The final countdown to the carbon tax has begun. This article details the key elements of the carbon price mechanism (CPM) and provides some last-minute prepation tips to help you get ready for 1 July 2012. [ + ]

The data cable termination tool from Australian company Tech Innovations helps alleviate many challenging manual handling and safety issues confronted by technicians. The product allows technicians to perform the task on a stable, height-adjustable working platform that is lightweight and easily transported. [ + ]

Concentrating solar power (CSP) could provide around 30% of Australia’s total current electricity generation capacity with only modest extensions to the national electricity grid if forecast cost reductions are achieved, finds a report released by Australian Solar Institute (ASI). [ + ]

Aon Hewitt has announced its 2012 Best Employers in Australia and New Zealand survey results. The company also outlines the five characteristics that distinguish a ‘best employer’ from the pack. [ + ]

The regulatory requirements for cabling providers who install specialised cabling within customer premises have been amended by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA). The new competency requirements will apply from 1 July 2012. [ + ]

The New York skyline is being made over, thanks to a partnership between lighting company Philips and the Empire State Building (ESB). Philips was selected by the ESB to help the building transition its iconic tower lights to LEDs. [ + ]

To ensure that the wire you buy can be easily installed and get the job done, look for three key factors that signal high-quality wire: the wire is produced using length control techniques to make sure you get what you paid for; insulation is applied using co-extrusion; and, the wire is inspected with quality control equipment that measures dimensional control, detects defects and tests for PVC insulation integrity. [ + ]

Thermal imaging cameras can detect extremely small temperature differences. Based on these temperature differences, thermal imaging cameras are able to produce a crisp image on which the smallest of details can be seen. This makes them perfect tools for a wide variety of predictive maintenance applications. A thermal imaging camera is a reliable, non-contact instrument which is able to scan and visualise the temperature distribution of entire surfaces of machinery and electrical equipment quickly and accurately. Maintenance programs utilising thermography have contributed to substantial cost savings for many users of thermal imaging cameras around the world. [ + ]

As an employer group, Master Electricians Australia is extremely concerned with the Australian Council of Trade Union’s (ACTU) recently proposed Better Bargaining policy which will see a return to the unproductive central wage fixation practices of the past. The ACTU’s proposal demonstrates the Labor Party want to control business in every aspect of management including social and corporate responsibility. In our view, the policy exposes Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Workplace Relations Minister Bill Shorten’s stance on bargaining, at the enterprise level, as rhetoric compared to the faceless men’s real objectives. Can you imagine employers being subject to lawful industrial action just because a company may not support the union’s own social issue? [ + ]

We have all been told that the carbon tax has been designed to help restructure the economy with the aim of using less energy and lowering the amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) generated. However, as the July 2012 deadline looms, recent surveys show that less than 50% of Australian companies are actually prepared for its introduction and this percentage is even lower if we only look at small to medium enterprises. [ + ]

Master Electricians Australia was recently called on to intervene in a case of ‘government bureaucracy gone mad’ in Queensland, where licensed electrical contractors were being fined by a state agency for performing work they are qualified to do. [ + ]

Productivity is the key to survival in today’s globally competitive environment. When the basic inputs to production including time, labour and materials are considered, there isn’t much room for optimisation. Organisations operate 24 hours per day, labour is costly and choice in materials is limited, which means every company must use automation to gain more output from the same inputs, or perish. Organisations that rely on automation need to ensure continuous operation. [ + ]

Costly business disruption and remedial work can be attributed to performance problems in data centres, operational network systems and software applications. These issues often go undetected prior to launch due to the difficulty of conducting realistic performance testing. Quantifiable consequences of undetected performance problems include: revenue loss, customer base erosion and brand damage. All of these issues call into question a business’s long-term viability. Since the advent of network testing, Spirent test engineers have helped hundreds of clients save thousands of testing hours, which resulted in bringing products and services to market faster and with higher quality. [ + ]

Much has already been written about the pressures driving the enterprise to migrate to IPv6, but what about the positive performance benefits it could bring? asks Alan Way, International Development Manager, Spirent Communications. [ + ]

Within the electrical industry there is increasing concern regarding the number of electrical products being sold that don’t comply with Australian Standards. These products, whilst appearing genuine, are often made from inferior materials with little regard for meeting stated ratings or safety requirements. Compliance with Australian Electrical Safety Standards is important to ensure product quality, reliability and, most critically, the safety of the electrical contractor during installation and their customer throughout the operational life of the product. [ + ]