AMW 2022

by Josh

NH Micro - our workshop's contract manufacturing arm - had one of the biggest weeks it's ever had. Nearly 2 years ago we decided that we would take NH Micro to the next level by expanding our client base - going to Australia's largest manufacturing expo as an exhibitor was the crown jewel of that plan! >From June 7-10, the NH Micro team set up shop at the ICC in Sydney's Darling Harbour. Our ambition was that just showing up and participating was already a success, and that it didn't matter if our booth wasn't perfect. We were simply happy to be the worst team in the best league.  The plan was straight forward: to talk to potential and existing clients, as well as to show case our capabilities with sample parts that we had on display. We had parts from the medical, space, optics/photonics, scientific instrumentation/research, and semiconductor sectors. Coming from a watchmaking background, our unique selling point was expertise in making all the difficult components that no one else wanted to make. Our mantra was, "small, complex and tightly toleranced". With quite tempered and reserved hopes, we began the first day of the fair. Tuesday morning; our relaxed and content attitude did not prepare us for the sheer volume of interest our little 9sqm booth was generating. From Tuesday until the end of the fair on Friday evening, the three of us - Andrew, James and myself, talked non stop to seemingly endless masses of engineers, designers, machinists, inventors and proud NH owners! A common theme started to come together; lead times are long, quality is low, and everything is getting more expensive. Finding suppliers and partners that can execute tasks on time and on budget is the Paul Newman Daytona of the manufacturing world. We barely had a moment to walk through the fair ourselves, but upon a quick stroll some things became obvious. For a manufacturing fair, there was very little manufacturing being exhibited. In fact of all the exhibitors, NH Micro was the only booth that represented a micro-machining capability, and one of only THREE manufacturing companies. The other two companies, Marsh Alliance, and Ronson gears, specialise in spring manufacturing and gear manufacturing respectively. The rest of the fair was a combination of conventional machinery resellers, cutting tool manufacturers and a lot of 3D printer distributors. After a few laps, it became pretty clear- we weren't the worst team in the best league, we were the only team in a nearly non existent league!

For our little, growing company this fair represented a huge milestone. It was our first public outing, and for it to have been so successful (over 200 contacts!) was an extreme confidence boost. The sobering reality of manufacturing in Australia never seems to dissipate, but for us, the show pointed towards a hopeful, exciting future.

Is Santa even real?

You spent the whole month putting reindeers and neon lights on the roof. The tree is glowing, the cake is baked, and the glasses are ready. Ray Charles sings. It's Christmas. Yes, you've been a good boy all year round. But you still wonder - this year, sometime after midnight, will Santa himself descend down the chimney with that toy you’ve dreamed about for far too long? Will he make it, this time? As you read this, the Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW) is in full swing. Granted, it’s a humble event measured by global standards, but nevertheless, the largest and most important event for a hundred or so die-hard Australian businesses who work hard to keep Australian manufacturing going. All dressed up nicely, enthusiastically, and ready to put on display the very best they have to offer. Yet once again, for the fourth time in a row, our Minster for Industry and Science hasn't shown up. "We do what we can,” says the fair organiser. “We call the office, we send an early letter, then a few more emails as we near the event. We provide extra staff, extra security - we beg. Unfortunately, the Minister never shows up.” "Of course, what else would you expect from a Labour minister?" you say. The truth is, neither of his three Liberal predecessors, formerly in power, made it to the AMW fair either. In Australia, ministerial disinterest is above the party line. "Maybe he is overseas, attending some international summit?" you insist. Well not really. As we speak, our Minister for Industry and Science is in Jakarta, spreading multiculturalism and dabbling in foreign politics. Don't get me wrong: multiculturalism is important, and I am all for it, but that is simply not his job, nor his portfolio. His job is to lead us, talk to us, and listen to us. To create and implement policies, to provide funds, to invest heavily and determinedly into Australian manufacturing. But, like Santa, he wasn't there today, on the day it matters. On his Facebook page, Minister Husic has left a message, confusing the Australian Made Week with Australian Manufacturing Week, events which ironically run in parallel, sharing the same acronym. It seems like a feed from a junior staffer who quickly googled AMW... "Australian manufacturing matters. We've got a proud history of manufacturing in this country. This week is Australian Made Week, a timely reminder of why we need to make more things here. The Albanese Government will invest in Australian manufacturing by setting up the National Reconstruction Fund to drive investment in projects that will build prosperity across the country." I wish he hadn’t. Three lines of a cliché rhetoric, failing even to get the name of the event right, promising something on someone else's behalf. Gutless and empty; almost as cynical as that old saying, “In a democracy, people get the politicians they deserve". Are we really that bad, Santa?