Brisbane contract manufacturer Elexon Electronics has announced Chris Whitaker, who has been employed at the Elexon Group since 2020, as its new General Manager. Whitaker began as GM of Elexon Mining and has been closely involved with the Elexon Electronics leadership team, the company said in a statement. He also brings senior executive experience from medical device design and manufacturing company Aim Lab, “where he focused on lean systems, high-quality outcomes, and cross-functional team development” according to the release. “We are pleased to have Chris leading Elexon Electronics and sincerely thank Frank Faller for his exceptional leadership and the strong foundations he leaves behind” added Elexon. Faller recently announced his departure from Elexon on Linkedin, with his next role not named but concerned with “strategic consulting, with a focus on supporting the ongoing growth and transformation of Australia’s advanced manufacturing sector.”
Weld Australia wants national inspection
Industry body Weld Australia has recommended that the federal government introduce “a national inspection regime for imported fabricated steel and high-risk goods,” citing the current “serious risk” posed by a lack of local compliance checks. According to CEO Geoff Crittenden, thousands of tonnes of imported fabricated steel is being imported without any independent inspection to ensure it meets Australian Standards. “If it’s made in Australia, it must comply with Australian Standards. Local manufacturers know this—and they’re held to it. So why are overseas-made goods not subject to the same scrutiny?” said Crittenden in a statement. He cited incidents highlighting the urgent need for reform, which “aren’t isolated cases—they’re symptoms of a broken system… We’ve seen road signs collapse, renewable energy transformers fail within a year, and mining and rail companies forced to fly engineers overseas to oversee quality control.”
Speaker line-up announced for FoodTech QLD 2025 conference
The conference program for FoodTech QLD, taking place June 19 – 20 at the Gold Coast Convention & Exhibition Centre, has been announced by the event organisers. According to a statement on Wednesday, the conference “will offer next-generation insights across food safety, packaging, processing, sustainability, and food tech investment” and will open with a keynote from Professor Jason Stokes, from The University of Queensland and the Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA), titled Shaping the Future of Food Manufacturing in Australia and drawing from over 25 years of research and experience. Other speakers include Lisa-Claire Ronquest-Ross (v2food), Dr Nicole Garafano (Planet Ark), Sioban Coster (Eclipse Ingredients) and Philippe Ceulen (Mandalay Venture Partners). More information is available here.
Myriota Joins Euro telco standards initiative
Adelaide-headquartered Myriota, which makes satellites for global connectivity applications optimised for IoT devices, announced on Monday that it has joined the European Telecommunication Standards Institute (ETSI). According to a statement, with its membership, Myriota can now help the standards development-focussed 3rd Generation Partnership Project define products “which add high quality ubiquitous satellite coverage to all cellular IoT markets.” Myriota said that by embracing standards as part of its IoT connectivity platform, it will seamlessly add satellite connectivity alongside existing terrestrial networks using low-cost, low-power off-the-shelf cellular devices and modules. “The 3GPP family of telecoms standards has been one of the most successful technology developments in history, acting as a catalyst for global, interoperable mobile communications,” said Ben Cade, CEO of Myriota. “We are delighted to have joined ETSI, and look forward to working closely with the ecosystem.”
CRA welcomes new industry minister
Cooperative Research Australia this week congratulated Anthony Albanese on the return of his government on their re-election, and Tim Ayres on his appointment as industry minister in the new frontbench. CRA CEO Jane O’Dwyer, said there is a historic opportunity “to put innovation at the heart of economic diversification, job creation and long-term resilience”. CRA added that Ayres brings “deep experience and commitment” to the industry portfolio. “We are looking forward to continuing to work with him on the opportunities that arise from closer collaboration between research and industry, and on advancing programs like the Cooperative Research Centres Program, which have a strong track record of commercialisation, job creation, and long-term national benefit,” added O’Dwyer.
WA appoints small business commissioner
The Western Australian government announced the appointment of Saj Abdoolakhan as the new Small Business Commissioner and chief executive officer of the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) on Wednesday. According to a statement from the government, Abdoolakhan brings “extensive experience from senior leadership roles” at the Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety, and will play a key role in the new position “advocating for small businesses across WA, as well as leading the agency's operations.” The SBDC's services include free advisory services, business skills workshops and low-cost dispute resolution. He replaces inaugural Commissioner David Eaton, who served in the role since its establishment in 2012, and will begin on Monday May 19.
Bygen gets follow-up investment
Activated carbon processing specialist Bygen has seen a follow-up investment round worth $3.5 million and led by Breakthrough Victoria. Bygen shared the news a statement on Linkedin in this week, naming Investible, FMG Circular Invest, Alberts ,and University of Adelaide as continued supporters through the round, which follows a Series A in January 2024 supporting development of a large-scale production plant. “With this latest funding, we’re accelerating our commercial rollout in Australia and globally — scaling our low-emission activated carbon technology to meet critical needs in water treatment, gas purification, and PFAS remediation” the post on Wednesday reads. “We’re grateful for the trust and backing of our investors as we continue to deliver high-performance, sustainable solutions to global filtration challenges.”
Picture: Example of a large-scale cryogenic cooling infrastructure which will achieve the required 4 Kelvin range (-269 °C, -452 °F), similar to the Brisbane plant. (Credit Linde)
