Manufacturing news briefs – stories you may have missed

Phoslock wins Rio contract

Large-scale water treatment company Phoslock has won a $2 million contract to clean up one of Rio de Janiero’s main drinking water reservoirs. The company, which does most of its business in highly-polluted Chinese waterways, will bind and remove phosphorous from the reservoir operated by utility Cia Estadual de Águas e Esgotos SA.

Somnomed boosts sleep apnea sales

Somnomed which makes an ‘oral appliance’ (pictured) which keeps the airways open during sleep has boosted its North American sales. A 26 per cent increase in US sales of the medical device boosted sales to $4.4 million in the half year, delivering the company a small maiden profit.

Coronavirus worrying importers, exporters: Ai Group

The effect from the COVID-19 coronavirus is beginning to be felt by Australian companies, according to the Australian Industry Group. Members were struggling to contact suppliers in China, and a hunt for alternative supply and markets “was well under way,” chief executive Innes Willox told The Weekend Australian. Certificates of origin for food and agribusiness exports to China, issued by the ACCI, are down by a fifth compared to last year.

New report highlights SME digitalisation hesitation due to cost

A new white paper published by RMIT, Demystifying Industry 4.0, has used in-depth interviews with more than a dozen executives to identify barriers to Industry 4.0 adoption. According to the university’s Dr Ben Cheng, perceived complexity and cost was still holding back many SMEs. Key requisities for success were commitment from top management; deep understanding of one’s business,  the potential and desired level of transformation; and having a clear implementation strategy.

Picture: Somnomed

Subscribe to our free @AuManufacturing newsletter here.