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Top tips for securing the investment your manufacturing business needs to grow

-Andrew Mamonitis, Vice President – APAC, Manufacturing Division, ECI Software Solutions It pays to optimise your processes and practices before expanding or bringing an external investor on board. Despite challenging conditions, manufacturing businesses are looking for ways to grow their share of the domestic market and pursue potentially lucrative export opportunities. A low Australian dollar, coupled with our country’s reputation for quality and reliability, is making it easier for some manufacturers, particularly those in the agri-business sector, to get an ‘in’ to new markets, in Asia Pacific and further afield. Seeking funding for growth Taking advantage of an opportunity to diversify your range or expand your customer base generally means upfront investment is required. You may need to acquire new equipment or additional inventory, for example, take on extra staff, or run marketing and business development campaigns. Unless your business has a sizeable sum stashed away, that means borrowing from the bank or bringing an external investor on board. But before writing a cheque, or approving a loan, any potential backer will want to see evidence that your sales are strong, your business is profitable and you’re running a tight ship. If you’re not able to demonstrate you have efficient systems and processes in place, and a solid pipeline of work, you may find it tricky to secure the funds you need to grow. Show me the money Presenting your business in the best possible light starts with showing you’re on top of your finances. Up-to-date accounts, accurate forecasting, rigorous revenue management and a strong understanding of your cash flow are all essential. So is visibility into your customer base. Being able to identify your largest and most profitable accounts and supply a detailed picture of their buying behaviours builds credibility, as does knowing which of your customers […]

Hands free tool changes for smarter machining

Peter Pettersson, Sandvik Coromant Imagine a factory where the lights are off, not because no one is home, but because automated systems are working around the clock to keep production lines running with minimal human intervention. These futuristic setups are quickly becoming a reality, with touchless tool changes at the core of the automated machine cell. Unmanned machining represents a significant leap in manufacturing, where machines operate independently without the need for human supervision. Driven by CNC technology, robotics and automation software, these systems can run continuously — in some cases, 24/7 — performing tasks such as turning, cutting, milling and drilling with high accuracy. This approach enhances productivity, reduces errors and allows for efficient, around-the-clock operation. While many view unmanned machining as a futuristic approach to manufacturing production, Sandvik Coromant began reaping its benefits back in the 1980s. Going hands free Some 40 years ago, Sandvik Coromant’s production site in Gimo, Sweden, used a form of automatic tool change (ATC) that facilitated the changeover of machine tools without human input. The solution was offered as a product to customers, but it didn’t prove popular. Many could not grasp how ATC could save their machine shop time and enhance their productivity and the offering was dissolved. Fast forward a few decades and Sandvik Coromant continued to see value where others could not. This time around, the company worked with a machine builder to develop a second ATC solution. Again, it was implemented at the Gimo production facility and continues to run across several machine cells today. Using conventional tool management methods, a lathe could run without human input for around four-to-eight hours. After that, the tool would reach the end of its life and a human worker would need to stop what they’re doing to manually switch the tool with […]

Beneq launches Transform XP – Redefining atomic control in ALD

Second-generation platform delivers advanced control, in-cycle annealing, and high-throughput performance for Wide Bandgap power and RF device manufacturing Beneq introduces the Beneq Transform XP, a second-generation ALD platform developed to meet the performance demands of Wide Bandgap (WBG) power and RF device technology development and manufacturing. Building on the proven Beneq Transform platform, the new system adds advanced ALD control, faster cycle times, and greater process capabilities in a high-throughput format. The Beneq Transform XP features a second-generation, flow-optimized 25-wafer mini-batch thermal ALD reactor that achieves breakthrough deposition rates with single-digit-second cycle times for common ALD oxides and nitrides. Refined flow and pressure dynamics ensure exceptional within-wafer and wafer-to-wafer uniformity – even at a few nm film thicknesses – while precise dwell-time control delivers excellent conformality on high-aspect-ratio structures. Transform XP also introduces advanced PEALD process control to precisely manage low-energy ions. This enables optimized plasma pre-cleaning and deposition, resulting in improved interface quality, tunable passivation, and enhanced device performance and reliability. The system integrates in-cycle annealing, a proprietary step that densifies and purifies films to achieve stoichiometric, low-impurity materials and crystalline alignment, such as AlN lattice orientation. “Transform XP is in response to the next wave of device challenges in power and RF manufacturing,” said Dr. Mikko Söderlund, Head of Sales, Semiconductor ALD at Beneq. “Customers value the original Transform® for its versatility and reliability. With XP, we introduce capabilities they specifically asked for – improved ion control, faster cycles, and in-cycle film densification – all in a versatile platform.” With over a dozen Beneq Transform clusters installed globally for WBG pilot and production use, and more than 100 process modules shipped, Beneq continues to support leading IDMs, foundries, and RTOs advancing More-than-Moore technologies.

Using AI to enable scalable, autonomous operations

By Troy Mahr, director – Kalypso. Kalypso – acquired by Rockwell Automation in 2020 – is a diverse team of consultants, innovators, strategists, data scientists and technologists. What we consistently hear from industry leaders is the need for real-time visibility across their global operations, which is key to ensuring their operations stay agile and scalable. However, achieving this isn’t possible without removing laggy manual data collection through the deployment of connected assets and contextualised data. By eliminating data silos and unlocking industrial data and artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, companies can enable autonomous decision-making that optimises costs, efficiency, and production resilience. This moves their organisation closer to achieving autonomous operations. Autonomous operations are the manifestation of “self-governing” systems at every step of the manufacturing process. These systems derive their autonomy from data-led decision-making models that enable them to reliably adapt their behaviour in response to dynamic environments during operation without any manual intervention. Achieving autonomy across an enterprise requires capabilities that span the full intelligence spectrum, from observation and inference to decision-making and action. These capabilities are relevant across all operational areas, including product design, manufacturing, supply chain, distribution, direct-to-customer channels, and demand forecasting. Manufacturing operations, in particular, have seen progress through Model Predictive Control (MPC), which continuously analyses real-time and forecasted data to optimise process control within defined constraints. While MPC is a strong example within manufacturing, broader autonomy demands extending similar intelligent systems across the enterprise. This journey is captured in the industrial AI maturity pyramid, which outlines a progression from basic data integration and visualisation to predictive analytics, prescriptive decision-making, and ultimately, autonomous operations. As organisations climb this pyramid, they adopt machine learning, real-time automation, and self-learning systems. Each stage requires not just technological upgrades but also cultural and structural transformation. Asset Monitoring: Find Downtime Root Causes Looking at […]

Piecing together the puzzle of future solar cell materials

Formamidinium lead iodide is considered one of the best-performing materials in the halide perovskite group, since it has promising properties for future solar cell technologies. New findings from Chalmers can now shed light on its structure; this is crucial if we are to engineer and control the material. Global electricity use is increasing rapidly and must be addressed sustainably. Developing new materials could give us much more efficient solar cell materials than at present; materials so thin and flexible that they could encase anything from mobile phones or entire buildings. Using computer simulation and machine learning, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have now taken an important step towards understanding and handling halide perovskites, among the most promising but notoriously enigmatic materials. Electricity use is constantly increasing globally and, according to the International Energy Agency, its proportion of the world’s total energy consumption is expected to exceed 50 per cent in 25 years, compared to the current 20 per cent. “To meet the demand, there is a significant and growing need for new, environmentally friendly and efficient energy conversion methods, such as more efficient solar cells. Our findings are essential to engineer and control one of the most promising solar cell materials for optimal utilisation. It’s very exciting that we now have simulation methods that can answer questions that were unresolved just a few years ago,” says Julia Wiktor, the study’s principal investigator and an associate professor at Chalmers. Promising materials for efficient solar cells Materials lying within a group called halide perovskites are considered the most promising for producing cost-effective, flexible and lightweight solar cells and optoelectronic devices such as LED bulbs, as they absorb and emit light extremely efficiently. However, perovskite materials can degrade quickly and knowing how best to utilise them requires a deeper understanding of […]

Emerson’s next-generation of industrial PCs for AI-enabled automation

New PACSystems IPCs combine latest generation of industrial-rated processors with optimised cooling and pre-loaded software to simplify advanced computing and integration. Emerson has the PACSystems IPC 6010, IPC 7010, and IPC 8010 industrial computing platforms. This new line expands Emerson’s family of high-performance industrial personal computer (IPC) models for demanding applications, including artificial intelligence, machine learning and advanced analytics. PACSystems IPCs feature the first CPU in the latest generation of processors designed specifically to support AI enabled capabilities such as predictive maintenance, process optimization, quality inspection, decision support, supply chain management and more. Critical digital transformation applications require reliable and ruggedised computing platforms, with the high level of performance needed to support data collection, protocol conversion, historisation, and analytics for real-time optimisation and visualszation capabilities. The new PACSystems line features significant performance updates and more options to develop solutions for challenging industrial applications, with a range of functionality and price points to support scalable operations and lower cost-of-ownership. The new line of IPCs use the latest generation of soldered industrial-rated 13th Generation Intel Core Processors with up to 64 GB soldered ECC memory, for maximum resistance against shock and vibration. Their compact form factor employs fan-less cooling for an extended operating temperature range up to 70 degrees Celsius, with thermal monitoring and an optional fan available for high-temperature environments. PACSystems IPCs benefit from Emerson’s patented vibration and thermal technologies to boost reliability and extend deployment life.With solid-state drive (SSD) storage options ranging up to 4 terabytes, multiple gigabit Ethernet interfaces, up to four PCIe® slots, and other interfaces, PACSystems IPCs can be tailored to deliver high-performance computing required for vision systems, advanced analytics, data processing, historization/visualization, and other similarly rigorous functions for process optimisation and improved operational insight. Available pre-installed, pre-licensed operating systems with edge and visualisation software help to […]

Supercharging battery manufacturing in Australia

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has opened the $500 million Battery Breakthrough Initiative (BBI) to support and grow battery manufacturing in Australia. BBI will provide clean energy manufacturing opportunities for Australia’s workforce and allow Australia to leverage its expertise in battery energy storage. ARENA CEO Darren Miller said batteries are crucial to achieving Australia’s net zero emissions goal. “Energy storage is a critical enabling technology for our renewable energy future. We know that solar and wind energy can provide us the lowest cost renewable energy generation at scale, but we also need to be able to store it for when it is needed.” “BBI will enhance Australia’s battery manufacturing capability, improve supply chain resilience and battery manufacturing processes, and foster innovation.” ARENA will focus on awarding funding to projects across the following areas: Active materials: supporting projects relating to the production of cathode materials, anode materials, and electrolytes used in electrochemical batteries Battery cell manufacturing: supporting manufacture of electrochemical battery cells and components that directly support battery cell manufacturing Battery pack assembly: supporting projects related to battery pack assembly, which includes the connection of battery cells (or modules and flow battery stacks) into battery packs. Central to the National Battery Strategy, the program has been designed in consultation with the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) and a broad range of stakeholders. BBI is aligned with the Economic Resilience and Security stream of the Future Made in Australia (FMA) policy agenda. Funding provided through BBI may include capital grants, production incentives or other payments deemed appropriate by ARENA for the project. Program guidelines and other support documentation are now available on ARENA’s website. The submission portal will open in August 2025. Project proponents are strongly encouraged to contact ARENA before submitting an application. The program will remain open until […]

Deakin REACH and Samsara Eco unite to transform textile recycling with world-leading enzyme technology

Australia’s war on waste has a powerful new ally, Deakin University’s Recycling and Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH). REACH has joined forces with Samsara Eco to fast-track world-first technology that could recycle plastics and textiles, previously considered unrecyclable, that would take centuries to eliminate from the environment. Textile waste is one of the world’s most persistent environmental issues, driven by fast fashion, high consumption and poor disposal practices. In Australia, synthetic fibres like nylon and polyester make up almost 60 per cent of the materials used in clothing, yet with less than one per cent of discarded garments recycled into new clothes, most end up in landfill or are incinerated, adding to pollution and harmful emissions. Samsara Eco’s AI-designed enzymes break down fossil-fuel derived materials like synthetic fibres, including nylon 6,6 and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) into their original building blocks or monomers – allowing them to be rebuilt into new products with virgin-quality performance. The collaboration will see Samsara Eco lean into Deakin’s advanced chemical analysis and polymer processing expertise to better understand and find recycling solutions for specific additives like dyes, finishes and coatings present in textile waste. ‘We are laser-focused on creating true circularity and that means finding a solve for all plastics,’ said Founder and CEO at Samsara Eco Paul Riley. ‘This research supports our efforts to make this a reality. We’ve already come a long way with our enzymatic recycling technology, which can infinitely recycle PET and nylon 6,6 plastics used for clothing and other textiles, including mixed fibres and plastics. Our research collaboration with Deakin will support our efforts to recycle more waste at speed, scale and with precision.’ Unlike mechanical recycling, which degrades the quality of materials and limits recyclability, Samsara Eco’s enzymatic depolymerisation technology is making it possible to rebuild worn or contaminated textiles into […]

A global treaty to limit plastic pollution is within reach

Winnie Courtene-Jones, Lecturer in Marine Pollution, Bangor University. Representatives from 175 countries will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, in August for the final round of negotiations on a legally binding UN treaty to end plastic pollution. Non-governmental organisations, academics and industry lobbyists will also be in the room. They will all be hoping to influence what could be the world’s first truly global agreement on plastics. The summit, known as “INC-5.2”, follows a failed attempt to reach agreement in Busan, South Korea, late last year. That meeting ended without resolving important issues, despite hopes that it would conclude the treaty process. Now, it’s crunch time in Geneva. Either countries bridge their political divides, or risk the whole process falling apart. I’ve been researching the effects of plastic for more than a decade and have been involved in the UN treaty process since 2022. I’ve attended several of the negotiations and will be in Geneva next month. The science is clear: we need ambitious action which tackles every stage of the plastics lifecycle, from production through to disposal. But the question is, will countries deliver? In 2022, the UN Environment Assembly agreed to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. Since then, progress has been slow. Negotiations have repeatedly stalled over issues such as whether the treaty should limit plastic production or regulate chemicals, how to define terms, and how to fund implementation. Environment activists calling for a strong global plastics treaty in Busan, South Korea, December 2025. Associated Press/Alamy Industry lobbying has also played a powerful role throughout. At the last round of talks, lobbyists for the petrochemical and plastics industries made up the single largest delegation. They outnumbered representatives from the EU, all of Latin America, the Pacific islands, independent scientists and Indigenous communities. This imbalance threatens to weaken the science-based action that is urgently […]

Powering remanufacturing with AI

Companies are accelerating remanufacturing as a way to mitigate supply chain shortages, reach new customers through affordability, and implement high-margin alternatives for parts. However, those looking to build or optimise their remanufacturing operations face unique challenges, such as pricing a long tail of SKUs and undertaking accurate core forecasting—that is, predicting the volume, timing, and quality of returned products (core) that will be available for remanufacturing. Enter AI. As the costs of cloud storage and processing and prepackaged tools decrease, AI is becoming more accessible for organizations, helping them improve efficiency, yield, and margins. Unlocking AI in remanufacturing AI is an umbrella term for leading-edge techniques and methods of analysing data, predicting outcomes, and generating insights. While AI and gen AI technologies have garnered a lot of attention, they are only part of the AI landscape. Core forecasting The unpredictable nature of core availability is a challenge for remanufacturers, and conventional analytics lack the sophistication needed for predictive analysis. Introducing a specialised system such as a forecasting tool could help remanufacturers evaluate core availability at a per-SKU level. This forecasting tool could be trained on historical part performance data to assess the following: the estimated useful lifetime of a part the historical use rate of a part (such as hours or miles per day) macroeconomic conditions by region and industry that may affect trade-in timelines Adopting AI tools for core forecasting could help remanufacturers reduce core safety stock by 2 to 4 percent and save 3 to 5 percent in freight costs by reducing the cost of expedited shipping. AI tools could also help remanufacturers reduce overtime expenses, lose fewer sales due to stockouts, and ensure they have the parts that end customers need. Case study: Incentives for core availability. A top technology OEM struggled to match the regional availability of core […]

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