@AuManufacturing Conversations

@AuManufacturing
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@AuManufacturing Conversations is a regular interview program hosted by Brent Balinski (with other hosts occasionally) bringing you discussions with the folks who are contributing to a critical part of Australia's economy.We hope to capture something of the variety of manufacturing, its place in the nation, its changing nature, and some of the personalities within it. From the boutique to the billion dollar, if it's manufacturing and it's Australian, then it likely matters to us. This podcast is an extension of the @AuManufacturing news and analysis website and the community around it, and complements what's written online at www.aumanufacturing.com.au. Interested in advertising? Get in touch via editor@aumanufacturing.com.au

  1. 26/11/2025

    Episode 136 -- Valantis Vais from MYOB

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, published in partnership with MYOB, we consider the practical adoption of modern-day artificial intelligence.  Valantis Vais, General Manager - Product and Product Marketing at MYOB, discusses the current uptake by manufacturers, a concept borrowed from SAE's Levels of Driving Automation, the implications of agentic AI, and more. Episode guide 0:53 – An introduction to our guest.  1:50 – What do we mean when we talk about AI in business. 2:58 – Traditional AI or machine learning e.g. vision systems.  3:32 – Generative AI or LLMs. The current wave. 4:14 – Agentic AI. The future. Also leverages LLMs, but able to complete end-to-end automation. 5:10 – Examples of agentic AI experiences in the office.  6:05 – Where is AI making a difference to productivity. 6:52 – Mapping autonomy in business onto the different levels of autonomy for cars and how it could play out over time. 8:16 – Where AI is providing benefits currently, such as in consistent and accurate documentation and improved administration. 9:20 – How companies can make use of the huge amounts of data that they currently collect or could be collecting. 10:15 – Profitability challenges and how AI might come up with answers. 10:50 – Leading applications from those surveyed include in payroll, inventory and supply chain optimisation and reducing administration tasks. 12:05 – The starting point is a foundation of digital data, stored in the cloud, and going business-first rather than technology-first. 13:20 – You should also consider the emotional aspect and how people understand their use of AI. 14:40 – Instead of waiting for shopfloor reports, line-level reports can be summarised and updated regularly. 16:05 – Top challenges for adopting cloud. The top answers were lack of inhouse expertise, high and unpredictable migration costs, and ongoing operational costs. The answer might be starting with pilots. 17:40 – Work with partners who understand your business’s “from” and “to”. 19:35 – What 2026 could deliver for businesses' AI adoption. 21:46 – MYOB’s Acumatica’s three pillars. 22:38 – A message to those on the fence: there are no shortcuts and here’s why.

    25 min

  2. 16/11/2025

    Episode 135 -- Philippe Odouard from SolidHydrogen

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, we hear from Philippe Odouard, who has spend the last 15 years leading Quickstep, XTEK (now known as HighCom) and now SolidHydrogen. He tells us about his experiences running technology startups in Australia, where he sees growth in the hydrogen coming from, the best ways to keep ahead of competitors wanting to steal novel IP, and more. Episode guide 0:23 – Moved to Australia 40 years ago and spent most of his time since then in industry. The last 15 years have had a focus on startups. 2:07 – What manufacturing startups take and some of the challenges (being Australian isn’t that big of a barrier, according to Odouard.) 3:35 – Differences – there aren’t too many – between heading defence startups and heading SolidHydrogen. 5:02 – A company needs a lot of different skills. 5:42 – Linking up with Professor Kondo-Francois Aguey-Zinsou.  6:29 – An introduction to hydride alloys if one is needed.  7:32 – “It’s not a question of pressure, it’s not a question of temperature, it’s a question of molecular connections.” Useful for “typically 10,000 cycles” or potentially 30 years. 8:30 – A benefit to hydrides is that, used correctly, they can purify, compress and store hydrogen at low costs, according to Odouard. 11:28 – The energy required to melt hydrides isn’t a dealbreaker for doing this here. 11:57 – What the company plans to sell to customers.  13:03 – The approach to defending against copycats, involving continuous R&D with customers, some patents, and trade secrets. 15:25 – Some comparisons with other up-and-coming hydrogen storage technologies including metal organic frameworks (MOFs) and liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) 16:40 – Their main market is in stationary applications. Batteries are better for energy storage in transport, but not large-scale stationary energy storage. 18:25 – You have to be price-competitive. Being green is not enough. “Subsidies are not going to change very much, because subsidies by the kilo, like Australia wants to do, and a few other countries: If you invest for 15, 20 years, the government is not going to give you the subsidies for 15 to 20 years. So your thing is shot very quickly.” 19:37 – ESAF and biofuels.  21:50 – An American project involving eSAF. Potential for that fuel in ships. 23:02 – Funding. How the company has supported itself so far and a planned capital raise to reach the next step: pilot manufacturing. 26:28 – Why Odouard sees a healthy future for hydrogen. “It’s not exactly a dying market… The top of the hype was probably a couple of years ago, the trough is probably now.” 27:45 – Hydrogen is an ideal fuel for off-grid sites like mines. 28:45 – There’s already a solid demand for hydrogen from forklift users. The chemical industry is another eager user. 30:55 – Hydrogen has strong potential in the reduction of iron ore. 32:08 – Australian companies should look to be globally-relevant from the beginning as the demand just doesn’t exist here.  33:02 – The lack of suppliers for manufacturing businesses in Australia and how to handle this issue.   Further reading SolidHydrogen's website SolidHydrogen partners with Korea’s EN2CORE Technology Pressure and performance: Australian company pushes to be a global leader in armour

    35 min

  3. 02/11/2025

    Episode 134 -- Dr Jan Golembiewski from Earthbuilt Technology and Dr Clyde Webster from Crest Robotics

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, our guests are Dr Jan Golembiewski, CEO and co-founder of Earthbuilt Technology, and Dr Clyde Webster, Founding Director of Crest Robotics. They share the origins and goals of their Charlotte project -- showcased at last month’s International Astronautical Congress (IAC) 2025 conference in Sydney -- and discuss the opportunity presented by construction robotics. Episode guide 0:34 – An introduction to our guests. 2:40 – What both companies do on a day to day basis, and how Charlotte relates to that. 4:10 – Both in “hard tech” startups for a similar amount of time. 5:15 – Enhancing and supplementing blue-collar workers, “taking the danger out of the job, not the person.” For example on the moon. 6:20 – What the hexapod robot Charlotte is and what it does. A robot, extruder and “very sophisticated fill delivery system that transfers over material at… really highly productive rates.” 7:25 – Sourcing material for building. 9:40 – Why was it a hit with news coverage? 11:30 – Robotic construction is “a huge market opportunity” and they hope to work with other such companies. 13:03 – Why their approach is “fundamentally different” to other companies such as FBR and Luyten. These are companies that are also showing “that this sort of work can be done here and should be done here.” 14:15 – Some reasons why the moon is so extremely difficult to build on. 15:20 – Charlotte is several technologies coming together. They still need to be properly integrated and tested. 15:56 – Other projects Crest Robotics is involved in, including the Gorilla Mark 1 Robotic Puller and the Emu, for repetitive overhead work. 17:15 – More on the EarthBuilt printer and how it can be used.  17:55 – The valley of death and what makes it so difficult. 18:30 – Manufacturers are invited to get in touch with Crest, which is seeking more local suppliers.  Further reading Self-belief, cementitious 3D printing, and sensors FBR to build three new Hadrian-X robots Melbourne Polytechnic to get new Modern Methods of Construction hub in 2029 Luyten sells giant 3D printer to construction startup Graphene oxide creates stronger 3D printed concrete, but less seems to be more

    20 min

  4. 19/10/2025

    Episode 133 -- Bruce Minty from MYOB

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, published in partnership with MYOB, we consider some quality standards for various kinds of manufacturing businesses, emerging standards that are worth paying attention to, tips on making proactive improvements at your business, and more. Our returning guest is MYOB Senior Product Marketing Manager, Bruce Minty, who recently discussed the importance of midsized manufacturers in episode 129. For more on MYOB Acumatica, visit this link. Episode guide 1:06 - An introduction to Minty. 2:10 – The impact of the end of passenger automotive assembly in Australia. 3:10 – “...It more or less marked a transition period where the industry gradually shifted to advanced manufacturing, and the growing need for more stringent quality control processes.” 3:47 – Why quality matters  5:20 – Why you should be building quality in from day one. 6:23 – Seemingly small mistakes can escalate as you scale and become more costly to fix.  8:10 – Some of the better-known standards that are out there and where they apply. 9:50 – Emerging standards. 10:58 –Where standards intersect with ERP. 12:40 – Some ways in which meeting strict quality management standards can be a driver of growth. 14:10 – Preparing for an accreditation forces organisations to tighten operations. 15:10 – Dealing effectively with the nightmare of a product recall. 16:02 – Prevention, transparency and rapid response are vital. 18:02 – Emerging themes in compliance and why Australian manufacturers must pay attention. 18:58 – The example of premium fish and traceability to meet consumer demands.  19:52 – Strong cyber practices have become essential.  21:31 – Some tips on proactive improvements that listeners can consider.

    23 min

  5. 23/09/2025

    Episode 132 -- Rajat Kulshrestha and George Freney from Space Machines Company

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, we hear from Space Machines Company's co-founders, Rajat Kulshrestha and George Freney. They tell us about why they plan to build hundreds and hundreds of their 200-kilogram vehicles, the local companies helping them do it, their new Scintilla engine, what Australian space manufacturers' collective superpower must be, and more. Episode guide 0:42 – Professional backgrounds of the two founders 3:32 – A very simple origin story. 4:20 – The problem was the need to manoeuvre in orbit.  6:01 – Moving rapidly in orbit, at low cost, to assets that are depended on. 7:48 – If first responders on earth cost millions of dollars, then they wouldn’t be useful.  9:04 – The maiden launch of Optimus, what would be considered a successful result, and how it was achieved. 10:58 – “On a very tight budget, we built Australia’s largest single spacecraft and got it into orbit. And the outcome of that is belief.” 12:32 – The inputs. Supply chain in India, Europe and Australia. “We are targeting that by the end of the third mission, we should be able to get up to 70 per cent Australian content.”  14:10 – More than 50 suppliers in Australia currently.  15:42 – What an industrial sewing example shows.  17:55 – Getting to scale and what manufacturing at scale would look like. 22:20 – What their business model is based on and who their customers will likely be. National security, then civil government, then commercial is the likely order.  24:33 – The recently-unveiled Scintilla engine.  27:34 – Testing on Scintilla began late last year. Some of the tests performed so far. 29:00 – Ethane and nitrous oxide propellants. A combination “used by a lot of companies in the US” and which brings “simplicity and ease of handling” among other benefits. 30:05 – The road to the MAITRI mission. Local partners include HEO. 31:10 – The spread of the company so far, including an important recent hire in Washington. 32:45 – What’s needed here to grow industrial strength is focus, and making for space is an answer to this. Further reading Space Machines Company finalises Australian-first 3D printed rocket engine Space Machines Company, NewSpace India sign launch agreement at Indian Space Congress Space Machines Company opens Australia’s largest spacecraft manufacturing facility Space Machines Company-led project awarded $8.5 million through International Space Investment India Projects Space Machines Company purchases navigation system from Inovor HEO’s Holmes space camera to fly on upcoming Australian-Indian mission Space Machines unveils Optimus Viper for satellite repair

    34 min

  6. 15/09/2025

    Episode 131 -- David Taylor from BusinessHub

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, published in partnership with MYOB, we hear from David Taylor, Founder and Managing Director of BusinessHub. BusinessHub has been in business for over two decades, and is an MYOB partner specialising in the MYOB Acumatica platform. Taylor shares how manufacturers can move beyond manual workarounds and isolated data to enable smarter operations. Make sure you listen to the end for a checklist you can use if you think you might be suffering from disconnected systems. Episode guide 0:49 – An introduction to both Taylor and BusinessHub, which has been around for just over 20 years. 1:44 – Why working with manufacturers and their problems is exciting. 3:18 – Unique requirements in terms of cost and quality. 4:02 – Moving to cloud-based ERP, what that means, and why it represents progress. 6:52 – BusinessHub’s partnership with MYOB and what it looks like in practice. 8:32 – Data silo issues and overcoming them, with a practical example on quoting, delivering and forecasting. 10:11 – Quote-to-cash at an automotive add-ons business.  11:33 – Finite capacity at a food business, assisting production planning and optimising workflow. 12:50 – The digital thread in practice, plus some complications regarding the concept.  14:03 – A challenge around inbound deliveries of an important ingredient with sensitivities around temperature. 15:55 -- Some thoughts on change management. 18:24 – Productivity, AI, data and workplaces. 19:10 – What productivity gains through better digital tools look like at the company level. 20:21 – Having better-structured data to make the adoption of AI easier and more useful. 22:15 – A practical checklist for listeners regarding cloud-based ERPs.

    27 min

  7. 28/08/2025

    Episode 130 -- Samuel Taubert from Turquoise Group

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, Samuel Taubert, CEO of  graphene and hydrogen maker Turquoise Group, shares a little about the company’s story so far, the immature markets for what they make, and why they’ve elected for an “aggressive pricing strategy” rather than partnering with clients on applications development. Episode guide 0:25 – Career background, mainly in the oil and gas industry 1:55 – Why hydrogen and graphene? And the similarities/differences in commercialising both. 2:50 – Their proprietary process. 4:04 – Can much more detail be shared? Not really. “It’ll have to remain a secret for now.” 4:55 – Fellow Brisbane company Graphene Manufacturing Group. 5:35 – Anticipated volumes and what stage they’re currently at. 6:07 – Financing. “We’re definitely not a subsidiary of Pure Hydrogen.” 6:50 – The economics of what they’re doing. 8:45 – A point of difference is no real interest in developing downstream applications. 9:57 – One graphene isn’t good for all applications, and graphene is a family of materials.  10:33 – Multilayer graphene powder for bulk markets. Niche markets aren’t so interesting. 11:27 – Markets that are interesting for TG. 13:08 – Capital raise for the next plant plus other near-term plans. 14:27 – Some current difficulties the industry faces. Further reading Turquoise Group begins bulk graphene sales, aims to have commercial pilot project online “by the end of 2027” Turquoise Group produces hydrogen from methane Brisbane company takes delivery of equipment to produce “turquoise hydrogen” and graphene

    16 min

  8. 25/08/2025

    Episode 129 -- Bruce Minty from MYOB

    Send us a text In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations, published in partnership with MYOB, we consider the vast potential in helping more manufacturers make the jump from small-sized enterprise to medium (or beyond.) MYOB Senior Product Marketing Manager Bruce Minty shares some reasons why midsized manufacturers matter, and how ambitious companies can navigate hurdles as they grow into the category. For more on The Bigger Picture report, see here Solutions like MYOB Acumatica are purpose-built to replace outdated systems, streamline processes, and provide real-time visibility, helping businesses scale with confidence. Episode guide 0:44 – Minty’s background. 1:53 – How shifts in the industry impacted Minty’s family, which counted the last three car makers as its biggest customers. 2:48 – A shift from mass production to high-tech and customisation. 3:41 – Strengths and opportunities for Australian makers. 5:16 – Challenges to do with fragmentation and a lack of scale. 6:48 – What can improve productivity within manufacturing 7:31 – The benefits of modern ERP systems and their features.  8:31 – How small improvements add up. 9:20 – The important role of midsized businesses in Australia (and why we need more of them.) 10:28 – Midsized businesses are only 3 per cent of companies, but deliver a vastly outsized performance in private sector GVA and employment. 11:28 – Why a thriving midmarket can enhance all of manufacturing. 12:30 – Why success begins at home for exporters. 14:20 – Growing pains and how to avoid them at scaleups. 15:18 – It’s essential to regularly review if systems and processes are fit-for-purpose. 16:10 – What getting it wrong while growing can look like. Plus a counter-example.  18:38 – Some scaling sustainably self-assessment steps. 19:50 – Leadership should regularly pause and review if goals, people, processes and technology are aligned. 20:16 – A simple question that can uncover risks, plus how you can start small to prepare for growth.

    21 min
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About

@AuManufacturing Conversations is a regular interview program hosted by Brent Balinski (with other hosts occasionally) bringing you discussions with the folks who are contributing to a critical part of Australia's economy.We hope to capture something of the variety of manufacturing, its place in the nation, its changing nature, and some of the personalities within it. From the boutique to the billion dollar, if it's manufacturing and it's Australian, then it likely matters to us. This podcast is an extension of the @AuManufacturing news and analysis website and the community around it, and complements what's written online at www.aumanufacturing.com.au. Interested in advertising? Get in touch via editor@aumanufacturing.com.au

Information

  • Creator
    @AuManufacturing
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    136
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 @AuManufacturing Conversations
  • Show Website
    @AuManufacturing Conversations