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At the upcoming APPMA Business & Industry conference, we'll find out how Coca-Cola Amatil (now Coca-Cola European Partners) adopted Industry 4.0 to develop a world-class smart factory in only six months.

While every business is different, there are common challenges ahead for all. If you have not really dived into what Industry 4.0 means for your business, now might be the time to take the plunge.

Industry 4.0 refers to a new period in the Industrial Revolution that focuses heavily on interconnectivity, automation, machine learning, and real-time data.

Industry 4.0 marries physical production and operations with smart digital technology, machine learning, and big data to create a more holistic and better connected ecosystem for companies that focus on manufacturing and supply chain management.

John Broadbent, who is an Industry 4.0 evangelist, will share at the upcoming APPMA Business and Industry Conference how the Coca-Cola bottler took a complex and greenfield manufacturing environment, inserted equipment sourced from multiple vendors and countries, and orchestrated a world-class smart factory in only six months.

Broadbent will share how to set up a smart factory project for success and the importance of beginning with the end in mind.

Coca-Cola Amatil rose to the challenge and in doing so met their target commissioning date and vastly exceeded output in their first two weeks, so he knows what he is talking about.

The APPMA will be live and live streamed from the ICC Sydney on 16 September 2021. Book your tickets now at https://nectarcc.eventsair.com/appma-business-industry-conference-2021/

 

 

Food & Drink Business

The Victorian government has invested $160,000 to support the sustainability and profitability of the state’s wine industry, matched by $240,000 from Wine Australia. The funds will help Wine Victoria to provide the wine industry with the knowledge, tools and resources needed to improve practices and outcomes.

Australian spirits producers had an outstanding showing at the 2025 International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) in London, with top scoring producers including 30 Knots Spirits, Australian Distilling Co., Ester Distilling, Mt. Uncle Distillery, Nine Circles Distillery, and Turner Stillhouse.

The recent innovation forum hosted by the Australian Marketing Institute and research company, T Garage, examined the reality for the rapidly evolving landscape of consumer goods that innovation is now table stakes. Experts from three of Australia's Top 100 food and drink companies shared their experiences and confirmed innovation is not just a corporate strategy, but a mindset permeating personal and professional life.