DBrief Summer Series: starting small, scaling smart — AI lessons from two Australian icons

In this third Summer Series episode, we spotlight two century‑old Australian manufacturers - InfraBuild and Dux - who are using AI not as hype, but as a practical lever for safety, service coverage, and productivity.From Sharmy Francis, Innovation Manager at InfraBuild, we hear how automating product tagging on 24/7 rolling mills strengthened end‑to‑end traceability, removed ergonomic risks, and created new career pathways - upskilling seasoned operators into robotics and software-enabled roles.From Simon Terry, CEO at Dux, we hear how introducing an AI voice agent bridged hard-to-staff hours (5am–9pm across AU/NZ time zones), improved customer access to support 24/7, and relieved teams from the least desirable shifts - without job losses.Across both stories, the human dimension looms large: open communication with staff, visible executive sponsorship, and responsible AI governance that accelerates adoption rather than slowing it. The call to action is clear: Australian industry cannot afford to sit this one out - go sooner, go harder, start small and safe, and let momentum compound.Key TakeawaysStart with a specific problem. Narrow scope (e.g. traceability tagging, 24/7 call coverage) beats broad ambitions. Deliver one outcome, then iterate.Safety + productivity can move together. Automating ergonomically risky tagging tasks improved both operator safety and 100% traceability.Guardrails tame risk. Domain “sandpits,” curated knowledge, human oversight of every call, and continuous training mitigated hallucinations and elevated quality.No jobs lost - better jobs created. AI absorbed unpopular hours and repetitive tasks; organisations invested in new roles (data scientists, data engineers, analysts, supply chain optimisation, robotics operators).Culture is the multiplier. Be transparent with teams, celebrate quick wins, and normalise “fail fast, learn fast”. Executive sponsorship and cross‑functional AI governance keep adoption safe and fast.Data compounds value. The first use case unlocks richer data, revealing adjacent optimisation opportunities across operations and service.Australia needs the tailwind. With rising input costs and a productivity gap, practical AI is a rare lever for competitiveness - industry must act now.Read Australian Industry Group’s report Artificial Intelligence: Positive for companies, their people, and Australian Industry.Note: This recording is from a live event and the audio quality may vary.Contact the Industry Development & Policy team here.Dive deeper into this topic by listening to our previous DBrief episodes Summer Series: Getting Started: The AI Adoption Challenge for IndustryExecuting AI in complex settings