What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) The critical trade keeping Australian manufacturing alive Australian manufacturing faces a hidden crisis as the number of toolmakers and engineering pattern-makers has declined by 70 per cent between 2006 and 2021, according to the latest Census data. Only 2,220 practitioners remain…
Western Downs Regional Council will hold its fourth annual Accelerate Manufacturing Conference, a free event to be held on May 21 at the Dalby Events Centre. According to its organisers, the event will “bring together government officials, industry experts, investors, and innovators”, and feature a keynote from Martin G. Moore, host of the No Bullsh!t…
Adelaide-born industrial automation company SAGE Group Holdings has been acquired by NASDAQ-listed consulting and engineering services business Tetra Tech for an undisclosed amount. According to a statement from SAGE on Friday, the deal will provide international expansion opportunities across water, energy, transportation, defence, and manufacturing. It is subject to Foreign Investment Review Board approval and…
Speaking on the @AuManufacturing Conversations podcast recently, Dr Joe Berry from the University of Melbourne and Dr Peter Sherrell from RMIT explained how they observed that when a water droplet becomes stuck on a tiny bump or rough spot, the force builds up until it “jumps or slips” past the obstacle, creating an irreversible electrical charge that had not been reported before.
Sponsored article One of the most promising developments for industrial and commercial energy users is the integration of behind-the-meter (BTM) battery storage systems. Businesses can unlock significant value from BTM batteries—not just by avoiding costly grid upgrades but by creating new revenue streams and enhancing energy resilience. The evolving grid The power grid was never…
KBR selected for Samsara factory Houston, US-headquartered engineering firm KBR has been announced as a partner on Samsara Eco’s plastics and textile enzymatic recycling plant, scheduled for completion in early 2028. Samsara is commercialising an enzymatic recycling technology for processing “some of the most common types of plastic and synthetic fibre – materials that have…
Materials and renewable energy development and commercialisation company Sparc Technologies has announced firm commitments to raise $2.2 million through a share placement, with a further share purchase plan expected to raise another $500,000. In a statement on Thursday, Sparc said the placement at $0.15 per share was “strongly supported by existing and new investors”. The…
Support among Australians for nuclear power has fallen, according to a survey of more than 4,000 respondents conducted by Griffith University’s Climate Action Beacon in partnership with the Monash Climate Change Communication Research Hub. The National Climate Action Survey was showing that “the logic of investment and risk” didn’t pass most Australians’ pub tests, according…
According to a new analysis of jobs data by economists at professional services firm KPMG, there was a “manufacturing renaissance” between 2014 and 2024, with employment growing 9.1 per cent overall. A statement from the company on Thursday said the workforce in “overall manufacturing occupational groups” grew from 779,800 to 851,000 in the period. The…