Today, 19 September, is National Family Business Day, which celebrates 70 per cent of all Australian businesses – many of which are in the food and packaging industries. Bundaberg Drinks and Matthews Australasia are among those honoured in the FBA awards.

OEMs can benefit from a process called “virtual commissioning” to spot errors before equipment is produced, according to technology giant Siemens.

The Australian Made Campaign has launched a new short-form video series to promote the benefits of local manufacturing.

Robotics and AI are being pushed as part of a new $2m funding scheme to drive innovation in energy resources.

When the negative messaging around packaging becomes too heavy, taking a lighthearted look at the positive things that packaging has brought to bear can provide welcome relief.

Digitising manufacturing processes can deliver significant financial savings of up to 80 per cent in capital expenditure and 85 per cent in operational expenditure.

Heat and Control has brought in Rhoardi Borbajo as its new sales executive for NSW.

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) has formed a new technical committee with the aim of promoting a “global vision” on the circular economy.

Australia’s shifting energy market is creating new opportunities for manufacturers to generate savings in the energy category, writes Lachlan Jacobson, senior business development manager at Flow Power.

End-to-end traceability in the food supply chain can do more than safeguard against potential disasters, particularly at the processing stage. Geoff Furniss, head of BBC Technologies within TOMRA – an APPMA member company – explains how.

Packaging is crucial to cold chain technologies that will secure the food requirements of a rapidly growing population, explains Miguel Campos of food packaging supplier Advanta.

Anyone in the wholesale packaging or packaging equipment game will tell you that time, value and service are critical. If customers can’t get this vital mix from their supplier they’ll quickly start looking elsewhere.

Packaging solutions supplier Bobst is launching Helpline Plus AR, which it says is the first ever remote assistance service in the packaging industry to incorporate a smart headset with augmented reality (AR) glasses.

A B2B consultant is warning manufacturers that the temptation of being a “customer-centric” business can lead to a loss of revenue, and advises them to look closely at their net margins per customer.

Alf and Nadia Taylor, well-known founders of multinational food processing and packaging equipment manufacturer tna, have been awarded with the 2018 Ethnic Business Award in the medium to large business category.

The global market for packaging machinery will reach an estimated US$42.2 billion by 2021, with the Asia-Pacific region making up the lion’s share, according to a new report looking at global trends impacting the packaging machinery sector.