The first of two Volvo BZL vehicles built in Brisbane at Eagle Farm marks bus body manufacturer Volgren’s 50th Battery Electric Bus (BEB) delivery. The two vehicles fitted with the company’s Optimus bodies delivered to Queensland’s Translink will be operated by Brisbane City Council on the Spring Hill Loop – a free city service for…
By Peter Roberts Following a period of public consultation the federal government has updated the List of Critical Technologies that it believes will help secure Australia’s future. The updated list differs from that previously announced by the coalition, though in most cases one suspects that they cover the same ground, with only a different upfront…
US building automation company Johnson Controls has announced that it will acquire century-plus-year-old industrial refrigeration specialist Gordon Brothers Industries for an undisclosed sum. In a statement on Wednesday, Johnson Controls said the definitive agreement with the Australian company would strengthen its presence in the region, and see GBI staff trained to design and engineer, select,…
One-piece carbon fibre road wheel manufacturer Carbon Revolution has secured a new US$60 million debt funding programme to continue its development of a mega-line wheel production line and progress its plans to merge with a US entity, special purpose acquisition company Twin Ridge Capital Acquisition Corp (TRCA), being recapitalised and listed in the US in…
The SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC) has launched a new research programme called ‘Maya Nula’ to develop an Australian satellite Earth Observation (EO) capability with space sensor technology for the agriculture sector. The name Maya Nula, which translates to ‘eyes here, there, everywhere’ in the Dharug language of the Eora nation, aims to create an…
Australia’s H2X Global has been chosen by Swedish company Renova AB for a contract worth up to $34 million (240 million SEK) for the supply of commercial hydrogen fuel cell electric (FCEV) trucks to the city of Gothenburg. The Renova Group is owned by ten municipalities in western Sweden, and upon completion, the contract will…
The number of weapons incorporating gimbal pointing systems developed by Canberra defence company Electro Optic Systems – and supplied to Ukraine – is increasing with Northrop Grumman demonstrating a new counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) capability. The demonstration at the SOF Week exhibition now underway in Tampa, Florida includes Northrop Grumman’s Mobile – Acquisition, Cueing and…
The Kimberley Cotton Company (KCC) in Western Australia will build the state’s first cotton processing plant, worth $60 million and expected to begin operating in 2025. In a statement on Wednesday, the WA government congratulated the KCC on ordering the plant at Kununurra, which coincided with a visit by regional minister Don Punch meeting with…
A 43-foot hybrid boat being developed by a collaboration between electrical and electronics company Ampcontrol, boat builder Steber International and the University of Newcastle, has been launched on the Manning River, Taree, in regional NSW. Ampcontrol Engineering Manager Steve Mitchell said the successful deployment was a result of a partnership between industry, government and the…
A new Advanced Manufacturing Centre of Excellence at Melbourne Polytechnic’s Heidelberg campus was opened on Monday. The new $3.2 million facility was described as “next-generation manufacturing training centre” that would train Victoria’s next generation of engineers on “technology in robotics, 3D printing, and computer design will support a range of industries including biomedical, defence and…
