5 Australian manufacturing trends you need to be aware of

In Australia, the manufacturing industry has done exceptionally well in the last couple of years. For instance, just last year, many new manufacturers got a chance to join the industry while those who were already in business improved their operations significantly.

And with so many manufacturers doing well, it might be worth taking a second to think about what’s next for the manufacturing industry in Australia. It’s safe to say that some new industry trends have emerged and more of these will appear in the next few years. That said, let’s take a look at five Australian manufacturing trends you need to be aware of.

3D printing gaining a lot of attention

Chances are you’ve already heard a lot about 3D printing being used in the manufacturing industry. Even though 3D printing is still in its early days, we can expect to see much more of it in Australia this year. For example, right now, 3D printers are only used for making models, but we can expect to see these being used in creation of manufacturing tools quite soon.

Therefore, every big manufacturing company in Australia will need to think about introducing 3D printers into their operations. These can also be used for creating replicas of proposed products that haven’t been launched yet.

Technology getting more use

There’s no need to say that we live in the age of technology. However, this doesn’t mean technology can’t get more application in the manufacturing industry. According to experts, we can see Australian manufacturers spend up to AU$84.8 billion on technology in 2018. A large portion of this money is expected to be invested in programming languages manufacturers can use.

What this means is that more IT experts will be hired and their demand in Australia is going to increase. And with new programming languages and more IT experts being available, we’ll see plenty of manufacturers bring their operations back to home soil.

Quality increasing

Due to new pieces of equipment being used and more experts entering the industry, it’s anticipated that the quality of products made by Australian manufacturers is going to increase. Another reason why it’s expected that we will see a rise in quality is because manufacturers in Australia are starting to rely on data more than ever.

As a result, individuals will be able to buy top-notch electrical devices and companies in the construction industry will start to invest in quality undercarriage components. Of course, companies in every industry will benefit from the increase in quality, which is always a good thing.

Benefits of the Cloud being recognized

The Cloud has been around for quite some time, but not all manufacturers have recognized all the benefits it brings. It’s anticipated that this will change during the course of this year and a lot of Australian manufacturers will  rely on the Cloud when it comes to storing their data.

Not only will their data will be safer, but it’ll also be easier to reach. This means experts who are working on designing new products will find it easier to cooperate with their co-workers and test the products they’re working on.

Manufacturers becoming retailers

Another important thing to have in mind is that more and more manufacturers all over the world are starting to open their own stores and work as retailers. For example, just take a look at what Apple is doing, as they have about 500 stores worldwide.

This is something manufacturers in Australia simply have to look up to and don’t be surprised if we start seeing more and more of them opening their own stores. That said, it’s also expected that the demand for merchandising and marketing experts will increase. Direct-to-consumers sale is going to boom pretty soon and this won’t be any different in Australia.

These five Australian manufacturing trends are definitely worth keeping an eye on in 2018. With so much money being invested and more experts entering the field, it’s safe to say the industry is going to have another successful year.