Norweld expands to new Perth facility

Premium 4WD aluminium tray and canopy manufacturer Norweld has invested $5 million in a new 2,573sqm purpose-built facility in Wangara, Perth to meet demand from recreational and fleet customers. Once at full capacity the facility will employ 30 local staff and triple Norweld’s previous output capabilities in Western Australia, including servicing customers as far north…

iLaunch Trailblazer to develop composite structures for space

The iLAuNCH (Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics) Trailblazer project will apply the design flexibility and speed of additive manufacturing technology to develop large-scale carbon composite structures for rockets. Launch vehicles will require scalable production of low weight and high strength structures and components that can withstand the extreme loads, vibrations and shocks…

Orica expands with mining chemicals buy

Chemicals and explosives manufacturer Orica is to acquire 100 per cent of the common stock of Cyanco Intermediate 4 Corp. (Cyanco) (the Acquisition) from an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. (Cerberus) for US$640 million. The acquisition of Cyanco, a US-based leader in the manufacture and distribution of sodium cyanide primarily serving the gold mining…

BlockTexx closes $7 million Series B

Textile recycling company BlockTexx has announced completion of a $7 million Series B round. BlockTexx said in a statement that funding came from existing investors and fashion innovation platform, Fashion for Good. Return investors include Artesian and seed investors Mike and Sue Gregg. The company is scaling up its novel chemical process, which is able…

The government has unveiled its Navy of the future. Will it solve our current problems – or just create new ones?

By Peter Layton, Griffith University Australia’s naval surface combatant fleet is in trouble. The eight Anzac frigates are worn out after three decades of Middle Eastern adventures and hard to crew. The Anzac’s replacements, the much-criticised Hunter Class frigates, are late – the first will not enter service until 2032 or so. The project’s cost…