Complicated timing gear

We do pretty well but unfortunately we don't manufacture the vitality important stuff like  machine tools i.e. lathes , milling machines , and without these machines, you can't make anything. Used to be a number of Australian machine tool manufacturers... all gone. 

No automotive tyres are  made here anymore. 

We are a big country and there are always going to be niche industries (some quite large)  taking advantage of our unique resources and circumstances. I just had a look at some of the government statistics and trade figures. These are some examples:

 According to the latest Census, there are only 2,220 toolmakers and engineering pattern-makers left in Australia — that's a 70 per cent decrease between 2006 and 2021.

Only 411 of these jobs are held by people under 40.

"It's a real skill set that's missing, which means that we're almost at the point where it's going to be impossible to do 100 per cent manufacturing process in Australia from raw materials," Mr Ringwaldt says.


Manufacturing as a share of economic output fell from 14.9 per cent in 1990 to 5.9 per cent last year.  Indeed, Australia ranks last in manufacturing self-sufficiency among the world's developed economies. Several major manufacturers have closed their Australian operations in recent years, including major fertiliser producer Incitec Pivot, the nation's only local architectural glass manufacturer Oceania Glass and our last major plastics manufacturer Qenos.

 

According to the latest Census, there are only 2,220 toolmakers and engineering pattern-makers left in Australia — that's a 70 per cent decrease between 2006 and 2021.

Only 411 of these jobs are held by people under 40.

"It's a real skill set that's missing, which means that we're almost at the point where it's going to be impossible to do 100 per cent manufacturing process in Australia from raw materials," Mr Ringwaldt says.

This is where the government(s) should recognise nationally critical skills and somehow find a way to rebuild them. It shouldn't be a partisan argument.

Been dealing with some shit that's trying to kill me, where were we, ah Cottage industry's that's the one in your back yard, you don't have to travel to work, just walk up the back yard, I have one of them 3 lathes 4 mills and drills and some welding and cutting gear, it was before I retired so I could come home in the afternoon with a problem and go back in the morning with a solution. 

Manurfacturing that's where you go somewhere else to produce something, there is thousands of them all over the country. Heavy industry is what we are lacking, and I do agree with Lang on that, but the thing that needs to be recognize in times of conflict in this day and age is that Manufactuing can be coordinated over many, many sites, there is bugger all people in the modern factory those that are, are just sweeping the floor, in most cases, when your setting up equipment here your tech support is often in Europe or interstate and it's the same as sitting next to them they can see what you're doing and talk to you, I think you can see what I am on about if you are following Dima in Ukraine, with small manufacturing putting the heat back on a world supper power. 

Without the big blokes we have very poor outcomes.

While wringing our hands about say the billion dollar car companies leaving, most people forget hundreds of small feeder companies went to the wall when they lost what was their main or only customer in many cases.

Those little companies can not put together large scale heavy production no matter how well organised they are. People on the floor are not relevant it is the factory capacity to produce that is required. In fact it is people on the floor who killed the golden goose with high wages, union interference, poor productivity and outrageous WH&S and general red tape regulations. All developed countries have these things but doesn't the fact Australia sits dead last in the entire developed world for manufacturing capability ring any bells? Nobody is listening.

Using Dima's example. His valiant efforts are in the vital area of morale. Supplies from home are always welcome. All countries need dedicated people like him. The little drone bombs are nice to have but a mere drop in the bucket and certainly not battle-winning weapons when compared with billions of dollars a month of full size artillery, bombs, missiles required to conduct a war of this scale - all produced by giant international defence industry conglomerates.

Lang wrote:

Without the big blokes we have very poor outcomes.

While wringing our hands about say the billion dollar car companies leaving, most people forget hundreds of small feeder companies went to the wall when they lost what was their main or only customer in many cases.

Those little companies can not put together large scale heavy production no matter how well organised they are. People on the floor are not relevant it is the factory capacity to produce that is required. In fact it is people on the floor who killed the golden goose with high wages, union interference, poor productivity and outrageous WH&S and general red tape regulations. All developed countries have these things but doesn't the fact Australia sits dead last in the entire developed world for manufacturing capability ring any bells? Nobody is listening.

Using Dima's example. His valiant efforts are in the vital area of morale. Supplies from home are always welcome. All countries need dedicated people like him. The little drone bombs are nice to have but a mere drop in the bucket and certainly not battle-winning weapons when compared with billions of dollars a month of full size artillery, bombs, missiles required to conduct a war of this scale - all produced by giant international defence industry conglomerates.

Who was the victor in Vietnam, fighting with sticks and tunnels against the superpowers 

Probably not appropriate to get into discussion on Vietnam but I might reply that that sticks and tunnels did not knock down around 6,000 US helicopters and nearly 3,000 fixed wing aircraft it was the Russian military/industrial complex supplying RPG's, heavy machine guns and artillery and in the North anti-aircraft missiles. North Vietnam had 17 fighter aces (MIG17 and MIG21) with more than 5 American kills each plus numerous pilots with 1-5 kills. Most of the big land battles were against main-stream NVA forces.

Political imperatives and restrictions, not military, drove the US/Allied conduct of the war. Far more complex than that but just to say the Australian defence possibilities do not include guerilla warfare against a conventional invading army mainly due to vast terrain and a general lack of will by the population.

Boy oh boy we do spin off into the side cut pretty quickly

So before the thread is locked and all get sent to the naughty corner my 2 bobs worth on Australian manufacturing

We, yes us, yes every one of us on here are to blame for the loss of Australian manufacturing

We chose not to support them and buy cheaper imports
We chose to not demand they build cars, TV's, white goods and tools to suit our changing times

We chose to vote dud governments in that stripped away our tariffs that protected us

We chose not to run for politics and show these useless pricks how it should be done

We chose the cheap overseas holidays to Bali instead of our own country

We chose to dig up our mineral wealth and buy it back as some rice burner piece of crap

We chose all of this, not the rest of the world and not our politicians, we put those useless pollies there

Saying all of that we can also choose to change what we do today

We can choose at no matter what the cost buy Australian first and we can also choose to shame those that don't buy Australian

We need to stop belly aching and pointing the finger of blame at everyone else and point the finger clearly at our selves

Paul

Yes, it is easy to say but not so easy to do. A fellow I know used to run a very big suburban bus company and insisted on buying Australian made buses even though they cost a QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS MORE than bus chassis made in South America with European running gear then shipped to Hong Kong to have the bodies made and fitted out. He ended up selling his whole business and of course the new owners bought the imported buses and saved a fortune.

Morris.

 

A few years ago I was working around Wagga Wagga and went to the RAAF museum there
I had never heard of the Stirling bomber before until I went there

The Stirling was the allies first 4 engine heavy bomber and was pretty much out of date when it entered service

It was truly huge compared to anything else during WW2 and although it went okay it was quickly out dated 

It had a very low ceiling, something like 12,000 feet and as such was subject to a lot of flac and was in within easy fighter range etc

I can't remember all the details, just not that smart 
it 4 of the Bristol sleeve valve engines mentioned at the start of the thread
From what I understand, all 4 engines spun the same direction and and when the power was poored on (excuse my poor aeronautical terms Lang) the plane shifted quite a bit sideways and this caused a lot of deaths on take off and even later pulling gliders
The plane was huge, much bigger than a Lancaster or Flying Fortress, possibly bigger than a Super Fortress 

 

 

None survive today, theres a group in the UK are recrating one from bits and pieces of wreckage 

Short Stirling - Wikipedia share.google/iQ4oWj8DWIIMDt1RA

All very interesting and quite sad learning about these the crews that flew them


Paul