Concrete sector grows despite housing downturn, $3.4bn industry report reveals

Australia’s concrete product manufacturing industry has shown resilience in the face of challenging residential construction conditions, growing at a modest but steady pace, according to a comprehensive market report released on Tuesday. The IBISWorld report reveals the industry has reached an estimated value of $3.4 billion in 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate…

QUT team make stretchable semiconductors better able to turn body heat into electricity

A team of Queensland University of Technology researchers (pictured) have developed a new alloy with potential use in wearable, flexible semiconductors. The researchers, each from QUT and each belonging to the ARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality (ZeroPC), published their work in the journal Nature Communications. A statement from the university…

Tiny manufacturers: How black soldier flies are turning food waste into valuable products

In a world where manufacturing typically conjures images of sprawling factories and complex machinery, a tiny six-legged workforce is quietly revolutionising production processes at Southern Cross University. Black soldier flies, the unassuming insects with appetites twice their body weight, are being harnessed as nature’s manufacturing plants to transform food waste into valuable resources, researchers revealed…

In the trade war, China has moved to curb supply of critical minerals. Can Australia seize the moment?

By Marina Yue Zhang, University of Technology Sydney In the escalating trade war between the United States and China, one notable exception stood out: 31 critical minerals, including rare earth elements, were strategically exempted from tariffs. This was not a gesture of goodwill. It was a tacit acknowledgment of the United States’ deep dependence on…

Construction begins on Central Coast Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub

Construction has begun on the Central Coast Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub, a $17.14 million project funded by the federal government and delivered by not-for-profit organisation Central Coast Industry Connect (CCIC) in partnership with the Central Coast Council, University of Newcastle and Regional Development Central Coast. In a statement on Thursday, CCIC said the project will position…