole day while they perform their usual work tasks.

TALIAN Sports Brand Diadora will show its new range of utility safety boots made in Europe, with Italian style and flair.

Merv Hughes, who played in Diadora gear during his spectacular cricketing career, will be at the Diadora Utility Safety Boots stand to engage with visitors interested in safety footwear ideal for the streets, manufacturing sites and mines.

The Diadora Utility workboots, which are Australia/NZ Safety Standard compliant, are said to have styling that makes them the perfect transitional footwear option for work and leisure.

The activity is recorded so ViSafe can produce an objective picture of how people move at work.

Organisations can then develop strategies to eliminate, reduce or better manage physical effort and injury risks.

Strategies may include different task methods, equipment or workplace layout and designs, and staff training.

ViSafe 03 9652 2198, www.dorsavi.com/work/visafe

Safety boot is the right fit for Merv!

Think outside the box.

A complete line of automation solutions including over 15,000 sensing, connectivity, interface and communications products are now available locally and direct from TURCK Australia.

SENSORS | NETWORKS/FIELDBUS | RFID | CONNECTIVITY | INTRINSIC SAFETY 30 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

1300-132-566 turck.com.au ©2012 TURCK, Inc.

manmonthly.com.au

Mongrel SP Range Because what you do makes a difference to the boots you wear Our Mongrels SP Series was designed to incorporate the most significant technological, comfort and safety features into one premium range. Now Mongrels have expanded the SP designation to meet the requirements of different work conditions.

For example the mining industry and light manufacturing industries have very different needs. Now, along with SP>P Originals we offer SP>R, SP>S, SP>Z, SP>T and SP>N ranges. Take a look on our website or call for a Mongrel salesman for more information.

Features many of the original and popular styles of our SP Premium Range launched in 2006.

The high tech rubber-soled work boot that’s built to take the heat no matter how rugged the conditions – heat resistant soles up to 300˚C

The lightweight, work boot with aluminium toe-cap and advance Sport technology soling.

The revolutionary ZipSider style allows for great ankle support with easy on and off features required by many trades.

Our Trade range featuring high spec features matched with a comfort innersole and value for money rugged leather uppers.

Many workers don’t require a steel toe cap. So Mongrels has provided a number of non-safety styles from riding boots to classic elastic sided boots and a security range.

SP RANGE The Aussie born and bred work boot designed to work best for you

Victor Footwear 15 George Young St. Auburn NSW 2144 p: 02 8667 2555 f: 02 8667 2500 e: sales@mongrelboots.com.au w: www.mongrelboots.com.au SPR 001

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Electric work platforms

A

T THE Warequip stand, visitors will be able to check out two new products - the Caddy and Spin-Go electric work platforms, both from Bravi Platforms in Italy.

The Caddy Electric Work Platform is a mobile tool that allows one person to safely and efficiently do tasks that would normally require two people.

Operators can reach up to 5m in the air for tasks that would normally require a high ladder.

The Spin-Go is similar to the Caddy in the way it has an electric lift to perform tasks up to 5m as a push unit.

The push unit is said to be ideal for smaller sites and areas.

Vacuum lifters

P

OWDER handling systems will be on show in Melbourne.

The Kockums Bulk Systems Group will showcase a range of vacuum lifters for bags, cartons and drums including the quick VacuCobra and a compact, user friendly board lifting and rotating foot.

The company specialises in the design and supply of powder

handling systems from raw materials in through to packed goods out.

The product range includes bulk bag filling/emptying, IBC systems, aero mechanical conveyors, pneumatic conveying, silo discharge aids, weighing, metering, bagging, palletising systems and wrapping/hooding.

Manual handling aids

Kockums Bulk Systems 03 9457 8245, www.kockumsbulk.com.au

V

ISITORS to the Electrodrive stand can check out equipment ranging from tugs, power trolleys, waste bin movers and rideons for industrial requirements to motorised bed-movers that allow one person to effortlessly move heavy hospital beds.

The company says it focuses on making the workplace safer with custom engineered manual handling equipment to suit specific workplace applications.

Warequip 03 8378 7700, www.warequip.com.au

Electrodrive 03 9357 7699, electrodrive.com.au

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Inspecting bottling lines

Evaluating plant components

OMNIVIEW is a 360° bottle inspection system capable of an accurate reconstruction of the final image from images received from video cameras placed on the line.

The system reportedly eliminates the principal weak point of 360° inspection systems, which was dependent on the quality of the final images from the position of the bottles on the line.

Using 3D reconstruction, it is possible to generate stable images of the bottles analysed, enabling label checks to be made as if perfectly flattened. A common set-up is to use four cameras that can see the surface of the bottles whatever their position. The OmniView software processes the four images and displays them in a single image compensating for any variation in position during transportation. To inspect a particular feature of interest, configure the inspection system directly on the whole reconstructed image.

The system is said to eliminate the

SONATESTâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Soundscan 101 instrument converts ultrasound signals produced by industrial machinery and vehicles into easily recognisable audible sounds.

According to distributors Russell Fraser Sales, technicians can used the Soundscan 101 to evaluate the condition of individual components, even in extremely noisy plant environments.

Early warning signs and defects can also be detected using Soundscan 101 to prevent costly repairs, downtime and safety related injuries, the distributor says.

Soundscan 101 features improved detection rates making it suitable for both the industrial and military sectors.

The device is used by NASA for its Space Programme and on the

The OmniView system uses 3D reconstruction for bottle checking.

costly requirements associated with mechanical rotation of the parts to enable them to be inspected.

OmniView www.cognex.com

Markless sensor for packaging applications SICK is now offering a new sensor, the ML20, which uses markless technology to detect the cutting position on roll-fed labelling and packaging machines.

According to SICK, the new product does not rely on an identification mark to define the product length, as traditional registration sensors do. These registration marks detract from the

packaging aesthetics, take up room, and waste label material because of the overlap areas required to hide the marks on finished product..

The new ML20 sensor reportedly offers the flexibility of a vision sensor with the speed of a traditional registration sensor.

Sick 03 9457 0600, www.sick.com/au

Soundscan 101 converts ultrasound signals into recognisable audible sounds for testing.

International Space Station and Shuttle Missions for air leak detection.

The Soundscan 101 is also available in an Intrinsically Safe model.

Russell Fraser Sales 02 9545 4433, www.rfsales.com.au

Pneumatic bulk bag discharging system FLEXICONâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S Bulk Bag Discharging System with integral Pneumatic Conveying System transfers material from bulk bags to silos and other storage vessels. The discharger portion of the skid-mounted system includes a cantilevered I-beam with electric hoist and trolley to lift and position bulk bags without the use of a forklift.

Flexicon says a Spout-Lock clamp ring forms a high-integrity seal between the clean side of the bag spout and the clean side of the equipment, while a Tele-Tube telescoping

tube maintains constant downward pressure on the clamp ring and bag spout, elongating the bag as it empties to promote complete discharge.

Material flow is aided by Flow-Flexer bag activators that raise and lower opposite bottom sides of the bag in timed intervals. A Bag-Vac dust collector creates negative pressure to collapse empty bags prior to retying and disconnection, eliminating dust emitted during manual flattening of empty bags.

Flexicon Corporation (Australia) 1300 353 942, www.flexicon.com.au

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Toll Free: 1300 KERRICK 1300 5 3 7 7 4 2 Manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Monthly MARCH 2012 33

What’sNEW Factory clean up in next to no time AUSTRALIAN Pump Industries has released a new version of its heavy duty 75-litre wet/dry vacuum cleaners - the Aussie Clean Air VS72, suitable for cleaning fine dust particles in the manufacturing and automotive industries.

The VS72 comes with a heavy duty polypropylene barrel designed to resist impact and two 1200W, 240V by-pass motors to provide loads of suction.

It comes standard with a heavy-duty 40mm accessory tool kit that includes: three metres of flexible crush proof hose; a hard floor brush with swivel; and a heavy duty aluminium squeegee for sucking up spills.

Also standard is the Aussie Microweb 99.9% filtration filter which enables the vac to be used in locations where there may be asthma or allergy sufferers. The VS72 comes with heavy duty trolley with two big wheels and heavy duty casters for ease of mobility.

Other versions of the vac are available, including a Jumbo version.

Australian Pump Industries 02 8865 3500, www.aussiepumps.com.au

Reversible drum vacuums COMPRESSED Air Australia has released EXAIR’s new compressed air-powered Premium Reversible Drum Vac System, which features an automatic safety shut-off valve to prevent spills or overfilling.

According to the company, electrically operated “all purpose” vacuums aren’t designed for use in industrial environments because motors wear out quickly and impellers clog can.

As EXAIR’s Reversible Drum Vac is compressed air-powered, it does not use electricity and has no moving parts, assuring maintenance-free operation, the company says.

The system’s high powered vacuum can reportedly fill a 205-litre drum in less than two minutes. Compressed Air Australia claims that with a turn of the knob, the same stainless steel pump quickly empties the drum.

This means that coolant sumps can be easily refilled, floor spills vacuumed or contaminated liquids transferred to filtration tanks in minutes, while the flow rate in and out of the drum can be controlled with the knob making it ideal for dispensing liquids, the company says.

EXAIR’s compressed air-powered Premium Reversible Drum Vac System comes complete with a two-way pump assembly, shutoff valve, 3-metres static resistant hose, 6-metre compressed air hose, heavy duty tools, spill recovery kit, tool holder and 205-litre drum dolly.

Compressed Air Australia 1300 787 688, www.caasafety.com.au

An automatic safety shutoff valve prevents spills or overfilling.

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF NATIONAL MANUFACTURING WEEK 2012

Double flapgate airlock valves MEYER & Sons’ Double Flapgate Airlock Valves have been engineered and manufactured for extreme operating environments or highly abrasive materials.

They have been specifically designed to control the rate of materials flow through a system and at the same time prevent air leakage by isolating the processing system’s pressures, the company says.

Meyer’s Double Flapgates can be designed to seal completely with pressure differentials up to 15psi. They are built for heavy duty service and are highly resistant to abrasive materials.

The airlock valves feature long bearing and shaft life for fewer system shutdowns and have access covers to simplify inspection and maintenance and can operate in extreme temperatures up to 750°F. Meyer’s Double Flapgates can be used in a wide range of applications, including air pollution control, ash handling, clinker cooler, iron ore pelletising, mining and minerals.

Wm. W. Meyer & Sons, www.rotaryvalve.com

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION

For the 3rd year running, Manufacturers’ Monthly will be the official publication of National Manufacturing Week - the only fully integrated annual manufacturing exhibition focused on technology, innovation and education.

The April issue of Manufacturers’ Monthly will feature a major NMW 2012 Show Preview, investigating and showcasing new technologies and products being featured at the exhibition.

Visiting?

Register today at www.nationalmanufacturingweek.com.au and remember to visit us at stand 0612 to learn more about our vast manufacturing portfolio.

Exhibiting?

If you’d like to get your products in the Official Show Preview and drive traffic to your stand, contact Sarah Bateman: e: sales@manmonthly.com.au T: 02 9422 8994 M: 0408 991 585

SUBSCRIPTIONS: 1300 360 126 34 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

WWW.MANMONTHLY.COM.AU

manmonthly.com.au

Lightweight industrial safety boots BOGS Footwear has introduced its 6â&#x20AC;? Bogs Industrial Chukka and Industrial Chukka Steel Toe boot to the Australian market.

According to Bogs, the boots are the ultimate in safety, comfort and durability for industrial footwear.

They â&#x20AC;&#x153;show up early, stay late, and never call in sickâ&#x20AC;? because when you have a job to do, you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want anything to stand in your way, the company says.

Both the Industrial Chukka and Industrial Chukka Steel Toe boots have been designed with a contoured fit for added protection, durability, and comfort.

They are lightweight and have 4mm Neo-Tech + 2mm Airmesh lining.

The bootsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; New Channel Air feature helps to circulate air and adds breathability to keep workers cool and comfortable, Bogs says.

The boots are ASTM-approved

The steel toe boots have a contoured fit for added protection.

chemical and slip-resistant non-marking and self-cleaning outsole.

Bogs Footwear, 03 9485 5618 www.bogsboots.com.au

Palletising lightweight containers AUTEFA Automation has released a new Vacugrip technology, designed specifically for handling light weight containers.

For palletising, the technology enables the creation and placing of layers of empty containers or bottles onto pallets. The system is suited for palletising output from multiple low speed blowmoulders onto separate pallet stations of different container types due to the unique patented design of the universal Vacugrip head technology.

The system can also operate in a

reverse sequence when used as a depalletiser where palletised containers are gently removed for feeding to a filler.

According to AUTEFA, this tool has palletising and/or depalletising layer capacity of up to 40kg and can handle bottle sizes from 200ml to 3.75L. It can reportedly palletise and/or depalletise several product lines with various products consecutively without the need to format parts or change over time.

HBM Plastics & Packaging Technologies 02 8814 3100, www.hbm.com.au

The Vacugrip has palletising layer capacity of up to 40kg.

IP43 thermal imagers FLIR Systems has released a new range of entry level i-Series thermal imaging cameras, the i3, i5 and i7, delivering IR technology at an affordable price, according to the company.

The cameras are suitable for use by electrical technicians, maintenance and building personnel, and workers in the HVAC industry.

The three cameras reportedly match the look of FLIRâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more expensive models and are available in an allblack casing meeting the IP43 standard for industrial settings.

The FLIR i5 model is available with an IR resolution of 100X100 (10,000 pixels and 21Âş X 21Âş field of view) and the FLIR i7 at 140X140 (19,600 pixels and 29Âş X 29Âş field of view).

The FLIR i3 is compact and lightweight (365g), offering a simple menu operation making it easy to share results. This model is created from minimum 60x60 IR resolution (equivalent to 3600 read outs from a traditional single-spot pyrometer) giving the user both an instant â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;hot spotâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; reading and temperature, or heat distribution over the entire area.

FLIR SYSTEMS 03 9550 2800, www.flir.com

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Manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Monthly MARCH 2012 35

What’sNEW Heavy-duty, high-power drives

This portable machine can perform on-site machining of large surface areas without multiple set-ups.

Portable machines for linear and gantry milling CLIMAX Portable Machine Tools claims to have introduced the world’s first portable milling machine with a split rail system that enables the milling machine to be configured to perform both linear milling and gantry milling.

The portable milling machine’s rigid, modular bed design reportedly allows shorter bed sections to be combined to fit the length of the work area as needed without losing rigidity, and to extend the bed by two or three times its original length.

Available in two models, the Climax LM5200 and the LM6200 allows machinists to perform a number of

machining projects without having to purchase or transport additional mills, the company says. To convert from linear milling to large surface or gantry milling, simply remove the RAM, split the bed and saddle into two separate rails for gantry milling, and then reattach the RAM to the saddle and rails.

Applications for the LM5200 and LM6200 include: pump and motor mounts; compressor and heat equipment bases; exchanger faces; sole plates; sections of large surfaces; as well as drilling and boring.

Austwide Tooling 08 9472 1855, www.austwidetooling.com.au

ROCKWELL Automation has extended the power of its range of PowerFlex 755 AC drives to 900 kW and added 690 volt ratings.

According to Rockwell, the new drives, designed for heavy industrial applications, provide users with increased application flexibility, advanced diagnostics and a common DC bus option. The common DC bus option allows users to connect the PowerFlex 755 AC drive to a common DC bus configuration, which takes advantage of different drive cycles to share energy. In this configuration, a DC bus acts as a common energy source that feeds energy from a generating load to a motoring load, reportedly improving the application’s energy efficiency.

The updated drives offer embedded ethernet ports and five option slots, so users can tailor them to their application. Optional modules include I/O, feedback, safety, additional communications and an auxiliary power sup-

Motion Technologies 02 9524 4782, www.motiontech.com.au 36 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

ply. Additionally, a convenient roll-out design allows easy access to the drive for fast installation and maintenance.

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

Four-port communication module ADVANTECH has launched its APAX-5090P, four port (RS-232/422/485) communication module for its APAX-5570 Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) series.

According to Advantech, two APAX-5090P modules can be attached to a single APAX5570 unit expanding the number of communication ports to eight. The serial ports of the APAX5090P are industrial grade connectors with high isolation protection, the company claims.

The units also support a general communication port library and can be programmed using Visual C++, .Net and KW, thereby shortening project development time.

The unit features industrial grade connectors for high isolation protection.

Advantech 1300 308 531, www.advantech.com/NC

Telescopic pneumatic masts MOTION Technologies has introduced its telescopic pneumatic masts designed to support a wide range of applications.

The telescopic pneumatic masts are constructed of high-strength, heat-treated aluminium tubes and collars, with each aluminium tube protected by low friction synthetic bearing for smooth operation, a maximum operating pressure of 36psi.

The range on offer has an extended height of up to 30m with a payload capacity of up to 500kg. Optional accessories, including guy wires, base plate mount with struts and internal electrical cable for powering of cameras and lights, are available.

The pneumatic telescopic masts can be custom-made to suit specific requirements.

The high-power drives provide application flexibility and a common DC bus option for energy savings.

The masts have a payload capacity of up to 500kg.

SET TING THE WITH STANDARDS AFE INNOVATIVE S TIONS STORAGE SOLU EF CTIV EFFECTIVE EFFECT IVE COMPLIA COMPLIANCE ANCE FOR F THE MANUFACTURING INDUST INDUSTRY TRY

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Relocatable bulk stores Safety cabinets Gas cylinder stores Lube stations Bunding Safety showers Custom design to suit your situation

DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED IN AUSTRALIA

protecting the

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Intelligent Drivesystems, Worldwide Services

NORD DRIVESYSTEMS THE “GERMAN“ ALTERNATIVE

Complete Drivesystems from a single source.

NORD Drivesystems (AU) Pty Ltd 18 Stoney Way, Derrimut, Victoria, 3030 Australia Phone: +61 3 9394 0500, Fax: +61 3 9394 1525, www.nord.com.au National Customer Service 1300 00 NORD (6673), au-sales@nord.com

DRIVESYSTEMS

Compressors& PNEUMATICS Air standard pending Air audits can help establish a compressor system’s efficiency, however no Australian Standard currently exists for the conduct of these audits. Hartley Henderson writes.

W

ITH the rapidly escalating cost of electricity in Australia, there is an increasing industry focus on the energy consumption of air compressor systems.

It has been estimated that these systems account for some 12% factory electricity use, so ensuring that they are efficient in their operation should be a high priority.

Air compressor system audits can provide an important means of establishing the efficiency of systems and identifying precisely where those expensive energy losses are occurring.

However, no Australian Standard currently exists for

the conduct of these audits, and this can place system users in a difficult situation when it comes to selecting an audit provider.

According to national key account manager for Air Audits at CompAir Australia, Gilbert McLean, it is important to take a total systems approach to air audits, with a particular focus on the demand side.

“Typically, some 10% of energy savings can be made on the supply side while 20% or more of savings can be achieved downstream of compressors on the demand side. As well as reduced costs, this means a reduced carbon footprint for the user company,” McLean told

The BOGE brand: First-Class-Engineering made in Germany.

Discover the BOGE edge: www.boge.net.au

FOR YOUR NEAREST DISTRIBUTOR PLEASE CONTACT BOGE HEAD OFFICE: (03) 5940 3266

38 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Compressed air suppliers have different methods, standards and equipment for carrying out audits.

Manufacturers’ Monthly.

“Other benefits of conducting an air audit include improved plant and process productivity, safety benefits, improved product quality and lower rejection rates, greater equipment reliability, and less plant downtime.

“A total systems approach includes measuring the power consumed by compressed air equipment, distribution of the compressed air to the point of use, leaks, and the compressed air consumed at major points of use.

“However, there is often too much focus on the supply side of the system. It is quite possible to put the best performing compressor into a system and not get the best end result.”

McLean points out that in many plants compressed air leaks may represent the single largest system loss and that this can mean, on average, a loss of 30–50% of compressed air production to leaks.

“Australia does not currently have a guideline Standard to carry out compressed air assessments, but this is set to change in the near future with the establishment of an Australian Standard based on the American Standard ASMEEA 4 (2010) and the forthcoming ISO 11011, due to be released in 2012/13,” said McLean.

“Air audits conducted by CompAir currently meet or

exceed the requirements of ASME-EA 4 (2010).”

Methods and standards Oil free division business development manager at Atlas Copco, Graham Dacombe, agrees that compressed air suppliers offen have very different methods for carrying out audits.

“This situation is self generated by individual suppliers and needs to improve. An important initiative is the proposed introduction of an Australian Standard to provide guidelines,” he said.

“It is important that a plant is properly profiled and that the right technology is provided for individual applications because different air compressor system technologies have different advantages. It’s about the right machine for the right application.

“In a multiple machine installation it is important that the correct control technology is installed as there are differing ways to set machines up.

Equally important is that the reticulation system is properly laid out and continually checked for leaks.”

Atlas Copco’s AirScan service is designed to provide a complete system survey to identify areas where potential savings can be made. >> manmonthly.com.au

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Compressors & PNEUMATICS

Heat recovery systems

B

OGE has launched a standalone DUOTHERM heat recovery system â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a compact module ideal for compressed air users wanting to optimise the energy usage of their existing compressed air system via heat recovery.

The external Boge DUOTHERM heat recovery system can reportedly recover up to 94% of the input energy used in compression in the form of heat. The waste heat generated by the compressor can then be re-directed into heating spaces, such as workshops, to pre-heating water used in an industrial process.

In doing so, the user can reduce their associated energy costs and optimise their energy usage, says Boge.

The new DUOTHERM module is compact, requiring only a minimum space requirement. It connects into the oil circuit of the compressor with no external energy required for operation, according to the company.

As an external heat recovery system, the DUOTHERM can also be used when a compressed air user wants to retrofit heat recovery. It is universal and can reportedly be used with any make of rotary screw compressor.

Continued from page 38

The Boge DUOTHERM is available in five versions suitable for oil injected screw compressors of any make or model from 7.5 to 110 kW. Boge Compressors 08 9528 2157, www.boge.net.au

The system can recover up to 94% of the input energy through heat.

Graham explains that the survey measures, audits, and reviews every element of a compressed air system in detail, which can include flow, power, pressure drop, air quality and leak checks. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The validation audit is the security for the customer to ensure the effectiveness of any installed solutions, and assessment of the projected savings,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;A key objective is to determine an acceptable operating balance that is both within the capabilities of the compressors and is also adequate to satisfy production requirements at minimised running costs. â&#x20AC;&#x153;An accurate account of a plantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s compressed air demand over a 7-day cycle is provided to identify energy costs and where savings are possible. A critical part of this process is leak detection, as leaks typically account for 20% of the system demand.â&#x20AC;?

Atlas Copco 02 9621 9999, www.atlascopco.com CompAir 03 9212 5829, www.airaudit.com.au

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NOMINATION

ARE YOU AN INNOVATIVE AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURER? Nominations are now open for the 9th annual Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards – Australia’s national awards, celebrating manufacturing excellence.

The Manufacturers’ Monthly Endeavour Awards provide the industry with an opportunity to recognise and reward manufacturing excellence. Join us in celebrating the best of Australian manufacturing by nominating your business or employee!

AWARD CATEGORIES >> Technology Application of the Year >> Environmental Solution of the Year >> Safety Scheme of the Year >> Consumer/Trade Product of the Year >> Industrial Product of the Year >> Australian Steel Innovation Award >> Global Integration Award

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Compressors & PNEUMATICS Portable diesel air compressors series SULLAIR Australia’s new series of air compressors includes four capacities – 550, 600, 700 and 750 acfm – which deliver a range of working pressures from 80 to 250 psig.

The new series includes robust highway running gear with a new single axle configuration. The compressor engine is available as a Caterpillar C7, Tier 3 emissions compliant unit, delivering 250hp. Sullair says the combination of these features has reduced the overall weight by 1.2 tonne, providing increased portability.

The modular design of the canopy reportedly allows for sectional replacement or removal as one piece. The large service doors provide access to the fuel tank, engine, compressor and air filter, with a rear service panel to provide access to compressor cooling components.

Sullair Australia 1300 266 773, www.sullair.com.au

Industrial adsorption oxygen generators A NEW range of AirSep industrial oxygen generators is now available from Compressed Air and Power Solutions Australia (CAPS).

AirSep specialises in oxygen generation to support a variety of industrial processes including smelting furnaces, mineral processing, aquaculture and water treatment.

The AirSep range includes self-contained, transportable units used in a variety of applications including fish farming, glass blowing and environmental remediation. These units can supply flows between 0.34 and 0.9 standard cubic metre per hour (Sm³/hr).

Larger, fixed-installation generators produce between 0.56 and 155 (Sm³/hr) at pressures from 3.1 to 4.4 bar(g) for applications including wastewater treatment, thermic cutting, chemical processing, mining, steel processing, manufacturing and hospital oxygen supply.

The oxygen generators supplied by CAPS utilise the

CAPS is now commissioning AirSep pressure swing adsorption oxygen generators.

Pressure Swing Adsorption (PSA) process. In PSA, a feed air supply is compressed, treated and passed through a zeolite substrate that adsorbs the nitrogen in the air, leaving oxygen at 93% nominal product purity.

A complete, skid-mounted,

oxygen plant can be designed and assembled by CAPS to include the feed air supply, compressor, air treatment equipment and gas storage, all delivered as a single package to the customer.

CAPS 03 8527 6815, www.capsaust.com.au

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PIES Australia Pty Ltd - Ph: (03) 9303 2060 - E-mail: sales@piesau.com.au - www.piesau.com.au 42 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

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Laser& TECHNOLOGY The future of laser technology Solid-state lasers may not be the popular choice, however the technology is predicted to one day unseat the CO2 laser. Annie Dang writes.

A

RELATIVELY new player to the Australia sheetmetal fabrication and processing industry is the solidstate laser, or otherwise and more popularly known as the fibre laser. While the technology has been available locally for the last two years, it is still considered to be a “newbie” compared to the well-established CO2 lasers, which are more widely used in Australian industry.

The main reason is that local sheet-metal fabricators and processors find no need to change their existing technology if they are producing the exact product which their client and market demand, despite any added advantage solid-state lasers can present for their workshops.

Headland Machinery NSW Sales Manager, Warrick Theron says this accounts for the fact that no Trumpf solid-state lasers have been sold in Australia since the German machining giant introduced the technology to local industry about two years ago.

However, Theron confirms that two solid-state lasers have been sold into New Zealand. This leads to the question whether the slow reception of solid-state laser technology has more to do with the technology itself, or more the sort of industry market Australia has.

Speaking with Manufacturers’ Monthly, Theron says the slow adoption of solid-state lasers in Australia is part lack of market awareness and part lack of need for change in technology.

“If you look at 99% of lasers in use in Australian industry, the CO2 laser is still machine of preference. The CO2 laser is a more versatile machine across the range and it is a proven technology that has been around for a long time,” he says.

Thin materials While solid-state lasers may be a new technology for local industry, Trumpf has been providing the technology for about 10 years. However, Theron says that for 2D cutting applications, solid-state laser have only been available in Australia for the last two years.

This relatively new technology is ideal for cutting materials in the low range, up to 5 millimetres, and is “predestined” for thin materials at maximum cutting speeds.

The technology is able cut thicker materials but the cut quality and speed decreases in the thicker materials, it cannot achieve the universal flexibility of its gas-blown counterpart – the CO2 laser. This leaves the

cutting of thick material the better suited to CO2 lasers rather than the solid-state laser.

The right laser The selection of the right laser is determined by the task associated with the particular application and the end product the manufacturer wishes to produce.

The deciding factors are the individual requirement of each type of use, Theron says.

In thin-sheet metal processing, the solid-state-laser is said to have the lead over CO2 lasers due to its high speeds in fusion cutting and also the physical benefits its offers.

When cutting thin-gauge sheet metal and due in part to the high cutting speeds, flat cutting fronts are created, with small angle of incidence. Solid state lasers or Disc lasers have a one-micron wavelength. The disc or fibre laser can thus advance quickly.

While capital costs for solidstate-lasers are higher, higher processing speeds make for lower parts costs. Energy and power consumption are considerably less than its CO2 counterparts as well.

The CO2 laser produces 10.6-micrometre light in the middle infrared range, which is the best spectrum for industrial use.

The solid-state laser, in the middle kilowatt range, generates waves that are one-tenth as long – about one micrometer.

These shorter wave lengths have a decisive impact on the machining processes, as many metal materials more readily absorb shorter-wave light, high process efficiency is possible.

The laser future The possibility that one day the classic sheet metal cutting machine would be fitted with a fibre laser is not something unconceivable, according to Trumpf. The metal machining giant says that recent developments would not dissuade the company from believing that this was not impossible.

In Australia, CO2 lasers are the most popular choice in the sheet metal industry. However, Theron says that the future of laser in the Australian sheetmetal and fabrication industry might not always be dominated by the CO2 laser. Time and willingness on the part of metal fabricators and process to invest in newer technology suited to the application at hand could see solid-state laser partially unseat the CO2.

Headland Machinery 1300 592 061, www.headland.com.au

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Customer Focus • Innovation • Quality

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Manufacturers’ Monthly MARCH 2012 43

Laser& TECHNOLOGY

Fiber laser unit auto-adjusts focal point

L

MC Laser Services has released the Bystronic BySprint 3015 with 3000 Fiber Laser, which follows on from the successful BySprint 3015 2000 Fiber Laser, but has the added feature of ByPos Fiber to automatically adjust focal point position.

This new feature is said to bring the 3000 Fiber into line with the existing range of Bystronic high power CO2 Lasers that have incorporated ByPos – automated focal point positioning system for fiber lasers, which reportedly is a significant advancement in the evolution of fiber lasers.

Comparing the Bystronic Fiber 2000 with the Fiber ByPos 3000, LMC Laser Services says material cutting thickness’ increase significantly.

According to the company,

carbon steel from 12 to 20mm, 6 to 8mm for stainless steel, aluminium from 6 to 12mm with copper and brass to 6mm, material quality and cut edge finish are subject to conditions.

The basic difference being that fiber lasers produce a focal point approximately 10-times smaller than CO2. This small focal point produces an energy concentration that cannot be matched by CO2.

This high energy concentration has a significant impact when cutting thin materials using N2 as the assist cutting gas and cutting non-ferrous metals which are highly reflective to the CO2 wavelength. Cutting speeds compared to equivalent powered CO2 laser are significantly faster.

The end result is that the Fiber Laser focal point is defocused to a size that is now similar to that

The 3000W Fiber Laser will produce cutting speeds at thicknesses similar to those of CO2 lasers.

of a CO2 laser, as such the 3000W Fiber Laser will produce cutting speeds at thicknesses similar to those of a CO2 when cutting car-

bon steels with O2 as the assist cutting gas.

LMC Laser Services 03 9555 5525, www.lmclaser.com.au

Thermal transfer printing alternative

H

ERMA has introduced a new self-adhesive HERMA LAM laser-activatable self-adhesive material, developed specifically for CO2 laser inscription.

The HERMA LAM’s unique and protective coating means laser printing can be used for all applications. The laser makes contact with the label and the specialised coating is activated and changes from white to black. The process is said to not

damage, smudge or scratch off the label. This benefit reportedly makes the HERMA LAM suitable for use in dusty or inhospitable environments, or for standard food, beverage or pharmaceutical applications.

This material coupled with CO2 laser technology is ideal for high resolution text, graphics and barcodes, and can be used on all print orientations.

Depending on the print size, HERMA LAM can deliver up

to 200 labels per minute, is reportedly more robust than thermal transfer, UV resistant and won’t corrupt in external elements or temperature.

HERMA LAM is fast and accurate with sharp, precise edges (high resolution even in small fonts) which gives greater flexibility of customised printing – on or off the production line – before or after label application.

The REA-JET CL laser coding system integrated with the

HERMA 400 compact label applicator is an all-in-one print and application system.

The easy to use system ensures reliable operation with minimal maintenance thus reducing routine servicing, and the other great advantage with CO2 laser is there’s no downtime due to ribbon breakages or change, so production interruptions are a thing of the past.

Result Packaging 03 9706 4474, www.resultpackaging.com.au

3D 5Axis Dedicated Tube Laser Cutting Up to 8.5M lengths processed by the pack or singles

RHS, Tube, Angle, Channel

P: 1300 134 462

E: sales@laserworld.com.au

W: www.laserworld.com.au

Fast,Accurate, Reliable,Affordable - Based in SA servicing the nation - Drawing on 15 years experience in Flat Bed Laser Cutting

44 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

manmonthly.com.au

Fasteners& ADHESIVES Anaerobic threadlocker for food industry

F

OR use on threaded fasteners located on foodand beverage-processing equipment, Henkel Corporation has introduced Loctite 2046, a medium strength, removable two-part anaerobic threadlocker that complies with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act and with all applicable food additive regulations including 21 C.F.R. 175.300.

Loctite 2046 is a two-part, room temperature-curing anaerobic adhesive designed to lock and seal threaded fasteners.

Once cured, this adhesive prevents the growth of bacteria between a fastener’s threads., and is also said to eliminate problems associated with adhe-

sive migration and contamination, by curing at the fillet where a small amount of adhesive is exposed to air.

High viscosity Loctite 2046 is suitable for use on both fine and coarse threads. As it withstands temperatures up to 400°F and endures the rigors of daily washdowns, this threadlocker can be used in industrial deep-frying applications.

The product requires no primer when used on stainless steel equipment and can be disassembled with standard hand tools.

The threadlocker can be used to prevent loosening of fluid filler valve head cover bolts; thread stripping; or fastener rusting, galling and seizing. The

Suitable for use on stainless steel equipment.

unique two-component system includes three mixing tips that ensure proper proportions and

full-cure characteristics.

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

Durable, reclosable fastener

Increase productivity in your manufacturing process by pre-coating all your threaded fasteners.

Stop the shake, rattle and roll….

3M Australia’s Dual Lock Reclosable Fastener SJ3870 has been constructed of mushroom-shaped stems on one side of the fastener, which interlock with identicallyshaped stems on the other side for a

The SJ3870 fastener can be opened and closed up to 1,000 times.

Microencapsulated coatings available for: every type of threaded fastener all applications every assembly process Dry finish, Easy handling No drips, no mess, no fumes, NO WORRIES Extensive range includes: Loctite, 3M, ND …

Ask Belmatic to provide the ideal solution for your needs.

Belmatic Industries Pty Ltd 12 Kylta Rd, Heidelberg West VIC 3081 P: 03 9459 8097 W: www.belmatic.com.au

APPLIED FASTENER COATINGS • SPECIALISED PRECISION ENGINEERING 46 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

reported five times greater closure strength and holding power than hook and loop fasteners.

The fastener can be opened and closed up to 1,000 times, claims 3M. The new SJ3870 product has a modified acrylic adhesive which is said to enhance the adhesive capabilities of the existing range.

3M says it offers good temperature performance and bonds well to plastics (acrylic, polycarbonate, ABS), powder-coated paints and medium-to-low surface energy materials.

This product has a modified acrylic adhesive on the back of a black polypropylene reclosable fastener.

The fastener was launched in response to market needs for bonding plastics and powdercoated materials with no surface preparation, says 3M. 3M Australia 136 136, www.3M.com manmonthly.com.au

With Loctite Training Workshops & Support

STRENGTH IN BRAND

STRENGTH IN PRODUCT

STRENGTH IN INNOVATION

One of the reasons why Loctite is favoured by industry professionals is the regular training and support we provide to our customers.

For over 50 years Loctite has conducted workshops in maintenance, repair and overhaul, with application support to make sure our products always reduce cost and increase reliability.

STRENGTH IN SUPPORT

For more information and to register your interest for Loctite Training visit loctite.com.au/MM or call 1300 885 556

MaterialsHANDLING Why tyres matter Choosing the right type of tyre for your forklift can significantly increase operator safety and productivity in (and out of) the factory.

A

NUMBER of factors influence tyre performance and behaviour in wet conditions, including geometry of rubber, temperature, velocity and floor conditions.

The folks at the SOLIDEAL test facility in Belgium conducted a study in which Solideal SM and treaded resilient tyres were tested in a variety of surfaces and conditions, including dry and wet brushed concrete, and dry and wet smooth concrete.

According to SOLIDEAL, the report concluded that smooth tyres have better grip than treaded tyres on dry, clean floors, as they have a larger contact area. On wet floors, tread patterns become important, especially on high speeds (over

100km/ph due to the water evacuation and aquaplaning).

On low-speed applications and wet floors, travelling up to 15km/h, a smooth tyre even has better grip than a treaded tyre, as all the water is squeezed out of the interface tyre/road, again due to the high contact pressures, says SOLIDEAL. On dirty floors (mud, loose surfaces) however, a tread pattern becomes essential in evacuating the loose materials.

When choosing the right tyre for your forklift application, SOLIDEAL advises, in the case of low-speed applications on normal harden pavements, the grip does not rely on the tread pattern, due to high contact pressure (± 0.8-1.0Mpa).

The company’s Solideal SM is said to offer maximum tyre life, due to the reduction of treaded tyre wear characteristics such as lug tear, uneven wear (heal and toe) and leading edge contact damage.

Therefore, the SOLIDEAL SM tyre will reportedly achieve as

good or better performance in most general forklft applications/conditions compared to the treaded equivelant. For even longer tread life, the SOLIDEAL SM widebase version can achieve up to three times that of the standard offering.

Bearcat 02 9688 8888, www.bearcat.com.au

Electric tow tractor provides powerful acceleration Adaptalift Hyster has released an electric tow tractor, the 5-tonne LO5.0T, designed to meet the needs of manufacturing operations to carry material to production lines.

The new model, capable of pulling 5 tonnes, is suitable for the automotive and engineering industries and for any type of line-feed operation.

The new Hyster tow tractor provides powerful acceleration and a maximum travel speed of 7.0 km/h with load and 12.0 km/h without load. Featuring a high performance 2.6 kW AC traction motor, 24V (465 or 620 Ah) battery and regenerative braking, the LO5.0T tow tractor is said to offer excellent energy efficiency and low cost of operation.

The unit includes a universal flange, suitable for many types of connectors, ensuring an ideal solution for a wide range of applications. These include automotive assembly and component 48 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

The unit is capable of pulling 5 tonnes.

supply operations, industries operating parts line feed, mail and parcel distribution services, transport and health care services and wholesale distribution.

The tow tractor design is based on the recently launched low level order picker from Hyster and includes scooter control for the operator, with finger tip controls, mounted on a tilted plate helping to reduce the operator’s arm and shoulder movement and minimise driver fatigue.

The work platform has a step height of 150mm and a width of 520mm allowing easier pass through, with easy ‘on and off’ access, helping minimise operator movement and saving valuable time.

A creep speed button also allows the operator to move the tow tractor to the next drop off location without having to mount the vehicle.

Adaptalift Hyster 1300 880 335, www.aalhysterforklifts.com.au manmonthly.com.au

Vehicle-mount rugged computers Intermec has released two new vehicle-mount computers, the CV41 and CV61, designed to integrate with any forklift, and said to represent the first vehicle-mount computers certified to offer Vocollect voice-directed work capabilities.

Both the CV41 and CV61 vehicle-mount computers include a CANBUS interface to support forklift fleet management applications.

Both models are built to withstand harsh operating environments, delivering fast, reliable and secure connection to warehouses, retail operations, factories, T&L and other supply chain operations, says Intermec.

When combined with Crownâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s InfoLink fleet management solution, the CV41 and CV61 reportedly enable an enhanced Windows interface for the opera-

manmonthly.com.au

Both modules include a CANBUS interface to support forklift fleet management applications.

tor at a fraction of the hardware implementation cost.

The CV41 vehicle-mount computer is designed to improve forklift operator performance by providing a balance of operator usability, application perform-

ance, and ease of deployment and maintenance.

The CV41 exclusive device health reporting capability provides dynamic updates to allow mobile workers and IT administrators to monitor and prevent issues related to scanning, communications and a wide range of other critical device health functions before they impact operations.

The optional Vocollect Voice capability, complete with client and wireless headset, provides additional productivity, accuracy and training benefits associated with voice-directed work.

In a larger display model, the CV61 is a touch screen vehiclemount computer.

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

Purpose-built forklift for poultry sector *VTIPSPM[ OHZ KL]LSVWLK H UL^ ZWHJL ZH]PUN ^H` MVYRSPM[ KLZPNULK ZWLJPMP JHSS` MVY [OL ULLKZ VM [OL WV\S[Y` ZLJ [VY (JJVYKPUN [V *VTIPSPM[ÂťZ (\Z[YHSPHU KPZ[YPI\[VY (KHW[HSPM[ /`Z[LY [OL UL^ *VTIP9; OHZ YLJLP]LK HU L_[YLTLS` WVZP[P]L YLZWVUZL PU [OL SVJHS THYRL[ ;OL \UP[ PZ KLZPNULK [V VMMLY ILULMP[Z MVY WYVK\JLYZ HUK VWLYH[VYZ HZ ^LSS HZ YLK\JPUN [OL Z[YLZZ SL]LSZ HUK IPV ZLJ\YP[` YPZR MVY LUOHUJLK ^LSMHYL VM IYVPSLYZ ;OL W\YWVZL I\PS[ THJOPUL PZ ZHPK [V THRL [OL WYVJLZZ VM JH[JOPUN OHUKSPUN HUK [YHUZWVY[H[PVU ZWLLKPLY X\PL[LY HUK TVYL Z[YLHTSPULK ;OL *VTIP 9; JVTLZ HZ Z[HUKHYK ^P[O H JSLHY ]PL^ Z[HNL THZ[ ^P[O M\SS MYLL SPM[ HUK P[Z SV^ WYVMPSL HSSV^Z P[ [V ^VYR IV[O V\[ZPKL HUK \UKLY [OL SV^ SL]LS LH]LZ /H]PUN WPJRLK [OL LTW[` TVK\SLZ MYVT [OL [YHPSLY [OL VWLYH[VY JHU [OLU SV^LY [OL THZ[ ^P[OV\[ HU` SVZZ VM ZWLLK [V [HRL [OLT KPYLJ[S` [V [OL ^HP[PUN JH[JOLYZ Adaptalift Hyster 1300 880 335, www.combilift.com.au

Manufacturersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Monthly MARCH 2012 49

JOBS

To advertise a new job contact Hussein Azzan on 02 9422 2851 Looking for a job in the manufacturing industry? Here’s a snapshot of the latest on offer

To see the latest jobs available visit www.manmonthly.com.au, which is updated daily.

Commercial Superintendent Company: MMG Location: North-West Queensland Description: We are seeking a dynamic and experienced Commercial Superintendent to join our Commercial team based at our Century Mine in North-west Queensland.

Your role will see you providing support to the Commercial Manager, maintaining and promoting high standards of work and also reviewing and improving processes and procedures.

As a leader you will be comfortable engaging with the workforce, community and business stakeholders including regulators. You will draw on your ability to think and act systematically, working with stakeholders to achieve sustainable business outcomes.

As a successful candidate your key priorities in this role will include: Providing financial support to Projects or Growth opportunities identified for the Century operation, coordinating the annual budget process, ensuring effective and efficient systems are in place to manage financial and management reporting.

To apply for this role, please visit www.manmonthly.com.au/jobs

Principal Process Engineer Company: EMS Location: Perth Description: Due to an internal promotion we are looking for an experienced and EPCM orientated Process/Metallurgical Engineer to fill the role of Principal Process Engineer.

This is a very well respected EPCM specialist ; testament is their successful delivery of a number of iconic mineral processing projects throughout the world.

Some of your duties will include leading a small focussed team, overseeing all relevant process design and undertaking studies, from scoping to feasibility stages.

You will need to have recognised Metallurgical/Chemical tertiary qualifications, at least 5 years relevant experience and previous minerals processing experience.

This is an excellent opportunity to be recognised and exceptionally rewarded with a company that will have your interests at the forefront.

To apply for this role, please visit www.manmonthly.com.au/jobs

maybe required to undertake some overseas training.

A first class remuneration package including a highly competitive salary, bonus and other benefits on offer including; full sales/ product training and support, car, laptop and mobile phone and career progression opportunities.

To apply for this role, please visit www.manmonthly.com.au/jobs

Process Engineer - Hicom Company: Ludowici Location: Brisbane Description: Our Process Technology group seeks a Process Engineer to join the team to assist in the development and manufacture of milling equipment.

The successful applicant for this role will work with sophisticated equipment used in cutting edge technologies such as mechanical alloying. The nature of the role requires a willingness to travel domestically and internationally, to ensure high levels of customer satisfaction.

Our ideal Engineer will have at least three to five years experience within the resources industry, ideally within processing and milling environment, have strong interpersonal skills and a drive to provide outstanding service to customers.

Ludowici is an iconic Australian manufacturer of diversified industrial products into the mining, manufacturing and environmental sectors. With a global footprint, Ludowici has operations in Australia, China, Chile, South Africa and the USA. Our ability to supply into global markets in a cost effective yet responsive manner is unrivalled in its sector.

To apply for this role, please visit www.manmonthly.com.au/jobs

Senior Flow Assurance Engineer Company: Air Energi Location: Perth Description: Experienced Senior Flow Assurance Engineer required to join Perth CBD based team on a permanent staff.

Air Energi are a global leader in delivering experienced white collar technical personnel to major Oil & Gas projects around the world. With offices in 32 global locations and having operated in over 50 countries, we are the manpower provider of choice to major Oil & Gas Operators & EPCM companies.

Our client is an internationally Oil & Gas Operator currently working on several of the World’s largest Oil & Gas projects.

To be successful you will need a Bachelor degree in Chemical Engineering, a minimum of 8 years work experience in a related position, be able to manage all aspects of project delivery, have a good knowledge of Olga, Pipesim and Hysys and strong report writing skills and communication skills with a high attention to detail.

To apply for this role, please visit www.manmonthly.com.au/jobs

Sales Engineer - Sensors & Instrumentation Company: Bestech Australia Location: Sydney Description: Bestech Australia is a dynamic customer driven company representing world leading brands in the field of sensors and instrumentation. It’s rapid growth has thrown up an opportunity for a Business Development or Sales Engineer to join our team in Sydney.

Our Sales Engineer will have a proven track record in technical sales, preferably in our targeted industries. These industries include: education, automotive, metals, defence, general manufacturing and automation markets.

We are seeking an enthusiastic, self-motivated individual who is results-driven and able to work within a small team environment.

The position involves account managing an existing portfolio of clients as well as generating new business with end users and system integrators. You will have the ability to understand customer’s measurement requirements and propose viable solutions. After sales hands-on technical support is occasionally required.

You will have strength in establishing and maintaining business relationships, strong problem-solving skills, technical qualifications and skills, industry experience and the ability to work autonomously.

The role involves developing the NSW market for our product offering, and reports to the State Sales Manager. The candidate

50 MARCH 2012 Manufacturers’ Monthly

Reliability Engineer Company: Hatch Associates Location: Perth Description: Hatch is an employee-owned, multidisciplinary professional services firm that delivers a comprehensive array of technical and strategic services, including Consulting, Information Technology, Engineering, Process Development, and Project and Construction Management to the Mining, Metallurgical, Energy, and Infrastructure sectors. Hatch has served clients for over 80 years and has project experience in more than 150 countries around the world. With 9,000 people in over 65 offices, the firm has more than $35 billion in projects currently under management.

Hatch is currently seeking a Reliability Engineer to join our team based in Perth. As the Reliability Engineer your duties and responsibilities will include; Apply Reliability Engineering principles, tools and techniques to identify and prioritise opportunities related to equipment and process failure ,facilitate understanding at crew and individual level of defect elimination, failure modes, effects and causes ,define equipment performance requirements and contribute to process and equipment variance minimisation, audit and monitor maintenance activities and critical equipment performance, reduce total costs associated with equipment failures.

Desired skills include a University degree at Bachelor level in Engineering however please note a candidate with a related diploma would be acceptable providing they had extensive relevant industrial experience and a proven understanding of spares and maintenance management in a heavy industrial environment.

To apply for this role, please visit www.manmonthly.com.au/jobs

Process Support Engineer (Kooragang Island) Company: Orica Mining Services Location: Kooragang Island Description: Orica is an Australian-owned, publicly-listed global company. We are also one of the few truly global Australianbased companies with operations in around 50 countries and customers in twice that many. Orica Mining Services offers commercial explosives, initiating systems and Blast-Based Services to the mining, quarrying and construction industries.

Reporting to the Senior Process Engineer, the incumbent will provide process engineering support and organisational assistance to the day to day operations and various projects for the Kooragang Island Operations. This is a key role within the site engineering team that will give the successful incumbent well developed experience in an operations role and also within a major AN manufacturing plant. It will offer the incumbent an opportunity to be mentored by senior process personnel and will open the door to many career opportunities within our global, top ASX listed company.

You will be responsible for ensuring and assisting where required in the operational compliance with Safety, Health and Environmental Statutory requirements and company policies, work as part of a team to develop and implement projects, ensuring plant personnel are fully informed or work in progress, and trained in operations of new plant, the development and implementation of plant trialwork and the development and implementation of plant modifications.

The successful candidate will have ideally completed tertiary qualifications in chemical engineering and will have developed some (2-5 years) experience in a related industry. The incumbent will ideally have experience with HAZOP studies and a solid understanding of processes and equipment involved in the manufacturing process. Experience developed in a project based environment or exposure to a hazardous chemical/manufacturing environment would be highly regarded.

You will be an enthusiastic engineer, someone who is pro active and can display initiative in problem solving and look to value add where possible to the team and the overall business. You will enjoy working in a team environment, be pro active in utilising and learning from the senior personnel working around you and you will display a leadership attitude and take ownership in the area of plant safety.

In reward for this the successful incumbent will receive a competitive salary package and have genuine career progression opportunities within the business. This is a fantastic opportunity to develop your engineering career within a global company.

Orica operates a drug and alcohol free environment and is an equal opportunity employer.

To apply for this role, please visit www.manmonthly.com.au/jobs

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