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Australian manufacturers are navigating a challenging environment. Just as output had returned to growth, higher fuel and freight costs, rising input prices and global supply chain disruption renewed pressure on margins and cash flow.

As manufacturers face growing supply chain disruption, rising costs and increasing operational complexity, artificial intelligence (AI), cloud ERP and connected digital systems are becoming essential tools for improving visibility, resilience and decision-making.

Manufacturing leaders are entering a new phase of supply chain transformation, where growth is increasingly determined by how quickly and intelligently organisations can respond to change. 

Manufacturers are facing an increasingly volatile environment, where rapid changes in demand, supply chain disruptions, and continued cost pressures are transforming the way products are planned, made, and delivered.

Australian automotive accessories manufacturer Trig Point self-implemented an ERP system in just three months and gained control over its unwieldy component inventory, product customizations, and production processes. “We wouldn’t be able to manage that without a system like this,” says Chris Wasylkiw, Production Engineer.

For more than six decades, Good Design Australia has celebrated the power of design to shape innovation, industry, and everyday life. Its flagship program, the Australian Good Design Awards, recognises projects that show how thoughtful design can enhance products, services, systems, and communities.

Energy price volatility has become a structural feature of modern electricity markets rather than a temporary disruption. For energy-intensive manufacturers and large commercial operators, fluctuating wholesale prices are reshaping how energy costs are managed, making reactive approaches increasingly inadequate.

Electricity price volatility is reshaping the cost base of Australian manufacturing, challenging long-held assumptions that energy can be treated as a stable operational input.

Australia’s leading advanced manufacturing showcase, Australian Manufacturing Week (AMW), is set to return in 2026, marking its first-ever event in Brisbane.

Unplanned downtime remains one of the most costly – and often misunderstood – challenges on the manufacturing floor.