Welding Smarter with Krueger Transport

Melbourne, Australia – 15 December 2025

A pioneering research collaboration between Krueger Transport Equipment Pty Ltd and the Australian Research Council (ARC) Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing at Swinburne University is set to revolutionise welding inspections in trailer manufacturing. By harnessing the power of artificial intelligence (AI), computer vision, and digital twin technologies, the project aims to deliver faster, more accurate, and more reliable quality control.

For decades, welding inspections have been one of manufacturing’s greatest bottlenecks—time-intensive, inconsistent, dependent on rare expertise, and difficult to scale. This landmark project will transform the process by introducing an AI-driven automated inspection system, ensuring weld quality that is both smarter and more sustainable.

The collaboration forms part of the $5 million ARC Research Hub for Future Digital Manufacturing, a national initiative driving the digital transformation of Australian industry.

Professor Dimitrios Georgakopoulos, Director of the ARC Hub, said:

“The collaboration with Krueger exemplifies our mission to deliver innovative, AI-powered solutions to real-world challenges. Together, we are helping Australian industry boost productivity, sustainability, and global competitiveness.”

Using AI-based imaging and digital twin models, the project will:

• Train AI to automatically detect defects such as cracks, porosity, or incomplete fusion.
• Eliminate slow and inconsistent manual inspections, replacing them with scalable, precise systems.
• Explore portable weld-quality inspection tools for mobile and on-site use.

For Krueger, an Australian family-owned business founded in 1974 and employing more than 200 staff across four facilities, the project is a bold step forward in its robot-centric production journey. With more than 20,000 trailers manufactured to date, Krueger continues to invest in cutting-edge innovation to secure its leadership in the transport equipment sector.

Steven Teofilo, Chief Operating Officer of Krueger and Swinburne graduate, said:

“Our challenge is guaranteeing product quality in an industry where skilled labour is increasingly hard to find. Partnering with Swinburne through the ARC Hub gives us the opportunity to develop world-class solutions that not only strengthen Krueger’s competitiveness but also deliver long-term benefits for Australian manufacturing.”

This collaboration will deliver immediate productivity gains for Krueger, set a new national benchmark in digital innovation for quality assurance, and foster the next generation of manufacturing workforce through a dedicated PhD scholarship.

Media Contact:
Professor Dimitrios Georgakopoulos is available for interview.

For media enquiries email: DigitalManufacturing@swin.edu.au

Interviews available on request!