WA food and beverage manufacturers awarded $10 million in grants
Eighteen food and beverage manufacturing companies in Western Australia have been awarded grants under the Value Add Investment Grants program.
RMIT team develops process for high-strength rubberised concrete from recycled materials
A team from RMIT has developed a method to make concrete with improved strength out of recycled materials, and is seeking precast concrete manufacturers to test prototypes.
Redox flow giant battery a triumph and tragedy for Australia
Comment by Peter Roberts South Australia, not content with having led the world when it installed the first grid-scale lithium ion battery is doing it again – this time installing the world’s largest vanadium redox flow battery. But the installation of an 8 MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VFB) by Yadlamalka Energy Trust is both…
PPE Tech launches new Australian made face mask
Australian owned manufacturer PPE Tech is set to launch a new P2 face mask into the local market. The company, established in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, has received Therapeutic Goods Administration registration for the masks, as well as certification to P2 standard from CertMark International. The Mansfield, Queensland company said the new mask (pictured,…
Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed
Hazer Group presses ahead with hydrogen and graphite pilot plant Technology development company the Hazer Group is pressing ahead with the development of a pilot plant to prove its Hazer process, a low-emission hydrogen and graphite production technology (main image). The Perth company told investors detailed engineering design of its 100 tonne per annum commercial…
Innovation critical for defence – by Gregor Ferguson
By Gregor Ferguson Why is innovation important to a defence force? Because a small country deploying a small defence force won’t derive either an operational advantage or an economic advantage from trying to do the same thing as everybody else, only cheaper. Innovation – in equipment, organisation and process – is the difference between being…
RM Williams to reshore some production
Bootmaker RM Williams will reshore those parts of its manufacturing operations currently overseas, according to media reports. The AFR reported iron ore billionaire Andrew Forrest as saying he would spend ‘whatever it takes’ to return 35 per cent of production currently overseas to our shores. RM Williams makes its iconic bushman’s boots and belts at…
ViDAR system secures contract for test and development by Lockheed Martin
Australia’s Sentient ViDAR system has won a contract for test and development by global defence giant Lockheed Martin for rotary intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) capability. The program opens the door to export opportunities and integration with the company’s Sikorsky MH-60R & Lockheed Martin sensor suites. Locally developed by Melbourne’s Sentient Vision, Sentient ViDar (Visual…
China wine exports slashed to a trickle as punitive measures bite
China’s punitive tariffs on Australian wine have slashed wine exports to the middle kingdom to a trickle. Australian makers sent only $3.5 million worth of wine to China in December, down from $162.9 million in October according to figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Red wine exports fell from $159.9 million in October to…
$3.4 million in grants awarded to defence SMEs
Eight companies have been awarded a total of $3.4 million under the latest round of the Sovereign Industrial Capability Program. The SICP offers between $50,000 and $1 million in dollar-matched funding to SMEs in defence, for companies contributing to local capabilities, and aims to build the capacity and resilience of Australian small-to-medium sized business. The latest round…