There’s a particular kind of ingenuity that flourishes in regional Australia. Away from the noise of major business centres, founders build companies that quietly become world leaders in their field, solving deep specialised problems that global markets didn’t know could be solved. Modra Technology, based in Warragul in regional Victoria, is one of those companies.

A Tasmanian dental practice is bringing the manufacturing of some implants and prosthetic restorations in-house using 3D printing technology, aiming to reduce turnaround times and reliance on mainland dental laboratories.

For manufacturers supplying consumer-facing markets, understanding demand conditions has become increasingly important in an environment shaped by cautious spending, rising costs and intense competition.

For Advanced Pet Care of Australia, scaling into one of Australia’s top pet food manufacturers required more than new production capacity – it required better systems. 

Australian manufacturers have an opportunity to strengthen both safety and performance by making psychological safety a practical part of day-to-day operations, according to Dr Rod Gutierrez, Senior Director at global operations and safety consultancy dss+.