A group of more than twenty representatives from Destroyer Enterprise, including Thales Australia Engineers and Royal Australian Navy personnel from NUSHIP Sydney, were impressed by SAGE Group's Industry 4.0 training and manufacturing capabilities during a tour of the company's headquarters at Tonsley.

During the tour, hosted by Thales and SAGE, personnel trialled cutting-edge training platforms built by SAGE’s sister company Skills Lab RTO code 45486. The platforms are designed to teach key skills in the areas of programmable logic controllers (PLC’s) and instrumentation – the same systems operated by Marine Technicians on board the Hobart Class Destroyer.

Watch: Destroyer Enterprise tours SAGE's Advanced Manufacturing Facility 

Previously, SAGE has conducted PLC training in partnership with the AWD Alliance to deliver industry-derived training for RAN crews of the Hobart Class Destroyer.

World-class training: Principal Engineer Chris Poetsch explains how Skills Lab's custom-built training platforms operate 

“This was a great opportunity for Thales Engineers and the crew of NUSHIP Sydney to understand the scope of SAGE’s capabilities as well as to better understand their linkages with other key Destroyer Enterprise partners,” said Peter Johnson, Thales Australia’s Destroyer Enterprise Maintenance Engineering Lead.

“Thales engineers and members of the crew were especially impressed with the training facility which allows personnel to get hands-on training in troubleshooting circuits and components which use a wide range of PLCs” said Mr Johnson.

Manufacturing focus: Visitors were taken on a personal tour of SAGE's Manufacturing Facility at Tonsley in Adelaide

In the manufacturing facility, personnel witnessed a demonstration of SAGE’s latest addition to the workshop floor – a Zeta 640 Komax Cable processing machine. The machine is designed to decrease the time taken to produce cable looms, which are a key component used in the construction of SAGE’s control panels and LV switchboards.

Industry 4.0: SAGE's Industry 4.0 initiatives were highlighted during the tour, including the Komax cabling machine

“In the past, we have supplied hundreds of control panels and LV switchboards to the Australian Defence Force, but this machine will enable us to expand our capability even further into this area” SAGE General Manager for Defence, Paul Johnson said.

“By tapping into Industry 4.0 technologies we can reduce production time, increase scalability and improve accuracy resulting in even better quality assurance,” he said.

Currently, SAGE plays a key role in the engineering design and manufacture of commercial-off-the shelf (COTS) electrical control solutions within the Defence industry, and is a trusted supplier to Defence.

Learn more about how SAGE is bringing Industry 4.0 technologies to the Australian Defence Force: