Survey suggests SME optimism despite inflationary pressures and recession fears: The latest annual SME Compass Report by lender Banjo Loans found 70 per cent believe 2023 will be a year of revenue growth for them. The survey of 1,011 respondents found they were “feeling upbeat about the future and reporting revenue growth despite the pressures…
SMC Corporation Australia New Zealand has announced that its Managing Director, Wayne Driver, will be taking an early retirement due to unspecified health and personal reasons, effective April 1. This decision marks the end of his 33-year tenure at SMC, a Japanese-headquartered specialist in pneumatic and electric automation equipment. “This decision has not been taken…
The potential industrial payoff from the construction of Australian nuclear submarines, or potentially the lack of it, has ignited controversy among @AuManufacturing readers. Here, in the third in a series (see below) Geoff Potts takes a more positive view. AUKUS will be one of the most significant and difficult national projects undertaken by our nation…
John Kerin who served as minister for primary industries, trade and transport between 1983 and 1993, and was treasurer for six months in 1991, has passed away, aged 85. His passing is important to note as he was behind the setting up of 15 research and development corporations around rural industries and the founding of…
ChemX signs MoU with lithium–ion battery company C4V ASX-listed high–purity battery materials development company ChemX Materials has announced the signing of a non–binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with US–based battery technology company C4V. C4V is involved in some of the world’s largest gigafactory developments, including Recharge Industries’ gigafactory in Geelong, Australia, as well as iM3NY’s…
Sparc Technologies has commissioned the company’s ecosparc graphene additive commercial production facility. The state of the art facility enables Sparc to produce commercial quantities of its ecosparc graphene additive product for use in the global coatings industry, composites and other graphene additive applications. Sparc Technologies Executive Chairman Stephen Hunt said: “Sparc is delighted to be…
Drone engine manufacturer Orbital Corporation has inked a continuation contract with a Singapore customer for the design and development of a new engine for an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The contract will take an existing design, development, verification and validation contract through to its completion. Orbital CEO Todd Adler said the contract was another positive…
Melbourne-based electric motorcycle manufacturer Savic Motorcycles is seeking investment ahead of production of its C-Series, which was awarded Australian Design Rules (ADR) certification in December. On Thursday morning Savic told those on its mailing list that it has “decided to extend our capital raising through Equitise, the renowned crowdfunding platform, so that you, our supporters…
SME business has taken a rather dim view to the long timelines associated with industry opportunities that could arise from the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the UK and the US. Here Paul van de Loo takes a jaundiced view, and presents an alternative industrial scenario. The AUKUS agreement has captured a lot of airtime lately.…
CSIRO releases new renewable storage roadmap Storage of renewable energy will be “essential” to Australia reaching net zero transition and will require significant investment, according to a roadmap released by the national science agency, CSIRO, on Wednesday. The Renewable Energy Storage Roadmap shows that the national electricity market (NEM) could require a 10 to 14-fold…
