2026: Shaping industry with people, technology and sustainability
In 2026, transformation across industry is accelerating. Sustainability, digitalisation and talent development sit firmly at the top of the manufacturing agenda, reshaping how companies operate and compete. Against this backdrop, Helen Blomqvist, President of Sandvik Coromant, reflects on more than 80 years of market leadership in cutting tools, and on […]
DEEP Manufacturing expands into Houston with large-scale additive manufacturing
DEEP Manufacturing, a specialist in Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) and hybrid manufacturing solutions, is expanding its U.S. operations with the launch of a new advanced manufacturing facility in Houston, bringing large-scale additive manufacturing capability closer to customers in the energy, defence and maritime sectors. The facility launched on May […]
Kistler presents new software features for quality assurance in medical injection moulding
Usability meets more standardisation options in AkvisIO and ComoNeo Building on user feedback from the medical device manufacturing sector, Kistler is placing even greater emphasis on usability and standardisation options with its new software versions for quality assurance in injection molding. The ComoNeo 9.0 process monitoring software makes it possible […]
Empire of AI
An eye-opening account of the tech arms race shaping out planet, from an award-winning journalist and AI insider to the world of Sam Altman and OpenAI. When longtime AI expert and journalist Karen Hao first began covering OpenAI in 2019, she thought they were the good guys. Founded as a […]
Before you buy AI: What manufacturers need to get right first
From NZ Manufacturer magazine – May issue By Sean Doherty, Manufacturing Commentator | NZ Industry Trends There is no doubt that AI will be a game changer for manufacturers, and early adoption will give many firms a competitive advantage because manufacturing is both data-rich and operationally complex. But beware: AI […]
LiberaGPT supports the largest and most intelligent AI model to run offline on an unmodified iPhone
Independent British software house 5N6 has unveiled a major update to LiberaGPT, its recently launched iPhone app, adding support for a record-breaking 24 billion-parameter large language model that runs entirely offline on the latest generation of iPhone devices, with complete privacy and no requirement for cloud data centres or additional […]
New trade fair: Warehousing and logistics strategic drivers of productivity
From NZ Manufacturer magazine Momentum was on full display at a launch function celebrating the arrival of Logistics Automation New Zealand powered by CeMAT, where more than 100 industry professionals gathered to discuss the forces reshaping supply chain operations. The event brought together CEOs and decision‑makers; both automation and […]
Resilient firms and economies: Unlocking growth in emerging markets
Resilience is like a bridge spanning a turbulent river. The waters below may surge unpredictably, but the bridge’s strength lies in its design, maintenance, and ability to withstand. The Resilience Consortium brings together governments, businesses, and multilateral development banks (MDBs) to strengthen resilience in emerging markets. Drawing on insights from the […]
Apple, The First 50 Years
David Pogue tells the iconic company’s entire life story: how Apple was born, nearly died, was born again under Steve Jobs, and became, under CEO Tim Cook, the most valuable company in the world. The book features full-color photos, new facts that correct the record and illuminate its subversive culture, […]
Resilient firms and economies: Unlocking growth in emerging markets
Resilience is like a bridge spanning a turbulent river. The waters below may surge unpredictably, but the bridge’s strength lies in its design, maintenance, and ability to withstand. The Resilience Consortium brings together governments, businesses, and multilateral development banks (MDBs) to strengthen resilience in emerging markets. Drawing on insights from […]
Quantum-inspired wireless technology could tackle 6G’s biggest challenges
Researchers at Monash University and The University of Melbourne have developed a quantum-inspired approach to optical wireless communication that promises to make 6G networks faster, more reliable and energy-efficient. As the world moves toward 6G, devices and networks will need to handle more data, faster, and in smaller spaces than […]
Ruled by engineers: how China gets things done, leaving the US in the dust
Mark Beeson, Adjunct Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute, University of Technology Sydney. In modern times, the world’s most powerful and influential states have also had the largest economies. When the United States overtook Britain in the early 20th century, it was only a question of time before it assumed international political […]
Could a ‘grey swan’ event bring down the AI revolution?
Cameron Shackwell, Sessional Academic, School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology The term “black swan” refers to a shocking event on nobody’s radar until it actually happens. This has become a byword in risk analysis since a book called The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb was published in 2007. A frequently cited example is the 9/11 attacks. Fewer people have heard of “grey swans”. Derived from Taleb’s work, grey swans are rare but more foreseeable events. That is, things we know could have a massive impact, but we don’t (or won’t) adequately prepare for. COVID was a good example: precedents for a global pandemic existed, but the world was caught off guard anyway. Although he sometimes uses the term, Taleb doesn’t appear to be a big fan of grey swans. He’s previously expressed frustration that his concepts are often misused, which can lead to sloppy thinking about the deeper issues of truly unforeseeable risks. But it’s hard to deny there is a spectrum of predictability, and it’s easier to see some major shocks coming. Perhaps nowhere is this more obvious than in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). Putting our eggs in one basket Increasingly, the future of the global economy and human thriving has become tied to a single technological story: the AI revolution. It has turned philosophical questions about risk into a multitrillion-dollar dilemma about how we align ourselves with possible futures. US tech company Nvidia, which dominates the market for AI chips, recently surpassed US$5 trillion (about A$7.7 trillion) in market value. The “Magnificent Seven” US tech stocks – Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla – now make up about 40% of the S&P 500 stock index. The impact of a collapse for these companies – and a stock market bust – would be devastating at a global level, not just financially but also in terms of dashed hopes for […]