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@AuManufacturing Conversations
@AuManufacturing Conversations is a regular interview program hosted by Brent Balinski (with other hosts occasionally) bringing you discussions with the folks who are contributing to a critical part of Australia's economy.
We hope to capture something of the variety of manufacturing, its place in the nation, its changing nature, and some of the personalities within it.
From the boutique to the billion dollar, if it's manufacturing and it's Australian, then it likely matters to us. This podcast is an extension of the @AuManufacturing news and analysis website and the community around it, and complements what's written online at www.aumanufacturing.com.au.
Interested in advertising? Get in touch via editor@aumanufacturing.com.au
@AuManufacturing Conversations
Episode 73 -- Adam Amos and Bradd Perkins from Robotic Systems
Welcome to a special episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, one which we’re running as part of our The New Reinventors series, sponsored by business solutions provider Fusion5.
Be sure to check out Fusion5’s free ebook – Manufacturing: The New Reinventors -- here.
Episode guide
0:50 – An introduction to Robotic Systems, a company with its beginnings in competitive engineering, and to Amos and Perkins.
2:13 – Beginning in a garage with a contract from Orica.
3:09 – Work in many industries, but with a focus on mining.
4:22 – The importance of artistry in product design.
6:22 “There was no business strategy. There was no plan; it just kind of happened. And what that actually is a recipe for is pretty much a full-on disaster… The first seven or eight years were pretty much failures.”
8:37 – Reevaluating what they did and what the point was with the help of a “mountaintop acid” experience.
10:55 – How a customer’s idea is progressed, beginning with business case evaluation. “The tech is kind of secondary.”
12:44 – Final assembly, quality control and logistics for low-volume industrial equipment.
14:05 – The value of engineering competitions in creating new businesses.
15:55 – Winning competitive engineering competitions is not the point. It’s about gaining useful skills. If you’re thinking about getting involved, “there is no downside.” And they’re not just for students.
18:26 – The Build Assist Solution, an overhead camera system for quality control, which was part of the company’s nomination for our Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers campaign.
20:25 – Exports to nine countries for mining clients.
21:54 – Four patents awarded.
22:50 – The big vision for 2030: designing and building a satellite system that can work for 24 hours.
23:39 – The future of globally-competitive manufacture in Australia is small and specialised.
Relevant links
Robotic Systems's website
https://roboticsystems.com.au
Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers revealed
