AMW 2026 Brisbane Part 1: Robots, ERP & Grants, and why Manufacturers still run on Excel

<p>Australian Manufacturing Week 2026 has landed in Brisbane for the first time ever — and we&#39;re recording live from the show floor. </p><p>Part 1 of our AMW 2026 coverage brings you six exhibitor interviews covering robotics, autonomous material handling, ERP, 3D metrology, automation hardware, and the grant landscape for Australian manufacturers.</p><p><br></p><p>Paul Mason and Shane Williams are joined by locals Phil Seboa from the Unplugged IIoT podcast, and Clare Treston to talk to leaders across the show about what&#39;s working, what&#39;s broken, and where the smart money is going in advanced manufacturing.</p><p><br></p><p>In this episode you&#39;ll hear:</p><p>- Manglesh Singh (Konica Minolta) on mobile cobots and AMRs that have clocked 16,000+ kilometres moving 500 pallets a day</p><p>- Amanda (Freelance Robotics) on how cobot welding and the </p><p>Blue Dragon framework are giving injured welders and boilermakers a way back into meaningful work</p><p>- Mark and Trevor (Lily Works / PFM Works) on why nine out of ten manufacturers still run production on spreadsheets — and why replacing your ERP isn&#39;t the answer</p><p>- Sara (RSM) on R&amp;D tax incentives, CRC-P projects, and the Transforming Queensland Manufacturing grant programme offering $100K to $1.5M in matched funding</p><p>- Danilo (Hi-Tech Metrology) on the Creaform HandySCAN Max — a handheld blue-laser 3D scanner doing three million points per second at 75-micron accuracy, with no surface prep needed on chrome or black parts</p><p>- Michael (Mectec) on Delta automation, PLCs and vision systems helping Aussie SMEs automate repetitive packing operations</p><p>- Gil Harkness (Queensland Government, Department of Natural Resources, Mines, Manufacturing, Regional &amp; Rural Development) on Queensland&#39;s eight manufacturing hubs, the AI-and-jobs conversation, and procurement opportunities from the Brisbane 2032 Olympics</p><p><br></p><p>Manufacturing Tech Australia is Australia&#39;s leading podcast covering manufacturing technology, automation, robotics, and Industry 4.0. </p><p>We&#39;re the official media partner of Australian Manufacturing Week.</p><p><br></p><p>More episodes and resources: https://www.manufacturingtech.au</p><p>Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/manufacturingtechau</p><p><br></p><p>Part 2 of our AMW 2026 coverage drops next fortnight.</p>