Profiles of the ten finalists in the Manufacturing category that is sponsored by Siemens.
SmartRider
Escape Breakaway Stirrups
SmartRider invents, designs, develops and manufactures horse safety stirrups. Its SmartRider Escape Stirrup is a Two-Part Stirrup that disengages, setting the rider free when in a position of danger.
The stirrup is proudly Australian in invention, design, development and manufacture. Breakaway Stirrups have won the ABC TV episode 22 of New Inventors and achieved industry recognition from the Australian Trade Commission and received a Certificate of Recognition from Austrade’s New Exporter Development Program.
Orora St Regis Bates
Software Implementation
Orora St Regis Bates (Orora SRB) specialises in fully tailored packaging solutions across a broad range of dry powder and granular markets including milk powder, flour, mineral, building and more.
The company commenced a major Productivity Improvement Project across three plants in Perth, Sydney and Melbourne.
The technology used in the project is the OFS Solution, supplied by Operations Feedback (OFS), a Melbourne based OEE software developer. OFS also delivered execution, implementation and training services for the project.
As a result, labour costs were reduced by 14 percent and setup/changeover time was reduced by 21 percent. There was also an increase in AVA and an increase in engagement from the factory floor.
Hoshizaki Lancer
Lancer Soft Drink Superchiller
Hoshizaki Lancer is an Adelaide-based manufacturer of bulk carbonated draught beer and soft drink beverage dispensing systems. It employs 130 nationally with export offices in New Zealand, Hong Kong and Singapore.
Its Soft Drink Superchiller is the main soft drink equipment platform of Australia’s on-premise, fast food restaurant, cinema and convenience store outlets.
Lancer recently majorly redesigned the Superchiller, and reduce energy consumption by 34%, lower price by 15%, and failure rates from 2% to zero.
Elemental Manufacturing
World's first environmentally harmonious and safer salmon pen
An Australian designer has played a key role in producing a world first in aquaculture – a salmon protection pen that not only protects the fish, but also safeguards the seals that want to eat them and the staff who might be caught in the middle.
The new pens employ a double-net system to protect the salmon and prevent seals from ramming themselves against the inner netting to get at the fish inside.
It also allows easier and wider egress for the seals. Because the double net design is 50 percent wider and more stable than conventional designs, a challenge for Elemental was to produce a triple collar stanchion that was strong enough to cope with the flexing and stresses imparted by the wider design.
Warringah Plastics
Hard Top Trailer Cover
Warringah Plastics has traditionally been a small jobbing since around 1970. In the last couple of years it has decided to take on the ambitious project of transforming the company from a small jobbing shop to a world class, ISO 9001-certified, lean manufacturing company.
A leader in plastic vacuum forming and fabrication, it also develops its own products in-house, including dump bins and the Hard Top Trailer Cover.
Eagle Alternatives
Blast Suppressor (JK Jigger)
As an electrician working in the mining industry John Keane notices a reoccurring problem. He saw that solid shafts were the main cause, and could be modified, to prevent this common problem in underground mines, where 1000 Volt isolator handles can be damaged on re-locatable power and control boxes used in an underground mining environment due to blasting pressures.
By fitting, the Blast suppressor in the underground box, with its unique function it will prevent the handle from being damage.
Cristal
Process Fouling Detection Using WirelessHART Instrumentation
On the Cristal Kemerton Titanium Dioxide site, four process vessels in the condensate plant are monitored for differential pressure as a means of detecting process fouling.
Plant operators are required to regularly enter the plant and make manual recordings from pressure gauges fitted to vessel inlet and outlet piping. This activity was inefficient and the recorded data was inaccurate.
A project to replace the gauges with wired pressure transmitters was considered, but given the diverse geography of the condensate plant the cost of installing the instrument cabling was prohibitive.
By using WirelessHART self-powered pressure transmitters, the requirement to run cables into the condensate plant was eliminated, with pressure measurements now wireless transmitted to a Rosemount gateway installed adjacent to the condensate plant.
Integra Systems
Punch-It Coil Processing Line
Integra designed and built the world’s first ever High Speed Coil Processing Line. This in-house developed Coil Processing Line is a breakthrough in sheet metal processing.
The Punch-IT 4 Station Coil Processing line allows us to remain highly competitive with component prices that can be processed using this machine.
This machine can punch 300mm components at least 6 times faster than a Turret Punch press, allowing our customers to capitalise on low cost production for 300mm wide components to ensure their product prices also remain competitive.
Machinery Automation & Robotics
MAR Automatic Plastic Bottle Palletising and Pallet Handling System
To increase their competitiveness, VIP Packaging sought the help of MAR to address their high cost in production.
MAR Automatic Plastic Bottle Palletising and Pallet Handling System consists of vision systems, robotic palletising systems, pallet handling system, pallet strapping system and automatic pallet wrapping.
The design, manufacture programming, installation, and commissioning of the CP bottle line palletising of VIP Packaging was performed by MAR.
The achievements of the project are the increase of operation safety, increase of process quality, increase of process speed, increase work area management, less maintenance and overall decreasing cost of manufacturing.
Seeley International
MagIQ Touch Controller
Founded in 1972, Seeley International is Australia's largest air conditioning manufacturer and global leader in energy-efficient cooling and heating. Seeley’s touchscreen MagIQ Touch Controller, for its evaporative cooling range of products, is an Australian first.
The controller’s technology is based on the same simplistic functions of other touchscreens consumers are familiar with. MagIQ Touch Controller was released to the SA market in September 2013. Since then over 400 controllers were successfully sold and installed.