Monday, April 22, 2013
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Poor Productivity Performance - Australia
The Business Council of Australia says the tapering mining
boom meant the federal government had to continue making tough long term
economic decisions despite setting an election date
Council president Tony Shepherd says he hopes the setting of
September 14 as an election date did not mean there would be no reform for the
next seven-and-a-half months.
Multi-factor productivity should be the number one priority
and the government's first task should be getting modern workplaces for the
future, he said.
Workplaces had to be adapted, flexible and relevant to the
digital age and Australia's engagement with Asia.
"Workplaces that are focused on improving the
productivity of people but that doesn't mean less pay for more work, that just
means smarter work, more flexibility, more attuned to the demands of the
economy," he told ABC TV's Inside Business.
"You've got to look at the causes of the poor
productivity performance of Australia and address them and those things are
taxation, regulation, workplace reform, infrastructure and skills and they are
the priorities.
"But everything the government does should be looked at
through the prism of does this improve our productivity, particularly given the
fact that a lot of our sectors are battling against a very high Australian
dollar which I think we are going to have for some time."
Shepherd said the enormous investment in resources had been
masking low productivity and weakness in other sectors and as the boom tapers
off, productivity had to improve or there would be real problems in resources,
the rest of the economy and employment.
Friday, February 1, 2013
Manufacturing Index - More Shrinkage
For 11 months now the Australian Industry Group Performance
of Manufacturing Index (PMI) indicated shrinkage for the industry.
The seasonally-adjusted national composite index showed a
result of 40.2 for January, down from December’s 44.3. A result below 50
indicates a contraction.
Every sub-sector experienced a decline except for wood and
paper products, though the contraction for every sector except petroleum, coal,
chemical and rubber eased.
"The well-entrenched pressures that have been
confronting the manufacturing sector for several years are being compounded by
a slowing in the broader economy,” said the Ai Group CEO Innes Willox in a
statement.
“The extent of the contraction is reinforced by the ongoing
contractions in January of the production, employment, new orders and exports
sub-indicies of the Australian PMI®”
Respondents for the PMI survey listed soft demand and the
high dollar as issues. The survey also noted that input costs and wages were up
for January, while selling prices were down.
Bloomberg reports that the result is a 3 1/2 –year low for
the industry, with the high dollar trumping any benefit that might have been
experienced from lower interest rates. The Reserve bank cut rates when it met
in December, but is not expected to do so again when it convenes on February 5,
according to Dow Jones Newswires.
Contact ALNO
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Monday, January 28, 2013
Jump in energy costs - Austrailian Manufacturing
The results of a series of surveys by the Australian Industry Group
have found manufacturers, especially those in food and beverage,
reporting a jump in energy costs.
The average increase in energy costs reported was 14.5 per cent for the 485 firms surveyed in June, July and November. There were also in-depth surveys of manufacturers undertaken in July and August.
Innes Willox, the Ai Group’s CEO, said that niche groups including food manufacturers were suffering a "probably greater than anticipated" impact from the tax.
A third of those in manufacturing and construction “did not yet have enough information” to asses the impact of the tax on their businesses.
One company, electrical cabling maker Tycab Australia, estimated that it had seen its energy bill increase $120,000 to nearly $700,000 a year.
"We put out a letter to our customers and told them about the carbon tax effect and we were told quite clearly they were not going to accept price increases," Tycab’s owner Greg Northrop told News Limited.
Almost half (49 per cent) of respondents saw an immediate increase in their input costs when the tax was introduced on July 1 last year. 61 per cent of manufacturers reported an immediate increase in energy costs.
“Our broad survey results show food manufacturers appear to be facing the greatest profit squeeze as a result of the carbon tax, with over 90 per cent reporting price rises for at least some of their inputs, but only 10 per cent of food processing businesses being able to pass those costs on to their customers,”
The average increase in energy costs reported was 14.5 per cent for the 485 firms surveyed in June, July and November. There were also in-depth surveys of manufacturers undertaken in July and August.
Innes Willox, the Ai Group’s CEO, said that niche groups including food manufacturers were suffering a "probably greater than anticipated" impact from the tax.
A third of those in manufacturing and construction “did not yet have enough information” to asses the impact of the tax on their businesses.
One company, electrical cabling maker Tycab Australia, estimated that it had seen its energy bill increase $120,000 to nearly $700,000 a year.
"We put out a letter to our customers and told them about the carbon tax effect and we were told quite clearly they were not going to accept price increases," Tycab’s owner Greg Northrop told News Limited.
Almost half (49 per cent) of respondents saw an immediate increase in their input costs when the tax was introduced on July 1 last year. 61 per cent of manufacturers reported an immediate increase in energy costs.
“Our broad survey results show food manufacturers appear to be facing the greatest profit squeeze as a result of the carbon tax, with over 90 per cent reporting price rises for at least some of their inputs, but only 10 per cent of food processing businesses being able to pass those costs on to their customers,”
Solidwork World 2013 Day 3 - Alno Product Services
Solidworks World 2013 Day 3
Mechanical Design - Mechanical Drafting - Alno Product Services
Solidworks Sydney
Solidworks World 2013 Day 2 - ALNO Product Services
Solidworks World 2013 Day 2
ALNO Product Services - Mechanical Design - Mechanical Drafting
Australia’s productivity falls again
A United States Bureau of Labor Statistics report comparing 19
developed nations has ranked Australian manufacturing as the least
productive.
The Australian Financial Review cites findings that Australia’s productivity fell four per cent last year – the biggest drop in any country – with only Japan and Italy also seeing negative results. 15 of the 19 countries had seen a positive result for last year.
The report measured “real value added in national currency units” to reduce exchange rates skewing results.
For the period 2007 to 2011, only Germany and Finland did worse than Australia, which saw a reduction in productivity of 0.5 per cent for the period.
The Czech Republic saw the greatest productivity growth for 2010-11, surging 10.1 per cent. It also managed productivity gains of between 8.3 and 13.0 per cent for every measured period in the report since 2000.
The United States’ manufacturing sector has bettered its productivity by 6.1 per cent for 2000-2007 and 3.8 per cent for 2007-2011. It has lately been seeing an industrial resurgence, which has been hailed by some as a “manufacturing renaissance”.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics report continues recent poor results for Australia’s manufacturing productivity when compared to other countries. Last month the Deloitte 2013 Global Manufacturing Index survey, pooling the views of 550 CEOs, showed Australia placing 16th in terms of how competitive it was perceived to be.
The Australian Financial Review cites findings that Australia’s productivity fell four per cent last year – the biggest drop in any country – with only Japan and Italy also seeing negative results. 15 of the 19 countries had seen a positive result for last year.
The report measured “real value added in national currency units” to reduce exchange rates skewing results.
For the period 2007 to 2011, only Germany and Finland did worse than Australia, which saw a reduction in productivity of 0.5 per cent for the period.
The Czech Republic saw the greatest productivity growth for 2010-11, surging 10.1 per cent. It also managed productivity gains of between 8.3 and 13.0 per cent for every measured period in the report since 2000.
The United States’ manufacturing sector has bettered its productivity by 6.1 per cent for 2000-2007 and 3.8 per cent for 2007-2011. It has lately been seeing an industrial resurgence, which has been hailed by some as a “manufacturing renaissance”.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics report continues recent poor results for Australia’s manufacturing productivity when compared to other countries. Last month the Deloitte 2013 Global Manufacturing Index survey, pooling the views of 550 CEOs, showed Australia placing 16th in terms of how competitive it was perceived to be.
Friday, January 25, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Complete Cutting Tool Manufacturer
ALNO product Services is a complete cutting tool
manufacturer employing both modern CNC machines and traditional manual methods.
We will design & create metalworking tools that will perform to your
expectations.
As a industrial cutting tool provider you can rely on as we
are striving for high quality, while understanding price is also very important
in this economic climate.
In business for over 25 years, we have successfully navigated the transitions of decades: From Acme threads to Ball screws with encoders for flight simulation.
The team at ALNO Product Services can open any CAD file, regardless of origin, due to the seats of AutoCAD and Solidworks, software’s. Conversely, a rapid tool design & manufacture based upon your faxed piece-part print is also welcome
Customer satisfaction is, of course, the only real reason that any company makes it intact through so many years---all the latest machining hardware won't matter if you are not satisfied with your tools, therefore, we will stand with you and resolve the tough issues of your job, allowing maximum uptime of your machines, as well as holding the tolerances you demand.
For more information for your complete cutting tool manufacture contact Alno Product Services today.
www.alnoproductservices.com.au
Press Tooling on the Central Coast
As lead times become shorter and press tools become more
complex, it’s important to be able to trial, develop and prove press tools
thoroughly before delivery to the final production site.
The team at Alno Product Services try-out facility allows us
to do just this, offering great benefits for our customers. We encourage
customers to come and view "tool trials" in order to evaluate their
tools pre-production. Where possible, we try to replicate the final production
environment, this presents a good opportunity to address any potential issues
before final delivery. “Ironing out” any issues prior to production,
facilitates the transition from toolmaker to final production site smoothly
with minimum hassle, effectively allowing our customers to “hit the ground
running” when the tool is delivered to site.
Another advantage of our in-house try-out facility is that
where possible we can provide product samples prior to a tools final
construction. Even though a tool may not be complete it can still be used to
make sample parts. Our customers benefit from this as it allows them to take
away these parts early for use in their pre-production test builds allowing
them to action other post processes earlier.
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