Innovation, craftsmanship and local leadership took centre stage at the 2025 Welding Excellence Awards in Adelaide, where South Australia’s top fabricators, educators and industry contributors were recognised for their contributions to Australia’s manufacturing capability.

Australia’s welding and fabrication industry is responding to a deepening workforce shortage with a novel training solution designed to quickly produce job‑ready welders, helping keep critical infrastructure and manufacturing projects on track.

Australia’s manufacturing renaissance is rolling forward with the arrival of a state-of-the-art robotic welding machine at the Queensland Train Manufacturing Program (QTMP) facility in Torbanlea, marking a significant milestone in local industrial capability.

From small workshops to major industrial players, businesses say automation is becoming less of a luxury and more of a survival strategy. With labour shortages biting hard, robotic welders are stepping in to handle repetitive and high-precision work, freeing up tradespeople for complex jobs that still require a human touch.

Fabrication workshops say they’re already seeing increased inquiries for structural steel, pressure vessels and specialised components used in renewable infrastructure. It’s a shift that marks a move away from offshore supply chains and back toward Australian-made manufacturing, backed by government incentives.