Metal processor Nyrstar Australia urgently needs to secure a government rescue package to ensure a future for its loss-making smelters in South Australia and Tasmania, as The Australian Financial Review reports. Chief executive Matt Howell said the company’s Swiss owner was weighing whether to close the plants within weeks. Howell, who took over as chief…
Despite the Industry 4.0 theme emerging from Germany early in the last decade, local uptake of the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (or smart factories, 4IR or a handful of other near-synonyms) appears to be slow. The benefits have been spruiked ad nauseum in the intervening years by industrial technology vendors, researchers, manufacturing advocates and others. Yet…
Arafura vessel commissioned The Royal Australian Navy commissioned the first of six Arafura class offshore patrol vessels (OPVs) at Fremantle, Western Australia, on Saturday. According to a statement from Defence, the OPVs (built by Luerssen Australia, which is owned by Civmec as of Wednesday) will improve the “ability to contribute to maritime patrol, response and…
Henderson, Western Australia-based construction and engineering firm Civmec has confirmed the completed acquisition of all shares in Luerssen Australia, the local subsidiary of NVL (Naval Vessels Lürssen.) The $20 million deal was completed on Wednesday. Civmec said in an ASX statement that it will consolidate its role in local naval shipbuilding “by bringing Luerssen Australia’s…
Brisbane-based Versatile Structures has pulled off a dramatic rescue mission, announcing on Monday the acquisition of Superior Coaters just weeks before the Dulux-accredited powder coating facility was set to close its doors forever. The last-minute buyout reads like a business thriller – when Versatile Structures learned in April that their key supplier was shutting down…
Tasmanian businesses began receiving a 25 per cent increase to financial assistance on Monday as the Albanese Labor Government delivered on a key election commitment to boost the Tasmanian Freight Equalisation Scheme. The scheme recognises Tasmania’s reliance on shipping across the Bass Strait and supports Tasmanian shippers to move a range of non-bulk goods by…
The Queensland government says it will establish a new Manufacturing Hub in Toowoomba, following a funding allocation of $10 million in last week’s state budget. No opening date was given in the update on Tuesday. The statement from manufacturing minister Dale Last said the Toowoomba hub will “soon begin working with local manufacturers to strengthen…
A new book published by the Acton Institute for Policy Research and Innovation confronts the persistent failure of successive Australian governments to deliver a coherent, long-term innovation policy. In Thinking in Public: Australia’s Missing Innovation Policy—Will it Ever Be Found?, author John H. Howard, a leading figure in Australian innovation and public policy circles for…
SGH has announced that Boral CEO and Managing Director Vik Bansal will step down, with the transition to a new leader at SGH’s building products division expected “in early 2026”. SGH, formerly known as Seven Group Holdings, said on Tuesday that it had worked with Bansal on “a structured succession to ensure a smooth leadership transition”. …
When a critical medication that protects Australia’s most vulnerable communities runs short, who pays the price? A new investigation reveals the shocking gaps in our pharmaceutical sovereignty. By Simran Gill. In late February, Australia faced a crisis that few noticed but many felt: a serious shortage of benzathine benzylpenicillin G (BPG), an essential medication used…