Even as the fusion era dawns, we’re still in the Steam Age

By Andreas Helwig, University of Southern Queensland Steam locomotives clattering along railway tracks. Paddle steamers churning down the Murray. Dreadnought battleships powered by steam engines. Many of us think the age of steam has ended. But while the steam engine has been superseded by internal combustion engines and now electric motors, the modern world still…

China’s green steel push could crush Australia’s dirty iron ore exports

By Charlie Huang, RMIT University Australia’s largest export, iron ore, has long been a powerhouse of economic growth. Over the past two decades, its contribution to our national income has surged from just A$8 billion in 2005 to over A$124 billion today. But the Australian iron ore industry faces a major challenge as its biggest…

Australian space industry: concrete pads and coffees-to-go?

By Adam Gilmour There is a space treaty being proposed in Parliament right now that sounds innocuous, but has the potential of being the biggest speed-bump/handbrake or ‘own goal’ for the Australian space industry. Tabled in Parliament on 28 February, the Technology Safeguards Agreement (TSA) between Australia and the United States essentially allows US rockets…

RECCE uses innovative method to bring forward R&D incentive

The federal government’s Research and Development (R&D) tax incentive may have highly restrictive rules and definitions which cut the number of companies eligible for assistance, but for early stage and start up companies it can be a godsend. Available to companies turning over less than $20 million – itself a bone of contention with innovative…

What is a GPU? An expert explains the chips powering the AI boom, and why they’re worth trillions

By Conrad Sanderson, CSIRO As the world rushes to make use of the latest wave of AI technologies, one piece of high-tech hardware has become a surprisingly hot commodity: the graphics processing unit, or GPU. A top-of-the-line GPU can sell for tens of thousands of dollars, and leading manufacturer NVIDIA has seen its market valuation…

CEFC points the way to NRF effectiveness

By Peter Roberts Those questioning the effectiveness of the federal government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund need to look no further than the success of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation initiative. But don’t expect rapid results – the CEFC took a decade to pick up steam and only now is showing the power of catalytic…

The National Electricity Market wasn’t made for a renewable energy future. Here’s how to fix it

By Vikki McLeod, Queensland University of Technology and Marcus Foth, Queensland University of Technology Rooftop solar is Australia’s cheapest source of electricity. The consumer can get electricity from rooftop solar at less than a fifth of the average cost per kwh of buying it from a retailer. Unsurprisingly, rooftop solar output is growing fast. In…

Defence companies outperform in workforce gender pay gap

A study just released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency of gender pay gaps in companies found that women in the workforce are still badly treated, in fact very badly treated. The median gender pay gap in 5,000 companies studied on a base salary measure was found to be 14.5 per cent, while on a…

R&D companies should beware too much success

By Peter Roberts Australia has a modest R&D tax incentive programme which rewards innovative young companies with a tax refund based on their R&D spending. But those same small companies face a refund cliff should they grow too big – the scheme returns tax on the basis of R&D performed only up to a company…

Mary O’Kane recommends more uni R&D – but that’s not the innovation answer

By Peter Roberts Much has been written about the Australian universities accord – final report from scientist and engineer Mary O’Kane (pictured). But from an industry innovation point of view her panel’s recommendations fall short of what is needed to kickstart Australia’s fading innovation – and I mean business innovation – performance. National R&D has…

BHP gets serious about copper metal production

By Peter Roberts BHP might just be getting serious about fully exploiting its ability to refine and export copper on a large scale from its South Australian copper mines – however the company has considered major expansions previously and baulked at the cost. In 2012 BHP halted plans for a $30 billion expansion of its…

Government focus on defence innovation – Thistlethwaite

The Assistant Minister for defence Matt Thistlethwaite has spruiked the government’s response to the Defence Strategic Review in the field of defence innovation, including through joint work with AUKUS partners the US and the UK. The DSR found that more support is needed for innovation, faster acquisition and better links between Defence and industry to…

Bigger fleet, more firepower, jobs for decades – just add dollars!

By Peter Roberts It is amazing what a little cold hard cash – an extra $11 billion bringing the total to $38 billion over 10 years to be exact – can do. The federal government has tried to work wonders by piling the cash into the defence budget to achieve three of what seemed like…

What’s behind the collapse in the price of nickel and how can the industry survive?

By Mohan Yellishetty, Monash University Australia’s nickel industry has been granted access to billions of dollars in federal funding as well as relief from royalty payments after a collapse in the global price of nickel that threatens thousands of jobs. On Thursday BHP wrote down the value of its West Australian nickel division Nickel West…

Critical mineral nickel slump spurs government action

A slump in prices for the critical mineral nickel – used in battery manufacture – has brought action from the federal and Western Australian governments. In the past few days federal Resources Minister Madeleine King placed nickel on the Critical Minerals List, giving nickel companies opportunity to access billions of dollars in Commonwealth funding. And…

Queensland gets back in the venture capital game

By Peter Roberts The Queensland government is getting back in the venture capital game and directly investing in young – and inherently risky – businesses. State owned VCs have been on the nose since the failure of the Victorian Economic Development Corporation and subsequent abolition in 1993, its demise as much a result of the…

Carbon Revolution sales up, US listed shares down

By Peter Roberts Australian-born, US based automotive wheel manufacturer Carbon Revolution has announced preliminary sales for the fiscal second-quarter ending December 2023 of a record US$14.8 million, exceeding previously announced guidance for the quarter of US$14.0M-US$14.5M. For the year ended December 31, 2023, revenue increased 42 percent to US$40.3 million. CEO of Carbon Revolution Jake…

Soft plastic recycling is back after the REDcycle collapse – but only in 12 supermarkets. Will it work this time?

By Anya Phelan, Griffith University After the memorable collapse of Australia’s largest soft plastic recycling program REDcycle in late 2022, a new scheme is emerging. It’s remarkably similar, albeit on a much smaller scale. The trial underway in 12 Melbourne supermarkets intends, once again, to provide customers with an in-store option for recycling “scrunchable” food…

Now Port Pirie plans to be a green iron production hub

Not content with Whyalla’s emergence as a green steel production hub, a second South Australian city – Port Pirie – has joined the race to become a green metals hub based on the state’s huge reserves of magnetite ore. While haematite from the Pilbara has been the source of most of Australia’s iron ore exports,…

Is the government eyeing more, not less RAN ships?

By Peter Roberts Until now the talk in defence circles has been about the possibility that fewer than the planned nine Hunter class frigates might be built at a new shipyard at Osborne in Adelaide (pictured). This is something that has kept Adelaide manufacturers, already reeling from Australia’s recent on-again, off again submarine policies, awake…

The Nationals want renewables to stay in the cities – but the clean energy grid doesn’t work like that

By Andrew Gunn, Monash University and Christian Jakob, Monash University The bush is full up – no room for more renewables, according to Nationals leader David Littleproud. Instead, renewables should be restricted to large solar arrays on commercial buildings in the cities. The country-focused minor party presumably hopes to capitalise on rural scepticism of large scale…

The Australian AM business operating in a category of one

Sponsored  As seen through recent arguments over industry policy and various reports over the years – such as the results of a Parliamentary inquiry released in late-November – there are recommendations aplenty as to where and how local manufacturing can flourish. It’s easy enough to find comments about where Australia shouldn’t try to compete. And…

Resources minister less than enthusiastic on green hydrogen

By Peter Roberts Anyone looking for the federal government to put emissions-producing exports behind it and focus on zero emissions exports of green hydrogen and ammonia would be disappointed at a major speech just delivered by Resources Minister Madeline King to Japanese industry leaders at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo. In a long speech King…

Renewable projects are getting built faster – but there’s even more need for speed 

By Thomas Longden, Western Sydney University How long does it take to build a solar or wind farm? It’s a simple question with wide implications. To reach our ambitious 82% renewable energy target by 2030, we have to build many new projects – and start them soon. In 2022, renewables hit a new high of 36%…

This is how far Grant Tinney is prepared to go for charity

Many industrial leaders and companies are active and generous in the charity space, but few are prepared to go as far as Grant Tinney, Founder, Chairman and CTO at STÄRKE Advanced Manufacturing Group. Tinney took to social media to celebrate one of his boldest achievements – helping create and participating in the 11th annual Marilyn…

Do we want a wind farm outside our window? What Australians think about the net zero transition

By Lucy Richardson, Monash University and Ella Healy, Monash University A paradox lies at the heart of Australian public opinion about climate change. While there is clear general support for substantial government action to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, there is also strong concern about the local impacts of new renewable energy infrastructure. The…

Australia may spend hundreds of millions of dollars on quantum computing research. Are we chasing a mirage?

By Timothy Duignan, Griffith University The Australian government is going all in on quantum computing. After investing more than $100 million on “quantum technology” in 2021, it is now reportedly considering spending up to $200 million on purchasing a “quantum computer” from a US company. Is this a sensible decision? You might think so, if…

Austin Engineering shows how business improvement can pay off

By Peter Roberts For those hesitating on embarking on a company improvement process hesitate no longer – Perth mining equipment manufacturer Austin Engineering has shown the massive benefits available from reorganising and streamlining operations and investing in new machinery and manufacturing processes. The company, which manufactures large dump truck bodies for the mining sector and…

Entech in the van of electronics revival

By Peter Roberts The 1980s and 1990s were optimistic times for electronics manufacturing in Australia, with changing technologies allowing new companies to establish such as Entech Electronics in Adelaide, GPC Electronics in western Sydney and IntelliDesign in Brisbane. Like all manufacturing there have been ups and a lot of downs since then but the sector,…

Australians are concerned about AI. Is the federal government doing enough to mitigate risks?

By Toby Walsh, UNSW Sydney Today, the federal Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic revealed an interim response from the Australian government on the safe and responsible use of artificial intelligence (AI). The public, especially the Australian public, have real concerns about AI. And it’s appropriate that they should. AI is a powerful technology…

Ukraine war propels DroneShield to new records

By Peter Roberts War brings no good to anyone but a few military contractors which boom during times of rising tensions – none more so than drone detection and countermeasure manufacturer DroneShield. To say that the company is in the right place at the right time to prosper from technological change is a massive understatement…

Top AI trends for engineers in 2024

By Stephane Marouani As the adoption of AI grows across countless industries, it continues to enable impactful progress and revolutionise various aspects of technology and human interaction. Forrester predicts that Enterprise AI initiatives will boost productivity and creative problem-solving by 50 per cent in 2024. AI will impact the work of engineers and educators alike, saving…

PM insists NRF money available now, though application process unclear

By Brent Balinski It is the time of year when many of us are reopening, if we aren’t already open for business. Being open for business can have different meanings for different people, as prime minister Anthony Albanese’s description of the National Reconstruction Fund on Monday morning showed. The independent National Reconstruction Fund Corporation is…

Joint Australia-US defence work ramps up

By Peter Roberts Deepening technological involvement between the three AUKUS partner nations is a key aim of the AUKUS pact with joint work between Australia and the United States escalating over summer. Work is underway between the two nations on at least three areas – submarine development, hypersonics and the development of autonomous vehicle systems…

Coal will be all but gone by 2034 under Australia’s latest energy roadmap

By Dylan McConnell, UNSW Sydney Australia’s coal power stations will all close in 2038 – five years earlier than previously expected – and variable renewable energy capacity will need to triple by 2030 and increase sevenfold by 2050. These are two key findings in the latest roadmap for Australia’s largest grid and electricity market, the…

Employment outcomes improve for VET graduates

Two-thirds of students who completed a vocational qualification at certificate I or above had an improved employment outcome post-training, up 2.6 percentage points from the previous year. The report, VET student outcomes 2023, released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows: 50.6 percent of graduates who did not have a job…

Lockheed Martin muscles up local defence

Lockheed Martin Australia’s supply of key defence equipment comes with extensive economic benefits, according to the Lockheed Martin Australia 2022 Economic Impact Report, produced by Deloitte Access Economics. LMA supplies the F-35 Joint Strike fighter, Sikorsky helicopters and Lockheed C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft among others supports 3,422 jobs nationally, according to DE. Highlights from…

The big Xmas news – the great schnitzel wars of 2023

By Peter Roberts It is that time of the year when things slow down in the news world with this year’s prize so far going to the great schnitzel wars of 2023. The fuss started when a publican – well it had to be a publican – in Adelaide channeled predictions of $100 legs of…

Carbon Revolution wins new wheel contract – but where will they be made

By Peter Roberts Carbon fibre road wheel manufacturer Carbon Revolution‘s birthplace of Geelong, Victoria, or perhaps Mexico will manufacture a new wheel to be produced in a deal announced by the newly minted American-listed Carbon Revolution PLC. The company said it has been awarded a wheel development programme by a premium brand of a major…

Hyped and expensive, hydrogen has a place in Australia’s energy transition, but only with urgent government support

By Alison Reeve, Grattan Institute If you listen to the dreamers, hydrogen is the magical fuel of the future that can replace everything from the petrol in your car to the coal in a steelworks. Hype around hydrogen has been building in Australia since at least 2018. Every government has a hydrogen strategy. Hydrogen has…

What next after a NSW Modern Manufacturing Commissioner – by Julie Harrison

The young New South Wales government perplexed many when it axed the role of Commissioner for Modern Manufacturing. Here manufacturer Julie Harrison asks ‘where are we headed?’, and offers a way forward. The decision of the New South Wales government to axe the role of Commissioner of Modern Manufacturing just weeks ago came as a…

Manufacturers could be hit by wider defence export controls – By Amy McDonnell

Manufacturers could be hit by restrictions on the export of fairly commonplace items that could end up in the hands of Russia, now engaged in a brutal invasion of Ukraine, writes Amy McDonnell. In a world first, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States – collectively referred to as the Export…

Risk, reward, and being brave enough to back yourself

@AuManufacturing’s Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers campaign has returned, and will culminate with an awards event at Australian Manufacturing Week 2024. Brent Balinski speaks to Martin Ripple from ANCA CNC Machines and Ian Lowrey from Wireman about an always-important topic. Innovation requires a lot. High up on the list are a conviction that things can…

Back to the future with Industry Growth Program

By Peter Roberts Something old and something new has gone into the recipe for the federal government’s new $392 million Industry Growth Program which was announced yesterday. Ostensibly the programme is a replacement for the Industry Growth Centres (IGCs) which saw the establishment of six industry growth centres, now at, or past the end of…

Can Canberra arrest the flow of manufacturers leaving for the US?

By Brent Balinski The Industry Growth Program, offering grants between $50,000 and $5 million to SME and startup commercialisation projects, started accepting applications on Monday. It will no doubt be useful to a long list of companies. However, the replacement for the Entrepreneurs’ Programme does nothing to address some bigger, more immediate problems.  The mood…

Carbon Revolution to manufacture in Mexico – media report

By Peter Roberts As if it is not enough of a slap in the face for Australian technology companies the fact that carbon fibre wheel maker Carbon Revolution was bought by American investors for a song, the next step according to media reports is to manufacture in Mexico. According to Automotive News, the company born…

The government will underwrite risky investments in renewables – here’s why that’s a good idea

By Tony Wood, Grattan Institute On Thursday Climate Change and Energy Minister Chris Bowen announced a scheme to underwrite the risk of investing in new renewable energy generation and storage. The expansion of the national Capacity Investment Scheme follows a successful pilot study with New South Wales. The government paid A$1.8 billion for just over a gigawatt…

Battery talks with Indonesia – ‘It’s value-adding stupid!’

By Peter Roberts The Minister for Industry and Science Ed Husic is to visit Jakarta to further cooperation and collaboration with Indonesia on battery technologies and electric vehicles. Husic’s two-day trip is a long overdue ramping up of Australia’s industrial relationship with our close neighbour – one that has often seemed neglected in recent decades…

Wine production hits 15 year low – Wine Australia

Australia’s wine industry recorded the lowest wine production in 15 years in 2022-13, with total sales exceeding wine prodiction, according to new figures from Wine Australia. Total sales of Australian wine were 11 per cent above production in 2022–23 – not enough to substantially reduce pressure on historically high national wine inventory levels Wine Australia’s…

Drone making boosts robotics manufacturing

By Peter Roberts Drone manufacture is part of a surprisingly large cohort of robot manufacturers uncovered in a survey of robotics providers in Australia. The survey identified 466 robot and automation suppliers, and while most were essentially service businesses, the study identified 19 percent were manufacturers of robots, including drones. Of the rest 57 were…

Search for industry partners for Surface Manufacturing CRC – Titomic case study

Researchers led by UniSA and Swinburne University are searching for companies wanting to develop surface processing capabilities in a planned Surface Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre. Here, we explain how Titomic benefitted from collaborative research at Swinburne. Australia boasts one of the world’s largest reserves of titanium, so it follows that incorporating this abundant raw material…

Search for industry partners for Surface Manufacturing CRC – by Atif Majeed

Researchers led by UniSA and Swinburne University of Technology are searching for companies wanting to develop surface processing capabilities in a planned Surface Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre. Here, Atif Majeed explains how SMEs can elevate their technological capabilities and develop competitiveness through involvement in a CRC. Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) are vital catalysts for…

The banks role in industry assistance – by Damon Cantwell

The advent of the National Reconstruction Fund offers the Federal Government an opportunity to learn from past industry programme mistakes, and make the whole process of industry support more efficient, writes Damon Cantwell. The $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund programme is not offering grants, but a mixture of concessional loans, guarantees and some equity positions.…

Search for CRC industry partners – 7 reasons to join a CRC by Tony Peacock

Researchers led by UniSA are searching for companies interested to develop surface processing capabilities in a planned Surface Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (SMCRC). Here, Tony Peacock explains the seven benefits of the highly successful CRC programme. The Cooperative Research Centres programme is one of Australia’s longest running and most successful R&D schemes. Tens of billions…

Unlocking lunar potential: Australia’s Big Dipper Challenge

Ben Sorensen explains the recently-launched Big Dipper Challenge, and its role as a doorway to the burgeoning space economy and its supply chain. In a bold leap for the Australian manufacturing sector and space exploration, the ELO2 Consortium has launched the Big Dipper Lunar Regolith Acquisition Challenge, a national initiative designed to propel Australia and…

The genuine Spirit of Australia heads towards orbit

The groundbreaking Australian-made Space Industry Responsive Intelligent Thermal (SpIRIT) nanosatellite has arrived in California for launch in November. This article, adapted from one from the Australian Space Agency, details the technology and the companies behind this achievement. SpIRIT is a joint industry mission led by the University of Melbourne and supported by the Australian Space…

Australian Manufacturing Forum passes 14,000 members

@AuManufacturing’s social media discussion and networking group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin, has passed an important membership milestone. The Forum, Australia’s largest professional social media group of Australian manufacturers, jumped past the 14,000 member mark last night with the admission of new members, bringing membership late yesterday to 14,012. New members in past days…

Want to join the ‘no profit, no tax’ club?

By Peter Roberts Tired of hearing that manufacturers are rent seekers asking for handouts from the government? Tired of paying tax? Well, now you don’t need to – in Australia corporate tax is somewhat voluntary depending on who you are. Instead of being in the difficult-to-make-a-buck manufacturing sector perhaps you should think about getting into…

BAE Systems beefs up frigate design, but what then is it?

By Peter Roberts In the face of criticism that Australia is building the wrong type of naval vessel in a time of rising tension, BAE Systems Australia has revealed a more lethal, attack version of the Hunter class frigate it is building in Adelaide. Conceived as a largely anti-submarine vessel, the nine Hunter class frigates…

Carbon Revolution lives on, cupboard bare for Australian investors

By Peter Roberts Shares in carbon fibre road wheel manufacturer Carbon Revolution disappeared from the ASX this week as the company’s shares began trading on the US NASDAQ exchange as Carbon Revolution Inc. The US listing was the culmination of a drawn out fight for survival which will see the company continue to manufacture at…

From oily idea to global force in 25 years

By Peter Roberts Homer called olive oil liquid gold, but to one Australian company its qualities have morphed an idea into an emerging global force in an age old and seemingly unchanging industry in only 25 years. When horticulturalists Rob McGavin and Paul Riordan planted an initial 200 hectares of olives in 1998 it is…

Is nuclear the answer to Australia’s climate crisis?

By Reuben Finighan, The University of Melbourne This article is part of a series by The Conversation, Getting to Zero, examining Australia’s energy transition. In Australia’s race to net zero emissions, nuclear power has surged back into the news. Opposition leader Peter Dutton argues nuclear is “the only feasible and proven technology” for cutting emissions.…

We built a ‘brain’ from tiny silver wires. It learns in real time, more efficiently than computer-based AI

By Zdenka Kuncic, University of Sydney and Ruomin Zhu, University of Sydney The world is infatuated with artificial intelligence (AI), and for good reason. AI systems can process vast quantities of data in a seemingly superhuman way. However, current AI systems rely on computers running complex algorithms based on artificial neural networks. These use huge…

On a wild goose chase to find Australian food brands

Earlier in the week Allen Roberts wrote that Australian owned food products faced extinction in the aisles of Australia’s duopoly supermarkets. Peter Roberts went on the hunt. I am always on the lookout for Australian made and owned products when I go shopping, but even I was not ready for the desert of genuine Australian…

Europe deal fell over as EU was asking too much – minister

By Peter Roberts It is not surprising that talks for a Europe Australia Free Trade deal have fallen over as Australia has little to give up to the EU and Europe has everything to lose from anything resembling free trade. Australia has systematically dismantled industry protection since the 1980s when there were quotas on imports…

Australian FMCG brands facing extinction?- by Allen Roberts

Sara Lee has been billed as the latest Australian food brand to go to the wall – it is actually New Zealand owned. Nevertheless, here Allen Roberts explains why it is next to impossible to find an Australian owned food brand on the shelves of our supermarket duopoly. When I was a boy in this…

Australia’s new dawn: becoming a green superpower with a big role in cutting global emissions

By Rod Sims, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Australia has three ways it can help reduce world greenhouse emissions, the only reduction that matters in tackling climate change. First, we can remove emissions from our economy. This will reduce global emissions by just 1.3%, but it must be done so we share…

Safety issues are being seen, but not addressed – study

@AuManufacturing rarely reports the plethora of surveys and studies promoted by vendors who have a vested interest in gaining attention for their products. But occasionally we come across a study such as that from global technology company SafetyCulture, that reveals some uncomfortable facts about how workers feel about their workplaces. SafetyCulture is a company which…

Austal’s massive order book in year of more ups than downs

By Peter Roberts The Chairman of Perth international shipbuilder John Rothwell has celebrated a year of massive ups and the occasional down in an upbeat address to the company’s annual general meeting. Rothwell first and foremost celebrated the growth in Austal’s order book to $11.6 billion, if all contract option agreements are exercised. Driven by…

VET spending at record levels – NCVER

State and territory government expenditure on vocational education and training (VET) totalled $10.9 billion in 2022, according to the latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). This expenditure was an increase of $0.4 billion or 4.1 percent from 2021. NCVER’s Government funding of VET 2022 report found that the main expenditure…

N-submarines well worth the wait – Kim Beazley

Eminent Australian political leader Kim Beazley has weighed in on the AUKUS submarine debate, writing that the submarines were necessitated by Australia’s strategic position in our region. Beazley, a former Governor of Western Australia, Ambassador to the United States and federal opposition leader, said Australia’s nuclear-powered submarines would be worth the wait, and the cost.…

Pushing water uphill: Snowy 2.0 was a bad idea from the start. Let’s not make the same mistake again

By Bruce Mountain, Victoria University Last night ABC’s Four Corners investigated the problem-plagued Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro power station, focusing on a bogged tunnelling machine, toxic gas and an unexpected volume of sludge. While these specific problems are new, we have criticised this project since 2019 and outlined six key problems even earlier elsewhere. How…

Your Digitisation Journey – webinar recording online now for you to view

@AuManufacturing’s latest online webinar – Your Digitisation Journey – is now available online for you to view via our YouTube channel. Hear how Christopher Janssen, Managing Director at GPC Electronics, harnessed technology to become Australia’s largest electronics manufacturer. Vanessa Katsanevakis, Director of Sussex Taps talks of the sophisticated manufacturing, materials tracking and storage and metal…

ATCO and BOC Linde to build world first hydrogen power station

By Peter Roberts ATCO and global gas giant BOC Linde have been selected by the South Australian government to construct a world-first hydrogen power station at Port Bonython, near the industrial city of Whyalla on Spencer Gulf. BOC Linde was seen by many as the front runner among the 29 companies competing to build the…

Lessons from the global move to decarbonise industry part 2 – by Cori Stewart

Cori Stewart and a group of eminent Australians have just returned from Europe and the Middle East, discussing growing manufacturing in a fast decarbonising world, and accelerating Industry 4.0 adoption. In the second part of a two-part series, she visits Germany and the Middle East. The Australian mission spent several days were spent with Germany’s…

Lessons from the global move to decarbonise industry part 1 – by Cori Stewart

Cori Stewart and a group of eminent Australians have just returned from Europe and the Middle East, discussing growing manufacturing in a fast decarbonising world, and accelerating Industry 4.0 adoption. In the first part of a two-part series, she shares insights into the implications of EU decarbonisation, and the growth of manufacturing hubs in Belgium.…

Apprenctice starts remain above pandemic levels – NCVER

Apprentice and trainee commencements appear to be returning to levels seen before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The Apprentices and trainees 2023: March quarter report shows that apprentice and trainee commencements increased steeply during the pandemic. While they have declined…

How drone submarines are turning the seabed into a future battlefield

By Adam Bartley, RMIT University and Matthew Warren, RMIT University A 12-tonne fishing boat weighs anchor three kilometres off the port of Adelaide. A small crew huddles over a miniature submarine, activates the controls, primes the explosives, and releases it into the water. The underwater drone uses sensors and sonar to navigate towards its pre-programmed…

Fortescue to buy electrolysers, but where will they be made?

By Peter Roberts Fortescue plans to make a final investment decision in December on its ambitious plans for large scale hydrogen electrolysers to be sited at Incitec Pivot’s Gibson Island plant in Brisbane. The company issued a statement that US supplier Plug Power was preferred supplier for the proposed 550 MW (megawatt) PEM (proton-exchange membrane)…

Why Australia urgently needs a climate plan and a Net Zero National Cabinet Committee to implement it

By Tony Wood, Grattan Institute Australia has a legislated target to reduce greenhouse emissions, a federal government with commitments to increase the share of renewable electricity and reduce power prices, and a globally important economic opportunity at its feet. In the second half of the government’s current term, delivery looks hard across the board. All…

Christopher Pyne’s belated ‘dismay’ at closure of the car industry

Former coalition minister for defence industry Christopher Pyne has revealed his dismay at the closure of the car industry which came after a challenge from then Treasurer Joe Hockey for GM Holden to leave the country. Pyne did not express misgivings publicly at the time, but according to an interview in the website of the…

Economists say ‘yes’ to industry policy (just not in Australia)

By Peter Roberts Australian economists have long been seen by manufacturers as the enemy as, led by those staffing the Productivity Commission, they have vigorously fought against any form of activist industry policy by government. The view is that policing backing even new industry such as green energy technologies, 3D printing or critical metals processing…

Collaborate to prosper

Infection control and dental manufacturer Dentalife has tripled in size over three years and is using collaboration as the catalyst to scaleup even further. Here Brett Henderson profiles the company, and how collaboration in business works. Dentalife is a 25-year-old family business under second generation management that manufactures infection control products and dental materials in…

The New Reinventors: remaking steelmaking with wood waste

In the final part of our The New Reinventors editorial series, we hear from BioCarbon. Brent Balinski speaks to co-founder and Director John Mellowes, whose focus has shifted from agricultural clients to those manufacturing steel.   This website regularly reports on the attempts to reduce the greenhouse gas output of steelmaking, which according to the World…

Made in America: how Biden’s climate package is fuelling the global drive to net zero

By Alan Finkel, The University of Queensland This article is part of a series by The Conversation, Getting to Zero, examining Australia’s energy transition. Just over a year since US President Joe Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, it’s becoming clear this strangely named piece of legislation could have a powerful impact…

Defence industry AUKUS essentials – by Michael Slattery

The UK government has awarded £3.95 billion to BAE Systems to further design and engineer the UK’s and potentially Australia’s next-generation nuclear-powered attack submarine, SSN-AUKUS. With critical decisions being made on sourcing Michael Slattery looks at the difficulties faced by Australian industry to have a meaningful role in the programme. The latest AUKUS contract for…

@AuManufacturing readers comment on lack of car industry

On Saturday @AuManufacturing reported that with Saudi Arabia inaugurating its first car factory, Australia is now alone among the G20 in not having it own car industry We said: “An outside observer looking in at Australia might surmise that our recent vision has been to consciously de-industrialise.” Here @AuManufacturing readers and members of our Australian…

Australia alone in G20 not making cars

By Peter Roberts The news from Saudi Arabia is great for the world car industry but marks a new low for Australia’s automotive sector. California electric vehicle manufacturer Lucid Motors has opened the first car manufacturing plant in Saudi Arabia, as the country makes good on its promise of making automobiles as well as other…

What causes lithium-ion battery fires? Why are they so intense? And how should they be fought? An expert explains

By Muhammad Rizwan Azhar, Edith Cowan University Picture this: you’re cruising down the Great Ocean Road in your brand new electric vehicle (EV), the ocean to your left and the wind in your hair. But what if I told you this idyllic drive could turn into a nightmare, with the faint smell of something burning?…

A quarter of young have VET qualification – NCVER

By age 22, the highest qualification completed for just over a quarter (26 percent) of young Australians is a vocational qualification, while a further quarter (25 percent) had completed a university degree, according to data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). Generation Z: life at 22 uses results from the Longitudinal Surveys…

New study shows we can create value from food waste by turning it into a highly desirable material – nanocellulose

By Alan Labas, Federation University Australia; Benjamin Matthew Long, Federation University Australia, and Dylan Liu, Federation University Australia Food waste is a global problem with approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food wasted each year throughout the food lifecycle – from the farm to food manufacturers and households. Across the food supply chain, Australians waste around…

Green steel eyes strong market demand for low carbon product

By Peter Roberts News that Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance is pushing ahead with its move towards green steel production at the Whyalla steelworks comes as it is clear that the first mover producers of seriously low carbon products can expect strong market demand for their products. GFG’s Liberty Primary Steel over the weekend extinguished its…

Governments are pouring money into housing but materials, land and labour are still in short supply

By Flavio Macau, Edith Cowan University and Deepa Bannigidadmath, Edith Cowan University As Australia’s housing affordability crisis worsens, governments are spending more on housing. Victoria’s Andrews government has announced a suite of reforms (such as boosting social housing and making planning processes faster) in an effort to get 800,000 extra homes in Victoria over the…

The ABC of making the Melbourne Cup

While ABC Bullion is the official manufacturer of the Melbourne Cup, the making of the cup is a true team effort for precious metals producer Pallion Group and manufacturing silversmiths W.J. Sanders. The manufacturing journey starts with the doré (golden) bars, blocks of semi-pure gold and silver produced at the Newcrest Cadia Mine and then…

Whyalla says goodbye to coal as steelmaking goes green(er)

By Peter Roberts The LIBERTY Primary Steel steelworks at Whyalla in South Australia has unloaded its last-ever consignment of coal as the company continues its transition to green steel production. Owned by GFG Alliance, Liberty set mid September as the closure of its coal-fed coke-making ovens and the transition from a coke-fed blast furnace to…

Another battery metals factory lost offshore, more to come

While Australia talks the big talk about being a critical minerals and battery metals superpower, backed by the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, Australian metals companies continue to be lured overseas by deeper financial markets and more supportive government policies. Element 25 has become the latest to site in the United States where the Biden…

A new export and trade “shop window’ to India

It comes as a surprise to learn that Austrade no longer provides a readily accessible directory of Australia’s manufacturer exporters. Here John Sheridan explains how his new trade showcase is a model for showing Australian capabilities to the world. The Australia – India Export & Trade showcase is a Business to Business (B-to-B) platform designed…

We urgently need $100bn for renewable energy. But call it statecraft, not ‘industry policy’

By Elizabeth Thurbon, UNSW Sydney; Alexander M. Hynd, UNSW Sydney, and Hao Tan, University of Newcastle This week, a diverse group of organisations called on the Australian federal government to establish a A$100 billion, ten-year policy package to turbocharge Australia’s green energy transition. Proposed by groups including the Australian Council of Trade Unions, Australian Conservation…

AROSE lunar rover to test Australian technology capabilities

The AROSE consortium and the EPE and Lunar Outpost Oceania consortium are each designing early-stage prototypes of a semi-autonomous Moon rover to be transported to the Moon via NASA. In this contributed article, AROSE outlines the challenges and industry opportunities. When Australia’s Trailblazer lunar rover arrives on the Moon, the remotely operated vehicle will confront…

Solar panel technology is set to be turbo-charged – but first, a few big roadblocks have to be cleared

By Bruno Vicari Stefani, CSIRO and Matthew Wright, University of Oxford Solar panel technology has made enormous progress in the last two decades. In fact, the most advanced silicon solar cells produced today are about as good as the technology will get. So what’s next? Enter “tandem solar cells”, the new generation in solar technology.…

Best of the week — the five most popular stories among @AuManufacturing’s readers

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Neo-Bionica launches onshore critical medical manufacturing process Advanced MedTech contract manufacturer Neo-Bionica has revealed the expansion of its manufacturing services with the launch of its new hermitization capability – a first for Australian industry. Hermitization is a critical…

How Cochlear’s manufacturing skills kept it onshore

By Peter Roberts The news that contract manufacturer Neo-Bionica has established Australia’s first facility capability of hermetically sealing implantable medical devices brings to mind the story of how Cochlear’s manufacturing skills in the area kept it from going offshore – and remain a secret of its success. The process of hermitization which Neo-Bionica is now…

Ukraine war: Australian-made cardboard drones used to attack Russian airfield show how innovation is key to modern warfare

By Paul Cureton, Lancaster University Innovative design choices can have a massive impact in the theatre of war, so it is important to understand the principles behind their development. Recent use of low-cost cardboard drones by Ukraine, supplied by Australia, to attack targets in Russia is a good example of how this can work. Australia…

Unsexy but vital: why warnings over grid reliability are really about building more transmission line

By Tony Wood, Grattan Institute “To ensure Australian consumers continue to have access to reliable electricity supplies, it’s critical that planned investments in transmission, generation and storage projects are urgently delivered.” This week, we heard one of the strongest warnings yet from Daniel Westerman, head of the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO). So far, media…

US military plans to unleash thousands of autonomous war robots over next two years

By Peter Layton, Griffith University The United States military plans to start using thousands of autonomous weapons systems in the next two years in a bid to counter China’s growing power, US Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks announced in a speech on Monday. The so-called Replicator initiative aims to work with defence and other…

Innovate to decarbonise agriculture – by David Heard

Green hydrogen company Hiringa Energy and agricultural and pastoral enterprise Sundown Pastoral Co are creating a world’s first Good Earth Cotton farm which will produce its own renewable ammonia and green hydrogen to decarbonise its operations. Here David Heard explains the implications for agriculture and wider industry. As Australia inches closer to our legislative target…

Renewable power rising sharply – report

Renewable power generation’s share of the National Energy Market is showing a sudden and rapid rise in importance with renewables now playing a bigger role in Australia’s energy mix than ever before. The federal government’s March 2023 Quarterly Update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory showed that renewables accounted for 39 per cent of generation…

Take action now against non-compliant imports – by Neil Clout

Australian markets are being flooded with non-compliant products that threaten both consumers and manufacturers alike. Here Neil Clout argues that weak regulations, rarely enforced are eroding Australia’s industrial and skills base. In the vast landscape of global commerce, the competition is fierce, and the stakes are high. For Australian manufacturers, the challenges are particularly daunting.…

Beyond energy savings: Unleashing the hidden gems of industrial energy efficiency

A S M Monjurul Hasan asks why we hesitate to embrace the immense potential of energy in industrial progress, and explains why lower power prices are just the beginning. In the realm of industrial energy efficiency, the prevailing narrative has long centred on energy savings, and rightfully so. After all, reducing energy consumption is a…

Late in the day, Canberra seeks views on mRNA technologies

By Peter Roberts It seems a long time ago that Australia was in the grip of the Covid-19 pandemic and novel mRNA technologies were hot news. Though the technology had been around for decades it was the pandemic which saw the first major vaccines made using the genetic technology approved for public use in 2020,…

The Army can fire weapons autonomously, but should they?

By Peter Roberts The news was inevitable in a way – the Army has confirmed that it has fired a weapon system at a simulated enemy remotely from an autonomous uncrewed vehicle (see here for full details). The confirmation came in a blandly worded post by the Australian Army on social media that included pictures…

Protecting against malware in manufacturing – by Tony Burnside

Malware in manufacturing is a bigger problem than many would assume. Here Tony Burnside looks at how cyber criminals leverage the cloud to mount their attacks, and what can be done to protect manufacturing organisations. Most of the headlines around cybercrime and data loss in Australia in recent months – and there have been plenty…

No, we are not going to see a historic revival of manufacturing under Albanese

By Peter Roberts It is becoming clear that the Albanese Government is not the panacea many had hoped to see leading to a reversal of the downward slide in the fortunes of Australian manufacturing. While the government is way ahead of its coalition predecessor in tackling the key issues holding back manufacturing – it is…

Defence industry central to national security – by Ben Hudson

BAE Systems Australia turned 70 this month, making it one of Australia’s oldest, largest and fastest growing defence manufacturers. Here Ben Hudson reflects on the contribution of the defence sector in Australia to national security and prosperity. All too often I believe we have made a point of focusing on major programme challenges, without reflecting…

Spotlight on scaleups: built to scale

On Monday we published part one of this article, concerning what a scaleup company is and why they matter. Today we conclude by looking at what they need. By Brent Balinski. There are 25,000 tonnes of wet wipes thrown out by Australians every year, all made of polyester or polypropylene and therefore non-biodegradable, and almost…

Waiting for China, winemakers last cab off the rank

There is something particularly cruel for Australian manufacturing in China’s continuing targeting of wine exports as part of its – failed – attempt to force Australia to toe a more Beijing friendly policy line. With China’s recent move to remove crippling trade sanctions on Australian barley holding up hopes for wine, nothing is sure and…

The intersection of AI and simulation in the automotive industry

ADVERTISING FEATURE By Stéphane Marouani The automotive field has historically been a rich area of innovation, with increasing vehicle complexity and tight production schedules requiring the adoption of new tools and techniques to build a differentiated product. More recently, automotive engineers are faced with new obstacles as they are tasked with integrating AI into vehicle…

National manufacturing policy for net zero transition – by Geoff Crittenden

Following last week’s 2023 National Manufacturing Summit in Canberra, Weld Australia has issued a call for transformative national policy that delivers secure supply chains and a diverse renewables and clean energy economy, sustained by the manufacturing industry. Here Geoff Crittenden writes that Australia must take inspiration from the United States, and their Inflation Reduction Act…

Forget coal power, Queensland burnishes green energy credentials

By Peter Roberts Queensland, a state only a few years seemingly totally committed to coal fired electricity generation as well as fossil fuel export, is putting on a greener front as investments in green energy reap quick results. According to the government the state is halfway to achieving its 2030 renewable energy target with a…

Controversial ‘forever chemicals’ could be phased out in Australia under new restrictions. Here’s what you need to know

By Sarah Wilson, University of Technology Sydney and Rachael Wakefield-Rann, University of Technology Sydney There’s growing global concern about potential risks to human health and the environment from a group of industrial chemicals commonly known as PFAS, or “forever chemicals”. While the full extent of harm from PFAS is still emerging, the fact these chemicals…

Funding for manufacturing growth, the missing element – Trent Bagnall

We know that increasing manufacturing production in Australia would bolster employment and GDP growth. But as Trent Bagnall argues, this won’t change when most venture and development funding is directed to areas other than hardware. Historically, Australia’s manufacturing sector has struggled to secure key funding necessary for growth. This is despite many of our core…

ResMed – from unwanted idea, to Peter Farrell’s great legacy

By Peter Roberts It was back in the 1980s in Sydney that I met an obscure professor of biomedical engineering from the University of New South Wales, Peter Farrell (pictured). He had most recently headed the Baxter Center for Medical Research in Australia and even then you could tell he was destined for something big…

Spotlight on scaleups: why more manufacturers need to grow up

In the first part of a two-part series we consider the importance of scaleup manufacturers. Brent Balinski spoke to some fast-growing manufacturers and other experts about the subject. Adam Gilmour describes himself and his team as “super-busy” assembling an orbital launch vehicle and launch site when asked. Gilmour Space Technologies has been focussed on rockets…

Renewables set to overtake coal in 2024 – report

By Peter Roberts The news has been full of worrying stories of late that the climate might be at that dreaded tipping point where runaway climate dislocation is really going to start affecting us in our everyday life – including the ability to carry on business as normal. From Australia’s terrible bushfires only a few…

Competitive for SMEs to go solar plus batteries – Energy renaissance

Australian battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance believes Australia is now at a point where it’s equally cost-effective for SME businesses to harness the power of the sun and store it in batteries as it is to tap into the grid. Based on the default market offers (DMO) recently announced by the Australian Energy Regulator (AER), this…

Industry contracts further in July – AiGroup

The manufacturing sector has continued its trend towards contraction in July, with the Ai Group Australian Industry Index losing 2.8 points to -14.7 points – the broad gauge of industry conditions has been negative for the past fifteen months. Meanwhile the Australian PMI indicator which focuses more closely on manufacturers fell to -25.6, indicating contractionary…

Here’s how wastewater facilities could tackle food waste, generate energy and slash emissions

By Melita Jazbec, University of Technology Sydney; Andrea Turner, University of Technology Sydney, and Ben Madden, University of Technology Sydney Most Australian food waste ends up in landfill. Rotting in the absence of oxygen produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. While some facilities capture this “landfill gas” to produce energy, or burn it off to…

The world stills sees Australia as only a source of resources – by Jeffrey Lang

The latest Harvard Kennedy School Economic Complexity Index (ECI) rating has seen Australia’s ranking plummet to 93rd, placing us between Uganda and Pakistan in the bottom third of monitored nations for economic complexity. Here Jeffrey Lang points to the root of the nation’s industrial problems. The problem is Australia’s sovereign capabilities is centric to still…

All pain and no gain in Victoria’s gas ban – by Jon Seeley

Gas manufacturers have reacted strongly against moves by Victoria to ban new gas connections. Here Jon Seeley, whose company manufactures the Braemar range of gas appliances and Seeley air coolers, attacks the decision for driving up emissions. The Victorian Government’s foolish and short-sighted ban on gas in new homes will only push emissions higher and…

Australia’s lack of economic complexity on display – again

Australia’s overreliance on exporting largely undifferentiated commodities has been laid bare in data released by the Harvard Kennedy School which shows that the country’s Economic Complexity Index (ECI) rating has plummeted to 93rd, down 12 positions in the past ten years. The Harvard Index systematically ranks 133 countries by their ability to manufacture and export…

The ethical issues of AI – by Patrice Caine

Will artificial intelligence replace human beings? Could it turn against its creators? Does it represent a danger for the human race? By Patrice Caine. These are just some of the questions that have been stirring up public debate and the media since the mass deployment of generative AI tools and the sensationalist statements of a…

Chris Barrett has a formidable job ahead as the new Productivity Commission chief

By Roy Green, University of Technology Sydney This week’s appointment of Wayne Swan’s former chief of staff Chris Barrett to head the Productivity Commission puts the annual Trade and Assistance Review it released this month under a more searching spotlight than usual. Remarkably, the Commission used the review to target one of the key policies…

Productivity Commission fails as others forge ahead – by Tim Buckley

In recent days @AuManufacturing readers have critiqued federal governments efforts to ‘reform the Productivity Commission (see below). Here in our final part of a series, Tim Buckley argues Australia cannot afford more of the same from the PC, which continued to misread profound societal and economic change underway globally. Treasurer Jim Chalmers’ announcement yesterday of…

How can we refrom the PC when we can no longer even track productivity – by John Sheridan

The federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has given the new chair of the Productivity Commission Chris Barrett an impossible job, argues John Sheridan. If we can no longer measure productivity in a digital age – and we can’t – how can any amount of reform of the PC help boost national productivity? Workplace productivity comparisons mean…

Australia faces massive renewables challenge and opportunity – Robert Sobyra

The scale of the renewables boom facing Australia is becoming clearer, with the task emerging as a vast one which carries with it vast opportunities. According to the Head of Policy with the Australian Constructors Association Robert Sobyra: “The renewables boom has just begun. “The 12 months to March 2023 saw a record $20 billion…

Building houses in factories for the Commonwealth Games was meant to help the housing crisis. What now?

By Louise Dorignon, RMIT University and Trivess Moore, RMIT University Huge sporting events come with substantial public investment in housing. After Melbourne hosted the 1956 Olympics, about 600 houses in the athlete village became public housing in West Heidelberg. After Melbourne hosted the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the athlete village in Parkville was largely sold off,…

Treasurer opts for tinkering with mostly ignored Productivity Commission

By Peter Roberts The Treasurer Jim Chalmers has opted for gradualist reform of the much criticised Productivity Commission, appointing a former Labor Party staffer to be the commission’s new chair. Chalmers appointed Chris Barrett (pictured) as the new Chair and said ‘to build a stronger economy, we need to build stronger economic institutions – and…

Making the most of Australia’s space frontiers – By Andrew Mannix

The local space sector was shocked when the federal government cancelled the National Space Mission for Earth Observation (NSMEO). However, industry understands the government’s pivot, and still has a critical role to play in lessening Australia’s dependency on foreign countries for our space services, writes Andrew Mannix. Space underpins our technologically advanced way of life.…

The importance of space technology in Australia

The federal government recently cancelled a number of key space initiatives, including funding for the Access to Space and National Space Mission for Earth Observation programs. Rather than assess the merit of these decisions, I’d rather emphasise the importance of space to our country. By Adam Gilmour. You’ve probably heard this before… but space technology…

Blackmores – the latest to fall to foreign takeover

By Peter Roberts Sydney vitamin manufacturer Blackmores has fallen victim to foreign takeover and will be removed from listing on the ASX. Japanese company Kirin Holdings, best known as a beer and beverage group, is to buy the company in a takeover valuing the business at $1.8 billion. The friendly takeover by the member of…

Governments back in the venture capital game – beware what you wish for

By Peter Roberts It seems state governments are back in the venture capital game, and brazenly so. Provision of venture capital with its inherent risks and risky lending by state banks was on the nose only recently with the collapses of government ventures ranging from the Victorian Economic Development Corporation to the South Australian State…

How much longer must we put up with the PC – by Roy Green

This week’s report from the Productivity Commission targeted Australia’s energy policies as a form of industry assistance – anathema to the dry economic policy group. Here, Roy Green finds the Commission out of touch with Australia’s needs. This is another tiresomely predictable and formulaic report from the Productivity Commission. Ironically it takes issue with the…

In the strain game

MicroBioGen is breeding world-renowned microorganisms, and believes these could be useful in everything from baking better bread to deep space travel. Brent Balinski visited the company’s lab and heard about how baker’s yeast is ancient and ubiquitous, yet remains full of untapped potential. Based in Northern Sydney’s Macquarie Park is a company dedicated to extending…

The Productivity Commission’s new target – green industries ‘assistance’

By Peter Roberts That old industrial relic the Productivity Commission has released its latest Trade and Assistance Review, 2021-22 (TAR), and you have to hand it to them, they are really on the ball. Having spent past decades searching out the evil of tariffs and non tariff trade barriers, they have now woken up to…

Study to develop a solar PV supply chain underway

The Australian PV (photo voltaic) Institute (APVI) will examine opportunities in Australia for the development of elements of solar PV supply chains. The APVI, a non for profit member body that provides data analysis and collaborative research, has already conducted a market assessment report which expressed concern about Australia’s reliance on China for solar PV…

Bowen to develop decarbonisation plans, but still no industry plan

By Peter Roberts The Minister for Climate Change and Energy has celebrated a year of achievement on tacking climate change, lambasted the climate ‘fantasy’ of the former Morrison government and outlined his next task – the creation of sector specific decarbonisation plans. In a major speech to the Clean Energy Council Bowen said he would…

Not nuclear, but wind and solar still cheapest – CSIRO

By Peter Roberts There is a huge amount of hype around new energy sources to replace fossil fuels and none more so than the phenomenon of small modular nuclear reactors (SMR). But the hype remains just that according to the latest GenCost 2022–23 study released today by CSIRO and Australian Energy Market Operator. While SMRs…

Vulcan profits down on integration costs, market slowdown

Australia and New Zealand metals distributor and processor Vulcan Steel has further pared back its full year earnings forecast following higher than expected costs for the integration of the Ullrich aluminium businesses. The Australian and NZ listed company said EBITDA for the 12 months to June 2023 would be between NZ$205 to $209 million, down…

Queensland announces progress on two of 50 planned hydrogen projects

By Peter Roberts The Queensland government has celebrated further progress on two of what the state says are two of more than 50 green hydrogen projects currently underway across the state. The progress in Queensland, and other states, confirms that exports of green hydrogen and ammonia promise a new commodities boon, though this time of…

AUKUS is supposed to allow for robust technology sharing. The US will need to change its onerous laws first

By Lauren Sanders, The University of Queensland The AUKUS partnership between Australia, the US and the UK isn’t just about nuclear-propelled submarines. It also includes an information exchange agreement related to a number of new advanced technologies. These include cyber capabilities, electronic warfare, quantum technology, hypersonics, artificial intelligence and autonomous military capabilities. Although the partners…

Fungi could be the next frontier in fire safety

By Tien Huynh, RMIT University; Everson Kandare, RMIT University, and Nattanan Chulikavit, RMIT University Australia is no stranger to fire-related disasters. The country experiences more than 17,000 residential fires each year. Each winter brings an increase in potential fire hazards due to the use of heaters and candles. Couple this with our already fire-prone vegetation,…

Whyalla steelworks continues transition away from coal

Liberty Primary Steel (LPS) the operator of the Whyalla blast furnace has announced another step in its journey to lower emissions from its primary steel making operation in South Australia. The company, owned by Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance, has started post-coke oven operational trials at the steelworks as the transition to low carbon steelmaking continues.…

No, we shouldn’t go backwards and build more air warfare destroyers

By Peter Roberts One of the most recurring themes in defence media nowadays is that Australia should build more Hobart class Air Warfare Destroyers (picture). Hardly a week goes by without a story appearing somewhere of Spanish shipbuilder Navantia who designed the ships ‘ramping up their campaign’ to build more of the vessels to add…

EOS lines up cash and credit to fund growth

By Peter Roberts Defence, space and communications manufacturer Electro Optic Systems has beefed up its finances achieving a net cash balance of $42.2 million as at June 30 as it expands to cater for a raft of major new orders. On 30 June the Canberra company received a $17.2 million tax refund from the federal…

Increasing cloud, but clear skies for manufacturers – by Warren Zietsman

Australian manufacturing has the opportunity to restructure, grow and prosper if it can harness the power of data to power up operations. Utilising the cloud opens the way for increased efficiency, reduced costs, and improved productivity, writes Warren Zietsman. The year is 1948. Australia is three years into its post-great war recovery, and a local…

Composites – surviving the Titanic pressures of the oceans depths

Australians were rightly aghast when the titanium and composites underwater vehicle Titan failed during an inspection tour of the wreck of the Titanic. This story on the voyage to the bottom of the deepest part of the oceans by film maker James Cameron, first published in June 2012, illustrates the efforts that go to making…

Collaboration and quiet achievement the threads running through innovative companies

@AuManufacturing concluded its Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers campaign this week with an event at the Clayton Hotel on Tuesday. Below is the introductory speech, reflecting on what came out of our four-month effort.  I thank everyone in this room for coming out to this breakfast event, to meet with your peers, and to celebrate…

@AuManufacturing’s Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers – what we learned

When @AuManufacturing and the Australian Manufacturing Forum embarked on a quest to identify and celebrate Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers, we weren’t sure what we would find. Well, we have been overwhelmed with nominations from many companies we report on regularly, and from many we had only ever heard about but had never heard from…

Skills ministers are apparently just getting on with the job

By Peter Roberts Federal, State and Territory Skills and Training Ministers met on Friday to progress key reforms to vocational education and training (VET) and the development of a new National Skills Agreement (NSA). Afterwards they put out their usual post-meeting statement listing what was discussed – a long, rather dry but worthy communique has…

Heard around the weld

Our profiles of nominees for @AuManufacturing’s Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers campaign continue with Open Welding. Brent Balinski speaks to founder and Technical Director Malcolm Rigby. He doesn’t use the word “Eureka moment”, but Malcolm Rigby had one of those a few years ago during a phone call about a shielding gas mixture. Rigby was…

Board for rail manufacture policy has no manufacturers

The federal government has moved on its promise to rebuild Australian rail manufacturing and make more rail rolling stock in Australia – however it appears to have forgotten to include any actual rail manufacturers in their plans. Today the Assistant Manufacturing Minister Tim Ayres announced the appointment of Ms Jacqui Walters (pictured) to the role…

Japan hydrogen push bodes well for Australia

By Peter Roberts Australia’s hopes of becoming a green hydrogen and ammonia force are a matter of production push and customer pull – will we get our act together and invest the billions needed to produce green fuels and will there be customers be willing to buy the resultant outputs? The former is a bit…

Ford slashes engineers as automotive sector continues its decline

By Peter Roberts When Ford Australia stopped making cars in Australia in 2016 it retained a significant workforce including perhaps 1,000 engineers involved in engineering and designing new vehicles. Their skills with technologies such as finite element analysis for analysing designs and their design flair was said at the time to ensure the continued life…

CEFC gets $20.5 billion in new capital from federal government

By Peter Roberts The Clean Energy Finance Corporation – which styles itself as Australia’s green bank – is to receive $20.5 billion in new capital from the federal government to accelerate progress towards net zero emissions by 2050. This acknowledgement of the success of the CEFC model comes as the corporation survived efforts to abolish…

Critical minerals strategy will achieve only limited local value-adding

By Peter Roberts Australia’s new Critical Minerals Strategy aims to increase the value added onshore to Australia’s vast mineral resources, rather than simply exporting undifferentiated mineral commodities. However it stops short of being the comprehensive policy we need to develop value-added industries. The strategy sets out a vision to grow our critical minerals wealth, create…

Western Australia moves towards green steel production

Western Australia has joined South Australia in ambitions to create a green steel manufacturing capability, with the release of a new report by the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia (MRIWA). The Western Australia’s Green Steel Opportunity report maps five ways WA iron ore can be used to reduce emissions from steelmaking: Green iron ore…

Australia must enlist industry to deter conflict – Rob Nioa

Munitions manufacturer NIOA Group CEO Rob Nioa has attacked Australia’s continuing reliance on importing foreign weapons systems and called on the country to mobilise its industrial base to deter potential threats. The head of Australia’s biggest privately-owned supplier of munitions to the ADF said the consequences of outsourcing military production could be dire against a…

Picking winners – yes we do this now in Australia, thankfully

By Peter Roberts I have just been reminded by a former colleague of the bad old days when policy, any policy, favouring manufacturing was seen as protectionism and picking winners. Those times lasted for decades, with the Productivity Commission and the Coalition weaponising the words against manufacturers. My former colleague asked: what government policy is…

No more business as usual, transform yourself – CEDA report

Businesses must get better at transforming themselves to seize new opportunities rather than focussing on business as usual, according to a new survey by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA). The report – Dynamic capabilities: How Australian firms can survive and thrive in uncertain times – reveals the results of the first broad…

Australia really is the land of green steel opportunity – study

Australia really is a land of opportunity for the development of a massive green steel industry powered by renewables and green hydrogen production according to a new study just published in the International Journal of Hydrogen Energy. According to Geoscience Australia: “This exciting release, a collaborative effort with our research colleagues Monash University shows how…

The high speed rail you get, when you have no high speed rail

By Peter Roberts Infrastructure minister Catherine King has announced the appointments to the Board of the High Speed Rail Authority after a ‘merit-based process. According to a statement: “This process has resulted in a Board comprising the appropriate skills, qualifications, knowledge and experience to best bring high-speed rail to reality.” While the new board is…

Coal’s hidden treasures: unearthing the potential of chemical extraction

Coal’s future as a source of electricity isn’t what it used to be, writes Jan Kwak, but the material could be a rich source of industrial chemicals. In this article he considers the challenges and opportunities involved. Australia, renowned for its abundant coal reserves, has long been a major player in the global mining industry.…

Nothing going on here – Austal shares surge

By Peter Roberts Perth international shipbuilder Austal has hosed down speculation that it could be involved in merger and acquisition activity or subject to takeover interest following a run on its shares. The Perth company’s shares closed on the ASX last night at $2.21, having risen steadily from $1.60 in mid-May, a rise of more…

Is Hills about to hoist a white flag?

The Australian manufacturing landscape is littered with the remnants of once-great manufacturers that abandoned local manufacturing and took to importing. To finance types no doubt this offshoring path seemed like a good idea at the time, but in practice these companies have mostly gradually faded from view. One such manufacturing icon – and here icon…

Australia a no-show among world’s most innovative countries

Since 2000, global investment in research and development (R&D) has tripled to $2.4 trillion and, as Australia’s innovation effort has faltered, the top countries just keep on going further and further ahead. The infographic, from Visual Capitalist, ranks the world’s most innovative economies using data from the UN’s WIPO Global Innovation Index. What Defines an…

Senator Fawcett grills bureaucrats and governments on defence procurement

By Peter Roberts Occasionally a Senator provides a powerful demonstration of the value of Senate Estimates hearings to lay bare the inconsistencies and contradictions that prevent governments from achieving their aims. Last week we witnessed just such a seminal performance by South Australian Liberal Senator David Fawcett who calmly and methodically uncovered the gulf between…

Bosch to close Australian diode manufacturing

Robert Bosch Australia is to close its Clayton, Melbourne factory manufacturing diodes – closing one of the few large scale semiconductor manufacturing operations in the country. The Melbourne facility is the sole Automotive Diode factory for the Bosch group, supplying up to 60 million diodes annually. Bosch itself hasn’t been a customer for the Australian…

Maria Skyllas-Kazacos – an innovator we should all know better

By Peter Roberts Emeritus Professor Maria Skyllas-Kazacos (pictured) is a name few know, but we all should, as she is one of the most brilliant and somehow unappreciated innovators this country has ever produced. Ms Skyllas-Kazacos’s name re-emerged this morning with an announcement that she had joined a Technical Advisory Group of critical mineral processing…

Apprentices and trainees disrupted during Covid – NCVER

A review study looking back at the effects of Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns and restrictions on the VET sector has reaffirmed the particularly negative effects of the pandemic on apprentices and trainees. The study, the Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on VET by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), showed more than one in…

3 little-known reasons why plastic recycling could actually make things worse

By Pascal Scherrer, Southern Cross University This week in Paris, negotiators from around the world are convening for a United Nations meeting. They will tackle a thorny problem: finding a globally binding solution for plastic pollution. Of the staggering 460 million tonnes of plastic used globally in 2019 alone, much is used only once and…

Infrabuild to the rescue as loan bolsters GFG Alliance

UK billionaire Sanjeev Gupta has again relied on his successful Australian steel businesses to bolster his GFG Alliance group’s finances, with steel manufacturer and distributor Infrabuild confirming a new secured loan. InfraBuild closed a $537 million (USD350 million) Senior Secured Asset-Backed Term Loan led by funds and accounts managed by BlackRock and Silver Point Finance.…

Nominations flood in for Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers campaign

As readers of this website will know, nominations closed on Friday for @AuManufacturing’s very first Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers campaign.  How was the response, you ask? Let us say that we are stunned. Shocked. Unable to stop smiling. Being the first time we have run this campaign, we were of course unsure of what…

Forget exporting hydrogen, make green iron and steel – Sanjeev Gupta

The Executive Chairman of steelmaker GFG Alliance Sanjeev Gupta has urged Australia to forgo the export of green hydrogen in favour of making green iron and steel onshore. The owner of the Whyalla steelworks and distributor Infrabuild told the Australian Hydrogen Conference in Brisbane that Australia had a generational opportunity to lead the global race…

Celebrating Australian Made – furniture and focus

In today’s installment of Celebrating Australian Made – our two-week editorial series sponsored by Australian Made – we catch up with Sebel, which has manufactured a place to sit for countless people. Brent Balinski speaks to Shane Fellowes. In 1974, the world’s first monobloc plastic moulded chair, Sebel’s Integra, went into production. Engineer Harry Sebel…

Canberra updates list of critical technologies…and?

By Peter Roberts Following a period of public consultation the federal government has updated the List of Critical Technologies that it believes will help secure Australia’s future. The updated list differs from that previously announced by the coalition, though in most cases one suspects that they cover the same ground, with only a different upfront…

Produce rare earth metals, don’t just export ore – Iluka Resources MD

The head of the company developing Australia’s first rare earths metals refinery has urged companies to produce high value rare earth metals locally rather than exporting ores overseas. Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Iluka Resources Tom O’Leary told the company’s annual general meeting that the key Australian rare earth resources – neodymium, praseodymium,…

Unsafe plastics invading the human food chain – CSIRO

Micro and nanoplastics are pervasive in our food supply and may be affecting food safety and security on a global scale, according to a new study led by science agency CSIRO. The study is one of the first to analyse the academic literature on microplastics from a food safety and food security risk viewpoint, building…

Celebrating Australian Made — bespoke wool products specialist is a no-sew

To close out the first week of Celebrating Australian Made, our editorial series sponsored by the Australian Made Campaign Limited, we consider Kilmaille Knits. Brent Balinski speaks to founder Sue McClure. Sue and Malcolm McClure are fifth-generation wool growers, with mothers and grandmothers who were passionate knitters. “Synthetics sort of came in during my childhood,”…

Celebrating Australian Made – towards green Australian supply chains by John Noonan

Today in our editorial series Celebrating Australian Made, coinciding with Australian Made Week, we look at how steel producers are moving to embrace green steel production technologies which will flow through to the entire steel value chain, including numerous Australian Made licensees. By John Noonan Europe introduces a carbon border tax in 2026, but will…

There’s a buzz about ‘sustainable’ fuels – but they cannot solve aviation’s colossal climate woes

By Susanne Becken, Griffith University; Brendan Mackey, Griffith University, and David Simon Lee, Manchester Metropolitan University The global airline industry is fast recovering from the unprecedented pause to flying imposed by COVID-19. In some parts of the world, such as the Middle East, airlines are even expanding rapidly – well beyond pre-pandemic levels. But how…

Manufacturing looks to efficiency, productivity and sustainability – Comm Bank

Australian manufacturers expect to increase production volumes in the next 12 months, supported by higher capital expenditure and investment in technology, a new CommBank report shows. The new 2023 CommBank Manufacturing Insights Report reveals that 72 per cent of manufacturers in Australia expect to increase production levels in the next 12 months, while the same…

Welcome to the new look @AuManufacturing website

You may have noticed changes being rolled out on the look and feel of @AuManufacturing. Welcome to our new look – our first refresh of the look of the news website of the Australian Manufacturing Forum Linkedin discussion and networking group since our founding five years ago. The home page is most changed, with a…

Celebrating Australian Made — Lemon Myrtle Fragrances

In the third day of our sponsored editorial series Celebrating Australian Made, coinciding with Australian Made Week, we look at a company making use of an iconically Australian plant. Brent Balinski speaks to Kerry de Pagter from Lemon Myrtle Fragrances. Not every family wants or is able to operate a business together. But for the…

Celebrating Australian Made – the vision splendid

For the first company profiled for Celebrating Australian Made – @AuManufacturing’s new series sponsored by Australian Made – we look at Dresden Vision. By Brent Balinski. Henry Ford is supposed to have told a meeting of his salespeople that, “Any customer can have a car painted any color that he wants so long as it…

Australia has a National Quantum Strategy. What does that mean?

By Jarryd Daymond, University of Sydney Imagine a world where computers can solve complex problems in seconds, making our current devices seem like mere typewriters. These supercomputers would revolutionise industries, create new medicines, and even help combat climate change. Imagine as well we could observe the workings of our own bodies in unprecedented detail, and…

Industry and technology reacts to the budget 2023

Companies, industry groups and experts comment on last night’s Budget 2023 – this is what they said. Green technology developer Fortescue Future Industries welcomed the budget’s Hydrogen Headstart announcement which ‘demonstrates how seriously the government is taking the green hydrogen industry’ and its critical role in Australia’s future. FFI said in a statement: “This is…

Lessons from Australia’s most innovative manufacturers

On the opening day of Australian Manufacturing Week, @AuManufacturing and the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre held a special event: Lessons from Australia’s most innovative manufacturers. Below is the introduction speech from the event, covering some of what we’ve learned so far from @AuManufacturing’s ongoing search to identify and celebrate Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers. By…

Industry Growth Program ‘modest but well considered’ – by Roy Green

Budget 2023 provided $392 million for an Industry Growth Program to maximise the return on taxpayers’ investments and provide a clearer pathway for entrepreneurs to develop businesses for later consideration by the government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund. By Roy Green. The new Industry Growth Program is a modest but well considered recognition of the…

Industry Growth Program features in budget news not previously leaked

By Peter Roberts Much of the federal government’s 2023 budget has been leaked in advance, but Treasurer Jim Chalmers held back a few morsels including good news for the Industry Growth Centres in his official budget speech delivered in Canberra tonight. In a budget the government characterised as prudent – it predicts a rare surplus…

McDowell’s move to top naval job bodes well for SMEs

A vigorous campaigner for truly sovereign, Australian defence SMEs, Nova Systems Chief Executive Officer Jim McDowell, is to leave his job for a new role with the Department of Defence that will help shape the future of industry. McDowell will leave the largely consulting services company to take up the appointment of Deputy Secretary Naval…

Reframing the construction waste issue

For the latest nominee profile in our Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers campaign, we look at XFrame, a New Zealand-born company with a Meccano-like approach to construction. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s CFO Simon McKean about building industry circularity. The amount of material used and created by the construction and demolition sector is huge:…

Hopes for the federal budget to revive Australia’s manufacturing sector

The government should prioritise building sovereign capability, argues Martin Ripple ahead of Tuesday night’s federal budget. As we are awaiting the budget announcement, it is crucial that the federal government addresses the issue of sovereign capability in the country’s manufacturing industry. Australia has the highest dependency on manufactured imports and the lowest level of manufacturing…

Defence partnering for success — mend now, make later

Our sponsored series reporting on BAE Systems Australia’s Partnering for success defence industry supplier event continues with a look at additive manufacturer Titomic’s work in defence. Brent Balinski speaks to the company’s Dominic Parsonson about the potential in lightweighting and supply chain optimisation. Titomic’s story will be well known to many of this website’s readers,…

Kingsley Hall replaces Peter Rowland as CEO of Micro-X

By Peter Roberts Cold cathode X-ray machine manufacturer Micro-X has announced the appointment of Kingsley Hall (main picture) as Chief Executive Officer following the retirement of company founder Peter Rowland (pictured, below). Hall’s appointment as Chief Executive Officer comes at a time when the company has identified the need for a shift of emphasis from…

Hitting the bricks

In the latest interview with a nominee for our Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers list, we learn about MGA Thermal. Brent Balinski spoke to Chief Commercial Officer Mark Croudace about the importance of novelty.  MGA Thermal, one of the high-profile startups in Newcastle’s attempt to reposition itself in the energy transition era, is in the…

Defence partnering for success – by Professor John Spoehr

Today @AuManufacturing continues our sponsored series reporting BAE Systems Australia’s Partnering for success defence industry supplier event we look at burgeoning partnerships in naval ship construction. By Professor John Spoehr. In much of life, success is the sum of a lot of parts. This is inherently true in the defence sphere. Australia is embarking on…

Government nationalises defence tech firm CEA Technologies

By Peter Roberts The federal government has entered into an agreement to buy defence radar systems manufacturer, CEA Technologies, ultimately creating a new Government Business Enterprise (GBE). CEA’s sophisticated radars are standard on board Royal Australian Navy vessels and are currently being retrofitted to Australia’s ANZAC class frigates in a major upgrade by BAE Systems…

Defence partnering for success – Riding the AUKUS wave, part 2 By Sarah Pavillard

Yesterday in Part 1 of this two-part analysis, Sarah Pavillard outlined the policy needed to support SMEs into AUKUS supply chains. Today, as we continue our sponsored series reporting BAE Systems Australia’s Partnering for success defence industry supplier event, she argues that industry needs to come to the party too. The AUKUS agreement is a…

Nobel laureate Brian Schmidt’s big ideas for how Australia funds and uses research

By Brian Schmidt, Australian National University This article is part of our series on big ideas for the Universities Accord. The federal government is calling for ideas to “reshape and reimagine higher education, and set it up for the next decade and beyond”. A review team is due to finish a draft report in June…

Defence industry partnering for success – series launch

@AuManufacturing today launches a sponsored series reporting on BAE Systems Australia’s Partnering for success defence industry supplier event which kicks off in Adelaide next week. In this launch article, Peter Roberts explores the relationship between defence contractors and local industry. With the release of the federal government’s Defence Strategic Review we now have a clearer…

The navy is the future of defence, but rough seas predicted

By Peter Roberts The navy emerged from the Defence Strategic Review released on Monday as the future of Australia’s defence posture, but there are warnings that some programmes might be cut in favour of others, and that a big shakeup is in the wind for naval shipbuilding in Western Australia. One thing the review did…

The fibre of innovation running through a drone business

Today we present the eighth profile from our ongoing campaign to identify Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers. Brent Balinski speaks to Dario Valenza from Carbonix, who shares an approach applied at every place the company works to innovate. Adapting his expertise in carbon fibre composite boat-building to uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs, or drones) about a…

Australia finally has an electric vehicle strategy. How does it stack up?

By Hussein Dia, Swinburne University of Technology Australia’s first National Electric Vehicle Strategy, released on Wednesday, details the government’s long-awaited plans to accelerate the adoption of these vehicles. Consultations on the strategy began last September. The climate change and energy minister, Chris Bowen, then promised the strategy would make Australia a globally competitive market for…

Our search for Australia’s most innovative companies – how PPK went from mining to cutting edge manufacturing

@AuManufacturing is searching for Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers, and today we feature our latest nominee for recognition, technology investment powerhouse PPK Group. Here, Peter Roberts interviews co-founder and Executive Chairman, Robin Levison. Robin Levison is an unlikely entrepreneur focussing on commercialising university research in the advanced manufacturing of totally new materials. His background is…

If you buy it, why can’t you fix it? Here’s why we still don’t have the ‘right to repair’

By Leanne Wiseman, Griffith University and John Gertsakis, University of Technology Sydney When you buy a product, you expect to be able to repair it. The problem is, many modern products are designed so that you can’t fix them. Vital parts are inaccessible. Or you have to go through the manufacturer, which may well just…

New map of the Australian Innovation Ecosystem released

Innovation and entrepreneurship researcher Chad Renando has released an updated map of the Australian Innovation Ecosystem which shows the location and role of over 3,450 active in the sector in 3,744 locations around the country. Renando, the Managing Director of Global Entrepreneurship Network Australia, has updated the interface which allows people to zoom into the…

Beverage companies ditch their opposition and support container deposit scheme

By Peter Roberts Leading beverage manufacturers have now put their past, vigorous opposition to container deposit schemes behind them and have strongly backed the new CDS Vic scheme announced by the state government last week. Lion, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Asahi Beverages, all members of not for profit group VicReturn which has been appointed as…

Bends, barbs and beyond

For the sixth profile of a nominee for our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list, we learn about Wireman. Brent Balinski speaks to co-founder Ian Lowrey about how the fencing products company decides on the right problem. Five-year-old business Wireman has a simple mission. It gives its value proposition as: “Tools and equipment that make…

Farewell Liddell: what to expect when Australia’s oldest coal plant closes

By Joel Gilmore, Griffith University and Tim Nelson, Griffith University After more than five decades, the last operating units of the Liddell coal-fired power station will close this month. The station’s owner, AGL, is Australia’s largest carbon polluter. Liddell’s closure will reduce the company’s emissions by 17%. Liddell, in the New South Wales Hunter Valley,…

Batteries won’t cut it – we need solar thermal technology to get us through the night

By Dominic Zaal, CSIRO Australia’s transition to renewables is gathering speed, but there’s a looming problem with storage. We will need much more long-duration storage to get us through the night, once coal and fossil gas exit the system. We also need to find new and better ways to create heat for industrial processes. Renewables…

Imagion Biosystems a game changer in cancer diagnosis – analyst report

Sharemarket analysts Pitt Street Research have released a positive appraisal of medical imaging company Imagion Biosystems and its MagSense non-radioactive and safe diagnostic imaging technology. Specialised MagSense nanoparticles are coated with tumour targeting antibodies and can be administered by simple intravenous injection. Weak, but highly sensitive magnetic fields are used to locate the nanoparticles which…

SME defence companies the key to AUKUS success – report

Defence SMEs are essential to the economic success of the AUKUS partners Australia, the UK and the US according to a just released white paper. The report, by the CEO of defence consulting firm ADROITA Sarah Pavillard, said while defence needs were core to AUKUS, industry in the three countries needed to reach out to…

Narrowing the scope

Today we publish another profile of a nominee for our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list. Brent Balinski speaks to Lachie Smart about how a small Sunshine Coast-based manufacturer found a niche it could lead the world in. For many successful Australian manufacturers, the source to their success could be described as excelling globally within…

Another naval ship to be imported, not built locally

By Peter Roberts The Australian Defence Force’s (ADF) just announced procurement of a dedicated undersea support vessel along with other perplexing decisions by defence are raising questions over whether there is a sufficient focus in Canberra about buying from Australian companies. After a selection process led by an independent broker, the Norwegian flagged MV Normand…

Leveraging digital in lean management systems – by Tim McLean

Everyone is collecting more and more data in their operations, but its effectiveness is in how you use it to increase value for the customer. Here, Tim McLean reviews the data scene, urges us not to give up all the old, visual management ways, and outlines what we need to look for in a Manufacturing…

New orders evaporate in March, manufacturing rebounds – AiGroup

The Ai Group Australian Industry Index (Aii) fell in March 2023, dropping 4.4 points to -6.1 points (seasonally adjusted). This indicates mildly contractionary conditions. The index, which complements the Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index, and also covers business services sectors including utilities, transport, ICT and technical services, has been in contraction since May 2022. Key…

The National Reconstruction Fund, lessons for the future – by Allen Roberts

The legislating of the federal government’s National Reconstruction Fund could be a critical moment in a renaissance in Australian manufacturing, or the moment could be squandered depending on how it is rolled out. Here, Allen Roberts lays out some learnings from the past, that could help the NRF meet what is a massive challenge ahead.…

Our search for Australia’s top 50 most innovative companies continues

The first entries are in in the Australian Manufacturing Forum networking group and @AuManufacturing’s hunt to identify and celebrate Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers. We can’t give away too much about what we have seen so far, but we can say innovation in manufacturing takes many forms – from innovation in product, process, materials, technology…

The case for best-in-class regulatory controls in pharma – by Rocky Lu

Regulation is sometimes seen as a burden, but not so in the pharmaceutical sector argues Rocky Lu, where it is needed to make sure products are safe and effective. In an industry where the stakes are high, ensuring the safety and efficacy of pharmaceutical products is crucial. With recent high-profile recalls, safety lapses, and an…

3 ways to help the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund revive manufacturing

By Jarryd Daymond, University of Sydney Australia’s federal parliament has approved a A$15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, intended to reverse the nation’s dwindling manufacturing sector. It is the “first step” in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s election promise “to revive our ability to make world-class products”. The fund will focus on investing in high-tech manufacturing. There…

BHP joins the race to produce green steel

By Peter Roberts Suddenly, every iron ore producer and the country’s two primary steel producers are looking at ways of decarbonising the steelmaking process, or going entirely to green steel production. Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue group is famously attempting to become Australia’s greenest company while Whyalla steelworks operator GFG Alliance has begun production of green steel…

Open-door policy helps window-maker innovate

Today we publish the fourth profile of a nominee for our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list. We hear from co-founder and Director at Safetyline Jalousie, Leigh Rust, who tells us why it’s useful to admit you don’t know what you don’t know. By Brent Balinski. The National Construction Code 2022 – outlining the minimum…

AUKUS and submarines, the start of Australia’s re-industrialisation? – By Geoff Potts

The potential industrial payoff from the construction of Australian nuclear submarines, or potentially the lack of it, has ignited controversy among @AuManufacturing readers. Here, in the third in a series (see below) Geoff Potts takes a more positive view. AUKUS will be one of the most significant and difficult national projects undertaken by our nation…

Towards a better AUKUS – by Paul van de Loo

SME business has taken a rather dim view to the long timelines associated with industry opportunities that could arise from the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the UK and the US. Here Paul van de Loo takes a jaundiced view, and presents an alternative industrial scenario. The AUKUS agreement has captured a lot of airtime lately.…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – challenges and solutions by Graeme Sheather

As our Celebrating Australian sovereign capability editorial series comes to a close, Graeme Sheather looks at the big picture, where we stand today and the challenges and solutions ahead. A new global order is emerging and it is imperative that Australian manufacturing businesses and government get their act together to create advanced high-tech products and…

Farewell, master of foresight Dr Gordon Moore

By Andre Saraiva Once I heard of the death of Dr Gordon Moore (right), one of the founders of Intel, I immediately went back to read his famous 1965 article written for Electronics. I remembered the first time I read this article and how it felt like it was written by a time traveller. Firstly because…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability: some thoughts on the importance of procurement

To begin the third week of our Celebrating Australian sovereign capability series, we hear about some ways government could help drive IP creation and commercial impact. Brent Balinski speaks to Grey Innovation founder Jefferson Harcourt  Governments have been poor at seeing the value of procurement and other measures that could make a real difference in…

Fortescue breakthrough in making green iron matches GFG Alliance

By Peter Roberts Green technology company Fortescue Future Industries has claimed a major breakthrough in the production of green iron – a step towards manufacturing green steel – making it the second of two Australian companies which make such an ambitious claim. The claim first surfaced in parent company Fortescue Metals Group’s FY23 half year…

Mighty white: finding the right market for a supermaterial

In the latest profile of a nominee for our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list, we learn about White Graphene. WG was founded in 2020 to commercialise production technology developed at Deakin University for a promising 2D material. Brent Balinski speaks to the company’s Lieuwke de Jong. Graphene – with its host of superlative attributes…

Toward a competitive Queensland industrial ecosystem – by Cori Stewart

Robotics, AI and design for manufacture industry hub ARM Hub CEO Associate Professor Cori Stewart presented at the inaugural RACQ Electric Transport Industry Transformation Forum in Brisbane recently. Dr Stewart was asked what an advanced electric transport ecosystem looks like. Queensland needs deeper manufacturing capability to capture global market electric vehicle opportunities. Can Queensland be…

We were told we’d be riding in self-driving cars by now. What happened to the promised revolution?

According to predictions made nearly a decade ago, we should be riding around in self-driving vehicles today. It’s now clear the autonomous vehicle revolution was overhyped.

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – the future of Bass Strait gas, by Shane West

Yesterday in our editorial series, Celebrating Australian sovereign capability, Shane West examined procurement, fuel self-sufficiency and the role of the NRF. Today he looks to the future of Bass Strait gas. Australia’s security of supply issue for domestic gas users especially to the east coast has been exacerbated by ExxonMobil Bass Straits gas supply and…

Four legs good

Today we publish the second profile of a nominee for our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list. Brent Balinski speaks to Miheer Fyzee from Workspace Commercial Furniture. As this series gets started examining innovation among Australian manufacturing businesses, we expect to be overwhelmed by the complexity and sheer volume of what can be and is…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – Procurement, Fuel and the NRF by Shane West

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series, Celebrating Australian sovereign capability, continues today with the vexed issue of our dependency on imported oil. Here, in part one of a two-part feature, Shane West looks at procurement policies, fuels and the National Reconstruction Fund. Having initiated and developed the Strategic Procurement MBA at the University of Canberra in conjunction with…

Australian Manufacturing Forum passes 13,000 members

@AuManufacturing’s social media discussion and networking group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin, has passed an important membership milestone. The Forum, Australia’s largest professional social media group of Australian manufacturers, has raced past the 13,000 member mark last night with the admission of 30 new members, bringing membership to 13,015. New members in past days…

Can Industry 4.0 rescue Australia’s sovereign manufacturing capability?

Australian manufacturers need to capitalise on the opportunities presented by Industry 4.0 or be left behind, warns Martin Ripple. As governments around the world embrace the fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, Australia is at risk of being left behind after decades of government neglect of the nation’s manufacturing centres. Sadly, I’ve seen…

Seven things you need to know about lithium-ion battery safety

Dr Matthew Priestley explains why greater respect and education is needed regarding the use of lithium-ion batteries at home and in the workplace. Lithium-ion batteries are the most widespread portable energy storage solution – but there are growing concerns regarding their safety. Data collated from state fire departments indicate that more than 450 fires across Australia…

PC report on productivity underlines its utter failure

By Peter Roberts Really. The utter uselessness of the Productivity Commission’s latest report and recommendations on productivity just released, and the utter uselessness of the PC itself, can be seen in what it says about industry extension services. These services are the expression of the idea that small firms, as are common in Australian business,…

Building a submarine industrial base – by Michael Slattery

SME manufacturers are sizing up what they know about plans for Australia to use US Virginia class submarines, then construct a UK design in Adelaide. Here Michael Slattery navigates what we know, and don’t know, only to emerge concerned that local manufacturing activity has been put off into a distant future. Another announcement delivered by…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – 2023 is the year for liftoff

To begin the second week of @AuManufacturing’s Celebrating Australian sovereign capability series, Brent Balinski speaks to Adam Gilmour from Gilmour Space Technologies about the company’s planned orbital launch. If things go to plan, this year Gilmour Space Technologies will become the first Australian company to build a rocket and put it into orbit. The company,…

‘Critical’ manufacturing infrastructure has never been more important – or more at risk from cyber attack

Despite being the top target for attack, manufacturing has not been included by government as part of the discussion around securing vital infrastructure. Brian Grant discusses the current risks, and how to increase protection levels within increasingly digitalised companies. Manufacturing is now the number one target for ransomware attacks worldwide, according to the 2022 IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – the Covid woes and revival of Electro Optic Systems

Today in our Celebrating Australian sovereign capability editorial series we look defence, communications and space manufacturer Electro Optic Systems, one of a handful along with shipbuilder Austal of genuine Australian defence prime contractors. Here Peter Roberts interviews Matthew Jones, Executive Vice President of EOS Defence Systems. Australia has a lot riding on the success of…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – Nova Systems’ Jim McDowell puts the case for the defence

Our editorial series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – has focused on developing the wider manufacturing sector. However, in no sector is the need more important, nor more urgent, than in national defence and security argues Jim McDowell in this contribution from our sponsor. Is Australia ready for war? The question may be regarded by…

Wiping away a 25,000-tonne national problem

Today we hear from the first nominee for our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers list. Brent Balinski speaks to The Hygiene Co.’s co-founders Phil Scardigno and Corey White about solving a waste problem they say is 30 times worse than plastic straws. Unless there’s a medical, scientific or forensic reason for it, sales of plastic…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability — the local leader in the advanced air mobility race

Today in our Celebrating Australian sovereign capability editorial series we look at advanced air mobility manufacturer AMSL Aero, which recently achieved its maiden flight. Brent Balinski speaks to co-founder and CEO Andrew Moore about their progress so far, the potential of electric aviation, and the importance of companies making final products in Australia. There are…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – our emerging mRNA vaccine ecosystem

The Covid-19 pandemic revealed Australia’s broken medicines value chains which are mostly wholly reliant on importation, especially for the newest mRNA vaccines. Today our series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – looks at the emerging vaccine ecosystem around the Monash-Clayton area of Melbourne. By Peter Roberts. It has long been a great Australian dream to…

BAE Systems Australia – the company that could build our AUKUS submarines

By Peter Roberts BAE Systems Australia has batted off suggestions it will bid to construct nuclear powered submarines in Adelaide under the AUKUS deal. The company already operates a new shipyard built by the federal government at Osborne in Adelaide where it is constructing Hunter class frigates for the RAN, as well as a capable…

What the AUKUS submarine deal means for Australian industry

The three AUKUS leaders, US President Joe Biden, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese have emphasised the industry building aspects of the tri-lateral plan to jointly develop and build nuclear powered submarines. The three leaders said in a joint statement: “Together we will deliver SSN-AUKUS – a trilaterally-developed submarine based…

Australia to buy three Virginia class N-submarines, then build 8 in Adelaide

Australia is to purchase three US-made Virginia class nuclear powered submarines and follow on by building eight nuclear powered submarines to a new design designated SSN-AUKUS in Adelaide. To fill a capability gap with the retirement of the Collins class submarines Australia will host American nuclear-powered submarines on a regular basis as early as 2027.…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – report card on our capability sectors

Yesterday in our series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – Lance Worrall argued that sovereign capability is about a nation making things it needs, and policy with purpose. Today he identifies Australia’s priority sovereign capability sectors, and reveals where we are falling short. Over 30 years Australia overdosed on neoliberalism. The patient’s disorders include deindustrialisation…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – sovereign capability and how to get it

In the first of two articles in our new series – Celebrating Australian Sovereign Capability – Lance Worrall argues that sovereign capability depends on Australia’s reindustrialisation and rediscovering the positive role of government in setting directions for inclusive growth. The phrase ‘sovereign capability’ re-entered our lexicon during the pandemic. Covid severely disrupted international supply chains,…

Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – introduction to our new editorial series

We have all heard the phrase – sovereign manufacturing capabilities. But what does it mean for Australia in the 21st century, what are they and how do we develop them? Here Peter Roberts sets the scene for our latest editorial series – Celebrating Australian sovereign capability. It wasn’t too long ago that a new phrase…

Finding one’s special purpose (podcast)

By Brent Balinski “Geelong’s had an interesting evolution and obviously the company in its various forms reflects that,” Ross George, Managing Director of Austeng, a self-described boutique engineering firm plying its trade in the city.  “My grandfather supplied parts to International Harvester, Ford, Alcoa, Pilkington Glass, and so all the Geelong-based automotive businesses, which have…

The AUKUS deal that puts Adelaide N-sub construction further into the future

By Peter Roberts Look, I have no particular inside information on what nuclear submarine path the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese will announce in San Diego on Monday. But I can read the tea leaves and ask – how can it be that both the US and the UK are beaming about their respective nations prospects…

Focus on Greens amendment to NRF bill, and adding value to minerals

By Peter Roberts At a Thursday media conference on the passing of the National Reconstruction Fund (NRF) Corporation Bill by the lower house the media focused questioning of Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic on the government’s acceptance of a Greens amendment, what it meant for fossil fuels, and more generally, on value-adding of Australia’s…

Our search for Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers – 3RT

As @AuManufacturing continues our search to identify Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers we look at a deeply market-driven and technical path to innovation. Here Peter Roberts profiles 3RT. As a former Managing Director of the World Economic Forum and senior executive of a number of European businesses, Peter Torreele, Founder and Managing Director of 3RT…

Celebrating female manufacturing leaders on International Womens Day

On International Women’s Day 2023, the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) has celebrated six female manufacturing leaders – all with distinct career journeys – who are challenging stereotypes and misconceptions to pursue a career in manufacturing. Here @AuManufacturing presents their stories. A podiatrist. A fashion business founder. A biomedical researcher. These are just three of…

Our search for Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers – Holloway Group

Our search to identify Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers is revealing innovation in its many forms. Here Peter Roberts profiles Holloway Group. Innovation does not have to take a high technology intensive path such as gene technology or space travel. For Holloway Group as with many an Australian SME the spark for a more incremental…

Our search for Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers – Roy Green talks innovation policy

On Monday @AuManufacturing officially launched our search to identify Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers with a live webinar featuring UTS, Sydney Emeritus Professor Roy Green. Here, Green identifies a core issue – the absence of a national, coherent and coordinated industry policy. Question? You often make the point that we need to develop and deploy…

ARM Hub, the best is yet to come – by Cori Stewart

Queensland’s Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing or ARM Hub has cemented its place as a not for profit robotics, AI and design for manufacture industry hub. Already at the forefront of industrial transformation in the state, CEO Cori Stewart predicts 2023 will be a defining year for the centre. The coming year will be one of…

Digital, cyber skills needed in manufacturing in shortage

It used to be that hair dressers and chefs dominated Australia’s list of most wanted skills – but not any more. Manufacturing and industry skills are among those most in shortage according to a new quarterly Labour Market Update report from Jobs and Skills Australia (JSA). Topping the list of the top 20 occupations in…

Official launch: Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers

For the first time ever, we are conducting a search to find out which companies lead the nation in their efforts to innovate. We are delighted to announce the launch of our brand new campaign: Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers. With the help of MYOB, SMC Corporation Australia, and Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions, @AuManufacturing will…

@AuManufacturing webinar – are you one of Australia’s most innovative manufacturers?

This webinar sets the scene for @AuManufacturing’s quest to identify and celebrate Australia’s 50 most innovative manufacturers. You can enter your company here. By Peter Roberts. Every Australian manufacturer innovates in one way or another. It could be in researching and developing new products and services. Or it could be in utilising new materials, production…

GMC marks 25 years, notes early signs of “Geelong manufacturing renaissance”

One thousand jobs added between censuses might not sound huge, concedes Jennifer Conley, CEO of the Geelong Manufacturing Council, but they’re better than a mere hunch that things are on the up. Last decade, Geelong saw a few high-profile industrial difficulties – the closures of Alcoa’s Point Henry smelter in 2014 and the Ford engine…

Getting warmer: stress testing startup progresses with awards at Avalon (podcast)

As a sales engineer not long out of Monash University, Kheang Khauv had early exposure to a new technique for visualising stress and understanding metal fatigue in aircraft. It was the mid-2000s. Researchers at Defence Science and Technology Group’s Fishermans Bend labs – wanting to better understand the fatigue life of ageing F/A-18 Hornets –…

Boost commercialisation to beat microbes – report

Boosting pathways to commercialisation is seen as part of the answer to challenges Australia needs to overcome to avoid being thrust back into a pre-antimicrobial age where simple infections are deadly and some surgeries are too risky to perform. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) – when bacteria and other microbes become resistant to the drugs designed to…

Australia’s first locally-designed and made VTOL drone unveiled

A new unmanned aerial vehicle, designed to fly up to 800 kilometres and carry a payload of up to 160 kilograms, was the major bit of news on day one of the Avalon International Airshow. Brent Balinski spoke to Kisa Christensen, Director – Red Ochre Autonomy & Sensors at BAE Systems Australia, after the unveiling…

A new systemic industry strategy needed – SGS Economics

Economists at SGS Economics & Planning have gone public with a call for the development of a ‘new spatial industry strategy’. In a newly published policy paper, SGS principal and partner Jeremy Gill said Australia had emerged from three years of the Covid-19 pandemic into a period of global disruption. Within this, however, lay opportunity,…

Albanese offers policies, but they don’t add up to an industry policy

By Peter Roberts The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outlined at the National Press Club yesterday the government’s policies for industry – essentially encompassing skills development, energy price reduction and stimulating green technologies, the National Reconstruction Fund and the Aukus pact. He linked these together as part of as the ‘structural changes that I’ve outlined today…

The potential of cancer therapy with 4D printing

Dr Ali Zolfagharian provides a quick look at 4D printing for cancer therapeutics, following a new paper that appears to be the first overview of the subject. Despite the fact that 3D printing technology has been widely used in medical applications due to the benefits of precisely defined architecture and individual constructs, there are still…

ARENA and industry map paths to net zero

Australia’s emissions-intensive businesses along with the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) have identified a possible pathway to decarbonise heavy industry, outlined in a series of new reports published today. The Australian Industry Energy Transitions Initiative (Australian Industry ETI) has published the Pathways to Industrial Decarbonisation Phase 3 reports. The reports identify decarbonisation pathways for five…

Zali Steggall supports National Reconstruction Fund

With the federal opposition opposing the government’s proposed $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund that was endorsed by voters at the recent election, the views of cross-benchers have become critical. In a speech to Parliament the independent member for Warringah Zali Steggall outlinesd her concerns about the bill establishing the fund, at the same time strongly…

Opal Australian Paper makes its last ream of Reflex

By Peter Roberts Opal Australian Paper has made its last ream of its popular Reflex brand copy paper with the formal announcement of the permanent closure of the company’s Maryvale mill in Victoria. Making good on warnings made last month, the company conceded it had not been able to solve the issue of a supply…

Looking forward to the long haul (podcast)

Rux Energy wants to be the first in the world to increase hydrogen storage density with novel molecular sponges. Brent Balinski speaks to founder and CEO Dr Jehan Kanga. Metal organic frameworks have only really been studied since 1999, says Dr Jehan Kanga (pictured), who studied a PhD on these nanoporous materials and is now…

Are you ready for registration of Engineers – by Paul van de Loo

Engineer registration is something new in Australia other than in Queensland, but now other state’s are following suit. Here, Paul van de Loo asks whether Australian engineers are ready for a scheme which they did not ask for and do not need. If you’re a typical engineer you’re pretty focussed on your engineering, and you…

An Australian-made quantum chip in every home? (podcast)

This week Quantum Brilliance announced a $26 million funding round, a significant boost to its lofty ambitions. Brent Balinski spoke to co-founder Dr Andrew Horsley about bringing Australian-made room-temperature quantum accelerators to the masses. Among people who care about such things, Intel’s examination of Australia as a possible home for a fabrication site in the…

Rio to supply its first export green aluminium – the green future is here

By Peter Roberts The green industry dam is burst – after years if not decades of talk that Australia’s minerals will one day have to go green to survive in a world where trade favours green production, Australian company Rio has received its first big international green order. Aluminium producer Rio Tinto has been contracted…

Government receives Defence Strategic Review

The federal government has received the report of the Defence Strategic Review which will guide the development of the Australian Defence Force and hence the areas of focus of government procurement for many years to come. The report was formally handed over to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Defence Minister Richard Marles by former chief…

How good is the Australian Manufacturing Forum Linkedin group?

By Peter Roberts How good is @AuManufacturing’s sister networking and discussion group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin? We founded the Forum in 2011 as a place where like minds – those of us excited about developments in Australian manufacturing and keen to work together to ensure its future – could come together in a…

BAE Systems could be in the box seat to build Australian n-subs

By Peter Roberts BAE Systems and its Australian arm could be the front runner in the supply of nuclear-powered submarines to the Royal Australian Navy under the AUKUS agreement, according to UK media reports. The London Sun reported that senior ministers were open to the idea of supplying partly-constructed Astute class submarines (pictured) to Australia…

Textile recycling a step we have to take

By Peter Roberts We all can see with our own eyes how the climate is changing for the worse, with exactly the unpredictability, the extra severity and the damaging consequences climate scientists have been predicting for decades. Fortunately manufacturers are responding, including in the, well it can only be described as criminal, waste of resources…

Let’s restore engineers to their rightful place – by Patrice Caine

Many are challenging the traditional role of engineer, suggesting it may be incompatible with a sustainable future. Here Patrice Caine argues that as the world faces unprecedented challenges, engineers are the only real lever for bringing about, on a relevant scale, new ways to produce, live and consume. Has engineering had its heyday? This might…

Self-belief, cementitious 3D printing, and sensors

Luyten believes it can extrude an answer to housing affordability problems. Brent Balinski speaks to CEO and founder, Ahmed Mahil. Not universally, but generally speaking, Australian startups don’t beat you over the head with their vision or tell you, in no uncertain terms, that they’re going to change the world. Occasionally there will be contrasts…

AUKUS innovation: about far more than submarines – by Michael Sharpe

The focus of reporting on the AUKUS agreement between Australia, the US and the UK has been on the promise of locally built nuclear-powered submarines. But it is about so much more from AI and quantum computing, to hypersonic aircraft and systems. Here, Michael Sharpe explains how AUKUS will unlock the power of innovation Pillar…

Industry needs to prepare to grow with defence needs – by Sarah Pavillard

The federal government has announced a review of defence industry policy, and is also close to making an announcement on its selection of Australia’s future nuclear powered submarines. At the same time relations with China are in the news. Here Sarah Pavillard looks at the opportunities opening up for defence industry. Major announcements will come…

Electric aviation startup to complete MVP build this month (podcast)

Dovetail Electric Aviation began in 2021 and is chasing a market estimated at $US 15 billion for retrofitting electric propulsion systems onto small airplanes. Brent Balinski spoke to co-founder Rachael Barritt about their story so far. A bit over two years ago, this website reported with sadness that MagniX – an Australian-born world-leader in electric…

Plans firm for Australia-US-UK defence industrial base

By Peter Roberts The nature of the final arrangements to be announced in March for the construction of Australian nuclear submarines is becoming clearer. As envisaged by the original Aukus agreement between Australia, the UK and the US, the programme will likely be a genuine three-nation effort to boost submarine capability in all three nations,…

Hold the foam, says construction products maker (podcast)

There are mixed signals from government when it comes to sustainability, according to Holloway Group. Brent Balinski speaks to the company’s Matt Holloway and Jim Prior. Last week Victoria banned the sale of single-use plastics, following a similar ban in November in NSW. Among the banned items are single-use expanded polystyrene food and drink containers.…

Sustainability and Australia’s renewables industry – by Richard Petterson

News that China may restrict exports of solar PV wafers has focused attention on solar PV panel manufacturers, including Australia’s Tindo Solar, which rely on Chinese imported inputs. Here Richard Petterson makes the case for sustainability in solar PV manufacturing and for a bigger role for Australian industry. The term ‘circular economy’ describes the re-use…

Rescuing the Productivity Commission from itself – By Phillip Toner and Roy Green

With the federal government moving to reform its economic advisory body, the Productivity Commission, attention has turned to the outcome of the PC’s decades-long dominance of policy advice to the government – a fragile and narrowly-based resources-driven economy. Here, Phillip Toner and Roy Green outline why the PC must be fundamentally changed. As federal Treasurer…

From conservatorium to qubits (podcast)

A lucky find by researchers could help Australian efforts to scale up the number of qubits on their microchips. Brent Balinski spoke to Dr Will Gilbert from Diraq about computing with puddles of electrons, and his unusual career so far.   As Dr Andre Saraiva explained on this website last November, Australia has some globally-recognised strengths…

Gluten and grumpy old men

Plant-based meat will overcome political tribalism and move into mainstream acceptance as technology progresses and prices come down, believes Harvest B co-founder and CEO Kristi Riordan. By Brent Balinski.  There are plant-based meat companies, such as v2food, that make efforts to position themselves as a supplement rather than a competitor to conventional meat. This is…

ARENA maps out pathways towards zero emissions alumina

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency has released a roadmap to decarbonise Australia’s alumina sector – crucial for net zero goals as the country is the world’s largest alumina exporter. Worth $7.5 billion to the national economy every year, the Roadmap for Decarbonising Australian Alumina Refining, outlines technologies that could reduce emissions from Australia’s six alumina…

Upskilling the digital workforce – by Craig Lockhart

Australian manufacturing is racing towards digitisation, and none moreso than in naval shipbuilding. Here, Craig Lockhart explains progress being made in developing a digital shipyard to construct Australia’s new Hunter class frigates. BAE Systems is progressing the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare frigate and building a critical industrial capability that will contribute to keeping our…

A CRC-P is not a mini-CRC

A Cooperative Research Centre and a CRC-P are not the same. Tony Peacock explains how and why they are different. The 14th round of the Cooperative Research Centres – Projects program was opened by Ed Husic MP last week and closes on 2 March. I got a big reaction for my comments on the new round of…

2023 will decide if the Calix process can unlock zero emission steel

Steel makers are looking towards net zero with hydrogen produced from renewable sources the world’s best bet on decarbonising this essential industry. Here, in an article adapted from ARENA, we look at the ARENA project that will decide the fate of Calix’s Zesty steelmaking technology as early as this year. The basic oxygen steelmaking process…

Factory of the Future’s quiet revolution – by John Spoehr

Flinders University’s Professor John Spoehr asks the question – what does it take to create a world-class innovation ecosystem in Australia? Our capability to manufacture the products we need when we need them has been elevated to a national policy priority following the impact of the pandemic on key supply chains, which restricted our access…

Australia’s productivity problem part 1, the big issue – by John Sheridan

Australia faces major economic problems, with boosting productivity foremost. Here, in the first part of a two-part series, John Sheridan identifies the major issues. Former Treasury boss Ken Henry said ‘something is desperately wrong’ with Australia’s economy, which is beset by ‘structural deficiencies’ that cannot be fixed by interest rate cuts or government largesse. Dr…

Why review the Productivity Commission, just ditch this industrial dinosaur

By Peter Roberts The federal treasurer Jim Chalmers has announced an overhaul the economic advisory body, the Productivity Commission, by broadening and deepening its work on economic policy and keeping a central focus on boosting productivity. Well good luck with that. Labor attempted to reform this bastion of neo-liberal economics once before – by moving…

Rethinking what Australia can and should do in silicon

Last year the former government asked the nation’s Chief Scientist, Dr Cathy Foley, to develop a national semiconductor plan. Brent Balinski spoke to Foley to learn what’s happened since, and for her perspective on where Australia can expand its role. About three years ago many people who had previously thought little or nothing about supply…

Happy Australian-made Christmas from @AuManufacturing

Happy Australian Made Christmas to all at the Australian Manufacturing Forum Linkedin group and readers, partners and clients of @AuManufacturing news. 2022 is coming to a close and what – another – momentous year of turmoil and transition for Australia’s manufacturers. We are still experiencing the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, while Russia’s invasion of…

South Australia ran on 104% renewables last week

By Peter Roberts South Australia is within striking distance of being the first energy jurisdiction in the world to achieve 100 percent renewable power following an extraordinary week in which the state averaged 104.1 per cent over the seven days (to 2.30pm AEST on Sunday). Over the last week, the average price was minus $28/MWh.…

Adelaide, we have a problem

An ATSpace Kestrel rocket has again failed to launch from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex near Port Lincoln in South Australia. Launch range operator Southern Launch went live on its social media channels this afternoon, however the 10 metre VS03 mission rocket was initially held in its countdown at minus 15 minutes before –…

SA acts to build Australian first green hydrogen power plant

The South Australia government has called for proposals to build an Australian-first 200MW green hydrogen power plant, as well as hydrogen storage capabilities at the steel city of Whyalla. State energy minister Tom Koutsantonis today issued a request for proposals (RFP) for the supply, construction and operation of the hydrogen plant and equipment, as well…

Australia’s HB11 Energy aims for laser fusion energy

Australia’s first laser fusion energy company HB11 Energy has brought together global laser technology leaders including Nobel prize winners, aiming to develop a new Australian laser industry and develop laser fusion technologies. The group (pictured) plan an ultra high intensity petawatt-class laser facility on Australian soil, bringing new technologies to the country including clean fusion…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: the issue in a nutshell

Today in Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, Dr Steven Duvall distills semiconductors and how they’re used, why Australia needs to play a more significant role in the their manufacture, and how it can do this. In this Q and A, which is also the 40th and final episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski…

Aussie hemp industry’s high ambitions

The global market for hemp is predicted to nearly quadruple in value between 2020 and 2027, reaching $US 18.6 billion. This is according to an UNCTAD report released this week, also noting hemp’s hardiness across a wide range of climates, its ability to grow in and improve poor soil as well as absorb more carbon…

Property developer backs Whyalla green hydrogen and greensteel projects

By Peter Roberts One of Australia’s most respected property developers has put a bold plan to the South Australian government to revive the steel city of Whyalla by building hotels and thousands of new homes to house a massive influx of residents needed to support planned green hydrogen and green steel manufacturing facilities. With the…

Matching magnets with a market

A scientific breakthrough is a long way from being a product, as people trying for the first time to commercialise a program of research quickly find out.  “Any investor who works with an early-stage deep tech university… spinout will tell you the same thing,” shares Dr Richard Parsons, CEO and founder of Kite Magnetics, shares. …

Digital shipbuilding revolution propels the Hunter programme forward

Australia’s largest manufacturing project – the construction of frigates for the Royal Australian Navy – is gaining momentum at the Osborne naval shipyard in Adelaide. Here Craig Lockhart outlines BAE Systems Australia’s vision of an all-digital shipyard. BAE Systems is progressing the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare frigate and building a critical industrial capability that…

Industry-led research drives manufacturing growth – report

By Peter Roberts The importance of linking manufacturers to public sector research capabilities compared to grant-focused programmes favoured by the previous Coalition government has been confirmed through a major study of the Innovative Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre (IMCRC). The report by consultants ACIL Allen report found the IMCRC’s 71 manufacturing R&D projects were on track…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world – Software may be eating the world, but software is nothing without semiconductors

Due to an unexpected number of high-quality contributions, @AuManufacturing’s Australia’s place in the semiconductor world editorial series has been extended again. Here Mike Nicholls writes that Australia has the opportunity to build a thriving semiconductor industry without investing $20 billion to build a fab. But we do need to get started.  It’s hard to imagine,…

Simplified ingredient lists and increased economic complexity

By Brent Balinski One criticism from non-fans of plant-based meat is that options tend to come with a sizeable ingredient list, featuring a lot of unnatural-sounding words which might require a chemist or a lot of googling to decipher. Alfred Lo, co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer at ingredient company Harvest B, says that his company…

The parlous state of Australia’s food industry – by Allen Roberts

We all need to eat, but we seem to take for granted our access to processed and fresh food and groceries, and even more so to Australia’s parlous food industry value chain. By Allen Roberts To consider the ‘food industry’ as one entity ignores the entirely different strategic drivers of the three main components: raw…

Albanese cuts energy rises, stimulates industry at the same time

By Peter Roberts Manufacturing industry is not going to see any relief to current high energy prices following a week of meetings and announcements that revealed how the Albanese government is taking back some control of energy markets. But it will benefit from moderation of future rises and, surprisingly, a new mechanism that could align…

You can still get backing if you do something useful, Additive Assurance finds

Venture capital investment has slowed this year. But if your company does something that solves a real-world problem and that customers want as a result, then you can still get funded, believes Marten Jurg from Additive Assurance. Jurg’s company announced a $4.1 million raise last week, led by Significant Capital Ventures. AA’s products, which monitor…

Perfectly-fitting descriptions might be hard, but manufacturing definitely matters for Bodd

Bodd didn’t start out wanting to be a data and insights company, but that’s what they are, among other things. Formerly Tec.Fit, their focus was originally enabling perfectly-fitting suits, designing and making scanners to collect physical data and large format 3D printers to create life-size models of customers out of PLA, saving numerous trips back…

Managing your supply chain carbon emissions – by Bruce Macfarlane

Businesses are increasingly being asked to report, justify and act to reduce their carbon emissions. Here Bruce Macfarlane outlines what it means as the circular economy crashes into supply chains. As the UN’s COP27 carnival packs up and leaves Egypt’s Sharm el-Sheikh, many questions will be on the minds of government and business leaders. Like…

Albanese talks up putting a cap on coal and gas prices

By Peter Roberts The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has moved to demonstrate he is serious about acting to cut ballooning electricity prices before Christmas – as he has promised – with feelers put out to the states for price caps to be applied to coal and gas. It is about time because all the months…

Government looks to revive wool processing

By Peter Roberts Few remember the time when Australia had an extensive wool processing, spinning and weaving sector, but producers have begun eyeing the possibility that those days may yet come again. Part of the textile clothing sector, the wool value chain was decimated by cheap Chinese competition, but also by predatory trade policies that…

Husic keen to get investment flowing from National Reconstruction Fund

Now that industry and science minister Ed Husic has introduced legislation to establish the $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund, setting off a period of consultation, the big questions for the government is who will lead the NRF and how will it function. Here Husic talks with Peter Roberts. Industry and science minister Ed Husic is…

Government not giving up on industry growth centres just yet – Husic

The federal government hasn’t given up on the six industry growth centres (IGCs ) which were told during the dying days of the Coalition government that their days were numbered, with the then government making no apparent effort to develop a replacement programme. A victim of the revolving door of industry ministers under the Coalition,…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: The opportunities for Australia in the semiconductor industry

As our Australia’s place in the semiconductor world editorial series draws to a close, Steven Duvall and Glenn Downey provide the final part of their four-part feature. Here they propose steps to help build the semiconductor industry in Australia 1) Introduction This article concludes our four-part feature on semiconductors, continuing the themes from the three…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world — lessons from a life in the industry

In the final day of Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, we speak to Andy Brawley, whose long career in the sector was eventually ended by a NSW government determination that a historic fab must make way for a train line.    “You can’t move a fab,” explains Andy Brawley, the General Manager of Manufacturing…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: IP is the main thing, says quantum computing hopeful

Today in Australia’s place in the semiconductor world we consider ASX-listed Archer Materials, which is developing a quantum processor. Brent Balinski spoke to CEO Dr Mohammad Choucair. A lot of things are impossible, as the quote goes, until they’re done. At this stage, building a practical quantum computer remains impossible. Asked about his company’s approach…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: A case for connectedness

A recently-launched semiconductor service bureau is part of the NSW government’s attempts to grow the local sector. In this edition of Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, Dr Nadia Court explains why the bureau exists and what it hopes to do.   The Semiconductor Sector Service Bureau (S3B) was established in July 2022 to make it…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world — Barriers to bringing wafer production home

Today in Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, Andrew McLellan illustrates a case where local innovation requires overseas fabrication, and why the situation is unlikely to change.  While improvements in technology and knowledge have driven significant advances in life sciences and healthcare industries in recent decades, methods for identifying and tracking important biological samples stored…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: repositioning Australia’s chip industry

Today’s edition of Australia’s place in the semiconductor world takes a look at the growing importance of compound semiconductors. Stef Winwood argues that if Australia invests strategically, with a view to the future, it could carve out a logical niche and realise compound returns The global semiconductor industry is currently a $US 600 billion a…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world — tech wars and factory floors

Beginning week three of Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, Sercan Altun considers the role of chips in enabling a nation’s self-sufficiency goals in manufacturing, and the implications for Australia. The seeds of the current “Cold War 2.0” discussions were laid due to a rising China on the global stage, with massive economic and military…

AI and Cloud to drive business performance – by Danny Samson

Melbourne university’s Professor Danny Samson looks at the cutting edge of AI and Cloud technologies in his new book Business Model Transformation: the AI and Cloud Revolution. Through case studies he shows the business strategy and performance benefits are not just available for large, listed companies, but can be embraced by Australia’s SMEs through proactive…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: Talking about a moonshot

To conclude the second week of Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, we speak to Emeritus Professor Bob Clark about some policy proposals for establishing semiconductor production here, and why this strange era demands we rethink our hands-off approach to the market. By Brent Balinski.  Do we display a lack of ambition in what we…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: Some humble thoughts on developing a native semi industry

Today in or ongoing editorial series, Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, Dr Venkata Gutta considers why we need a domestic semiconductor industry, what other countries have done to develop theirs, what we can learn, and some proposals. Millibeam is a mmWave fabless semiconductor company based in Sydney, Australia and we develop high-performance integrated circuits and…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: Defence could be the new champion for a sovereign microchip industry

Today our Australia’s place in the semiconductor world series looks at ways Australia can address its precarious dependence on overseas chip suppliers, and the role of defence in this. There is no time to waste, argues Martin Hamilton-Smith.  In March 2023 the Albanese government’s Defence Strategic Review will be handed down by Sir Angus Houston…

Semiconductor series extended

Our current editorial series, Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, has received a greater number of submissions than expected. We have gratefully accepted comment from startups, academics, venture capitalists, former politicians and others. Besides the volume, the (naturally very important) quality of editorial has also exceeded expectations. As a result we are happy to extend…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: Why not here?

Today in our Australia’s place in the semiconductor world series, we hear from an international point of view.  Here is Coby Hanoch from the ASX-listed, Israel-based Weebit Nano. As the CEO of an Israeli semiconductor company traded on the ASX, I often ask myself how it is possible that Australia, an advanced country with great…

Australia’s oldest cement company acts towards net zero

By Peter Roberts Australia’s oldest cement manufacturer Adbri has doubled down on its commitment to net zero emissions from producing what are some of the world’s most important, but hard to abate, manufactures – cement and lime. Used in construction and industries such as steel making Adbri’s products are highly carbon intensive, but it would…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world – chips show everything wrong about our industrial history

Today in our editorial series on Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, Peter Roberts gives an observer’s view of Australian manufacturing over more than four decades, our lost opportunities and where semiconductors could have fitted in. When it comes down to it, the story of disappointment that has been the lack of development of a…

Manufacturing and the metaverse

After a long history, during which it has only fairly recently improved past the point where it rapidly induces nausea in a user, virtual reality has begun demonstrating its worth in recent years. You will probably have been to expos and heard about how CAD files can easily be turned into an object in a…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: Silicon is quantum, quantum is silicon, and Australia might finally have an edge

Beginning the second week of our editorial series, Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, Dr Andre Saraiva looks at Australia’s heritage in quantum computing, and suggests that the nation could turn a chip crisis into a quantum opportunity. A stone’s throw away from Bondi and Coogee, silicon-based quantum computing was invented. This was 1998, and…

Innovation requires a clear purpose

As we have said many times before, one of the defining features of manufacturing in this country is the large number of small businesses. This has a big influence on overall levels of technology adoption, R&D investment, collaboration with outside parties, and much else. Of employing manufacturing businesses, nearly nine-tenths are between 1 and 19…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: The industry in Australia and its opportunities

To close out the first week of our editorial series, Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, we turn again to the analysis of Steven Duvall and Glenn Downey. In part three of their four-part feature, they describe what currently exists in Australia, and the challenges to growing this. 1) Introduction This article continues our four-part…

Trend to source solar and wind to offset emissions

By Peter Roberts Companies and organisations are increasingly turning to renewable energy providers to source green power to quickly cut the carbon intensity of their operations as they race to meet decarbonisation pledges. The most recent is Brisbane Airport Corporation which will be supplied by power generator Stanwell with up to 185GWh of renewable energy…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: We need to aim for the stars

Today’s installment of Australia’s place in the semiconductor world turns to a local chip importer’s point of view. Here Shoaib Iqbal — a recent guest on the @AuManufacturing Conversations podcast — looks at the impact of semiconductor shortages on space startups, and the opportunities brought into focus for local manufacturing.   

Australian Manufacturing Forum passes 12,000 members

@AuManufacturing’s social media discussion and networking group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin, has passed an important membership milestone. The Forum, Australia’s largest professional social media group of Australian manufacturers, passed 12,000 members this morning with the admission of eight new members. The Forum has grown steadily since its founding in 2013, and 22 months…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: Research strengths and a supportive environment

Today in Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, we hear from Dr Jane Fitzpatrick of series sponsor ANFF. Here she writes of the importance of Australia’s R&D community to commercial activity in semiconductors, a topic we are sure to return to in future articles. There’s no argument that to help key domestic industries like defence,…

Green energy, refrigerants and reshoring

We sometimes speak to startups and even established companies who are pleasantly surprised by what can get made in-country, if you know where to look. While this website celebrates just about every company manufacturing in Australia, we acknowledge that production for a long list of things — as our current semiconductor series is detailing, or…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: the current ‘state of the world’

In the second day of our Australia’s place in the semiconductor world editorial series, Glenn Downey and Steven Duvall provide part two of their four-part feature. Here is a look at what certain nations are doing to respond to the challenges of the era. 1) Introduction The article continues our four-part series on semiconductors and their…

Ansell responds to forced labour allegations against a supplier

International surgical and industrial glove manufacturer Ansell has again been forced to respond to allegations of forced labour made by employees of one of the company’s third-party suppliers. The company, which has faced similar allegations in recent years, said it was deeply concerned by reports of forced labour at supplier Brightway Group. However Ansell has…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world – series introduction

Today @AuManufacturing launches our newest two-week editorial series, examining Australia’s participation in perhaps the most advanced manufacturing sector of them all. By Brent Balinski.  I heard it said recently that as Covid forced everybody to learn a little about virology, supply shortages and world politics are forcing everybody to learn a little about semiconductors. From…

Australia’s place in the semiconductor world: An introduction to semiconductors

On day one of Australia’s place in the semiconductor world, we present an introduction to the subject, aimed at a reader with no prior knowledge of semiconductors. Below is part one of a four-part feature by Steven Duvall and Glenn Downey. The purposes of this feature are to broaden and deepen the understanding of semiconductors…

Labor agonising still about acting to rein in gas prices

By Peter Roberts The federal government is continuing its agonising will it-won’t it approach to taking concrete action to rein in soaring energy prices which are hitting manufacturing companies hard. Barely a day goes by without some minister or another – often industry minister Ed Husic – waving a big stick in public telling us…

Synroc set to be commercialised – here we go again

By Peter Roberts The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) has announced that the construction of its Synroc radioactive treatment building is complete, with processing equipment now being installed, ahead of it being commissioned prior to operations in 2025. ANSTO has been attempting to commercialise its Synroc method of encapsulating radioactive wastes into a…

Son of Collins needed for transition to N-power

By Peter Roberts The need for sufficient time to get the construction of nuclear submarines right and a well signposted looming gap as our Collins class submarines reach the end of their lives suggest a son of Collins submarine vessel should be built in Adelaide, according to defence expert Peter Briggs The former president of…

NCVER reveals the Covid toll on young Australians and workers

The COVID-19 pandemic held young Australians back from making their usual transitions into employment according to a new report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The study – Treading water: effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on youth transitions – examined the lived experiences of young people aged about 20 in 2020, and…

Additive manufacturing puts a new spin on an old mining industry product

Like countless other items, spiral separators (or concentrators) could be called deceptively simple, both in their function and form.   A slurry goes in the top, and the different densities of minerals and sands see each separate on the way to the bottom.   “It’s a dead simple shape – it’s really a helical shape with a…

Vast Solar resurrects Port Augusta thermal power plant

By Peter Roberts One of the criticisms of renewables thrown up by sceptics in the former Coalition government was that it was not dispatchable, that is it couldn’t provide power ‘when the sun doesn’t shine and the wind doesn’t blow’. Lithium ion batteries provided an underpowered part of the answer to that but the real…

Iluka progresses sovereign rare earths capability

By Peter Roberts Perth minerals producer Iluka Resources is pressing ahead with its plans to process rare earths on Australian shores, capturing more value-adding of these critical metals for the local economy. The company’s latest update shows that all primary environmental approvals have been secured for its project at Eneabba north of Perth. The company…

Partnership produces powder progress

Heat exchanger specialist Conflux is among a small collection of promising Australian metal additive manufacturing startups to emerge in recent years. In September they announced new fuel oil heat exchanger development for two variants of General Atomics’s remote piloted MQ-9B drone, extending a partnership with the US defence contractor dating back to 2018. News of…

AUKUS Submarines: Time, Cost & Jobs by Scott Elaurant

Australia has committed to building nuclear submarines (SSNs) at ASC Adelaide. Here Scott Elaurant sets aside military matters to focus on the constructability aspects of the choices – cost, time and employment. Since AUKUS was announced the UK has advised that Astute Class SSNs are not available. This leaves the choice of SSN between the…

Neoen shows the electricity industry has become storage

By Peter Roberts French renewable energy storage developer Neoen is showing how a new element of the electricity industry is emerging as highly profitable, taking the shine off traditional generation, distribution and retailing. The company owns the original big battery the Hornsdale Power Reserve in South Australia of 150MW/193.5MWh, as well as the Victorian Big…

Monash spinout believes it has core ingredient for electric aviation revolution

Kite Magnetics recently completed an $1.85 million seed round and hopes to be the Rolls-Royce of e-aviation. Brent Balinski spoke to co-founder Dr Richard Parsons. Occasionally you have a conversation that reminds you that things are an awful lot better than they used to be. For me I had such a conversation a few weeks…

Husic calls for R&D lift to 3% of GDP – report

By Peter Roberts Federal industry minister Ed Husic has talked of a new goal of raising Australia’s R&D spending ‘towards three percent of GDP’. According to a report in Campus Morning Mail, Husic told an audience at UTS, Sydney on Thursday that the goal should be to raise spending from today’s 1.79 percent of GDP…

Government in the energy business would safeguard pricing – by Shane West

Australia’s electricity grid is being shaken up as states and the Commonwealth embrace renewables. But this also gives Australia a chance to claim back energy monopolies it lost to state owned companies from China and Singapore, argues Shane West. With coal supplying 80 percent of Victoria’s energy, the closing of the Loy Yang power station…

Beazley calls for onshore rare earths processing

By Peter Roberts Few defence ministers have done more for Australian sovereign industry capability than Kim Beazley. Most recently Governor of Western Australia, Beazley as Australian ambassador to Washington pried open US markets for Australian manufactured defence equipment, securing new markets for the likes of BAE Systems Australia’s anti-ship missile decoy rocket, Nulka. Domestically he…

Cheaper gas and electricity prices are within Australia’s grasp – here’s what to do

Rod Sims, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University Virtually every country in the world is facing a crisis in energy costs, yet while other countries can’t do much about it, Australia can. Australia could get its east coast gas producers to supply the domestic gas market for less than A$10 a gigajoule. Earlier…

Not sure about spending priorities in this flawed budget – by Tim McLean

The first Labor budget in a decade has been generally well received, but not by Tim McLean. Here he mourns the loss of AusIndustry’s Entrepreneurs Programme, a victim of government cuts. Read the media and you would think that the #federalbudget was a undisputed boon to Australian manufacturing. However hidden in the detail is the…

Prudent and targeted – budget delivers for industry

By Peter Roberts The federal treasurer Jim Chalmers tonight delivered a prudent budget that better targets the needs of industry and manufacturing. In a budget speech laden with words such as sensible and responsible, Chalmers said: “The budget implements our commitments to the Australian people to deliver cheaper child care, fee-free TAFE, cleaner and cheaper…

First drive in H2X hydrogen power Warrego utility

By Peter Roberts in Amsterdam About 100 kilometres from Amsterdam in a workshop dedicated to vehicle electrification sits one of two unique hydrogen fuel cell-electric utility vehicles – Australian company H2X Global’s Warrego utility (pictured, below). The company converted two such vehicles based on Ford’s Ranger concurrently, one here in Holland and a second at…

Cable to Tassie is great, but what about manufacturing opportunities?

By Peter Roberts Governments both state and federal are rightly crowing at the announcement of a new electric transmission cable to be laid from hydro-rich Tasmania to Victoria, boosting connectivity and energy security as mainland coal fired power stations continue to reach the end of their lives. The Marinus Link will now progress towards a…

Satellite maker hyped about upcoming rainbow mission

If all goes to plan, in May next year, Australian companies will make a small step towards addressing an enduring lack of sovereign control of very important data. Among a planned launch will be products designed and made by edge computing company Spiral Blue and Esper Satellite Imagery, which is building satellites to capture hyperspectral…

Calix raises funds for Boral and Adbri low-emission industrial plants

Low emission industrial technology company Calix has moved to raise $80 million from investors to fund its share of planned low emission processing plants being constructed with Australian building products companies Boral and Adbri. The plants, which will utilise Calix’s new kiln technology enabling the capture of CO2 in the manufacture of cement and lime,…

Canberra backs Flinders’ factory of the future

By Peter Roberts The federal government is backing a major expansion of Flinders University’s Factory of the Future at the Tonsley innovation precinct in Adelaide, honoring an election promise it first made before the 2019 federal election. Industry minister Ed Husic today announced that next week’s budget would include $10.1 million to help Flinders grow…

Digital opportunity to re-build manufacturing – by Matthew McKnight

Manufacturing was transforming itself even before the Covid-19 pandemic, adopting digital solutions. But to regain leadership in manufacturing, new thinking is needed that builds on lessons from other sectors, argues Matthew McKnight The boom in global trade, increasing inflation, and global supply chain disruptions from the Covid-19 pandemic have left Australia’s manufacturing sector in disarray.…

Apprentice numbers on the rise

Apprenticeship numbers are continuing to increase in Australia as industry recovers from the extraordinary effects on business operations and investment in training through the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), there were 387,830 apprentices and trainees in-training as at 31 March 2022, an increase of 17.1 percent from 31…

Green hydrogen IS electrification

A number of people contacted me last week after the remarks of Saul Griffith on television and in  print media that have been reported as an attack on green hydrogen. I have responded individually but thought that it might be good to do so publicly too. By Paul Hodgson. The bottom line is that I…

Land Forces 2022 — A tough but rewarding job

In the final day of @AuManufacturing’s special editorial series, Land Forces 2022, we look at contract manufacturing firm GPC Electronics. Brent Balinski speaks to Managing Director Christopher Janssen. Defence makes up about 10 to 15 per cent of turnover at GPC Electronics, the Western Sydney contract electronics manufacturer run by Christopher Janssen. He describes it…

Government threatens gas producers, but little more

By Peter Roberts The federal government is talking big in facing up to price gouging by gas producers, but is studiously avoiding tough action that would actually make a difference. Ministers have been facing the media talking up a Heads of Agreement that has brought in 157 petajoules of additional supply to the east coast…

Land Forces 2022 – Australian industry and the growth and role of autonomy

@AuManufacturing’s special editorial series Land Forces 2022 looks today at what many see as the future of the battlefield – autonomous land and aerial vehicles. Peter Roberts reports on Australia’s surprising experience and expertise in autonomous vehicle control. From Ukraine to the Middle East, autonomous land and aerial systems have long played a role on…

Land Forces 2022 – SMEs suffer as defence contracts delayed, by Michael Slattery

Today @AuManufacturing’s special editorial series Land Forces 2022 turns to the predicament of the SME manufacturers supplying defence. Here, Michael Slattery looks at project delays and how they affect SMEs investing in new capabilities. On the first morning of LandForces 2022 the new federal government announced that it was deferring the Land 400 Ph3 programme.…

Land Forces 2022 – The curse and the benefit of being Australian

Next in @AuManufacturing’s special editorial series, Land Forces 2022, we include an interview with SPEE3D’s Steve Camilleri, recorded during last week’s Land Forces expo in Brisbane. SPEE3D did not set out to work with defence, a market that now makes up about half of the Australian technology company’s business, according to co-founder and CTO Steve…

Land Forces 2022 — Sapphire clock earns another tick of approval

Today @AuManufacturing’s special editorial series, Land Forces 2022, looks at how an Australian invention — the world’s most precise atomic clock — fits into the Jindalee radar network upgrade. As reported by this website, the Sapphire Cryogenic Clock made by Adelaide timing and quantum sensing business QuantX Labs has passed through full acceptance testing and…

Power Australia, power the world – by Phil Toner and Roy Green

Australia’s potential for cheap renewable power gives us a chance to become a battery manufacturing power, but we won’t on current policy settings. Here Phil Toner and Roy Green review the inaction of the past few years and argue Australia cannot afford to miss this opportunity. By Phil Toner & Roy Green* Is it too…

Land Forces 2022 – AUKUS – a catalyst for wider collaboration, by Michael McLean

Today @AuManufacturing’s special editorial series Land Forces 2022 turns to the AUKUS agreement and the new focus on collaboration it has spawned. Here, Michael McLean explains how a grass roots industry board that he chairs, is bringing together leading industry advisors and management consultants from New Zealand, UK and USA to collaborate and support AUKUS.…

Land Forces 2022 – defence industry as national power, by Andrew Gresham

Today in our special editorial series Land Forces 2022, we turn to the key role of the companies and institutions that make up the defence industry sector in supporting national security. Here Andrew Gresham looks at defence industry as an instrument of national power. To understand the Australian defence industry’s role as an instrument of…

Land Forces 2022 – why Northern Australia needs defending by Peter Layton

As part of our special editorial series Land Forces 2022, we turn to the realities of any future conflict, and the deficiencies of our maintenance, repair, and operations capabilities guarding Northern Australia. Here Dr Peter Layton spells out our Northern Australian defence infrastructure imperatives. The latest Defence Strategic Review reports back in early 2023. While…

Land Forces 2022 – learning lessons from Ukraine by Gregor Ferguson

Today our special editorial series Land Forces 2022 asks the question of the moment – what are the lessons Australia can draw from Russia’s largely land war against Ukraine? Gregor Ferguson reports. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is the gift that keeps on giving for defence analysts. The Russians have committed just about every cardinal sin…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 22 — Daen Simmat from Black Lab Design

In episode 22 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from Daen Simmat, founder and CEO at Black Lab Design. The episode was recorded during a visit to Black Lab’s factory in Frenchs Forest last week. In this broad-ranging chat, Simmat tells us about starting a company in 2013, its natural evolution from sheet metal…

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Alphafit supplies eqiuiplment for elite sporting complex The Newcastle Knights football club have installed a major new gymnasium fitted out with Australian-manufactured Alphafit gym equipment (pictured). The District Park training centre accessed by both NRL and NRLW players includes 5x Single Cages with Storage, 5x Half Cages with Storage, 2x Core Functional Trainers, 2x Freestanding…

Land Forces 2022 – introducing our new editorial series

Today @AuManufacturing launches its special editorial series Land Forces 2022 with a major interview with Defence Industry Minister, Pat Conroy. Here Peter Roberts surveys the lay of the Australian land. As delegates gather in Brisbane this week for Land forces 2022, the top of mind issue for Defence and defence industry is the conflict in…

Land Forces 2022 – defence industry policy under Pat Conroy, interview

Today we launch our special editorial series Land Forces 2022 with a look at the policies of the new federal government guiding Defence’s relationship with industry. In his first major interview, Pat Conroy, Minister for Defence Industry and Minister for international development & the Pacific, talks with Peter Roberts. Question: The coalition government from 2016…

Decarbonisation decisions compel government, industry response

By Peter Roberts Moves by Australia’s largest carbon emitter AGL to accelerate the closure of coal fired power stations and achieve net zero emissions by 2035 demand a bold industry building response from the Albanese government. Propelled by major shareholder Mike Cannon-Brookes, AGL plans to close its giant Bayswater power station by 2033 and its…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 21 — Philip Crealy from Equinox Medical

In episode 21 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from Philip Crealy, founder and Director at Equinox Medical. The episode was recorded on the second day of last week’s Modern Manufacturing Expo, which @AuManufacturing is a media partner of. Crealy presented on the topic of “Custom medical device manufacture through machine learning and generative design” at…

Productivity Commission fires blanks in report on boosting innovation

By Peter Roberts The latest report from the same mob whose policies brought you today’s fragile and narrowly based economy – the Productivity Commission – gives us more of the same faith in markets as suitable drivers of an economy that has so patently hobbled productivity growth. The PC, and its ally the Treasury have…

Flinders to catapult industry into the advanced manufacturing age

By Peter Roberts The federal government has had two attempts to mimic the success of Britain’s Catapult centres and Germany’s Fraunhofer technology and innovation centres, places where industrial technologies are developed, scaled up and realised in partnership with industry, publicly funded researchers and government. Neither of the two attempts, the first by a Labor government…

@AuManufacturing Conversations Episode 20 — David Fox from Western Parkland City Authority

In episode 20 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from David Fox, Associate Director, Research & Technology at the Western Parkland City Authority. The episode was recorded on the second day of last week’s Modern Manufacturing Expo, which @AuManufacturing is a media partner of.    Fox has worked in manufacturing for over 30 years,…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 19 — Dr Marc Carmichael from University of Technology Sydney

In episode 19 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski we hear from Dr Marc Carmichael, a Senior Lecturer at University of Technology Sydney and Chief Investigator at the Australian Cobotics Centre. The episode was recorded on the second day of the Modern Manufacturing Expo, which @AuManufacturing is a media partner of.    Carmichael’s work focusses on…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 18: Peter Mackey from Western Parkland City Authority

In episode 18 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski we hear from Peter Mackey, Executive Director, New Education and Training Model (NETM) at the NSW government’s Western Parkland City Authority. This micro-episode is about micro-credentials. In it Mackey giving an update on the NETM pilot program, which intends to develop 100 micro-credential courses between 2021…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 17 — Steve Layton from Layton Corp

In episode 17 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski we hear from Steve Layton of Layton Corporation. The chat was recorded at last Friday’s Good Design Awards. EmTech, a division of Layton’s company, won Gold for Product Design at the awards for its Enviro Hide product. Enviro Hide is made from recycled leather and has…

A year on, the shape of submarine construction taking shape

By Peter Roberts A year on from the cancellation of contracts with French Naval Group to build conventionally powered submarines in Adelaide, and the announcement of the Aukus agreement, the shape of future submarine construction is taking shape. With neither the US or the UK having the capacity to build extra submarines for Australia despite…

Andrew Forest buys up Austal shares, eyes Aukus benefits

By Peter Roberts A six month surge in the share price of Perth international shipbuilder Austal is likely attributed to a big new US Navy shipbuilding contract and the fact Fortescue boss Andrew Forrest has been quietly buying up shares and now owns a 15 percent stake in the company. While other similar companies’ share…

Ausev’s stepped plans to manufacture electric utility trucks in Australia

Hopes are rising, including from Tesla chair Robyn Denholm, that Australia can revive automotive manufacturing by producing electric vehicles. Here Peter Roberts visits one company that is advancing plans to electrify – Ausev. From the outside the factory looks much like any other along the main road through Brendale in Brisbane’s outer northern suburbs. But…

Episode 16 — Mark Chilcote from Energy Renaissance

In episode 16 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from Mark Chilcote, Managing Director of Energy Renaissance. ER was founded in 2015, is currently running a pilot plant at Tomago, and is preparing to begin volume production of lithium ion batteries by the end of the year.   This interview comes during a week…

Reliability issues, lack of investment, climate change doom coal fired electricity

By Peter Roberts There is still a degree of nostalgia among some industry observers for the days when coal fired power stations delivered Australia some of the lowest-priced electricity in the world. But just as the days of Australia’s low cost advantage are long gone so too are the odds stacking up against any future…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 15 — Associate Professor Cori Stewart from ARM Hub

In episode 15 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we speak to Associate Professor Cori Stewart, CEO of the Brisbane-based Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub. Stewart is founder of the not-for-profit organisation, which officially launched in March 2020 and aims to accelerate the uptake of robotics and AI in manufacturing and other industries within Australia. It…

Bulk procurement can revitalise government purchasing policy and impact – by Mark Leith

Today as part of @AuManufacturing’s series looking forward from the Jobs and Skills Summit, Mark Leith proposes a radical re-think of Australia’s procurement practices. If Australia is to meet its revised 2030 emissions reduction targets, early action to accelerate zero emission bus and truck adoption is essential. While the business case for fleet electrification and…

Senate agrees to dumb One Nation push for steel industry

By Peter Roberts It is understandable for a party like One Nation to be advocating a policy as dumb as its Project Iron Boomerang steelmaking plan for Australia, but it is dumber for the Senate to vote to support it as well. But that is what the Senate has done passing a motion establishing an…

Carbon capture and storage mostly a failure – report

By Peter Roberts A lot of things are being reassessed with the demise of the Morrison government in Canberra not least of which is the Coalition’s funding of carbon capture and storage projects. This is for very good reason, as is suggested by a new report from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis…

Integrating science, technology, innovation and industry policies – by Dr John Howard

This week @AuManufacturing experts look forward from the Jobs and Skills Summit. Here leading policy analyst Dr John Howard looks at Australia’s fragmented science, technology and innovation policies and maps out way for these to be integrated and co-ordinated with a robust industry development policy. Management textbooks and business self-help books tell us that strategy…

Climb another Summit to high value manufacturing and innovation – by Professor John Spoehr

This week @AuManufacturing will feature a series of experts responding and looking forward from the Jobs and Skills Summit. Here leading innovation and manufacturing academic, Professor John Spoehr, gives his perspective. It was dubbed the hottest ticket in town – I was one of around 140 people to get one and enthusiastically attended last week’s…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 14 — Dr William Crowe and Dr Hiranya Jayakody from HEO Robotics

In episode 14 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from Dr William Crowe and Dr Hiranya Jayakody from HEO Robotics. The pair began HEO while they were PhD candidates at UNSW Sydney, initially with a focus on asteroid mining.  Today they are pursuing a beautifully simple goal: image anything within the Solar System…

Jobs Summit ends with progress and consensus

The federal government’s Jobs and Skills Summit broke up on Friday with numerous decisions reached amid rarely seen consensus between politicians, business and community leaders and unions. While day one saw the government announce 180,000 new fee-free TAFE training places, day two saw another universally welcomed announcement. Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil announced the permanent…

Industry policy – the policy that dare not speak its name at jobs summit

Analysis by Peter Roberts Oh dear, the Jobs and Skills Summit underway in Canberra is all well and good, excellent even as it has put an end to the division and them and us of the past decade. But am I the only one that is getting a sinking feeling about whether industry policy is…

We need more than made in Australia – by Dr Jens Goennemann

Proudly made in Australia… is just not good enough. Full disclosure: I have an issue with pride. What for example would it have meant for me to be a proud German, I asked myself when I was younger. Winning the World Cup in soccer? I never kicked a ball in a single match. Fancy cars…

ASDAM emerges as Australian owned defence manufacturing powerhouse

By Peter Roberts Two of the veterans of the Australian venture capital industry have increased their footprint in defence manufacturing with their majority owned ASDAM advanced manufacturing business moving to take over another two Australian defence suppliers. CPE Capital, founded by industry pioneers, former Austrade boss Bill Ferris, and Joe Skrzynski, have been investing in…

Preparing for cyber attack – by John Hines

Skills are top of mind today with a jobs and skills summit in Canberra. With deteriorating relations between Australia and a number of countries a cyber skills shortage is looming large for manufacturers. John Hines outlines what can be done. The cyber security skills gap in Australia is reaching unprecedented levels. The hunt for talented…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 13 — Arden Jarrett from MGA Thermal

In this episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski we hear from Arden Jarrett, Business Development Officer at MGA Thermal. MGA’s name comes from “miscibility gap alloy”, an approach to thermal energy storage developed over a decade by a team at University of Newcastle and which it is currently commercialising. In late-June the company launched the…

Silex tests full scale laser destined for uranium enrichment

By Peter Roberts Australia’s Silex Systems has successfully manufactured and tested the first full-scale laser system destined for the enrichment of uranium in a major breakthrough in its decades long quest to commercialise what has been called third generation laser enrichment technology. The company announced today the first full scale laser system module to be…

PPK Group’s difficult transition to be a technology company

By Peter Roberts PPK Group held its course for its transition from mining equipment manufacturer to technology commercialisation company in the past year, but not without experiencing failures in its technology portfolio and – like many young technology companies – a big fall in its share price. According to executive chairman Robin Levison (pictured, below)…

An economic summit with purpose – by Roy Green

A jobs and skills summit will open in Sydney tomorrow against a background of inflation, interest rate hikes and skills shortages further weakening Australia’s industrial infrastructure. Here Roy Green surveys the summiting landscape, and what this means for industry policy. While this week’s Jobs and Skills Summit is being held under different circumstances from its…

The circular economy and the future of industry and economy – by Lance Worrall

A new Australian Industrial Transformation Institute (Flinders University) report, ‘The Circular Economy: International Lessons and Directions for Australian Reindustrialisation’, considers why and how Circular Economy principles should be applied to the larger project of Australian reindustrialisation, accelerated decarbonisation, value adding and national sovereignty. By Lance Worrall Through a focus on industrial processes and critical metals,…

Breakthrough in US view of purchasing Australian defence products

By Peter Roberts I nearly missed this news myself – but the United States has quietly signalled that the one way traffic of sales of military equipment and technology from the US to Australia really has come to an end. This has been going on so long – we buy American equipment and they show…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 12 — Phil West from Siren Cameras

In episode 12 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from Phil West, co-founder of Siren Cameras. West comes from a family of fishers, and moved to Australia from Scotland a decade ago. A few years back he was out bluewater fishing, caught nothing all day, then found himself in a 15-minute battle with what…

Companies receive late MMI grant decisions – sparks IDT Australia strategic review

By Peter Roberts Companies have begun to receive belated notices from the federal government that their applications for grant support under the Morrison government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative, with IDT Australia one that has opted for a full strategic review following news its bid for a MMI grant had failed. Industry minister Ed Husic this week…

MMI grants pass review, were politicised – Husic

The industry minister Ed Husic has announced that the government’s examination of Modern Manufacturing Initiative grants has concluded and that announced grants will now be actioned. Husic said that the review showed the 68 grants were all supported by an independent Assessment Committee and the processes adhered to the publicly available Grant Opportunity Guidelines. He…

Most people self medicating with illicit cannabis

While manufacturers are investing to increase legal production of medicinal cannabis products, most Australians are still self-medicating with illicit cannabis, according to a study by the University of Sydney’s Lambert Initiative. The third Cannabis as Medicine Survey (CAMS20) did find, however that numbers accessing prescription products have risen dramatically. The study of 1,600 people using…

GREENSTEEL expansion plans underway at Whyalla – video

In a separate story here, @AuManufacturing reports on the production of the first GREENSTEEL pellets at the Whyalla operations of Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance. In this video, Gupta explains the current expansion, his ambitions for Whyalla, and the technology that will be used to make green steel using hydrogen rather than coal at Whyalla in…

VET students pass pre-covid levels – NCVER

In 2021, 4.3 million students were enrolled in nationally recognised VET courses, according to new figures from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). This is the equivalent of 24.0 percent of the Australian resident population aged 15 to 64 years who participated in nationally recognised training in 2021. The figure is also higher…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 11 — Taya Permezel from Coolon LED Lighting

In episode 11 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we hear from Taya Permezel, Director of Partnerships at Coolon LED Lighting. Permezel (pictured below) is part of an ambitious SME manufacturer that’s very much on the move, which was recently featured during our Celebrating Australian Made Series, and which has won numerous awards for its…

How 3ME Technology electrified the Bushmaster

By Peter Roberts An electric Bushmaster protected mobility vehicle turned up at the Army Robotics Expo in Adelaide earlier this month, wowing the crowd with the futuristic version of the redoubtable Thales Australian manufactured armoured vehicle. But the story of how the Bushmaster, recently one of Australia’s gifts to help Ukraine repel the Russian invasion,…

30 years on, we still haven’t got industry policy we need

By Peter Roberts A week or so from now, 30 years ago a young warrior for manufacturing industry Dr Roy Green had this article (pictured) printed in the Canberra Times outlining the case for a national industry policy. Australia was then just emerging from a ‘sheltered workshop’ era of manufacturing as the then Labor government…

Innovation comes from outside, says founder

“Change that adds value.” Maybe you just thought of the word “innovation”, which the above is a common definition for.  As with other words, there are multiple understandings and definitions for innovation. A couple of years ago Stuart Elliott, a co-founder at Planet Innovation, told us that it is “not about research and it’s not…

@AuManufacturing Conversations Episode 10 — Peter Torreele from 3RT

In episode ten of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we speak to Peter Torreele, founder and Managing Director of 3RT, a company that has developed automated machines that can convert wood industry residue into products that look and feel like 100-year-old hardwood.

@AuManufacturing Conversations Episode 9 — Dr Jens Goennemann from the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre

In episode nine of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we speak to Dr Jens Goennemann, Managing Director of the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre. Goennemann tells us about Australia’s slide downwards in the latest Economic Complexity Index rankings, compiled by Harvard’s Growth Lab and released a couple of weeks ago. Economic complexity measures the sophistication and diversity…

Apprentice and trainee completion rates decrease

The completion rate for apprentices and trainees who commenced training in 2017 decreased to 55.7 percent, down by 1.2 percentage points from those commencing in 2016, according to the latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). Completion and attrition rates for apprentices and trainees 2021 reports on the completion rates for…

Manufacturers contribute more to growth and transformation than thought – study

Manufacturing is viewed by some as a fading sector, inevitably being replaced by new, knowledge and service based industries in developed countries such as the US, UK and Australia. But a study of the behaviour of manufacturing companies over time by researchers at Princeton University has demonstrated that as manufacturing itself changes, it changes the…

Uranium prices are soaring, and Australia’s hoary old nuclear debate is back in the headlines. Here’s what it all means

Last week, Opposition Leader Peter Dutton sought to revive the hoary old debate of nuclear power in Australia, announcing an internal review into whether the Liberals should back the controversial technology.

EOS in satellite breakthrough, links with US defence

Space, communications and defence manufacturer Electro Optic Systems has scored the biggest possible ally as it attempts to commercialise its SpaceLink global system of linked optical relay communications satellites. SpaceLink has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with the US Army Space and Missile Defense Command Technical Center (USASMDC-TC) in Redstone Arsenal,…

No, no and no – government opens way to import submarines

By Peter Roberts Industry has taken no time at all to react to the news that Australian governments of both colours are determined to continue making a hash of developing local defence industry capability. The latest indignity come in clear signs from defence and deputy prime minister Richard Marles that we might just buy submarines…

@AuManufacturing Conversations Episode 8 — Dr Shafali Gupta and Andy Epifani from Uuvipak

In episode eight of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we speak to Dr Shafali Gupta and Andy Epifani, the co-founders and co-CEOs of Uuvipak. The cell biologist and the software engineer met last year and are currently commercialising a novel food waste-based solution, turning grain and beverage industry waste into single-use plastic substitutes that are…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 7 – Shay Chalmers from Strategic Engineering

In episode seven of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we speak to Shay Chalmers, founder of Strategic Engineering and a director at a collection of private and public entities, most of them to do with manufacturing in some way. Chalmers describes herself as “believing in the power of collaboration to drive positive social change, especially…

Government orders review of review of defence purchases

By Peter Roberts The federal government has announced a Defence Strategic Review, with $44.6 billion in annual spending up for review or, in the government’s own words, even abandoned. With the new government facing an increasingly complicated defence environment, the review will also cover defence force structure and where defence assets and personnel are best…

Seeley defies the odds to profit from appliance manufacturing

By Peter Roberts You hear comments like this all the time: ‘but we don’t manufacture any major appliances in Australia, do we?’ Well actually we do – in fact many of Australia’s most loved appliances in areas from cooking, to air conditioning are still made locally. A stand-out is Seeley International, which has just revealed…

The ‘gas trigger’ won’t be enough to stop our energy crisis escalating. We need a domestic reservation policy

Australia’s east coast gas crisis is set to sharply worsen. A new report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) notes supply conditions will deteriorate significantly in 2023 if no action is taken. The 56 petajoule shortfall is huge – equivalent to around 10% of domestic demand.

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 6 — Jess Hodge from Resourceful Living

In episode six of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we speak to Jess Hodge, co-founder at the husband-and-wife led startup Resourceful Living. Solutions for post-consumer and post-industrial plastic have grown in importance over the last few years, and phased-in Australian waste export bans ramped up again on July 1, with Australians now unable send any…

World’s tallest timber hotel for Adelaide spurs local industry

By Peter Roberts You couldn’t get a site more central to a capital city CBD and you couldn’t get a vision as big as the $300 million project property developer Barrie Harrop has unveiled for Victoria Square, Adelaide. One of two new hotels announced by Harrop’s Thrive Construct, the Adelaide building will be constructed of…

The time to steel ourselves is now

There are difficulties at the moment, sure, but we need to maintain some measured optimism while acknowledging the speedbumps. Vik Bansal explains.

Billion-dollar demand as well as regulation struggles for hydrogen innovator

Brent Balinski As anybody who has tried to do it knows, there’s a lot of tough work and frustration between accessing a scientific breakthrough and turning it into commercial success. On Friday an audience of NSW MPs and media at Tomago heard about the progress Lavo has made since launching in October 2020 — armed…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 5 — Catie Fry from Clovendoe

In episode five of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, we speak to Catie Fry, founder and Master Distiller at Clovendoe, a Gold Coast-based distillery with a difference. Fry’s career in the drinks business began with a gin and rum enterprise that she, her husband and some friends opened in Rockhampton in 2016. It was before…

VET numbers rise in schools – NCVER

The number of school students undertaking vocational education and training (VET) as part of their senior secondary certificate of education increased in the last year, according to the latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). NCVER Managing director Simon Walker said: “In 2021, there were 251,200 students undertaking VET in Schools…

First it was toilet paper, now it’s serious – drugs in short supply

By Peter Roberts In the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic it was shortages of everyday items such as toilet paper that suffered the disruptions of global supply chains. Now a risible situation is becoming really serious – we are experiencing shortages of critical medicines such as drugs for diabetes, hormone replacement therapy, depression, nausea,…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 4 — John Mellowes from PyroAg

In episode four of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski,  we speak to John Mellowes, CEO of PyroAg Wood Vinegar and Director at Biocarbon. We learn some of the fundamentals of pyrolysis and its products — such as biochar, wood vinegar and syngas — when used to decompose biomass. Mellowes tells us about the potential of wood…

What is Australia’s place in the semiconductor world?

Our world as we know it could not exist without semiconductors, an industry of immense technological, economic and strategic importance, and expected to grow in value from $US 600 billion last year to $US 1 trillion by 2030.

Danger time for Australia’s young defence SME manufacturers

By Peter Roberts The story on the stock market this year has been a bloodbath in the share price performance of Australia’s small coterie of high technology manufacturers. The worst month was June, when the the ASX 200 share index lost 8.9 percent of its value and the S&P/ASX All Technology Index went backwards by…

@AuManufacturing Conversations episode 3 – Jon Bulman from Finisar

In the third episode of @AuManufacturing Conversations With Brent Balinski, we speak to Jon Bulman, Director of Manufacturing at Finisar.

Labor builds on coalition focus on defence industry

By Peter Roberts The big news for defence industry keeps on coming this week with defence minister Richard Marles focusing on elevating the role of Australian industry in Australia’s Anzus and Aukus pacts with our long-time ally, the United States. On Wednesday Marles, who is deputy prime minister, pledged to strengthen Australia’s defence industries and…

South Australia heads towards 100% renewables in 2025

South Australia’s charge towards 100 percent renewable energy power got a fillip last year with the state reaching close to 70 percent renewable power on average, according to figures from the OpenNEM (National Energy Market) report. The state, which has transformed its energy system from one per cent renewables in only 15 years, was on…

Moving from idea to innovation with R&D

A recently-completed 12-month R&D project provides an example of how applied research between industry and academia can proceed successfully. By the Innovative Manufacturing CRC. Deakin University and Geelong-based manufacturing start-up FormFlow have forged a symbiotic business relationship, arguably not seen enough between research institutions and industry in Australia. It began in 2016 when Dr Matt…

The Sydney factory with a hand in half the world’s internet traffic

Brent Balinski speaks to Jon Bulman, Director of Manufacturing at Finisar, which has assembled and exported about $2 billion in optical products from Sydney, though would be a name unfamiliar to most Australians.

Jobs summit comes as companies face staff shortages

By Peter Roberts Labor is back in power and that means a return to multi-party summits such as a Jobs and Skills Summit announced by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this week for the first and second of September. That will be welcomed by a manufacturing sector struggling with workplace issues ranging from a broken enterprise…

VET enrolments rose in 2021 – NCVER

The total number of government-funded students involved in VET courses rose five percent in 2021 compared to the previous year, according to a new report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The report Government-funded students and courses 2021 found a total of 1,250,100 students were enrolled in government-funded vocational education and training…

ATSE calls for swift action on energy transition

Leading fellows of the Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) have called for a rapid deployment of new technologies to decarbonise energy systems. Here, Peter Roberts exposes the industry backdrop to their calls. Australia is in the throes of an energy crisis, with electricity generation prices around 115 per cent above the previous highest average…

Collaborate to compete – by John Sheridan

Australia is failing to understand the immensity of change underway as the world connects, argues John Sheridan. But Australia has opportunities galore, if only we can harness digitisation to change out economic fortunes. The world is wet. And the sky is a blue circle. A frog in a well has a unique and limited view…

Frontiers in additive manufacturing – from CNC to 3D

Last week in our series Frontiers in additive manufacturing, Peter Roberts discussed the similarities between the impact of then-new CNC technologies in the 1980s to today’s growth in additive manufacturing. Today he talks with Bruce Rowley, whose company CNC Design was a pioneer in Australia’s adoption of both technologies. As Australian manufacturers first moved to…

The importance of How it’s Made – Australia – video

Advertisement Over the past weeks the Australian Manufacturing Forum and @AuManufacturing’s partners Cahoots and David Koch’s AusBiz have been out talking to manufacturers about our new video series How it’s Made – Australia. The reception has been positive as manufacturers warm to the potential of a service modelled on the Discovery Channel’s hugely successful How…

Frontiers in additive manufacturing: the challenges of design, innovation and commercialisation

In the final day of our Frontiers in additive manufacturing series, Glenn Rees, Head of Engineering at Conflux, discusses the many challenges that come with design freedom, the commercial sweet spots for metal AM, and more. You’ve come from a Motorsport background – can you tell me a bit about the differences and similarities in…

Frontiers in additive manufacturing: Riblets and wings

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series, Frontiers in additive manufacturing, looks at an Australian innovation for printing surfaces that borrow from nature. Brent Balinski speaks to Henry Bilinsky of MicroTau. (A podcast of the interview is available at this link, and through Spotify and other platforms.)      As in the examples of Carbon Revolution and Tritium –…

A future without greenwashing – by Helen Millicer

Greenwashing is on the rise, and Australia’s regulations system for monitoring ‘green’ claims by manufacturers is not fit for purpose. Here Helen Millicer dissects the issues, and points to a system where claimed environmental benefits can be trusted by consumers and companies alike. Every day we see yet another company claiming environmental benefits with their…

Hunter class frigate is fit to fight – by Craig Lockhart

The construction of nine Hunter class frigates at the Osborne naval dockyard has been criticised for being behind schedule and, even, not being the right ship for Australia’s needs. Here Craig Lockhart, managing director of shipbuilder BAE Systems Maritime Australia, refutes both claims, and details the progressing in delivering these multi-role, anti-submarine frigates. Defence minister…

Frontiers in additive manufacturing – the future of Australia’s nascent machine manufacturing sector

@AuManufacturing’s latest editorial series, Frontiers in Additive Manufacturing turns to the thriving startup world of metal additive manufacturers. Here, Peter Roberts looks back in time, and asks how can Australia make sure today’s crop of young companies grow and prosper, and remain in Australian hands. Cast your mind back to the 1990s and the rapid…

Frontiers in additive manufacturing: Overcoming common DfAM compromises

In day two of our Frontiers in additive manufacturing series, Victorien Menier and Pieter Coulier look at some reasons why metal additive manufacturing hasn’t lived up to certain promises for some adopters, and how certain issues can be addressed.

From little (but valuable) things, big things grow

Is there a possibility to develop sovereign design, fabrication and packaging capability for semiconductors through defence projects? Glenn Downey looks at the question, and the implications beyond the defence industry.

New procurement rules are great news – by Shane West

New federal government procurement rules announced on Friday have doubled the share of $70 billion in annual spending open to Australia’s SMEs. But as Shane West argues here, they also open up the possibility of other benefits to the economy and environment. The revised Commonwealth Procurement Rules (CPRs) now requiring that procuring officials consider a…

Series launch: Frontiers in additive manufacturing

@AuManufacturing’s latest editorial series, Frontiers in Additive Manufacturing, begins today. Brent Balinski introduces the one-week series. 

Reset manufacturing, but with the right IR settings – by Michael Stutley

Australia has a rare opportunity to reset its manufacturing sector. But it must get the IR settings right argues Michael Stutley. Since the 1960s peak, Australian manufacturing has been in decline. In the protected economy of that period, it generated over a quarter of GDP and employed about 25 per centof the workforce. Today, manufacturing’s…

Barbie maker beats supply chain blues by taking production in-house

By Brent Balinski There are many examples since 2020 of manufacturers of all sizes being forced to re-examine their supply chains. One comes from John Smith, owner of Smith’s Cooking Systems and Smith’s BBQ. He began designing and selling cooker cabinets and later microwave trims in 2000, and BBQs and related equipment in 2015. The…

Australian Manufacturing Forum passes 11,000 members

@AuManufacturing’s social media discussion and networking group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin, has passed an important membership milestone. The Forum, Australia’s largest professional social media group of Australian manufacturers, passed 11,006 members this morning with the admission of 10 new members. The Forum has grown steadily since its founding in 2013, and 18 months…

$200bn on offer through food value-adding

An additional 300,000 jobs could be created within Australia’s food and agribusiness sector by 2030 through industry value-adding, according to a re[port for industry growth centre Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL). FIAL and consultant AlphaBeta Singapore found that if opportunities are realised this could unlock $200 billion in value across each state and territory. They…

AUKUS – a reset for Australian defence industry by Michael Slattery

With the construction of one type of submarines cancelled, and a second being investigated but not yet ordered, Michael Slattery says defence industry is getting nervous about investing in a perhaps uncertain future. Here he looks at how we got to where we are today, and what might be. In the late 1950’s and early…

Pressure grows for son of Collins submarine

I am pleased to say that Australia might be edging towards what has always been the best choice for our next fleet of submarines – a son of Collins design substantially designed and built locally. The new federal government maintains its support for the 18 month study that is underway into the option of buying…

It might seem a small loss, but Treg’s closure is a sad day for manufacturing nonetheless

On Friday a small Adelaide manufacturer announced it was closing, unremarkable perhaps because it happens every day. But manufacturing is suffering a death by a thousand such cuts, argues Peter Roberts. We have to do something to change the fortunes of our SMEs who, like the little company profiled here – are doing it tough.…

Celebrating Australian Made: Local ingenuity walloping the world’s weeds

In the final day of our two-week Celebrating Australian Made series, @AuManufacturing looks at Seed Terminator, a company whose machines fit onto combine harvesters and play a role in weed control for crop farmers. By Brent Balinski

Celebrating Australian Made: The shop local movement and food manufacturing

In today’s addition to the our Celebrating Australian Made series, Sam Schachna shares lessons learned and how he’s rethinking the world of work. Here’s a look back—and a lens on what’s next.

Celebrating Australian Made: A quiet achiever’s homespun wisdom

Today our Celebrating Australian Made editorial series takes a look at CST Composites, which exports the vast majority of what it makes. Brent Balinski speaks to Managing Director Clive Watts, who started the company by building production machinery in his garage.

Defence purchasing need to change to grow local SMEs – Rebecca Humble

Australian defence contractor Nova Systems led a meeting of defence SMEs at the recent Indo Pacific Maritime exposition, to discuss defence industry policy. Here, Rebecca Humble argues that policy settings are not succeeding in growing small SMEs into larger ones, and larger ones to the scale where they can compete against foreign companies and bid…

Celebrating Australian Made: Lighting innovator looks to defence, IoT to continue expansion

To close the first week of our fortnight-long Celebrating Australian Made editorial series, @AuManufacturing profiles Hallam, Victoria-based industrial lighting specialist Coolon. By Brent Balinski.

Celebrating Australian Made: Three R&D collaborations bringing local innovations to the global stage

Research and development (R&D) collaborations between industry and university are revitalising Australia’s manufacturing sector, according to the Innovative Manufacturing CRC. The IMCRC shares three examples in this installment of our Celebrating Australian Made series. 

Celebrating Australian Made: A story with teeth

The first story in our second Celebrating Australian Made editorial series is EFC Manufacturing Co, the maker of an Australian invention which has been keeping garments fuzz-free for decades. By Brent Balinski.

From the boutique to the billion-dollar – it’s time to Celebrate Australian Made

Today we launch our second Celebrating Australian Made editorial series, running this week and next. By Brent Balinski.

Green light for green industries in tectonic election shift

By Peter Roberts The result of Saturday’s election is not notable so much for the return of a Labor government after nine years, but for a tectonic shift towards progressive candidates with massive implications for a transition from fossil fuels to green industry such as hydrogen and ammonia export. Climate conservative politicians were swept from…

Packaging, process and progress series: Industry 4.0, e-commerce and ESG will drive growth

In the final day of our Packaging, process and progress series, Sercan Altun looks at some of the major economic and technological trends that are reshaping the packaging industry. The packaging industry’s breakneck growth prior to the COVID-19 era was shaped by various factors. To name a few: The rising middle class in China and…

Election 22 the real issues – the industry policy dog that didn’t bark by Roy Green

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election concludes today with a return to industry and innovation policy – largely missing in action in the election campaign. By Professor Roy Green. When it comes to research and innovation, the current election campaign recalls the Sherlock Holmes story featuring the dog…

Packaging, process and progress: Unlocking new possibilities with your data

In day two of our Packaging, process and progress series, Alex McClung argues that a combination of data-infrastructure, robotic-infrastructure, and existing plant-infrastructure should be unified to enhance the capabilities of Australian manufacturing. 

Packaging, process and progress: It’s all about culture, says Pakko

For the first story in @AuManufacturing’s new Packaging, process and progress series, we hear from Nina Nguyen, founder of award-winning custom packaging and print company Pakko. By Brent Balinski.

Austal could build modules for US, Australian nuclear submarines

By Peter Roberts Perth international shipbuilder Austal could build modules for future nuclear-powered submarines in a move to speed up construction of the US nuclear fleet, and at the same time enabling Australia to access N-subs earlier than previously expected under the Aukus pact. According to a report in the authoritative janes.com, to maintain a…

Election 22 the real issues – industry policy by bureaucrats or consultants

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today with a critical assessment of industry policy, and the role of multi-national company consultants. Here Lance Worrall and Glenn Downey look at the policy advice challenge Whichever coloured ties and scarves (blue or red) forms the majority of the House…

Excellence in maritime manufacturing – the view of the Indian Ocean from WA

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing turns to the Indian Ocean, where Serge DeSilva-Ranasinghe and CDRE Brett Dowsing, RAN (Rtd) suggest a maritime Colombo plan as a contribution to regional security. From a defence and security perspective, the Indian Ocean region is a zone that has significant untapped potential, yet in many ways Australia’s…

Election 22 the real issues – towards a circular economy by Göran Roos

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election turns to a circular economy. In this excerpt from a paper by Professor Göran Roos, he outlines the challenges ahead as we make the desirable move towards a more sustainable future. The desirable move towards a more sustainable future has recently taken…

Carbon revolution grant shows the absurdity in Canberra’s daily cash giveaways

Comment by Peter Roberts I hate to say this, but a $12 million Modern Manufacturing Initiative grant to help carbon fibre wheel manufacturer Carbon Revolution build its first Mega production line just announced has shown the absurdity, and the needless cost of federal government grant schemes. I hate to say this because I am a…

Excellence in maritime manufacturing – Making a case for safer lithium batteries

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing looks at an Australian startup targeting the problem of overheating batteries, and their early work in marine applications. By Tyson Bowen.

Excellence in maritime manufacturing – Lessons from the Ukraine by Gregor Ferguson

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing coinciding with the Indo Pacific 2022 International Maritime Exposition turns to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and its lessons for Australia’s maritime forces. Comment by Gregor Ferguson. Russia’s bungled invasion of Ukraine, which is now in its third month, is replete with lessons for war fighters, war…

Politicians in high-vis say they love manufacturing. But if we want more Australian-made jobs, here’s what we need

Most politicians vocally support Australian-made products. Manufacturing certainly provides excellent opportunities for candidates in high-vis to make election campaign announcements.

Election 22 the real issues – more support for manufacturing by Leigh Rust

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today with a call for further support for manufacturing. By Leigh Rust. With the federal election fast approaching, discussions on the issues facing Australia are on the table, but it’s also important to champion and be vocal about the issues that…

Launch of our new editorial series – excellence in maritime manufacturing

Today @AuManufacturing launches its new editorial series Excellence in maritime manufacturing coinciding with the Indo Pacific 2022 International Maritime Exposition. Maritime industries are booming as Australia builds new naval vessels at a rate unprecedented in peacetime. In a separate story Peter Roberts tours the Osborne shipyard in Adelaide, while here he sets the scene. Australia’s…

Election 22 the real issues – by Allen Roberts

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today with this article by Allan Roberts. What is blindingly absent from this election campaign, and politics, in this country is any recognition that an economy is a system. Each part of the economy has an impact on every other part,…

‘Advanced manufacturing’ should be about people, skills and the environment, not fancy new tech

By Dr Jesse Adams Stein It is now a common trope of Australian election campaigns that both major parties pay lip service to the importance of supporting ‘advanced manufacturing’, while regularly donning hard-hats and high-vis vests. But what does ‘advanced manufacturing’ really mean for jobs, for communities, or for the environment? Image by Matt Roberts…

Election 22 the real issues – political leadership by Lance Worrall

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today. Here Lance Worrall outlines the policy challenge if we are to achieve significant reindustrialisation. If ever a federal election needed to be fought on a future economic vision and strategy it is this one. Four powerful factors confirm this: the…

Industry tackles our mountains of furniture waste – by Patrizia Torelli

In the recent floods in eastern Australia the footpaths of recovering cities were quickly piled high with waste furniture and furnishings. With little of this waste recyclable or recycled and ending up in landfill, Patrizia Torelli explores what industry is doing to create a more sustainable Australian furniture and furnishings sector. Bushfire and flood emergencies…

Wolves of Waterloo say Australian space success hinges on collaboration 

In space, no one can do without a team, according to the members of a new Sydney incubator. By Brent Balinski.

Election 22 the real issues – adding value by Professor Danny Samson

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today. Here Danny Samson asks why doesn’t Australia add more value through manufacturing, and can we ever hope to?

We need more female leaders in senior technical roles

By Forough Khandan It’s no secret that STEM industries have a gender diversity problem and even more so when it comes to the representation of women in technical leadership roles, such as the head of engineering and head of product. We know that STEM skills are critical for creating a stronger national economy, but according…

Election 22 the real issues – Productivity growth by Narelle Kennedy

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today. Here Narelle Kennedy looks at Australia’s industry and innovation policies and productivity. Blind spots in Australia’s industry and innovation policies are hampering productivity gains and here two particular causes of concern stand out. Firstly, innovation policies have an almost exclusive…

Election 22 the real issues – company R&D by Peter Roberts

@AuManufacturing will publish an occasional editorial series leading up to the election of the real issues that face Australia. Today Peter Roberts looks at company R&D. A week ago I showed how Australia’s innovation effort – which has direct implications for our productivity – has fallen every year since the Coalition came to office, but…

How to find and follow @AuManufacturing news stories

A reminder to members of the Australian Manufacturing Forum and readers of @AuManufacturing news and media. Our daily news stories and features and group discussions can now be followed via: The Australian Manufacturing Forum Linkedin group @AuManufacturing news website and three-times weekly newsletter The @AuManufacturing Linkedin company page @AuManufacturing on Twitter And Google news feed…

The cost of offshoring now being paid – by John Broadbent

By John Broadbent Do you remember when some Australian manufacturers off-shored their production to lower-cost labour countries, mostly in SE Asia? In most cases, the labour issue was because the equipment on which they worked was ancient history, a relic, fully-depreciated and being sweated so much, it was dripping. Rather than use the depreciation tax…

Chipping away in the emerging 5G industry

Last week wireless 5G innovator milliBeam came out of stealth mode, announcing its intention to make new hires and to establish a  design centre by the year’s end. Brent Balinski spoke to CEO and founder Dr Venkata Gutta about the company’s origins and how it intends to overcome challenges around a small local ecosystem for…

Innovation and productivity forgotten in a wasted decade

By Peter Roberts I have lost count how many from prime minister’s down have claimed to be working to make Australia a clever country, a maker of innovative things. Well guess what, it has all been hot air and good intentions – we have become less innovative year on year throughout the duration of this…

Why a WA engineering company built an autonomous hybrid vehicle

By Brent Balinski A couple of weeks ago this website shared news of an autonomous hydrogen/electric vehicle launched by East Fremantle engineering company Lycaon Group. There was no information released on the application or customer for the vehicle, labelled AHV-001, apparently entering the field trial phase.  It turns out the self-driving car – with its…

Let’s start EV manufacturing with the Nissan Leaf – by Shane West

Nissan Australia’s Dandenong South casting plant in Victoria recently won a series of manufacturing contracts with Nissan Japan to produce castings for the new Nissan LEAF mass-market all-electric car. Here Shane West outlines how Nissan’s footprint in Australia and Nissan’s overseas manufacture of the Leaf can kick-start EV manufacturing in Australia. The Nissan Leaf casting…

Canberra puts foreign companies at head of multi-billion missile programme

By Peter Roberts The federal government has selected foreign defence contractors and allocated a supporting role to two genuinely Australian consortia in accelerating the rollout of ‘sovereign’ guided weapons capabilities. Minister for defence Peter Dutton announced a $3.5 billion investment in speeding delivery of new missile capabilities for the Royal Australian Air Force and the…

Ukraine creates perfect conditions to prove XTEK composites

By Peter Roberts I was touring the Adelaide factory and R&D centre of ballistic armour manufacturer Xtek yesterday when news came through that it had received an urgent order for ballistic armour for $2.15 million – its third from unnamed international customers within a month. Xtek’s order takes total sales over the past 30 days…

Today’s federal government cash for industry – $41m for Varley

By Peter Roberts The federal government has continued its all but daily announcements of new defence contracts and grants to manufacturers with the news today that Tomago, NSW engineering group Varley will receive a $41 million contract for deployable military infrastructure. According to a statement from defence minister Peter Dutton: “The contract is part of…

Let’s not waste this emergency – secure our critical mineral supply chains

By Peter Roberts If covid-19 has taught us anything it is that Australia needs to be more self sufficient in what we manufacture onshore and depend less on globalised supply chains that are easily interrupted by accident or design. For advanced nations there is a range of rare earths that are essential to high tech…

Election budget focus on voters, not the economy and industry

Comment by Peter Roberts This budget was always going to be about saving the federal government’s bacon in an election it looks likely to lose, and Treasurer Josh Frydenberg did not disappoint with cash giveaways to all and sundry with little regard to managing the economy and the budget. For consumers there was a six-month…

Let’s build submarine drones and an evolved Collins class

Comment by Peter Roberts The news that the federal government is moving to vastly enlarge the size of the Osborne naval shipyard in Adelaide should refocus attention on the immense scale of efforts to build nuclear submarines in Australia perhaps costing as much as $171 billion over their lifetime. It should also focus attention on…

Kim Carr bows out a tireless warrior for manufacturing and innovation

Comment by Peter Roberts Victorian senator Kim Carr has announced he will not be re-contesting his seat in the senate in the upcoming election, with his departure a sad loss to Australian public life and especially to the battle to value innovation and manufacturing in national policy. Carr has been rather unfairly characterised by his…

Massive expansion planned for Adelaide shipyard

By Peter Roberts Hot on the tail of a $4.3 billion promise to expand the Henderson maritime precinct in Perth, Adelaide has been offered a similar carrot with the federal government leasing a massive area for the expansion of the Osborne naval shipyard. The government has revealed it will lease an additional 45 hectares of…

SA’s new focus on manufacturing in Cabinet

By Peter Roberts South Australia’s new Labor government has emphatically refocussed on the manufacturing sector with the choice of Deputy Premier Susan Close to serve as the state’s industry and science minister in the new Cabinet. Premier Peter Malinauskas announced his Cabinet on Thursday morning with Close, who has been the Deputy Labor leader since…

Hydrogen startup anticipates 30 new hires over next 12 months

University of Wollongong-headquartered Hysata recently made headlines with a breakthrough paper in Nature Communications, demonstrating a “giant leap” in water splitting progress and a claim to be on track to $2/kilogram hydrogen by 2025. The UoW spinout business was launched in mid-2021 with $5 million in seed funding from the IP Group and the Clean…

Critical minerals manufacturing opportunity – by Shannon O’Rourke

Australia has vast resources of battery minerals and the beginnings of a battery metals value chain, but little in the way of value-added manufacturing. According to Shannon O’Rourke, the time for action to seize the opportunity is now. The Australian mining industry saved Australia from recession in the GFC and again during the Covid-19 pandemic.…

Forging a way into the nuclear power industry

Australia will eventually have eight nuclear submarines, under a partnership with either the US or UK, and a new base for them at one of three short-listed sites on the east coast.

New SA government aims for hydrogen leadership

By Peter Roberts Having previously led the world with the installation of the world-first Hornsdale big battery, the incoming Labor government in South Australia plans to do the same with the construction of a state-owned hydrogen electrolyser and green hydrogen-fired power station at Whyalla. Costed at $593 million, the 250 MWe electrolysers, 200MW power station…

Boeing: why the Ukraine crisis could help it become the world’s number one aircraft maker again

By Joseph Mellors, Northumbria University, Newcastle Boeing has faced a lot of bad press in recent years, and deservedly so. After two Boeing 737 Max crashes killed 346 people, the American aerospace giant was criticised for its “slow” and “defensive” handling of the crisis, and nearly 400 planes were grounded for 20 months following a…

The coalition has well and truly embraced ‘picking winners’

By Peter Roberts Ahh the good old days – the days when the coalition was dead against ‘picking winners’. Remember them? It is hard to believe that only a decade ago, any mention by Labor of an activist industry policy that identified industry sectors that Australia should focus on was met with a chorus of…

How to reindustrialise Australia – by Lance Worrall

In March @AuManufacturing analysed the failings of Australian industry policy and its outcome – our fragile and narrowly based commodity economy. Here Lance Worrall looks forward to the elements of the reindustrialisation policy we need to reverse Australia’s economic decline. We need a strategy for reindustrialisation. Without it Australia is the loser. We need a…

Starpharma’s Covid-killer needs action not bureaucracy from TGA

By Peter Roberts I have nothing but the deepest respect for Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration, but a certain lack of initiative on the part of the TGA seems to be preventing Australians from getting access to the latest Australian-developed tools to fight Covid-19. Make no mistake the TGA has an exemplary record in regulating Australians’…

Women @ Work in Australian regional manufacturing

Advertisement On the eve of International Women’s Day @AuManufacturing and our partner Hargraves Institute have launched a special programme for female team leaders and managers in regional manufacturing. We are offering readers and members an educational programme focussed on equity and equality in manufacturing firms in the regions. This interactive learning program (two sessions per…

Brace yourself to be trickle fed grant awards right up to the election

By Peter Roberts The announcement of $113 million of federal support for plant protein factories and another $20 million for satellite manufacturing in South Australia is all well and good. But it means the process for assessing the Modern Manufacturing Initiative Round 1 applications is complete. It is shameful that the federal government looks like…

Eight SMEs unite in space and defence

Eight leading Australian-owned space and defence companies have joined together to offer solutions to Australia’s space and defence industry priorities. The companies, a who’s who of young, innovative Australian firms, have formed Australian Defence Industry Space Capability Alliance (ADISCA) to tackle defence’s Sovereign Industry Capability Priorities for space. The alliance was revealed at the 13th…

Ukraine shows how bare is Australia’s missile cupboard

By Peter Roberts With governments round the world looking in their defence inventories to see what weapons or assistance they can send Ukraine, just what does Australia have sitting round that we could quickly send to the beleaguered nation? Turns out – not much. According to senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute Marcus…

My (improbable) faith in Australian manufacturing – by Ed Husic

Ed Husic spoke to the Sydney Institute last night and outlined his vision for industry and innovation should Labor be successful at the coming federal election. Here is a full transcript. Good industry policy isn’t just about economics – it helps build a sense of security as well. In tough, challenging times it’s as much…

We have to stop burning fossil fuels and do it now

By Peter Roberts Fires last year, erosion on our beaches, floods this year. No-one could have predicted this is a phrase heard yet again. Yes they did predict it. As a young journalist in the 1980s I travelled to Antarctica’s Casey, Davis and Mawson bases and met the scientists studying the oxygen bubbles trapped deep…

A vision where innovative Australian-made displaces plastic – by Julia Kay

An architect by profession, Julia Kay and husband Jordy have grown from a standing start to be Australia’s only manufacturer of compostable stretch wrap, first for consumer and soon for industrial uses. @AuManufacturing asked her to tell her story, in her own words. There was a materials revolution happening around us. Everything was changing rapidly;…

Demand for skills drives improved outcomes for apprentices

A higher proportion of apprentices and trainees are being employed after completing their training as demand for skilled workers rose during 2021, according to a new report. The report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows 94.0 per cent of apprentices and trainees who completed their training in a trade occupation were…

Towards an Australian battery-powered future

The Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre (FBICRC) has today outlined a pathway for Australia to claim its share of the global battery industry titled: “Towards 2030 – Australia’s Battery Powered Future”. With global battery demand expected to grow at least 9 to 10-fold over the next decade with an estimated market of between US$133-$151…

Why a Silicon Valley robotics company is setting up in Brisbane

By Brent Balinski As has been mentioned on this website and elsewhere, while Australia’s private investment in automation – placed 35th in the world based on the number of industrial robots per 10,000 workers – could be better, the nation has some fantastic researchers in the field. One positive development last week was news that…

Stock market investors look to Micro-X to lift sales

By Peter Roberts Technology shares especially for start-ups have been shunned by investors for months now, but until the past week Adelaide cold cathode X-ray machine manufacturer Micro-X had weathered the storm better than most. However in the past week the market marked down the company’s shares, delivering a warning that it is becoming impatient…

AUSTRALIAN MANUFACTURING FORUM PASSES 10,000 MEMBERS

@AuManufacturing’s social media discussion and networking group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin, has passed an important membership milestone. The Forum, Australia’s largest social media group of Australian manufacturers, passed 10,041 members late last night with the admission of 56 people. The Forum has grown steadily since its founding in 2013, and a year ago…

Another day, another breakdown for Incitec Pivot

By Peter Roberts How many breakdowns does a company have to suffer before the question is asked – what is going on in its United States manufacturing plants? This comes to mind with the news that fertiliser and explosives manufacturer Incitec Pivot has suffered yet another breakdown at its troubled Waggaman, Louisiana ammonia plant. This,…

Underwater robotics maker grasps new opportunities

Tucked away on a residential street, spitting distance from a lively bistro pub in Glebe (about three kilometres from Sydney’s CBD) is where you will find the most promising Australian robotics manufacturer you’ve never heard of.

Promised more industry focused PhDs, but the reality is different – by Dr John Howard

Australia was promised a new research focus for PhDs on the needs of industry. Here Dr John Howard forensically examines the national innovation and research system and asks whether, when the money runs out, will we have a more robust research infrastructure and research workforce? On 31 January 2022, the Prime Minister announced that the…

PPK Group advances BNNTs across industry sectors

By Peter Roberts The Australian group commercialising boron nitride nanotubes (BNNTs) across a range of industries, PPK Group has reported progress across its investments and an uplift in the value of its intellectual property. The group, which manufactures BNNTs and supplies partly owned businesses developing body armour, dental implants, advanced batteries and alloys among others,…

Consultants grow fat on federal contracts

By James Reilly The Boston Consulting Group more than doubled revenue from its federal government business in the last financial year as the Commonwealth’s increased use of outside consultants accelerated. For the financial year 2020/21, the first full-year reporting period of the Covid-19 pandemic, Boston Consulting grew its federal business by 120 per cent to…

“Productivity needs to improve,” but is that the real problem – by John Sheridan

“Productivity needs to improve,” says the RBA, BCA, CEDA, Treasury and the Banks. But that is not the real problem argues John Sheridan The RBA, the BCA, government ministers and others are all back on the bandwagon again – “Australia’s productivity needs to improve before people can expect wage rises”. One of the measures of…

Modern Manufacturing programme struggles to get money out the door

By Joseph Brookes Just $85 million has been released from the federal government’s flagship $1.5 billion Modern Manufacturing Strategy (MMS) program since it was announced in 2020. The biggest grants are currently being held up by government ministers’ input on independent recommendations, and await a final decision by the Prime Minister, Scott Morrison to be…

Logos, logos, more national logos

By Peter Roberts Am I the only one who wonders what the purpose could possibly be of the new Australian Nation Brand developed at the cost of $10 million for the federal government (pictured). The new logo replaces an earlier brand which was launched in 2020 to much derision – it was not instantly recognisable…

Graphic proof of Australia’s dirty electricity (Tassie and SA excluded)

By Peter Roberts The news this week that Origin Energy is seeking approval to shut Australia’s largest coal-fired power plant seven years early, is just the beginning of what should be a rapid phase out of coal power in Australia. The Eraring station in the NSW Hunter region and the largest of 16 remaining coal-fired…

Labor’s national reconstruction fund: a path to reindustrialisation?

The shadow of COVID and the associated policy failures of the federal government hang heavy over the coming election, with the campaign certain to be chaotic and full of distractions. Here Lance Worrall looks at the biggest policy idea launched to date – Labor’s National Reconstruction Fund. Many voters were shocked to discover early in…

Just add water – study to boost Whyalla water supply

State and federal governments and major mining companies are backing a $15 million feasibility study to solve one of the major constraints of industrial and mining development in the state – a lack of water. With the Whyalla steelworks and existing copper mines supplied by pipeline from the Murray or underground, planned massive expansions of…

@AuManufacturing welcomes Sarah McPhail

@AuManufacturing news and media welcomes a new team member – Sarah McPhail. Ms McPhail takes up a new project-based post of partnerships manager, a role that will see her liaise on a regular basis with our advertisers and sponsors. With news that @AuManufacturing has grown to become the country’s number one manufacturing news website, she…

NSW Premier vows to buy trains locally

By Peter Roberts NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet has signalled an end to the New South Wales government’s fraught policy of buying ‘cheap and low’ priced public transport rolling stock from overseas. Announcing a new order for locally made electric buses from Custom Denning, Perrottet conceded NSW has long missed onshore manufacturing opportunities in an effort…

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: Building biometric-based ID machines

For the last two weeks, our Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series has looked at cybersecurity threats to manufacturers, why they should take them seriously, and how they can thwart them. For the final entry, we will hear from a manufacturer responsible for other people’s security and access management, and the ways it goes about keeping very sensitive, very personal data safe. 

Frigate project rigged for smoother sailing

By Peter Roberts The $45 billion Hunter Class frigate programme has reached a milestone in its development with the completion of a year-long System Definition Review (SDR) which studied how the special requirements of Australia’s defence department can be fitted into the ship’s baseline design. This review is crucial as the inclusion of the Aegis…

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: From cyber target to cyber safety advocate

In the second-last day of our Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series, Chris Bridges-Taylor shares B&R Enclosures’ cyber story.

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: Manufacturers’ IAM blind spots

Today our Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series, Chris Grove explains why rather than planning to ‘not fail’ in any aspect of an IAM program, we should be planning to fail.

Snowy 2.0 – the nation building project that won’t be using all Australian steel

By Peter Roberts The Snowy Scheme from 1949 saw 100,000 men and women from over 30 countries define what Australians and Australian industry are capable of. Fast forward to today and the Snowy 2.0 pumped hydro scheme now under construction in the Snowy Mountains was meant to be nation building, and part of a plan…

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: Five steps SMEs can take to be more cyber secure

Today our Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series provides a few more pieces of important advice to beef up security for small and medium-sized enterprises. Here Sam Silva presents five things to consider.

@AuManufacturing’s new deal plan for manufacturing – summary and recommendations

The @AuManufacturing new deal plan for manufacturing was crowd sourced from more than 60 substantial submissions from readers and members of the Australian Manufacturing Forum Linkedin group in 2020. With an election in the air and industry policy again in the news this week, we present again the plan’s executive summary and core recommendations as…

Alexa, who is number one for Australian manufacturing news? (It’s us.)

For a long time, Amazon’s Alexa (no, not the virtual assistant of the same name) has been the go-to tool for measuring website traffic and analytics. Alexa Internet was founded in 1996, and bought three years after that by what is now an e-commerce and cloud computing behemoth. Alexa harvests information from browser extensions downloaded…

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: Three ways manufacturers can set up a successful digital identity protection strategy

To begin week two of @AuManufacturing’s Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series, Rana Gupta looks at three risks we face, as well as three identity and access management measures to adopt.

Survivors of Australia’s automotive retreat soldier on, even prosper

By Peter Roberts The brand new $17 million factory of automation and systems integrator Bosch Australia Manufacturing Solutions (BAMS, pictured) is silent when I visit the factory located at Clayton in south-eastern suburban Melbourne. Workers have gone home for the day, allowing this journalist a Covid-safe tour of a production floor full to capacity with…

Can-Do Capitalism and a Do-Nothing Government

Prime Minister Scott Morrison talks of ‘can-do capitalism’ and last week offered a $2 billion sweetener to industrial research, while others talk of a ‘do-nothing government’. Here Lance Worrall looks at the policy changes forced on the nation by a pandemic, and what it means for a new industrial policy as not just sectoral support,…

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series: A growth tool as well as an expense

To close week one of our Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series, we look at some quick, easy ways manufacturers can improve their security, as well as the commercial benefits attached to lifting “cyber fitness”. Brent Balinski speaks to Susie Jones, founder of small and micro-business specialist Cynch Security. 

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: what’s on Australian Manufacturers’ cyber cards for 2022

As we near the end of the first of two weeks in our Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series, John Yang tells us what we can expect from the rest of the year. 2022 is expected to deliver supply chain attacks, cyber cold war escalation, cyber insurance pressure, and more, as Yang explains.

Govt research commercialisation focus is ‘too narrow’

The government’s $2 billion effort to improve Australia’s commercialisation efforts is welcome, but the approach is too narrow and risks undervaluing basic research, UTS special innovation advisor Professor Roy Green says.

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: Six ways to make sure your manufacturing business is cyber-secure  

Thomson Mathew runs us through a half-dozen ways to keep your factory safe from cyberattacks in this part of our Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series.  While smart factories are revolutionising the manufacturing industry, being connected comes with new risk factors that must be addressed. A Deloitte study revealed that 48% of manufacturers identified…

More questions than answers in new commercialisation funding

Comment by Peter Roberts The university sector has has been sadly neglected by the federal government in the past decade, and yesterday Prime Minister Scott Morrison signaled that academic research would continue to come second to a national priority on research that leads to manufacturing and other economic outcomes. The neglect of science is unforgiveable…

Cybersecurity — Identity and Access Management: Five steps towards getting a ransomware attack on your company

In day two of @AuManufacturing’s Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series, Ryan Ko offers some friendly advice to those who want to be victims of ransomware.  In my experience working with the INTERPOL tracking digital payments towards ransomware, and research with antivirus companies understanding how ransomware works, I have seen ransomware in action and…

Labor to convert Kurri Kurri gas plant to hydrogen

By Peter Roberts Labor has found a way to both support the construction of a gas-fired power station at Kurri Kurri in New South Wales and burnish its green credentials, according to media reports. Channel 9 media has reported Labor leader Anthony Albanese and climate and energy spokesman Chris Bowen will travel to Kurri Kurri…

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: An introduction to our new series

@AuManufacturing launches its first editorial series of 2022. Brent Balinski introduces Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management.

Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management: Protecting the digital identities of a diverse workforce

On day one of @AuManufacturing’s new Cybersecurity – Identity and Access Management series, Rana Gupta discusses how a zero trust mindset can help protect your trade secrets and critical data.

Energy transition investment passes one trillion

Investment in a transition in the energy market to low-carbon alternatives has passed $1,000 billion for the first time, according to new figures from BloombergNEF. Their Energy Transition Investment Trends 2022 report found that global investment in renewable energy, energy storage, electrified transport, electrified heat, nuclear, hydrogen and sustainable materials hit $1.1 trillion (US$755 billion)…

137 officials on taskforce exploring nuclear sub options

By Joseph Brookes There are nearly 150 members on the federal government’s nuclear-powered submarines taskforce, including officials from a range of federal departments and 10 contractors who the defence department has declined to name, but no state government representatives. The taskforce was established in September last year on the day the Prime Minister Scott Morrison…

Apprentice and trainee commencements continue to climb

Apprentice and trainee commencements have continued their climb from Covid-affected lows and are now running at their highest level in eight years. The latest data from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows apprentice and trainee commencements grew nationally to 47,785 or 114 per cent in the June quarter 2021 compared with the…

Albo’s election pitch puts manufacturing at the centre

By Denham Sadler Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has made his case for government in a wide-ranging speech with a focus on sovereign capability and manufacturing. Albanese kicked off the election year with an address to the National Press Club, where he made his case for why Labor should take government from the Coalition. The Opposition…

How the west (lost) the chance to process valuable metals

Comment by Peter Roberts The graph tells you all you need to know about Australia’s – and the west’s – failure to secure the crucial processing stages of producing strategic and clean energy materials. Australia’s penchant for sending raw materials overseas unprocessed is well known from our focus on iron ore exports, and is obvious…

Startup wants to help steelmakers kick their coke habit

By Brent Balinski As this website reported in February last year, local curiosity in biochar seemed to spike about a decade ago and fell away, but it could come back, pending a big if. The economics need to change.  While it has acknowledged promise as a soil improver, livestock feed additive, holder of carbon, and in…

Sour taste on the palate from Australia’s latest free trade agreement

By Peter Roberts Another free trade deal, another disappointment. It seems the benefits to the wine industry from the recent, much-vaunted free trade deal with the United Kingdom are to be negated by a rise in UK wine import duties. Media reports suggest that a $49 million benefit for Australian wine growers from the recently…

Build Australian satellites – Australian Academy of Science

Australia should build, launch and operate a range of satellites to reduce sovereign risk, according to a new report from the prestigious Australian Academy of Science. The Australia in Space: a decadal plan for Australian space science 2021–2030 report released today said Australia’s complete reliance on data from foreign-owned satellites in weather forecasting, resource and…

Fail to Embrace Autonomous Robotics & Technology and Fall Behind – by Daniel Milford

Australian business must embrace automation if they’re going to grow and remain competitive into the future, explains Daniel Milford (pictured, below). Few leaders have a mature understanding of how to leverage technology in managing their business and leading their customers and employees into the future. Companies that talk about rather than act upon transforming their…

A half-dozen things to watch in 2022

We have an ability to see into the future equal to anyone else’s; in short, nonexistent. That said, here is a random handful of issues we predict will be meaningful to the industry in 2022, and which we will therefore be keeping tabs on. By Brent Balinski.

Welcome to 2022 from @AuManufacturing news

If you departed, as we did for Christmas break with hopes rising that Australia was really moving on, January must be unfolding like some sort of nightmarish groundhog day. We wake up from a dream of sunnier skies for Australian manufacturing, only to face the realities of life in a fast-mutating pandemic that brings us…

No limit to Nioa’s ambition, now plans $50m gun factory

Australian owned defence contractor NIOA has revealed plans for a $50 million small arms and weapons factory, adding to the numerous new factories and expansions already underway by the Queensland group. The company said historical weapons manufacturing centres Lithgow in New South Wales and Benalla in Victoria as well as Brisbane are being considered as…

Ethical and sustainable supply chains – by Rob Stummer

Disruptions to global supply chains have put increasing pressure on the environment and on workers rights. Here Rob Stummer explains the threats and the ways that manufacturers can ensure their supply chains remain ethical and sustainable, despite pandemic pressures. There’s no doubt that the pandemic has put global supply chains under extraordinary pressure, with everyone…

Merry Australian made Christmas 2021

Merry Australian Made Christmas to all at the Australian Manufacturing Forum Linkedin group and readers, partners and clients of @AuManufacturing news. 2021 is coming to a close, and it has been a mighty year of transition for Australian manufacturing. The sector has been consistently growing and kicking goals in some areas crucial to the future.…

Biotech giant CSL in massive global takeover

Analysis by Peter Roberts Australia’s largest and most successful manufacturer, global blood products and vaccine powerhouse CSL, is to raise billions from investors to execute a $17.2 billion all cash takeover of a complementary healthcare business, Swiss pharmaceutical manufacturer Vifor. The massive takeover expands CSL’s global footprint into complementary areas including haematology, thrombosis, cardiovascular and…

Fortescue and Incitec Pivot strike green gold at Gibson Island

By Peter Roberts Fortescue Future Industries and fertiliser manufacturer Incitec Pivot have struck gold at the Gibson Island, Brisbane urea plant in their efforts to convert the facility from natural gas to green hydrogen feedstock. The plant, which is to close in December because Incitec Pivot has been unable to secure a supply of gas,…

Government extends SME loans – how @AuManufacturing can help you gain access

ADVERTISEMENT Federal Treasury has announced that its successful SMERL3 SME recovery loans are to be modified and expended beyond the end of this year to a new closing date of June 30-, 2022. SMERL 3 was guaranteeing the banks 80 per cent of their risk, with the banks opening the purse strings in response. Now…

1.5 years after starting a process, Canberra backs commercial mRNA vaccine manufacture

By Peter Roberts Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced today that state and federal governments and vaccine producer Moderna had signed an ‘in principle’ deal for the construction of a Melbourne plant capable of utilising the newly successful vaccine production technologies that produced the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. The plant would be capable of producing up…

Importing trams because they were cheaper was never true – By Shane West

The idea that importing public transport rolling stock is somehow cheaper has been blown out of the water by Sydney’s recent disasters with trains that don’t fit the tunnels and trams that are cracking up, and let’s not forget imported ferries that don’t fit under bridges. Here Shane West forensically dissects the history of Sydney’s…

Carbon-free nuclear power

As carbon handbrakes take effect around the world, Australia has growing opportunities to leap ahead with nuclear technology. By Michael Sharpe. 

Silver, lead and zinc refining goes green as minerals sector rushes to decarbonise

By Peter Roberts Nystrar’s big silver, lead and zinc refinery at Port Pirie in South Australia is planning to go green with news that the company and the state are funding a $5 million front end engineering and design study for as $750 million green hydrogen electrolyser to power the plant. The plant, which was…

Finally, Australia signs a big defence buy from Korean firm Hanwha

By Peter Roberts Australia has signed a $1 billion defence contract for new Self-Propelled Howitzers for the army from an Asian nation – from Hanwha Defense Australia and Korea – ending a purchasing drought and bias towards buying from European nations and prime contractors and the United States. Hanwha plans to build and assemble its…

Leadership in factory automation — Building capability through automation

In this final part of our Leadership in factory automation series, Colin Thomas describes some of the benefits of automating, drawing on his three decades of experience and a consideration of several different viewpoints within a manufacturing company.

Future-focussed and fast

New high-speed rail routes better connecting Newcastle, Sydney and Wollongong would drive new opportunities if we included freight. By Michael Sharpe.

Leadership in factory automation — OzCut Abrasives

On the final Friday of @AuManufacturing’s Leadership in factory automation series, we speak to Ray Taylor, founder and owner of cutting wheel startup OzCut Abrasives. He reminds us that while there’s been a rise in support for local manufacturing lately, you still need be advanced in both products and processes to be viable. By Brent Balinski. 

NIOA sets itself up for arms development in Lithgow

By Peter Roberts Fast-growing firearms, weapons and ammunition manufacturer NIOA has set itself up for expansion of its operations to the historic defence manufacturing region of Lithgow in New South Wales with the purchase of an important home and land in the regional city. NIOA has purchased historic Lidsdale House (pictured) which sits on a…

Widely available grant for energy efficiency launched

The Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources has announced a new grant opportunity that will be available to SME food and beverage manufacturers under its Energy Efficient Communities Program. The program is unusually broad and should apply to every SME in the field looking to improve energy efficiency and, while the dollar amount is…

Leadership in factory automation – the automation race by Simon Dawson

Today in our editorial series Leadership in factory automation, we hear from Simon Dawson who knows first hand how Australian manufacturers are running the automation race. And for those still in the pre-race warm up, he tells you how to lead out of the starting blocks. It’s no secret that the world of manufacturing is…

2021 additive manufacturing Aussie highlights

By Alex Kingsbury Additive Manufacturing (AM) in 2021 saw funding flowing and start-ups growing! The following is merely a selection of some of the headline announcements and progress made in AM in Australia, of course summarised with my own personal take/flair. Perhaps the biggest cash injection for AM came with the Modern Manufacturing Initiative to…

Leadership in factory automation — Autonomously rolling through the fourth industrial revolution

Today in Leadership in factory automation, Sercan Altun looks at the importance of data in the current industrial era, as well as the increasingly prominent role of mobile robotics.

Leadership in factory automation — exploring collaborative robotics

Today Leadership in factory automation looks at the potential of collaborative robots as a low-cost, more flexible and safer alternative to traditional factory robots. By Professor Jonathan Roberts. Manufacturing in Australia is dominated by small to medium enterprises (SMEs). Many of these businesses are not in a position to adopt mass production manufacturing methods due…

CSIRO, BCA – kick-start your ‘commercialisation engine’

By Denham Sadler Australian businesses of all sizes can take practical steps that will “kick-start the commercialisation engine” and speed up a technology-led recovery from the pandemic, a new report from CSIRO and the Business Council of Australia has found. The report – ‘Unlocking the innovation potential of Australian companies‘ – offers practical ways for…

Government funding backed VET in 2020 – NCVER

Government funding for the VET sector jumped during 2020 the first Covid-19 year, according to new figures from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). In 2020, government funding provided through VET appropriations and VET intergovernmental funding arrangements totalled $7.7 billion, an increase in nominal terms of $1.3 billion or 20.8 per cent from…

All the Rivers Run… Again

By Michael Sharpe As I write, the regional New South Wales town of Wee Waa is cut off by flood waters. There is widespread flooding across the North West of the State. In 2007, just west of Wee Waa, I was standing in the famous Cafe De Luxe at Brewarrina with Angelo Pippos. Opened in…

Leadership in factory automation – Tindo Solar

Today our editorial series, Leadership in factory automation, turns to a greenfields site where Tindo Solar is more than doubling production of solar photo voltaic panels in a totally new factory – and installing as much automation as it can squeeze in. By Peter Roberts Shayne Jaenisch guides me around the masses of ultra high-tech…

Leadership in factory automation — Wood from waste for a world market

Leadership in factory automation today looks at 3RT, a company that turns wood waste into a product that looks and performs like 100-year-old hardwood. Founder and managing director Peter Torreele says that advanced automation is essential to goals of an affordable product that performs like naturally-grown timber, and can be made and sold locally anywhere in the world. By Brent Balinski.   

How we can achieve net zero manufacturing?

The transition to net zero will affect all aspects of our manufacturing supply chain. We are at the precipice of a critical time for our sector as how we manage the manufacturing sector’s transition to carbon neutral is paramount to our future industry growth. The opportunities for the manufacturing industry are significant. By Shay Chalmers…

Leadership in factory automation – by Glen Casey

Today in our editorial series, Leadership in factory automation, Glen Casey reveals the bottom line of learnings in his work for more than 60 major companies. Before you automate – get the basics right, analyse and plan. The Global pandemic has had a dramatic effect on the way consumers and companies now do business which…

Manufacturers going nuclear

Michael Sharpe gives an update on last week’s meeting of the Nuclear Skills Forum in western Sydney. Nuclear power is banned in Australia. It seems government legislation needs reviewing in light of the rapid advancement with small modular reactors, the recent SMR funding by the UK Government, developments in the USA and the expanding AUKUS…

Leadership in factory automation – Electrolux Home Products

Today our editorial series, Leadership in factory automation, looks at the quintessential dilemma, and opportunity for Australian manufacturing – flexible mass manufacturing for the large number of product types needed to satisfy Australia’s diverse local markets. Here Peter Roberts profiles Electrolux Home Products. Electrolux Home Products single Australian factory is what Australian manufacturing has been…

Wire work: where Australian researchers are looking to improve WAM

Wire arc-based additive manufacturing goes back to the 1990s, but is only starting to realise some of its commercial potential. Adelaide-based AML3D is one of the global leaders in commercialising this technique, which uses a combination of software, robotics and wire arc welding as a heat source, melting wire and depositing it, layer by layer,…

Leadership in factory automation — Better jobs, not fewer jobs

In the second day of Leadership in factory automation, Daen Simmat looks at why the “robots versus jobs” rhetoric presents a false choice. As history shows us, for example with ATMs being introduced at banks, existing jobs will be improved and new ones created through adopting technology.

Leadership in factory automation – David Singleton of Austin Engineering

We launch our new editorial series, Leadership in factory automation, today with an interview with a titan of Australian advanced manufacturing – David Singleton. As CEO of Perth shipbuilder, Austal he took that company global, breaking into the US Navy defence market. Now he is driving mining equipment manufacturer Austin Engineering into the industry 4.0…

Leadership in factory automation – introduction to our new editorial series

Manufacturing has entered a fourth industrial revolution, presenting once in a lifetime opportunities for Australia to escape its recent past and once again build a viable, competitive manufacturing sector. Recognising that technology and automation has never been more important, today @AuManufacturing launches its latest editorial series – Leadership in factory automation. Here Peter Roberts surveys…

SA technologists press for active industry plan

Sixty-six of South Australia’s leading technologists, scientists and engineers have tabled a technology and industry policy-based plan that will foster innovation, economic growth. The plan, released in advance of the state election in 2022, highlights vital fields that will supercharge SA’s economic recovery from COVID-19 and power the state’s transition to a low-carbon future. It…

Industry policy lacks clarity – David Thodey

By James Riley Former CSIRO chair David Thodey says the growth and development of Australia’s innovation ecosystem since 2015 had been exciting – remarkable even – but a lack of clarity in long-term national industry strategy had been limiting, nonetheless. Just weeks after stepping down from the board of the national science agency which he…

We help you access Fed’s $5 million SMERL3 Covid recovery loans

ADVERTISEMENT It is third time lucky for the federal government and for SME manufacturers with the banks finally prepared to lend cash to Covid-affected SMEs that need it. SMERL3 is the government’s third go at designing an SME recovery loan scheme which the banks would get onboard with, as distinct from their usual ‘bugger off’…

Support for alternative apprenticeship models – NCVER report

Apprenticeships play an important role in skills development, however there are a number of long-term issues which has seen rising support for new models of apprenticeship, according to a report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER). The report, Issues in apprenticeships and traineeships – a research synthesis identifies five enduring issues in…

Growing the Forever Partnership

With the largest Defence budget in our nation’s history, along with the launch of the Australian Space Agency and now the AUKUS Partnership, the opportunities for Australian manufacturers to diversify are growing. By Michael Sharpe.

BAE Systems turns M113 personnel carriers autonomous

By Peter Roberts BAE Systems Australia has installed locally-developed autonomous operation hardware and software in twenty M113 AS4 Optionally Crewed Combat Vehicles (OCCVs) and delivered them to the Australian Army. Each M113 AS4 was fitted with a Vehicle Management System, derived from BAE Systems’ domain agnostic autonomy technologies which enables it to operate autonomously. At…

Lyre’s shows the $ to be made innovating in manufacturing

By Peter Roberts Most of us have probably seen Lyre’s non-alcoholic spirits at the supermarket and reeled at the price – starting from around $45 a bottle for a, well, fake gin, whiskey or rum. But this UK company – which also manufactures in Australia – shows that innovation, timing and product quality in manufacturing…

@AuManufacturing’s new value-added service – accessing SMERL3 Covid recovery loans

ADVERTISEMENT The Australian Manufacturing Forum and @AuManufacturing have launched a new value-added service for manufacturers, assisting companies access loans guaranteed by the federal government under its SMERL3, SME Covid-19 recovery scheme. The federal government in conjunction with banking and lending institutions have been providing government backed loans of between 50 per cent and 80 per…

My R&D house is your R&D house: sovereign composites CRC bid leader shares collaborative plans

From lighter, longer-lasting road tankers to restorative dental materials to intelligent propeller blades, Professor Ganga Prusty has built teams that have built impressive new products out of composites.

N-subs – the rebirth of ASC as BAE Systems Adelaide

By Peter Roberts It was back in 2014 that Coalition defence minister David Johnston said he would not trust the government-owned submarine builder, the Australian Submarine Corporation, to build a canoe. What is now ASC Pty Ltd just might be on the way to a resurrection, but this time as an addition to BAE Systems…

Donald McGurk showed how to lead Australian hi-tech

By Peter Roberts The board of Australian defence communications and technology company Codan has announced a new CEO to replace Donald McGurk (pictured) who is retiring after 21 years at the helm. Alf Ianniello has big shoes to fill, with the company’s share price plunging on the announcement of McGurk’s departure in August from $17.64,…

SEA La Trobe Valley promise flounders as did automotive sector – by Shane West

Electric drive train and truck producer SEA Electric has decided not to go ahead with a planned factory in Victoria’s La Trobe Valley. Here Shane West laments the decision, made after the company won an order to build 1,500 electric trucks in the United States. SEA Electric began life as an all-Australian technology and manufacturing…

Fortescue makes good with hydrogen ambitions

By Peter Roberts Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Future Industries (FFI) has made good with its initial promises to pivot its iron-ore business to build what the company hopes will become the world’s powerhouse in green energy industries. It was only on January 26 this year that Forrest stunned the business world when he made an impassioned…

Lack of local skills will impact nuclear submarine manufacture

Australia will need to rely heavily on the experience, skills and technology of the United States and the United Kingdom in building and maintaining nuclear submarines because we do not have a local nuclear industry. We don’t have infrastructure, skills or experience in nuclear power—and none of this can be created overnight.

Quantum computing – our science to industry moment?

By Peter Roberts History shows that while we have some areas of scientific brilliance, few of our ideas translate into anything other than niche businesses – and this is especially true when looking at seminal global scientific development such as quantum computing. Some big players such as Google and IBM have successfully built quantum computers…

Forget federal politicians, let’s act on emissions – by John Sheridan

John Sheridan believes there is a way forward for Australia to zero emissions given the leadership being shown by the states and industry. There is no point expecting federal politicians to fix the climate crisis, we need to stop passively watching and act. Last week I sat in a small room on Lady Elliot Island…

Australian additive manufacturing innovator and Volkswagen announce partnership

Monash University spinout Additive Assurance has announced a partnership with Volkswagen today, beginning with one metal 3D printer at Wolfsburg being decked out with the Australian partner’s sensors and the two companies working on “a manufacturing system” suited to the German company’s production printers. By Brent Balinski.

Australia’s Food Manufacturing Opportunity – by Derek Lulham

The Australian food industry is an advanced sector with a wide range of competitive advantages. Here Derek Lulham explores our advantages and opportunities in the Australian and global marketplace. Australia continues to be a solid platform to launch brands and products targeted to consumers across Asia. This mature sector has conversations on a broad range…

Australia’s exports at risk – study

Australia’s economic resilience is at risk not so much because of a focus on China as a market, but because of the small number of commodities that we sell, according to a new study. The study, by UTS, Sydney Professors James Laurenceson and Roy Green, and Dr Phillip Toner of Sydney University compared Australia’s exports…

Employers increase use of VET system

With Australia exiting the Covid-19 pandemic and manufacturing growing, there is evidence manufacturers are increasing their reliance on the VET training system. A new report shows an increase in the proportion of employers using the VET system, increasing 5.7 percentage points from 2019 to 2021, with 56.6 per cent of Australian employers engaged with accredited…

Are we planning to be a buyer or a maker – by Barry Hendy

Robotics and automation leader Barry Hendy is scratching his head about why Australia is investing in outdated, often overseas submarine and heavy rail technologies when technological change offers ways for Australian industry to leapfrog ahead, and become an exporter rather than an importer. We have long lamented the demise of the Australian car industry and…

From data to decisions — three game changers explain how to get there

Nowadays manufacturers are, with few exceptions, in the data and analytics game. Data improves their own and their customers’ operations.  Three high-tech Australian startups provide extreme examples. Each is solving a very different problem — quality assurance and control issues in additive manufacturing, the need for robots to grip objects better, and finding the best…

Green hydrogen – steelmaking silver bullet or red herring?

By Brent Balinski Hearing Bob Dylan sing Hurricane for the first time. Stumbling across the TV series Fleabag. Andrew Forrest’s recent announcement that he will build a factory in central Queensland, with capacity to make 2 gigawatts of hydrogen electrolysers a year. Geoff Brooks, Director of Research at Swinburne University’s School of Engineering, insists he…

Frigate prototyping morphing into Catapult-style centre

By Peter Roberts The construction of nine Hunter-class frigates in Adelaide by BAE Systems Maritime is known for its pioneering work on digital manufacturing on a giant – $35 billion – scale. But it is less well known for its part in demonstrating and leading efforts for Australia to finally develop the type of government…

H2X selects Gippsland for hydrogen vehicle retrofits, aims to make its own vehicles in 2023

By Brent Balinski After initial plans to begin manufacturing vehicles at Port Kembla, NSW, hydrogen fuel cell hopeful H2X Global announced Gippsland as the home of its assembly operation on Wednesday. NSW hydrogen bus trials didn’t pan out as hoped and the company’s activities slowed in the state, H2X’s CEO and founder Brendan Norman explains.…

$50bn decommissioning costs face oil and gas facilities

Australia’s ageing offshore oil and gas infrastructure faces $50 billion in costs with a high powered advisory committee established by the Centre of Decommissioning Australia (CODA) to address the challenges and maximise business opportunities involved. Six industry leaders have been appointed to an advisory panel including experts from ExxonMobil, Santos, Baker Hughes, IAS Group and…

Australian manufactures dodge China trade woes – mostly

Since Beijing moved to curtail Australian exports to China in May last year – not of course our coking coal and iron ore on which China depends – manufactured exports have mostly managed to avoid much of the pain. In the three categories – wine, meat and copper – that are manufactured or substantially transformed…

The magical land of Oz – where net zero means doing nothing new

By Peter Roberts The federal government’s plan to achieve net zero emissions by 2050 has been officially launched. But my job in analysing the outcome of agonising negotiations within the Coalition – where perhaps a quarter to a third of MPs are open climate denialists – is not made easy because there is absolutely no…

K-Tig positioned in global markets, looks to disrupt Australian welding

By Peter Roberts In the past the model for Australian industrial technology companies was to first establish themselves in the local market before venturing overseas which ultimately represents 95 per cent of the potential market. Few Australian companies manage that jump without being taken over or swamped by international competition, partly because an initial technological…

We need fast freight rail, fast

High Speed Freight Rail (HSFR) can help to transform Australia and to build our strengths and resilience. We need a strategy.

Whyalla GREENSTEEL plant could be Morrison’s Cop26 get out of jail card – exclusive

By Peter Roberts The refinancing of Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance two weeks ago has kick started work on plans for a massive, world-scale GREENSTEEL investment by the company which would transform its Australian operations centred on the Whyalla steelworks on upper Spencer Gulf in South Australia. @AuManufacturing understands negotiations have been underway in recent days…

Cochlear rebound – sounds of success

By Peter Roberts Hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear has been the standout leader in Australian technology manufacturing for so long that sometimes it is easy to take it for granted as just another piece of the background of Australian life. But the way it has rebounded, with renewed vigour and direction, from twin hits from the…

Semiconductors:  it’s all a show of power

We should not, cannot, just move on to the next ‘crisis’ without having a clear, implementable, and committed national policy for this one.  By Glenn Downey.

Anti-science threatens society and why we need science more than ever – by Dr Katherine Woodthorpe

Dr Katherine Woodthorpe AO today gave the 2021 Ralph Slatyer Address on Science and Society, marking the 30th Anniversary of the Cooperative Research Centres Program which has been central to industry/science collaboration in Australia. After outlining the benefits of collaboration, she went on to decry the rise of anti-science, and the harm it is doing…

Australia’s climate policies could push NSW into a debt spiral – report

Australia’s failure to commit to net zero targets or any credible climate policy is a growing economic threat to New South Wales and other states, argues a new report by the Institute of Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA). The Reserve Bank of Australia’s deputy governor Guy Debelle last week urged Australia to begin planning…

Apprentice and trainee numbers grow, completions fall

The most recent data on apprentice and trainee training activity show a strong increase in commencements in the March quarter 2021, an increase which is in line with the growth in manufacturing activity and employment reported elsewhere. The figures, from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) show that compared with the March quarter…

‘Don’t stop’ at 2050 net zero: Andrew Liveris

By Joseph Brookes Net zero emissions by 2050 is the minimum target Australia needs to improve its economy, according to Andrew Liveris, who has urged the federal government to commit to the long-term target and a 2030 mark as soon as possible. Liveris, a former chief executive of Dow Chemical, helped architect the $1.5 billion…

Nuclear submarines look more and more like a mirage

Analysis by Peter Roberts The more time passes since the Prime Minister’s sudden cancelling of our order for French submarines in favour of US or British nuclear ones, the more obvious it is that Australia will never actually acquire them. Not only that, the more time passes the more obvious it is that even if…

Manufacturing – the Nuclear Option

By Michael Sharpe It truly is a privilege to walk the floors of factories all over Australia, build collaborative partnerships and help companies to go for growth. The talk often turns to the cost of energy.  To build a manufacturing business you need to look at all your costs, including energy. In times long passed,…

EOS’s bold move to lead in satellite data communications

Analysis by Peter Roberts The announcement by defence, space and communications manufacturer Electro Optic Systems that it is to spend US$300 million building four communications satellites is an extraordinarily bold move for an Australian technology company. But it it the culmination of decades of quiet research and development and careful corporate-building which has put the…

What is Australian manufacturing – by Tim McLean

With renewed focus on growing the manufacturing sector, Tim McLean takes a hard look at what constitutes Australian manufacturing and the realities of its recent track record. His conclusions include that we should focus effort on where we can compete. The past three months have provided a welcome focus on Australian manufacturing. However, as I…

Is Australia’s great manufacturing revival here?

A marked upward trend in Australian manufacturing jobs to more than 900,000 occurred this month. Add to this manufacturing’s value-add in software programming, R&D, design and other supply chain inputs, manufacturing has created a further 2.5-3 jobs in other industries.

Applied EV autonomous vehicle shows the futility of Australia’s car plans

By Peter Roberts For several decades Australia has a series of ‘car plans’ that succeeded in reducing model proliferation in what was once a highly protected industry, creating a sector which was technologically advanced and, with the subsidy of the plan, profitable for the surviving companies Ford GM and Totoya. It made an important contribution…

Labor’s 10 point Buy Australian plan

Opposition leader Anthony Albanese outlined a 10 point Buy Australian vision at a NSW Labor conference on the weekend – in this excerpt from his speech, he outlines his plan.

Water to power Australia

For Australian producers and manufacturers to build the Food Bowl of Asia, we need more water. By Michael Sharpe.

Calix low-carbon cement costs lowest of competing technologies

By Peter Roberts A European Union funded consortium has released the final project report that the entire construction sector is waiting for – official confirmation that the technology developed by Australian company Calix offers the cheapest way yet discovered to de-carbonise the cement industry. Cement, along with steel, are seen as the most vital yet…

SMEs need a hand finding the front door of public R&D facilities: STA

By Brent Balinski Industry brokers to link smaller companies with Australian research infrastructure are a way to boost local manufacturing, according to Science and Technology Australia. The peak body, representing over 80,000 of the country’s scientific and technology workers, made the recommendation to the Senate’s manufacturing industry inquiry, which is due to report next month.…

Australian Manufacturing Forum passes 9,000 members

@AuManufacturing’s social media discussion and networking group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin, has passed an important membership milestone. The Forum, Australia’s largest social media group of Australian manufacturers, passed 9,023 members on the long weekend. The Forum has grown steadily since its founding in 2013, with the the group reaching 7,000 members in January…

Submarines thrust Australia forward

The new submarine project with AUKUS thrusts Australia into a whole new world where innovation and technology rule. By Michael Sharpe.

Micro-X – the genuinely world leading Australian technology

By Peter Roberts The phrase world-leading is bandied round often to describe Australian technology taking on global markets – but in the case of X-ray machine manufacturer Micro-X the phrase is actually true. The company, which has just won two US Department of Homeland Security contracts to design and in one case manufacture a prototype…

Going global but keeping it local- by Bill Gillespie

SEA Electric developed and manufactures it electric truck drive trains in Melbourne, assembling e-trucks in Dandenong. But now the company has gone global with the major focus in bigger markets such as the US, how does it keep the business local? – Bill Gillespie explains It’s an exciting time to be involved in the zero-emissions…

Will we allow ourselves to remain dangerously dependent on foreign governments and multinationals?

Brent Balinski spoke to Martin Hamilton-Smith, head of the Australian Sovereign Capability Alliance, about why Australia needs to be able to look after itself.

Building ‘space heritage’ key to global space supply chains

The scale of the federal Manufacturing Collaboration Stream funding was a “once in a lifetime” opportunity for Australia to build “space heritage” into a local ecosystem of space industry component makers and suppliers.

Sun Cable puts the lie to Coalition’s coal and gas jobs claims

By Peter Roberts The Coalition has won federal elections on the basis that coal jobs must be protected and gas jobs developed in any switch to renewable energy. And what was going to replace our fossil fuel energy exports, a fear Labor also exploited in office developing not one, but three LNG gas export plants…

Telehealth isn’t telehealth if it is on Zoom – by Mike Harman

Sophisticated medical tests such as heart rate, pulse oximetry and even endoscopy can be carried out by medical practitioners remotely via specialised video links, but despite greater public acceptance, most remote medical consultations still take place via telephone, or at best Zoom. Here Mike Harman outlines the future of remote health – and it is…

Catalyst-coated 3D printed alloys could beat the heat for hypersonics

Research from RMIT’s Centre for Advanced Materials and Industrial Chemistry could pave the way for new 3D printed heat exchangers with usefulness in hypersonic vehicles, air purification and elsewhere. We spoke to PhD researcher Roxanne Hubesch about her team’s breakthrough.

‘Son of Collins’ needed to bridge submarine capability gap

By Peter Roberts Something needs to done to bridge a submarine capability gap no matter what the outcome of an 18 month study by the US. UK and Australia determines about the viability of Australia acquiring nuclear propelled submarines from our allies. This is becoming increasingly clear as a life-extension of the six Collins class…

Design solution for looming battery waste crisis – by Dominic Spooner

Dominic Spooner founded Brisbane battery casing design company Vaulta in response to the looming environmental disaster of batteries from electric vehicles. Currently they mostly go to landfill, a massive waste of resources and an environmental menace. Here Spooner outlines a design-led solution.

Ventilator project lead wants to recreate ‘the model that changed the world’

By Brent Balinski The 1990s to mid-2000s were a dark era for people who wanted to build worthwhile things, believes Jefferson Harcourt. The Executive Chair of Grey Innovation mentions LA Law on TV and a popular “McKinsey way of axing R&D, a race to the bottom on product, price and features” in companies, and contends…

Rudderless: The instability of the Industry portfolio is shocking

By James Riley At a time when the economy is reeling from pandemic-related stress, when geo-strategic tensions have put a premium on building sovereign capability, and when the pace of technological change has accelerated, Australia finds itself without an Industry minister. In reality, the Industry portfolio has been rudderless for most of the year, ever since…

Ditch nuclear and evolve the Collins class, our best submarine option – by Peter Roberts

Comment by Peter Roberts It has been a long weekend for defence industry watchers but here’s Australia’s submarine decision fallout so far: it is clear we have double crossed Japan; we double crossed France; we ignored our neighbours such as New Zealand and Indonesia; we have enraged China; and made an enemy of the leading…

Trade tensions will further trash our economy, how did this happen – by David Thomas

Author and China watcher, David Thomas looks at the origins of Australia’s foreign policy stance in opposing China, the damage it has already done to our manufacturers and its implications for the economy. It is not good news. By David Thomas Back in April 2020, the Foreign Minister of Australia, Marise Payne, announced on the…

Squeeze more innovation out of your existing staff – by Alistair Gordon

Australian manufacturers are typically SMEs with limited leadership, specialist and technical staff. Here, Alistair Gordon, the author of a new book on the subject, explains how you can get more out of your technical specialists, by involving them more in the totality of your operations. It’s a familiar story: a small manufacturing business hires a…

Calix begins to reap low carbon cement dividend

By Peter Roberts Australian decarbonisation technology company Calix has begun to reap the rewards of its efforts to move the critical industries of cement and lime production towards a zero emissions future. The company has accepted an investment of $24.5 million from investment business Carbon Direct to take a seven per cent stake in Calix…

Vanadium flow battery pilot opens doors for manufacturers – by Shay Chalmers

By Shay Chalmers Challenges in global supply chains have highlighted the importance in sovereign capability. Our country is rich in renewable energy resources – solar, geothermal, biomass, wind, and hydro which means that we are on the cusp of a huge opportunity. We have entered a new era for Australia’s developing battery storage industry, thanks…

Onshoring Australian manufacturing beyond 2021

By Daen Simmat Australian manufacturers have always strived to promote the competitive advantages of onshore production, since well before the pandemic entered our lives. The virus’s disruption to our economy and way of life simply emphasised the benefits of local manufacturing to Australian enterprise and the public alike. “Australian manufacturers have stood tall during the…

Local space industry is now moving fast, and that’s just as well

By Brent Balinski It’s regular nowadays that you’ll read a report of some milestone Australian bit of space industry news, whether it’s around a satellite deployment, funding round or launch. Just on Friday, the biggest rocket launched from Australia in 40 years — albeit a Taiwanese-made craft — was scheduled to take off from Southern…

Mission takes Aussie space camera into space

By Peter Roberts The RAAF and UNSW Canberra’s M2 satellite mission into low Earth orbit (LEO), reported elsewhere today by @AuManufacturing, is an exciting return to space by Australian space scientists. But it is not only defence and academic scientists that are demonstrating new technological capabilities as Australia re-enters the space domain it all but…

IDT explains mRNA vaccine related share price rise

Comment by Peter Roberts Melbourne drug development and manufacturing company IDT Australia has again been asked by the stock exchange to explain a totally understandable surge in its share price in recent times. The background to this begins with the Australian government’s approach to market to ascertain potential sites where mRNA vaccine production could take…

Rendered useful: you can get much more mileage out of your CAD files, say animators

VR and videos beat brochures when it comes to selling or educating, say Tim Black and Karl Putnis of Creative Pipeline. By Brent Balinski. “What’s it for?” is a question asked about virtual reality for as long as it’s been around. Besides entertainment, there’s an expanding list of answers. Two of the most obvious so…

Kookaburra bowls up technology to match its 130 year tradition

By Peter Roberts In a world where sporting goods manufacturing has deserted developed countries in favour of low cost locations there is one company that has managed not only to survive, but dominate the sports with which its name is synonymous. Everyone who has ever wielded a cricket bat knows the superior quality of Kookaburra’s…

Monash University to make first mRNA vaccine candidate for human trial

Monash University in Melbourne has been revealed as the first in Australia to manufacture a mRNA technology Covid-19 vaccine candidate. The candidate, developed by the University, will be made at a new node of its Parkville laboratory to be located at Clayton, with the expansion made possible by of a $13.8 million grant from the…

Toshiba shows what Australia loses by undervaluing R&D

Comment by Peter Roberts The first efforts to lift Australia’s chronically low rate of industrial R&D came in the 1980s and 1990s as manufacturing protection was wound back by the Hawke government revealing a generally low-technology sector that preferred to copy others’ ideas rather than develop ones of their own. The original support for research…

The Australian tech business offering vocal support 

By Brent Balinski Various kinds of bionics have been and are being developed to restore function. The standout Australian contribution so far has been Cochlear’s hearing aid implant. It’s something to look up to, says Dr Farzaneh Ahmadi, CEO and founder of bionic voice startup Laronix. “One of our hopes is to sort of go…

Sun Cable brings Australian manufacturing boost

By Peter Roberts Such is the enormous scale of Sun Cable’s proposed Northern Territory solar farm and electricity export cable to Singapore than many have trouble believing that this energy – and soon to be manufacturing – megaproject is really getting underway. Originally envisaged as 14 GW solar farm coupled with 33 GWh of battery…

Forget gas, its a dope led recovery

By Peter Roberts It turns out those hippies who dropped out to Nimbin in the 1960s and 70s really were on to something. Their pioneering work as guinea pigs living on wisps of pot and mung beans is rapidly turning into a major industry in growing, processing and manufacture of medicinal cannabis products. Although Australia…

The digital path to growth – Sleep Corp shows how the TCF sector can prosper

The textile, clothing and footwear sector is widely seen as all but extinct in Australia, but this is far from true. Here @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – the digital path to growth – looks at Sleep Corp, a company which is deploying advanced technology to prosper making top-of-bed products. Considered threatened in the 1980s and 1990s,…

ICN’s new gateway aids finding new business – by Warren Jansen

Industry Capability Network’s (ICN) flagship product for online procurement and supply chain system, ICN Gateway, has officially relaunched. The new ICN Gateway will make it even easier for project owners to promote their projects and suppliers to find work and promote their capabilities. By Warren Jansen Industry Capability Network (ICN) is a business network helping…

Australia and the future of moving, making and computing

We spoke to local leaders in electrified transport, additive manufacturing and quantum technologies in an attempt to understand what the future holds for each. By Brent Balinski.  

The digital path to growth – Reshoring by Evolve Group

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – the digital path to growth – looks at reshoring, and the technology needed to drive success against low-cost competition. Here, Peter Roberts profiles Evolve Group. Ty Hermans, pictured below, doesn’t describe himself as a born manufacturer, and when he took over the Evolve Group from his father in 2005 he…

The digital path to growth – CAD solutions and vision by Jayesh Halgekar

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – the digital path to growth – looks further than IT infrastructure. Here Jayesh Halgekar argues that digitisation is a mindset. Pre COVID-19 many businesses were considering or already enroute to reap the benefits of going digital. The pandemic has fuelled the need for digital transformation, and not just in the…

If only BHP would add value again

By Peter Roberts Many of us remember when BHP, once called the big Australian, was an active manufacturer of value-added products such as steel, wire and coated and painted building products. Those downstream operations were built on an era where BHP’s Essington Lewis was the centre of Australia’s industrial war effort and the company even…

Bike rack innovator keeps it local

For Shingleback Off Road, the nation’s rediscovery of its great outdoors has contributed to at least “400 per cent growth” in sales over the Covid era, says Kimberley Taylor, the company’s Business Manager. By Brent Balinski.

The digital path to growth – The state of digital transformation with David Chuter

@AuManufacturing launches our latest editorial series – the digital path to growth – with an in depth look at where Australia stands in the race to digital transformation. Here we interview the CEO of the Innovative Manufacturing CRC, David Chuter. @AuManufacturing: How widespread is the adoption of digital technologies in Australian manufacturing? David Chuter: There…

Mattresses join the circular economy

By Peter Roberts We all know how hard it once was to dispose of an old mattress. Massive and worn maybe, mattresses contain a huge amount of disparate materials from fabrics to foams and steel springs. Who would take them, and each year more than a million are sent to landfill while others are dumped…

Battery Stewardship Council hopes to address market failure, grow collection and reprocessing

According to one bit of data, Australians bought enough AA batteries in 2019 that laid out, end-to-end, they would stretch 91,000 kilometres, or 2.3 times around the world. 

Our real sovereign defence manufacturers get bolshie

By Peter Roberts When Nova Systems strategy head Rebecca Humble stood up at a Defence Teaming Centre breakfast in Adelaide early this year, she was angry. I was one of the panellists along with executives from two foreign-owned multi-nationals discussing the state of industry, but what really got up Bec’s goat was what she saw…

Marketing for manufacturers: Let your customers be your marketers

In the last article of Marketing for manufacturers, Johanna Boland explains the importance of tapping into and celebrating the passion of customers.

Marketing for manufacturers: Some thoughts on thought leadership

This is the final day of our editorial series, Marketing for manufacturers. In the second-last article, Tim Kannegieter writes about investing in leadership campaigns for your business.

Marketing for manufacturers: Manufacturers can unlock opportunities by understanding the value of PR

If you have something newsworthy, a small investment in communications can work wonders, as Tyson Bowens explains in this instalment of Marketing for manufacturers. 

Marketing for manufacturers: The role of B2B publishing

Today our editorial series, Marketing for manufacturers, looks at business-to-business publications. Jack Mallen-Cooper explains what they want from you, and what you can get in return.

Defence scientists learn to collaborate

By Peter Roberts We all know that Australia lags on any measure of collaboration between science and industry, but changes are underway in the defence field. Defence science as we know it today was largely born in the technology spur given Australia during WW2 and the UK’s missile testing centred on the Woomera rocket range…

Marketing for manufacturers: Keeping in touch during a pandemic

In the middle of week two of our Marketing for manufacturers series, Jack Mallen-Cooper explains some of the dos and don’ts of Covid-19-era communications.

Companies shun VET sector in Covid recovery

Most adaptions and innovations by Australian companies to the shock of the Covid-19 pandemic did not involve the sort of training provided by the VET sector, according to a new report. A survey of businesses conducted by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) found that where training was required, it tended to be…

Marketing for manufacturers – how AH Beard sells $70,000 mattresses in China

Today our editorial series Marketing for manufacturers celebrates the art of selling ice to Eskimos. Here Peter Roberts profiles the company that sells Australian manufactured mattresses to China. The pictures say it all really. At left, below is an Australian-made AH Beard Signature Series mattress sitting in one of the company’s 50 showrooms in China,…

Marketing for manufacturers — Discover your value and communicate it

In this edition of our Marketing for manufacturers series, Vanessa Katsanevakis discusses getting to know your brand, building on it, and the benefits that can follow. 

Marketing for manufacturers — Finding the story in a technical topic

There are ways to effectively convey a story on technological achievements to a lay audience. Brent Balinski spoke to University of Sydney science media advisor Marcus Strom about the importance of empathy in this.

Fusion energy quest hots up at Deakin and HB11 Energy

By Peter Roberts Fusion energy has long been considered as a way forward for decarbonising energy production, but its vast complexity and expense has made experimentation the plaything of rich nations with extremely deep pockets. While progress has been made at the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in California and ITER in France, the expense is…

Has the ‘manufacturing piper’ now been paid? – by Allen Roberts

The need for sovereign manufacturing capability has been made obvious, but for decades Australian manufacturing has been seduced by the siren song of capital ratios, when the real game is sustainable cashflow and the long term development of Intellectual Capital. Allen Roberts asks have we gone too far, and how do we turn the boat…

Marketing for manufacturers — Preparing for an interview

To conclude the first week of our Marketing for manufacturers series, Brent Whyte shares some advice on speaking to reporters.

Marketing for manufacturers — Posting to the world from rural Victoria

A deceptively simple Australian invention is winning global interest from farmers. An important part of its success is Nicole Davidson, who threw herself into the role of Davidson Engineering’s Marketing Manager. In this part of our Marketing for manufacturers series, Brent Balinski speaks to Davidson about her approach to running the company’s online presence.

Brace yourself for the global electronic component shortage – by Yaser Darban

Electronics manufacturers such as Entech Electronics have had to beef up their supply chain and purchasing teams to meet the challenges of a global shortage of electronic components. Here, Yaser Darban explains what companies can do to weather the shortage. As the world recovers from a pandemic, another threat looms for manufacturers–a global shortage of…

Cookon cooks up a storm in cooking appliances

By Peter Roberts I have often heard people, even manufacturers, lament the destruction of appliance and whitegoods manufacturing in Australia. But there are survivors including Zip Water boilers in Sydney, Seeley and Braemar air coolers and gas heaters in Adelaide and Albury, Rheem in Sydney, and Electrolux’s oven factory, also in Adelaide. The Swedish company’s…

Marketing for manufacturers – how it’s done at Opal Australian Paper

@AuManufacturing’s Marketing for manufacturers series turns today to a manufacturer whose products have become a household name through sustained marketing and innovation. Here Peter Roberts profiles Opal Australian Paper.   Australian shops sometimes seem devoid of genuinely made in Australia brand names, with many famous Australian names such as Kiwi boot polish, Aspro, Sheridan and Speedo…

Marketing for manufacturers — Don’t be too ‘smart’…

On day two of our Marketing for manufacturers series, Rene Rose explains that while product specs and other technical metrics might interest you, your customers’ interests probably lie elsewhere.  

Marketing for manufacturers — Introduction to our new editorial series

@AuManufacturing launches its newest editorial series today. We are proud to present two weeks of stories dedicated to an under-examined topic. By Brent Balinski. 

Marketing for manufacturers — What makes a good story? Thought starters on what’s worth sharing with the world

Where to begin? In the opening day of Marketing for manufacturers, Jack Mallen-Cooper answers that question for you, with a list of suggestions to get manufacturers thinking on what’s worth sharing about what they do. 

E-bus competition hots up with BYD on the way

By Peter Roberts A number of companies are now lining up in a race to secure major orders for electric buses from states such as New South Wales determined to electrify their fleets. Led by our largest bus maker Volgren, the market includes Bustech, Germilang Australia and Custom Denning all offering various levels of local…

Saving through smarter energy use: Energy management and Industry 4.0

@AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series finishes today. In this article A S M Monjurul Hasan discusses the future of industrial energy management. 

Saving through smarter energy use – a future for our coal regions by James Bradley

With @AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series coming to an end, we look at the big question for regional Australia – how to replace fossil fuels such as coal. Here James Bradley looks to a future for NSW’s Hunter region. With the largest coal export port in the southern hemisphere, it is no secret…

Mask manufacturer dumped for imports? An interview with Med-Con

@AuManufacturing spoke to Med-Con CEO Steven Csiszar, seeking his point of view on where they’ve ended up, some extra nuance to the story, and responses to some of the questions our community has asked.

Interview: Christian Porter on the industry portfolio

Industry, Science and Technology minister Christian Porter has mapped a layered set of priorities for Australia’s manufacturing-led recovery that preserves existing jobs, plugs supply-chain and capability gaps, and keeps an eye to supporting future industries.

Hedging against relocation risks

Transposing an entire manufacturing operation from one State to another is an ambitious goal at the best of times, but when a global pandemic struck mid-way through our move from Sydney to Gippsland, Victoria, we learned some hard but valuable lessons about hedging against relocation risks, writes Alfred Chown. When planning the move from Brookvale…

Federal grants boost key value-added industry developments

Analysis by Peter Roberts More details are emerging of a significant boost to key projects adding value to Australia’s vast mineral resources under the federal government’s modern manufacturing initiative and related industry programs. Today Lynas Rare Earths, the only significant manufacturer of rare earths critical to high technology industry outside China, revealed details of a…

Saving through smarter energy use: The Melbourne company taking the stink out of waste-to-energy

In the second-last day of @AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series, we return to the subject of food waste-to-bioenergy, with a look at processing machinery business Green Eco Technologies. By Brent Balinski.

Wine exports drop on China slump, growth elsewhere

Strong growth in wine exports to the United Kingdom and Asian countries failed to make up for a 45 per cent fall in the mainland China trade in FY 21, according to figures from Wine Australia. China’s punitive tariffs on Australian wine saw overall export volumes drop five per cent and their value drop by…

Bisalloy looking as tough as its steels

By Peter Roberts When industry minister John Button in the Hawke government took the first steps to reform Australia’s over-protected and under-performing industries in the 1980s he focused on developing new sunrise sectors and giving the sick men of industry – steelmaking, car manufacture and textiles clothing and footwear – a chance to survive. Since…

Saving through smarter energy use – Seeley evaporative cooling outshines refrigerated systems

@AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series turns to a revolution in air conditioning costs now penetrating commercial and industrial markets. Peter Roberts profiles evaporative air cooling manufacturer, Seeley International. Many of us see refrigerated air conditioning systems as the gold standard for hot climates, with our only experience of evaporative systems those portable air…

Saving through smarter energy use: Structural batteries and supercapacitors for future e-mobility

Today @AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series looks at Australian research aimed at enabling structural components to become batteries and supercapacitors. Dr Nisa Salim explains how engineered multifunctional composite materials can be the enablers for future e-mobility and space missions.

Saving through smarter energy use: net zero emissions a bottom line and brand win for tapware manufacturer

To begin the second week of @AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series, we speak to Nick Katsanevakis of Sussex Taps, which recently announced carbon neutral certification. By Brent Balinski

CRC program stands alone in federal industry backing

Comment by Peter Roberts The cooperative Research Centres (CRC) program has assumed even greater importance to the future of manufacturing with the likely demise of the growth centres initiative, though the CRCs too need further federal commitments in the short term to continue their good works. The CRC’s match federal money with cash and in…

Saving through smarter energy use: Why we’re starting to consider bioenergy

At the end of the first week of @AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series, we take a quick look at the as-yet unrealised potential of bioenergy, a subject we’ll return to in week two. By Brent Balinski 

Saving through smarter energy use: Burgers to biogas

@AuManufacturing’s Saving through smarter energy use series continues with a look at repurposing food waste. Anna Minns writes that though the best scenario is to not create any waste at all, recycling options include anaerobic digestion to create biogas and fertiliser.

Say goodbye to industry growth centres, strap in for government grant rorts

By Peter Roberts All the signs are bad for any small hope we may have had that the six industry growth centres would be replaced by something more like the highly successful UK Catapult centres or German Fraunhofer Institutes. The signs coming from Canberra are that no-one is pushing for an extension of the growth…

Saving through smarter energy use – EV charger startup says speed isn’t everything

In the second day of our editorial series — Saving through smarter energy use — we speak to electric vehicle charger startup EVOS about what they think the EV industry is missing. By Brent Balinski.   

Advancing Australia’s supply chain maturity

A spotlight has been put on our local manufacturing capability, with government and industry increasingly directing their focus towards enhancing Australian supply chains – and making them resilient, smart and circular.

Can the internet really challenge the age of steam?

By Peter Roberts Even today, centuries after the invention of the steam engine, there is nothing quite like a powerful railway locomotive with a full head of steam to thrill young and old alike as it converts fuel into raw, muscular, noisy power. Riding South Australian Railway (SAR) locomotive 621, the Duke of Edinburgh, to…

Confidence in clean energy down as government clings to fossil fuels

Grid connection issues and unhelpful and unpredictable government intervention are behind falling clean energy investment confidence by senior business leaders, according to the Clean Energy Council. The industry also rated network capacity and transmission concerns, lack of long-term federal energy policy and future market design uncertainty as major challenges. The council’s bi-annual Clean Energy Outlook…

H2X hydrogen vehicles resurface – but future in Australia in doubt

By Peter Roberts In June last year I reported that a new company H2X Australia would begin manufacturing a range of hydrogen fuel cell powered vehicles in Australia, including the exciting Snowy SUV. Today that future looks rather clouded with the company renamed as H2X Global, a new website appearing and CEO Brendan Norman paying…

Our ambition to produce a ‘How it’s made Australia’ video series – by Bill Macartney

ADVERTISING FEATURE Since @AuManufacturing and Cahoots announced their proposal for a How it’s made – Australia video series, we have had great feedback from readers and companies. Here, Bill Macartney of Cahoots explains what we are trying to achieve by putting manufacturing in front of Australian audiences. An ability to envisage and communicate a future…

Half-century-old Western Sydney SME leaps into space

By Brent Balinski The largest of four federal space industry grants announced on Tuesday went to a company best known for making components for medical industry customers. Romar Engineering is a western Sydney-based contract manufacturer, established in 1968. Its focus is on specialised plastic products for highly-regulated industries, particularly medical, which it looked to in…

Big rise in apprenticeships but statisticians unsure why

There was a big rise in apprentice numbers during 2020, but on issuing the boom figures the National Centre for Vocational Education Research warned of the need to interpret the results with care. NCVER reported that there were 297,920 apprentices and trainees in-training as at 31 December 2020, an increase of 13.9 per cent from…

AML3D’s straightforward 3D printer gaining traction

By Peter Roberts Simple ideas are often the best. And in manufacturing, if they are based on one of the world’s best accepted and understood industrial technologies, all the better. This is the path Andy Sales, CEO of additive manufacturing technology company AML3D took when he saw how conventional wire arc welding could be automated…

Manufacturers are opening their wallets for new gear, and that’s excellent news

By Brent Balinski There is no getting around the fact that if you want to make things here and be internationally competitive, then you must invest accordingly. Manufacturing is a capital-intensive game. This is the case anywhere, but especially so in a developed country.  The leaders in industrial robotics investment? You would be correct if…

Rural R&D Corporations – unsung heroes of collaboration

By Peter Roberts @AuManufacturing has written a lot about the federal government’s industry growth centre initiative, from its undoubted benefits to the companies the six centres touch, to their underfunding and sub-optimal program design. With the growth centres threatened with replacement by grants issued by ministers offices – with the all too-obvious risks of their…

Why we built a unique space propulsion system – by Andrew Uscinski

Valiant Space has been awarded a $200,000 grant as part of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars Initiative to develop Australia’s first in-space chemical thruster. Here Andrew Uscinski explains what motivated him to establish Valiant Space, and partner with space services company Skykraft for its maiden flight to space onboard a Skykraft satellite. Valiant…

Equipping Australia’s armed forces – Make Our Future Together by Tom Kenyon

Our editorial series – Equipping Australia’s armed forces – continues today with an analysis of China and the global political situation. Here Tom Kenyon outlines how collaboration to strengthen strategic supply chains will drive value-adding and manufacturing. If there’s one word that contains some of the hardest challenges the western world will face in the…

Can manufacturing escape new Covid strains?

By Peter Roberts Sitting in my hotel room in Melbourne I am beginning to feel anxious at being away from home with the onset of a Sydney lockdown that bodes ill for this latest round of Covid-19. With just over three per cent of our population vaccinated fully, and government and citizens in Sydney clearly…

Equipping Australia’s armed forces – equipping for future wars by Gregor Ferguson

Our editorial series – Equipping Australia’s armed forces – asks what war are we preparing for, are we buying the right equipment, is Defence agile enough to be making the right decisions, and is it communicating its strategies with the public. Dr Gregor Ferguson asks the hard questions. So let’s start with the headline figure:…

Austal primed for swell of autonomous vessels – by Paddy Gregg

Our editorial series – Equipping Australia’s armed forces – looks today at the trend towards autonomous naval vessels, part of a wider move to autonomous systems. Here Austal CEO Paddy Gregg outlines the Australian prime contractor’s leadership position. Austal’s recent US$44 million autonomous capability contract with the United States Navy is just the tip of…

The Australian AM technology promising to simplify sustainment

Our editorial series – Equipping Australia’s armed forces – continues with a look at Spee3d, an additive manufacturing SME proving its technology for expeditionary use. Brent Balinski spoke to co-founder Byron Kennedy about their award-winning work with the Australian Army and the potential in defence and other markets.

Covid brings Victorian vaccine and pharmaceutical innovation

By Peter Roberts The pieces are beginning to fall into place for the production of mRNA vaccines in Victoria, and possibly Queensland. Driven by the success of the first vaccine’s developed using the novel technology by Pfizer and Moderna, both states are backing local mRNA technology development, with Victoria in April committing $50 million. A…

Connecting Australian manufacturers – by Alexander May

By Alexander May Over the past few years, the ongoing effects of globalisation have changed the manufacturing landscape in Australia, resulting in increased offshoring and importing. This has led to Australia ranking near the bottom in the OECD for manufacturing self-sufficiency, due to a significant amount of manufactured equipment and goods being sourced from overseas.…

Resurrecting solar production in Australia – by Shane West

Yesterday Shane West outlined the massive challenge facing Australia to reach net zero emissions by 2050, given the state of the solar PV industry post Covid. Here he maps out how to resurrect our solar PV manufacturing sector. After the close of the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the Chinese Government turned to the then Australian…

Reshoring solar cell production – by Shane West

Achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 is a credible target, but if it is to be achieved with local manufactured solar PV cells we need to mobilise the research and manufacturing sector as never before. Here Shane West us of the early history of solar cell production in Australia and the future demand to…

Everyone would do better if we got to know our neighbours

It takes a village to make any complex thing. It can be done here, but the job would be slightly easier if more companies looked locally for their supply chain and if potential suppliers did a better job of marketing themselves. By Brent Balinski.

WOA to develop new plant-based protein products

By Peter Roberts It is easy to be distressed if you dwell too long on some of the facts around how our food is produced – unethical livestock conditions and farming practices that can strip the land of its soil and vegetation. But in Western Australia a small company that promotes regenerative agricultural techniques that…

Introducing our new editorial series – Equipping Australia’s armed forces

Today we launch our new editorial series – Equipping Australia’s armed forces. In the middle of an boom in defence spending unprecedented in peacetime, domestic industry is stepping up to play its role. By Peter Roberts. The federal government is on a buying spree – unprecedented in peacetime – to reequip our armed forces, and…

Equipping Australia’s armed forces – don’t settle for less than sovereign by Jim McDowell

Launching our new editorial series – Equipping Australia’s armed forces – Jim McDowell challenges us not to confuse foreign owned companies operating in Australia with truly sovereign manufacturing capability. In fact, he says we should settle for nothing less than Australian owned and controlled.

Property rights in a manufacturing digital world – by Michael Haines

Earlier this month Michael Haines looked at Cyber Security and Digital Twins. Today he turns to a governance framework for the 3D digital world, including dynamical models of manufactured goods and manufacturing facilities. In the real world, most manufactured and constructed objects are subject to specific property rights, and even public assets have restricted access,…

Reimagining Regional Manufacturing Innovation – by Robert Masters

The growing dynamism of Australia’s regional cities has not been well recognised or appreciated. Here Robert Masters suggests linking regional manufacturing growth to the Modern Manufacturing Strategy through a campaign to highlight the regions. Regional Australian manufacturers often underappreciated – yet they must play a key role in future if Australia is to be recognised…

Vaxxas moves towards pilot line, Covid clinical trials

@AuManufacturing spoke to Dr Angus Foster, Vaxxas’s Chief Development and Operations Manager, about the continuing journey to volume production for this Australian invention, new facilities for the company, Covid-19-related R&D, and upcoming clinical trials at the Sunshine Coast.

Are we moving into an era of regionalisation and reshoring?

By Brent Balinski It’s the hope of many Australian manufacturers that governments will appreciate the true value of purchasing locally, and that consumers will do the same. It starts at the top, believes Jason Riddle, co-owner and director at Toowoomba-based welder and fabricator JRS Manufacturing Group. “There’s so much work that’s currently brought in from…

Australia’s submarine comedy of errors

By Peter Roberts It is getting harder by the day to continue thinking that Australia is not making a hash of our most expensive and complex defence program – building 12 Attack class submarines at a cost of $90 billion. The government has finally given clarity whether three or all six of our Collins boats…

The next step for industry growth centres – by Paul Hodgson

A secret report into the future of industry growth centres has pointed to design weaknesses in the growth centre model and inadequate funding to affect outcomes at a sectoral level. With the federal government believed to favour abolishing the centres, Paul Hodgson points the way ahead.

Why Australia needs refineries and plastics manufacturers for a circular plastics future

With twin problems facing us – climate change and poor circularity of materials – Australia is blessed with the unique potential to cut its emissions by reprocessing and recirculating plastics at scale. By Helen Millicer.

Finally, venture capital wakes up to innovation in manufacturing

Analysis by Peter Roberts For a very long time now in Australia it has been possible to get venture capital for a yet-another gold mine or some fintech app. But when manufacturing innovators go looking for capital, other than a few angel investors, the cupboard has been bare – this despite us sitting on one…

Covid disruptions spark boost to beleaguered TCF sector

Australia’s textile clothing and footwear industries, one of the principal victims of unfettered and often unfair import competition from China, has been the surprise beneficiary of Covid-19 disruptions, according to new figures from industry analysts IBISWorld. With Chinese exports disrupted Australia’s knitted product manufacturing industry achieved a 13.2 per cent increase in revenue to $90.6…

Being proactive on SMR possibility

Nuclear power remains banned under two federal laws, but it’s an industry with a lot of industrial potential, believe some Australians. By Brent Balinski.  A small piece of news last week gave a small amount of hope to Australians wanting nuclear energy as part of our future energy mix. Among 60 recommendations in a NSW…

Growth centres on their own from 2022, likely face extinction

By Peter Roberts The federal government has all but confirmed that the six industry growth centres will be on their own and receive no government funding after June 2022, at which time they are expected to transition to be ‘self-sufficient’. This is a proposition considered to be highly unlikely according to a secret report on…

Look west for how to build on luck

There is much to admire about Australia’s resource industry which feeds into our country’s success. By one count, in mining equipment, technology, and services (METS) alone, there are 300,000 direct jobs and $92 billion in gross value-added. METS is a globally respected industry with a high degree of collaboration between SMEs, universities, and big mining houses.

Micro-credentials are the new big thing in VET training

Individuals and businesses accessing stand-alone subjects, or bundles of subjects that do not form a nationally recognised course, make up the single largest segment of enrolments in vocational education and training (VET) in Australia, according to new research. New analysis of short-course training in VET, often referred to as micro-credentials, by the National Centre for…

Cyber Security and digital twins, a concern – by Michael Haines

Digital twins are the big new thing – design and build a product digitally from a single digital master plan, then operate it and maintain it using the same digital twin. What could possibly go wrong, asks Michael Haines. While it rarely seems to be discussed in the context of ‘Digital Twins’, if we are…

K-Tig leads a group of Australian industrial technologies

By Peter Roberts It is fair to say that Australia is a country that has not always valued its manufacturing sector, yet we seem nowadays to be producing more than our fair share of innovative industrial technologies. A few recent examples to mind: Calix and its low emissions cement and lime production PPK Group and…

Industry growth centre policy insanity – by Tim Mazzarol

On Monday @AuManufacturing revealed an initial evaluation report of the six Industry Growth Centres had highlighted inadequate funding and the centres’ inability to change the fortunes of the sectors in which they operate. Here Tim Mazzarol looks into the history of growth centre policy in Australia. Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity is continuing to do…

mRNA: potential beyond the pandemic – by Matt Keon

As the world grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic and the vaccine roll out picks up pace, the term mRNA has become part of our everyday vocabulary. Here Matt Keon argues that collaboration will unlock massive opportunities in health from mRNA technology beyond vaccines. Recently Victorian, NSW and federal governments all made commitments to kickstart the…

Secret report backs industry growth centres, points to under-funding

By Peter Roberts An initial evaluation report of the six Industry Growth Centres – which has been considered in secret by the federal industry department for seven months or more – has highlighted inadequate funding and the centres’ inability to change the fortunes of the sectors in which they operate. The key findings of the…

Stockmarket punishes EOS after Covid affected year

By Peter Roberts Defence, space and telecommunications manufacturer Electro Optic Systems was punished by the stockmarket on Friday with the company’s openness at its 2021 annual general meeting greeted by a 34 cent or 8.1 per cent slump in its share price. The company, a rarity as a locally owned defence prime defence contractor selling…

Celebrating Australian Made – recycled plastics are a new frontier for innovation

In the final day of Australian Made Week and of @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – we return to the issue of recycled plastic products. Helen Millicer looks about Mildura’s Integrated Recycling and its world-leading Duratrack project.

Celebrating Australian Made – is local production more expensive by Ian Hudson

With Australian Made Week now underway, @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – asks the hard question. Here Ian Hudson asks whether an Australian-made product is really more expensive? There is a commonly held belief that it’s more expensive to buy Australian Made products compared to those manufactured overseas. While there may be some…

Celebrating Australian Made – unleashing AI potential by Cori Stewart

With Australian Made Week now underway, @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – examines the potential of artificial intelligence in Australia’s manufacturing revival. Cori Stewart of Brisbane’s ARM Hub outlines help available to manufacturers to master AI. AI, or artificial intelligence, is disrupting manufacturing value chains and creating enormous potential for growth in Australian…

Celebrating Australian Made: Swab story shows what we can offer the world

As @AuManufacturing’s Celebrating Australian Made series begins its final week, we hear from 3DMeditech, which expects to double its workforce of 50 over the next 12 months. By Brent Balinski.  

30% hydrogen used in steel forging as Australian industries decarbonise

By Peter Roberts Progress in utilising green hydrogen to power industrial process is being made rapidly, with the latest development the world’s first test with a 30 per cent hydrogen/natural gas blend steel forging processes. The mix was used to power furnaces at the Rho, Italian forged products plant of Forgiatura A. Vienna (pictured), part…

Closed borders portend labour shortages, poaching

Closed boarders have dried up the supply of workers arriving in Australia, suggesting we are heading to a period of labour poaching and outright shortages. Well known commentator Bernard Salt (pictured) of The Demographics Group took to social media to highlight the massive contribution of foreign workers in our workforce. He wrote that between the…

Celebrating Australian Made – our plastic waste is a resource and a responsibility

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – today looks at the importance of purchasing Australian-made recycled products. By Mark Jacobsen.

Australian Patent Box a bold measure for extraordinary times

By Dr Samih Nabulsi Cook Medical Australia has long been a vocal supporter of a patent box style tax regime for Australia and therefore welcomes the government’s 2021 Budget announcement.  Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with our industry peers and sector peak bodies, over the last eight years we have highlighted the benefits of such an incentivised tax…

James Bradley from Diffuse Energy is our latest 2021 READERS SURVEY PRIZE WINNER

James Bradley is another lucky winner drawn from readers who have replied to our 2021 @AuManufacturing reader survey (see here). James, from Diffuse Energy in Newcastle, wins a beautiful Australian-made A5 journal (pictured) from local designers and manufacturers Corban & Blair. Corban & Blair recently onshored the manufacture of its A5 journals, which are made…

The awful waste of Morrison’s subsidised gas plant

Comment by Peter Roberts The federal government has come good on its threats to direct Snowy Hydro power to build a $600 million gas-fired power plant in the Hunter Valley, ignoring science, the market and investment reality. With the private sector unwilling to invest in what are already stranded assets, Snowy Hydro will build a…

Australia’s minerals key to renewable energy – CSIRO

Australia’s mining and manufacturing sectors working together is key to unlocking our potential as a renewable energy powerhouse according to a report released today by CSIRO. CSIRO’s Critical Energy Minerals Roadmap highlights the potential to reshape mining to turn resources such as lithium and silicon into products for renewable energy, like electric vehicles, solar panels…

Govt looks in the mirror with a policy reheat

By Denham Sadler When Industry Minister Christian Porter rose in question time to mock the Opposition for “reheating” a policy from six years ago, it’s unclear whether he knew the government had done exactly the same thing just days earlier. Yes, Labor had ‘re-adopted’ an innovation-focused policy it announced in late 2015 and took to…

Celebrating Australian Made – advanced manufacturing is not rocket science – by Bll Ellerton

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – looks at the issues that manufacturers should focus on to survive and prosper in a fast-changing world. Here Bill Ellerton says we should focus less on the latest sexy buzz words, and more on solutions suited to our SME manufacturing structure. Many are affordable and accessible.…

How Australia rates a zero on electric vehicle adoption

Australia’s antagonistic policies towards electric vehicles has left us in the dust as the rest of the world transitions to less polluting vehicles, according to figures compiled for Visual Capitalist, Global sales of electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEV) surpassed three million for the first time in 2020, despite the economic headwinds imposed by…

Manufacturers’ appreciation of cyber-security “patchy”: NTT

NTT’s 2021 Global Threat Intelligence Report gave Australian manufacturers a cyber-security maturity score of 0.76 (down from 1.4 in 2019), below the APAC average of 1.98 and global average of 1.21 for the sector. (NTT’s assessment defines between 0 and 0.99 as “non-existent.”) Brent Balinski spoke to John Karabin, Senior Director of Cybersecurity at the company’s Australian operation, about the results and their context.

Celebrating Australian Made: A home turf advantage

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – continues with a look at APT Asia Pacific, a local champion in sporting surfaces. By Brent Balinski.

US breathes new life into Austal’s LCS

By Peter Roberts The dozen Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships delivered so far to the US Navy are at the one time shipbuilder Austal’s most successful design yet at the same time the one that has not quite lived up to its promise. The Independence vessels were conceived as a breakthrough ship. It was to be…

Celebrating Australian Made – Lessons from the Sunshine story

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – continues with a look back in time at the Australian Wonder Machine bearing a timeless message. By David Perkins.

Celebrating Australian Made – a resurgence in industry-building policy by Phillip Toner

@AuManufacturing continues our editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – with a look at industry policy. Here Phillip Toner of the University of Sydney examines the legacy of the policies which have created today’s hollowed out industrial structure. During the past four decades the economies of advanced and developing nations have been radically transformed by…

The federal budget signals that confidence is returning, but it should not be taken as job done

Through our usual good fortune as well as good management, Australia is set to successfully navigate its way out of the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2021-22 Budget signals that confidence is returning for households and businesses with the economy projected to grow 1.25 per cent this financial year, rising to 4.25 per cent over the next.

Budget 2021-22: What it means for the Circular Economy

With international pressure mounting on Australia to commit to more substantial action on climate change, Budget 2021-22 was an opportunity — coupled with a once-in-a-generation social license to spend strategically to ‘build back better’ — to set out the government’s strategy towards addressing these concerns. So what’s in the budget for the Circular Economy? Dr Kar Mei Tang explains.

Crumbs for industry, funds for dead-end fossil fuels in 2021-22 budget

By Peter Roberts Last year’s $1.4 billion Manufacturing Modernisation fund – that is a paltry few hundred million a year – is essentially the sum total of the federal government’s response to the question marks raised over the role of manufacturing by Covid-19 supply chain disruptions. There was almost nothing not previously announced, and only…

@AuManufacturing 2021 reader survey – with great prizes from Corban & Blair

The Australian Manufacturing Forum and @AuManufacturing would like to know a little more about our readers and members.
Today we launch the 2021 @AuManufacturing reader survey which over the next two weeks will collect basic information about you, so we can better understand our manufacturer community audience.

Want to know how Australian the contents of your trolley are? There’s an app for that

By Brent Balinski As has been said many times before, the pandemic has driven home the importance of local manufacturing. Consumers and others have responded. According to Roy Morgan research carried out in June last year for Australian Made, just over half of respondents had a higher preference for locally-made goods since Covid emerged, and…

Why Australia’s manufacturing future lies not with China

By Peter Roberts It is fairly common nowadays to hear in a dinner table discussion a phrase that goes something like this: “Of course, China will soon be the world’s biggest economy…” Thus ensues a discussion of how the future will be a China, rather than American-led one, with the US seen as past its…

Celebrating Australian Made – electronics at risk because of Covid-19 shortages – by Serena Ross

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – looks at a dramatic shortage of electronic components stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic. Here Serena Ross, asks whether this ‘black swan event’ which is hitting companies in Australia and globally, heralds the end of just-in-time for electronics manufacturing. Blackswan events are so-called after the surprise caused…

Celebrating Australian Made – the one and only Tindo Solar

Today @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – looks at local manufacturers supporting the switch to renewable energies. Here Peter Roberts profiles Australia’s one and only manufacturer of solar PV panels – Tindo Solar. One of the lessons of the Covid-19 pandemic is the danger of over-reliance on extended global supply chains and the…

Are we doing enough to keep Celebrating Australian Made – by Alexander Gosman

As @AuManufacturing continues our editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – Alexander Gosman gives us a sobering review of national industry policy, and poses the question whether we are doing enough to reverse what has been a long-term decline in the sector. Disruptions to supply chains through Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted major gaps in Australia’s…

Fibres and composites transforming industry: Smart composites and coatings for radiation shielding

In a late addition to our Fibres and composites transforming industry series, Dr Nishar Hameed explains how graphene’s properties have seen it emerge as a candidate for electromagnetic interference shielding in composites.

Launching our editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made

Today @AuManufacturing launches our latest editorial series – Celebrating Australian Made – leading up to Australian Made Week (24 May to 30 May). Here Peter Roberts looks at the value of Australian Made. When my family arrived in Australia as migrants from the United Kingdom I remember our taxi driver tapping the dashboard of his…

Fibres and composites transforming industry: Supporting research and development for composite advancement

In the last day of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series, the Defence Science Institute summarises four Victoria-based composites projects making use of leading-edge research and development in Australia’s universities and industry.

Fibres and composites transforming industry: Composite repair and sustainment

In its final day, @AuManufacturing’s Fibres and composites transforming industry series looks at the issue of repair and sustainment. By Rodney Thomson and Michael Scott. 

Fibres and composites transforming industry: the cutting edge of carbon fibre in Australia

In this part of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series, Innovync looks at carbon fibre, including how it’s made, its history, how it’s being used in Australia.

Doxall and Next Science are two new Australian anti-microbial chemistries

By Peter Roberts Microbial resistance to antibiotics and sanitising agents is on everyone’s mind in recent times, with resistant strains already in the news even before Covid-19 hit. But two Australian companies, Wintermute Biomedical and Next Science, have been quietly developing genuinely new chemistries that represent potential breakthroughs in halting infections. Next Science’s XPerience No…

A mission to bring research and industry together

In May 1926, the Australian inventor of the Sunshine Harvester, Hugh McKay, died. His homegrown invention had created the largest factory in Australia at the time, peaking at 3,000 workers, and transformed Australian agriculture.

Fibres and composites transforming industry: Advanced pultrusion for a modern industry

Mohammad Alhawamdeh, Omar Alajarmeh, Tristan Shelley, Xuesen Zeng, Peter Schubel explain pultrusion, its usefulness and its growth in adoption in this installment of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series. 

Fibres and composites transforming industry: Government has bigger role to play enabling space industry ecosystem

It’s apparently a boom time for space businesses in Australia. However, there are pieces of sovereign capability that are sorely missing, as David Doral explains in this part of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series.

Hydrogen floats boost green economy hopes

The stock market goes through cycles rather like fashion with cannabis and lithium stocks snatching the limelight in recent times. Now hydrogen floats and capital raisings are all the rage with two company announcements since the long weekend. Infinite Blue Energy has raised $10 million through a pre-IPO offering to investors to accelerate its development…

Fibres and composites transforming industry: Helmets in a hurry

Composites production can be slow, labour-intensive and poorly-suited to complex shapes. Brent Balinski spoke to Tristan Alexander from TST, which is commercialising a process to change that.

Fibres and composites transforming industry: is green carbon fibre the new black?

Manufacturers involved in carbon fibre are seeing sustainability gains through the use of renewable energy, recycling, reducing energy needed for processing, and adopting new chemistries. Derek Buckmaster explains further in this part of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series.

Fibres and composites transforming industry: How can Australian companies take advantage of circular economy opportunities?

To open the second week of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series, Dr Stacey Konash introduces the increasingly popular circular economy concept. What will it mean for Australian composites users, their products and their business models?

Morrison’s climate gobbledegook is costing industry and the community

Comment by Peter Roberts The Guardian put it beautifully on Saturday when it said that ‘Australian smarts and Chinese industrial might made solar power the cheapest power humanity has seen’. This is the power of nations working together towards a common goal – though perhaps not to the advantage of Australia industrially in the case…

Fibres and composites transforming industry – boron nitride nanotubes

@AuManufacturing’s editorial series – fibres and composites transforming industry – turns today to the latest wonder material – boron nitride nanotubes. Will BNNT’s be the wonder material that makes the real breakthrough from science to widespread practical use? By Peter Roberts Wonder fibres and composites come and go, sometimes like carbon fibre nanotubes finding an…

Further detail on reshoring research to come out in Q2 2021: PROS

Earlier in the week, this title wrote about the need for better information to support any reshoring trend in Australia.

One door closes, a vaccine future opens for GSK’s Melbourne pharma plant

By Peter Roberts The announcement that the Victorian government will back a new mRNA vaccine production facility with $50 million has offered new hope to the giant GSK pharmaceutical operation at Boronia in eastern Melbourne which has been slated for closure by the global group. With GSK re-directing its businesses towards biopharmaceuticals it has no…

Fibres and composites transforming industry: Taking advantage of advanced manufacturing techniques

On day three of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series, Sercan Altun looks at developments in composites, 3D printing and artificial intelligence, and why Australian companies should be paying attention.

Fibres and composites transforming industry: The Australian composites industry is a Modern Manufacturing Initiative enabler

On the second day of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series, Dr Matthew Young looks at Australia’s prowess with composites and their role in the federal government’s six priority sectors.

Fibres and composites transforming industry: There are Australians chasing the holy grail, but they can’t talk about it yet

This short installment of our Fibres and composites transforming industry series looks at the cutting-edge of pressure vessel construction, known as Type V. Work is underway in Australia on design and manufacture of these, but few details are being shared right now. By Brent Balinski.  

If there’s a reshoring movement happening, it needs to be properly documented 

According to a survey released last week, over half of manufacturers intend to reshore over the next two years. We need more information. By Brent Balinski 

Question? Is the industry department talking to the industry minister?

By Peter Roberts Is the industry department talking to the industry minister? I ask this question because my article last week on options for evolving Australia’s industry growth centres failed to mention an important point. Former industry minister Karen Andrews had been widely canvassing options, including making the centres more like UK Catapult centres, for…

Fibres and composites transforming industry – Introduction to our new editorial series

@AuManufacturing launches its new editorial series today. It will look at work done to make better products with fibres and composites, ranging from the laboratory to the factory floor, as well as the increased focus on end-of-life products. Editor Brent Balinski looks at some of the recent and potential future success in the genre.

The disappointment of overseas production – Lithium Australia

By Peter Roberts It is so disappointing when you have covered an emerging technology and manufacturing story for years when suddenly you find out that the company you have been covering decides to site actual production overseas. It must be equally disappointing to readers. One of the earliest examples of this in @AuManufacturing’s two and…

France Inc squeezes Cleanaway out of massive expansion

By Peter Roberts They say that France does not give up its own companies, nor their global assets very easily, mobilising its forces to stop foreign takeovers. Just such a thing – perhaps called France Inc – seems to have happened to Australia’s waste management and recycling company Cleanaway’s agreement to buy the recycling and…

Should Australia catapult its industry growth centres?

By Peter Roberts Christian Porter has had a lot of stick in recent weeks, but there is no doubt the new industry minister needs to quickly put recent controversies behind him and get on top of critical decisions that must be made in the portfolio. Not only must he implement the modern manufacturing initiative of…

Boycotting the Industry minister is a terrible idea

That the tech sector should somehow disengage from industry policy because it is unhappy with Christian Porter’s appointment as the new Minister for Industry, Innovation and Science is a terrible idea. By James Riley.

Trouble at mill but too early to write off Whyalla steelworks

By Peter Roberts It is amazing how people are always quick to expect the worst about the future of Australia’s steel industry, just as they have in recent days with news of trouble in the financial network that support’s metals entrepreneur Sanjeev Gupta’s GFG Alliance businesses. People are expecting the worst for his Whyalla steelworks,…

Perception versus the reality of manufacturing – by Shay Chalmers

Shay Chalmers takes a look at community perceptions of manufacturing. Often seen as dirty and unattractive, Shay believes the sector’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic is changing the face of manufacturing – and offering a way forward for Australian Made. The challenge is real. Manufacturing tends to conjure up some unfortunate mental images for people,…

On R&D spend, success can be hard to find

Any discussion about Australia’s R&D sector generally starts off by claiming that ‘Australia has spent billions on R&D over the past thirty years.’ That is true, we have. And yet, despite these billions, Australia ranks in the middle at the best, and in many measures well below, our OECD counterparts.

The terrible trickiness of growing an Australian semiconductor sector

What does Australia have in the way of a semiconductor industry, and why does that matter? Brent Balinski spoke to Professor James Rabeau, the lead author of a national study of the sector published at the end of last year.

Gender discrimination and disadvantage rife in manufacturing

By Peter Roberts The story of the moment is not so much the Covid-19 pandemic, but the discrimination, disadvantage and in some cases abuse that women suffer every day in Australian workplaces. This situation is disgracefully endemic in what should be Australia’s model workplace – the federal Parliament. Lack of opportunity, bullying, belittlement, unwanted sexual…

Govt has fallen behind on space sector boom

The federal government is “behind the eight ball” on the fast-growing space sector, with homegrown companies teaming up to build sovereign capability in the absence of Commonwealth funding support.

Innovation of a nation

All founders take a leap of faith built on their confidence that they will reach the other side. Peter Arnold looked at 1,500 high-growth UK start-ups for his new book, Innovation of a Nation. Here is a little about what he found out.

Adbri joins Calix to develop zero-emission lime production

By Peter Roberts @AuManufacturing has been extensively covering moves globally towards low and zero emissions cement and steel production. Removing carbon emissions from these vital construction materials is vital if the world economy is to transition to a greener future. Now a new agreement between industrial process technology company Calix and major cement producer Adbri…

Canberra re-announces long-range missiles push, but adds in local manufacturing

Comment by Peter Roberts The big announcement from Prime Minister Scott Morrison in Adelaide today – already leaked in advance to every major metropolitan newspaper – is not that Australia will spend $1 billion acquiring long-range missiles for Australian defence forces. That same announcement was made during the Eden-Monaro by-election and reported by @AuManufacturing at…

A new industry minister as a ‘demotion’ says it all – by Shane West

Australian Manufacturing Forum member Shane West saw the news headline that Christian Porter had been ‘demoted’ to the industry portfolio. Here he argues that this says it all about what is wrong with Australia today. The ministerial reshuffle fundamentally shows what is wrong with the Australian federal government – a disregard for Industry, Science and…

Andrews’s promotion is manufacturing’s loss

For a long time, manufacturing lacked an industry minister with a lock on the job, there for the long term and with the necessary, hard-won credibility it takes to be taken seriously by the industry. It seemed to have had one until yesterday. The timing is unfortunate.

Recycling: the great green opportunity?

According to a recent PwC report, the circular economy offers a potential $1.86 trillion nationally in new economic value over the next decade. Brent Balinski speaks to a few experts about the opportunities attached to recycling and the circular economy.

Submarine builder goes digital, cements Adelaide as sustainment site

By Peter Roberts ASC which built and sustains Australia’s Collins Class submarines in Adelaide has embarked on an ambitious project to fully digitise its shipyard operations. It is not clear whether the investment in Adelaide and Perth will put an end end speculation that further major Collins sustainment work could be shifted to Western Australia.…

A second Australian rare earths power is born

By Peter Roberts A patch of dirt in Dubbo, NSW and a lot of hard work are starting to pay off as a second Australian rare earths producer becomes a reality in the form of Australian Strategic Materials. In the past week ASM received firm commitments from sophisticated investors to raise $65 million to kick-start…

Aussie hi-tech welder on track to join global defence industry

A manufacturer of hi-tech welding equipment is embarking on a joint project with a huge global player that it hopes will help it gain a foothold in the lucrative defence manufacturing sector. By Andrew Spence. 

Hypersonic research meets defence prime contractor

Analysis by Peter Roberts It seems the federal government push to involve our typical SME manufacturers with major defence projects is paying off in all sorts of unexpected ways. Australia has been quietly progressing research into flight at hypersonic speeds – faster than five times the speed of sound – for decades. It is the…

Let’s formalise a ‘Made in Australia’ Office

Australian companies might be concerned about an increasingly protectionist United States and the spectre of a newly issued Made in America presidential executive order, but the Australian Government is not.

India-Australia cooperation on trade in critical minerals

This article explores India’s need for critical minerals in the new energy economy and Australia’s strength in the critical minerals sector. It also offers key suggestions on ways in which India and Australia can enable this partnership.

Government needs to treat us as a nation of SMEs – by Greg Whiteley

Greg Whiteley is a small manufacturing business owner and has had many a reason to navigate the interface with the Commonwealth Public service. Here, he looks at the compliance task faced by Australia’s SMEs and laments the cost burden for manufacturers of dealing with governments.

Second local vaccine manufacturer push comes late

By Peter Roberts Pharmaceutical manufacturer IDT Australia is undertaking a feasibility study to assess the possibility of supplementing production of the Covid-19 vaccine in Australia. IDT will assess the possibility of using its sterile production facilities to supplement local supplies, following a Department of Health request. This comes as the federal government is being criticised…

Digitalisation drives manufacturing progress – WEF

By Peter Roberts Factory digilisation is the key driver of a resilient and competitive manufacturing sector. Leading manufacturers use digital capabilities to find new revenue streams and increase product output, matching their focus on advanced technology with building workforce skills. The World Economic Forum calls the leaders in the field Global Lighthouses, and this week…

How to advance Australian manufacturing – by Ishan Galapathy

Ishan Galapathy spent 2020 looking at the fundamental issues facing Australian manufacturing and our elusive pathway to operational excellence (OpEx). Here he gives a taste, from his latest book, of what he learned. One key thing the year 2020 highlighted was the importance of global supply chains and local manufacturing. The solution for Australia is…

Clean tech: the great green opportunity?

It’s one of six manufacturing sectors the federal government acknowledges as holding “comparative advantage and strategic importance,” and it’s seeing unprecedented levels of investment around the world. Brent Balinski looks at the promise of clean technology. 

Think strategically about operations and supply chains- by Mohsen Varsei

Mohsen Varsei takes a look at the parlous state of Australian manufacturing. He argues the answer is to refocus on operations and supply chain excellence. This sets new business horizons and becomes the manufacturing firm’s advantage. The government recently acknowledged that ‘manufacturing in Australia has stagnated. Not enough manufacturers are scaling-up’. Its ‘vision is for…

JobKeeper job losses should bring focus on management skills – by Glen Casey

Glen Casey looks at the future of support for manufacturing once JobKeeper finishes at the end of March. He argues that large job losses are inevitable when JobKeeper is removed, suggesting a policy focus for SME manufacturers of job retention, and providing support to management to navigate a path in the new post COVID world.…

Australian manufacturing, self-sufficiency in the age of nationalism – by Sergiy Tsimidanov

Sergiy Tsimidanov led Softmed Australia during the global pandemic to become a major manufacturer of personal protection equipment, including onshoring latex surgical glove production. Here he explains the reasons why the company invested more than $30 million to build a new factory and reinvented the PPE industry. Among the lessons of the past year is…

Chief Scientist: science will drive a post-pandemic manufacturing boom

As we begin to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, Australia is looking to boost its manufacturing capacity in areas such as medical manufacturing and low-emissions technologies including clean hydrogen. This is good news for Australia’s science and research community. It is an enormous opportunity. It is also a considerable challenge and responsibility.

Holden – the hero that once was

Comment by Peter Roberts Oh what could have been! General Motors and the National Motor Museum at Birdwood in the Adelaide Hills have partnered on a must-see exhibition of automotive metal that makes you just think how different things could have been. The partnership is with GM because Holden ceased to exist from January 1…

With the right approach, Australia can manufacture for the international solar market

Panels aren’t they way, but Australian businesses can find global opportunities in the solar industry, says Solpod co-founder James Larratt. By Brent Balinski.

Onshoring is happening, but how extensive is it?

By Peter Roberts The anecdotal evidence is out here – onshoring and reshoring of manufacturing to Australia is occurring. The problem is, it is all but impossible to get a handle on how widespread it is, and whether it will really be significant in the long run. We all know the reasons why some manufacturing…

What are we talking about when we talk about Australian brands?

There can be a certain pride in saying this or that manufacturing company is Australian, and to acknowledge their achievements and their creation of value at home. But what value do we ourselves place on a product being Australian, and what are we even talking about when we say that? 

Boeing to base U.S. jet on Australia’s Loyal Wingman

Comment by Peter Roberts It has been a week of big news for the Australian aerospace industry and Boeing in particular. Boeing is already the most important aviation manufacturer in the country, manufacturing the moveable surfaces for the Boeing 787 all-composite aircraft at its Fishermen’s Bend plant in Melbourne. It is likely to be even…

It’s full steam ahead for Australia’s submarine construction project – by Gregor Ferguson

With the design phase of Australia’s new Attack class submarines underway and a new shipyard being constructed in Adelaide, Dr Gregor Ferguson takes a hard look at the project and its many critics. No, nuclear is not an option, cost rises have been exaggerated and the project is on schedule.

Local cannabis market booming, but R&D being stifled: industry

Medical cannabis is a rapidly growing sector, and plays Australia’s strengths in research, but the industry says regulations make its work difficult. Brent Balinski spoke to Peter Crock of Cann Group and Peter Duggan of CSIRO’s Botanical Extracts Lab about the potential. 

Olympian manufacturing opportunities in store for Brisbane

Comment by Peter Roberts With Brisbane now in the box seat to secure the 2032 Olympic Games the usual whinges have been aired about cost and the priorities of the Queensland government. But there is more than just once-off television rights to be earned, with Sydney 2000 creating numerous ongoing business opportunities from making venue…

Working from home in a pandemic by Juliana Queiroz

Working from home has become the norm for many especially white collar workers in manufacturing. But there need to be changes if you are going to get the most out of remote employees, and they are going to get the most out of their work, writes Juliana Queiroz One year after the coronavirus outbreak, we…

From one economist to another: Manufacturing needs to be understood, not saved

The assertion by The Australian newspaper for it to be ‘too late to save manufacturing’ is grounded in a lack of understanding. First, in what is manufacturing. Second, in how it is measured, and third in how it has evolved.

The Canberra bubble and Australia’s manufacturing dialogue – by Greg Whiteley

Greg Whiteley ferrets out the facts about Australia’s company structure – and it turns out there are a tiny number of large businesses dominated by 99 per cent of companies with less than 200 employees. Yet the policy focus is all about big businesses. Time to change and develop policy suited to our SME business…

Australia’s only watch manufacturer to split in two, target space industry

From its beginning as one of very few Australian assemblers of watches, Nicholas Hacko Watchmaker has developed the ability for in-house production of the vast bulk of its components as well. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s Josh Hacko about its next steps as a contract manufacturer.

@AuManufacturing 2021 Media Kit released

@AuManufacturing, the news and analysis website of the 7,300-member Australian Manufacturing Forum social media group, has launched its 2021 Media Kit. The kit details advertising and other opportunities for companies supplying the sector to get in front of our engaged manufacturer audiences. During 2020 our website, in only its second year, averaged 51,000 unique page…

NSW takes the lead in electrifying the transport network

By Peter Roberts Australia has made good progress decarbonising the electricity market, but one of the most glaring of omissions in Australia’s national climate stance remains our tardiness on taking action in a transport sector still wedded to fossil fuels. However just as the states have led the way in renewable electricity, New South Wales…

How an old video brings home the decimation of Australian manufacturing

Comment by Peter Roberts There is a myth, unkind as it is to frogs, that the amphibian when set in cold water and brought to the boil will just sit there even as conditions around it go from bad to worse. But something similar has been happening to all of us keen supporters of Australian…

Crisis one year on, this is what I have learnt – by Michael Clayton

A year ago Michael Clayton, CEO of Derby Rubber, watched as his Derby Steet factory went up in flames. Here he writes about the recreation of a leading manufacturing enterprise. Today marks 12 months since I commenced the most significant professional journey of my life – here are some of the lessons that I learnt.…

Biochar: an ancient waste-to-value product

A miracle all-in-one soil improver, waste disposer and planet saviour, or a biomassive waste of time? Brent Balinski spoke to manufacturers and others about the place of charred organic matter in our future.

Carbon tariffs close in on Australian industry

Comment by Peter Roberts Finally the noose is tightening on nations that continue to flout global efforts to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that threaten the environment. Unfortunately for Australia, the noose is descending directly onto the heads of an Australian industrial and business sector that has been sheltered from global realities by governments that…

Offshoring: When saving a few bucks can cost millions – by Josh Budd

By Josh Budd There’s no doubt that 2020 was an eventful year. The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the global marketplace threw a harsh spotlight on the volatility of Australia’s supply chains. With ongoing supply issues, it’s now truly apparent that the modes of acquisition, distribution and transportation traditionally relied upon can no longer…

Refining – Canberra dithers while we lose yet another industry

Comment by Peter Roberts We are witnessing the demise of yet another manufacturing industry – oil refining and downstream chemicals. The news that Exxon Mobil will shut its Altona refinery will mean that five of Australia’s seven oil refineries have shut since 2010. So when you hear responses like that of energy minister Angus Taylor…

Heavy industry, light-weighting and chasing the glory days

Nepean Engineering & Innovation is nearly a half-century old, and runs one of the country’s biggest fabrication shops. Brent Balinski spoke with the company’s R&D manager Mark Helou about how it plans to reinvent itself.

Applied EV electric vehicle platform surfaces

By Peter Roberts An autonomous electric vehicle platform developed in the Bayswater North industrial area of Melbourne has surfaced with the release of new pictures and video. After a $7.7 million, four-year development project, robotics company Applied EV has revealed its first ‘mobility solution’ – the Blanc Robot (pictured above, and below). The Blanc Robot…

The game changes, the name doesn’t

Instead of giving today’s manufacturing fancy prefixes, let’s learn from the past and focus on what really matters: That is to fix – once and for all – the understanding of what manufacturing really is.

Budget 2021: the best chance to relaunch the RDTI

The upcoming federal budget is an opportunity to relaunch and reform the research and development tax incentive to “restore its profile as the keystone for supporting R&D and innovation”, the Australian Investment Council says.

Dale Elphinstone makes it yet again in Burnie

By Peter Roberts Dale Elphinstone is living proof of the old adage that you can’t keep a good man down – in his case, a good manufacturer. Elphinstone’s (pictured below) story is one of those that begins in a garage, this time in the small mining, industrial and port town of Burnie on the north-west…

Husic on industrial policy in the post-COVID era

When Labor leader Anthony Albanese gave his new Industry and Innovation spokesman Ed Husic his marching orders ahead of the shadow cabinet reshuffle last week, the heavy emphasis was on job creation.

Finding new angles in the prefab industry

A local metal bending innovation could be the key to more affordable housing, according to FormFlow. By Brent Balinski.

Decarbonisation of cement moves a step closer

By Peter Roberts Along with steel production, the manufacture of cement is among the most economically critical and at the same time most polluting of industries. Both products are vital and yet both contribute billions of tonnes annually to carbon dioxide emissions that are raising global temperatures and threatening humanity. But paths to decarbonise both…

Redox flow giant battery a triumph and tragedy for Australia

Comment by Peter Roberts South Australia, not content with having led the world when it installed the first grid-scale lithium ion battery is doing it again – this time installing the world’s largest vanadium redox flow battery. But the installation of an 8 MWh vanadium redox flow battery (VFB) by Yadlamalka Energy Trust is both…

Innovation critical for defence – by Gregor Ferguson

By Gregor Ferguson Why is innovation important to a defence force? Because a small country deploying a small defence force won’t derive either an operational advantage or an economic advantage from trying to do the same thing as everybody else, only cheaper. Innovation – in equipment, organisation and process – is the difference between being…

‘I choose green hydrogen’ (and steel) by Andrew Forrest – his Boyer lecture in full

Fortescue Metals Group founder Andrew Forrest stunned investors when he committed to massive investments in green hydrogen and green steel production in his recent Boyer lecture. Here is the full text of this landmark speech. The Boyer lectures are traditionally lectures – a speaker lecturing Australia about what it should do. I’ve chosen a different…

Australian reshoring might work, but needs more data to make its case

As interesting as the topic of reshoring might be to some manufacturers, its discussion in Australia relies heavily on hunches and anecdote. By Brent Balinski.

Carbon Revolution positioning for Mega-line manufacturing

By Peter Roberts Carbon Revolution, already the only company in the world capable of manufacturing a one-piece carbon fibre road wheel, is building on its advantage with plans to introduce a Mega-line manufacturing system. The company, which supplies wheels to performance vehicles such as the Ford Mustang GT350R, Ferrari 488 Pista and Renault Megane R.S.…

Our success in managing COVID-19, and why it matters when we talk about rebuilding manufacturing

Australia needs a strong, self-sufficient manufacturing sector for its own economic sovereignty and the security of its society, writes Sercan Altun.

Australian Manufacturing Forum passes 7,000 members

@AuManufacturing’s social media discussion and networking group, the Australian Manufacturing Forum on Linkedin, has passed an important membership milestone. The Forum, Australia’s largest social media group of Australian manufacturers, passed 7,021 members this morning. The Forum has grown steadily since its founding in 2013, with the latest 1,000 members joining in the past five months…

Biomaterials startup looks past pulp, pandemic

Today’s food byproducts will be turned into tomorrow’s fashion items if Nanollose is successful. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s co-founder, Dr Wayne Best about fibres from fermentation, selling the first commercial garment made out of microbial cellulose this year, and why the growing waste-to-value movement will bring new challenges to companies like his. 

Manufacturing can be the engine of global recovery – here’s how

COVID-19 has given the world a sharp reminder that manufacturing and production sectors – and their enabling supply chain ecosystems – remain the most real and significant force in the global economy.

Massive green steel push planned for Whyalla

By Peter Roberts Not content with his planned $1 billion investment in solar power and pumped hydro storage at Whyalla in South Australia, steel magnate Sanjeev Gupta has flagged an even bigger push to turn the region into a green industrial powerhouse. In an interview with The Australian newspaper the owner of steelmaker GFG Alliance…

BluGlass’ laser diodes a step towards semiconductor industry

Analysis by Peter Roberts Semiconductor technology developer BluGlass is one of the few bright sparks in what should be a foundation technology and industry for a nation like Australia that aspires to be advanced and industrialised – semiconductor manufacture. Semiconductor technology is at the heart of every complex manufactured product, be they simple diodes used…

A naval and aerospace industry zone for Newcastle – by John Blakemore

John Blakemore suggests moving the Royal Australian Navy fleet base from Sydney to Newcastle, creating a naval industrial zone to match the existing aerospace zone at Newcastle in New South Wales. The former steel city of Newcastle in New South Wales is to be massively transformed once again. The first major disruption was when the…

Big changes for @AuManufacturing for 2021

2020 was a big year for the Australian Manufacturing Forum Linkedin group and its @AuManufacturing news and analysis website, but 2021 promises to be even bigger. Riding on a wave of renewed enthusiasm for local manufacturing the Forum, the largest on social media, passed 6,000 members, and is fast heading towards 7,000. And @AuManufacturing, propelled…

A hydrogen hero? Star Scientific to hire 30 next year as it commercialises award-winning Australian breakthrough

Star Scientific is receiving international interest for its hydrogen-fuelled power generation technology, and plans to move into production next year. Brent Balinski spoke to founder Andrew Horvath about what comes next. 

2020 additive manufacturing Aussie highlights

For the fourth year in a row now I give you the annual Additive Manufacturing highlights from Down Under. Despite the challenges, 2020 was marked by a year of positively healthy industry growth!

Policy re-set needed to accelerate innovative manufacturing – by Samih Nabulsi

Australia ends 2020 with a new focus on manufacturing. But here Dr Samih Nabulsi, of major medtech exporter Cook Medical Australia, questions the priority of federal industry policy and a lack of focus, and calls for greater innovation to drive a manufacturing revival.

Industry growth centres show their worth as AMGC shines

Analysis by Peter Roberts Industry growth centres have contributed enormously to the development of innovative Australian companies, with the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre (AMGC) the latest to analyse the performance of projects in which it has co-invested federal government money. AMGC’s 2020 Project Impact Report, which showcases 78 projects, including the economic impact of the…

The one that quietly got away?

Battery-powered passenger flight offers hope for affordable, zero-emission transport, over short distances to begin with. Brent Balinski spoke to Roei Ganzarski, CEO of Gold Coast-born propulsion pioneer MagniX.     

Sustainability needs concrete examples, says precast company

Using non-virgin materials has gained in importance as the number of places to dump our waste has shrunk, presenting challenges and opportunities for manufacturers. Brent Balinski spoke to XL Precast’s Danys Betancur about using glass in concrete. 

After four years of industry focus, defence really is generating SME innovation

Comment by Peter Roberts Canberra has only been pursuing its focus on defence industry since 2016, but after four years it is clear that increased defence spending really is generating significant, fundamental innovation by our SME manufacturers. The latest example, and there have been many reported in @AuManufacturing, comes from Ron and Yvette Allum of…

Australian Made logo registered in EU, UK, UAE

The Australian Made, Australian Grown logo has been formally registered in the European Union, United Kingdom and United Arab Emirates.

Australia’s STEM education report card a bare pass

Comment by Peter Roberts Australian industry is rightly focused on education and STEM education in particular as a determinant of future competitiveness, but the problem is we are not quite sure whether our young people are getting better, or worse compared to international peers. This week saw the release of comparisons for 2019 in Trends…

The art of the seal

Despite the market growth for obstructive sleep apnea treatments, a high number of patients end these due to discomfort. Brent Balinski spoke to Phil Kwok of ApneaSeal about their answer to the issue.

Three manufacturing challenges, retain, adapt, trust – by Juliana Queiroz

It is been a hell of a year in manufacturing as elsewhere. Here Juliana Queiroz discusses her three top cultural challenges for building stronger manufacturers – to retain, adapt, and trust. Covid-19 changed forever the way we have been working but one thing is still true for manufacturing firms: we need to put our people…

Six reasons why there has never been a better time to export for Australian companies

There are good reasons why it’s time to look to export markets. Christelle Damiens presents a half-dozen of them.

Manufacturing Modernisation and the critical role of technology – keynote speech by Goran Roos

Where are we going in this world? Well, if you look at this scenario, we have everybody going digital, and generally looking at what’s happened over the last year, we can say that we have gotten five years digitalisation in about five months.  There’s a dramatic increase in the digitalisation of general manufacturing activities. The…

Backing hopeful, high-tech, high-growth manufacturers

What are the brilliant Australian ideas that will create the next wave of growth? Brent Balinski spoke to Mike Zimmerman of Main Sequence Ventures about where they’re looking.

Manufacturing is becoming more attractive to venture capital investors – by Neil Bourne

Traditionally manufacturing has failed to gain a share of venture and even development capital. But the development of ‘capital light’ manufacturing utilising robotics and digital design is changing thinking. Here, Neil Bourne discusses how manufacturers can become investment-ready. The business press is full of stories about new SaaS and Fintech companies receiving venture finance and…

Digitisation and the renaissance of Australian manufacturing – by Robert Giles

By Robert Giles, CEO SPC Ardmona At SPC, we are always focussed on our customers and how we can best serve them. Australian taste palettes are ever-changing, in the 1970s the humble avocado was considered the height of sophistication, today our tables are filled with foods and flavours from around the world with everything from…

Goran Roos shatters Australian complacency with damning look at our third world economy

By Peter Roberts We have heard a lot about bubbles travel and otherwise in recent times but few bubbles are as permanent as the complacent view most of have of the strength of the Australian economy. Yesterday at the MYOB/@AuManufacturing Manufacturing Modernisation virtual event Professor Goran Roos painted a picture not of the advanced nation…

Manufacturing for green hydrogen’s Soft Grid – by Stan Thompson

A green hydrogen economy looks more likely to develop every day. Here Stan Thompson, Co-founder of the Mooresville Hydrail Initiative, compares the advent of hydrogen to that of electricity, and asks who will manufacture all the components, tools, test gear, safety apparatus and as yet unanticipated ancillary hardware needed for the new soft grid? While…

Spin to win: turbine tech company proving itself to telco customers

Australian engineering research has cracked the problem of diffuser design, allowing a doubling of efficiency for wind turbines, according to Diffuse Energy. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s CTO and co-founder, James Bradley.

A.H. Beard shows how Australia should market its products in China

Comment by Peter Roberts Bed manufacturer A.H. Beard is an object lesson in clever marketing and manufacturing excellence that should be a wake up call for Australia’s broader manufacturing sector. Some years ago the company, one of three large local manufacturing firms that dominate the business of making beds, decided it would not go down…

Husic to bring his tech focus to shadow cabinet

By Denham Sadler The government needs to set its ambitions for tech and innovation much higher and encourage creation rather than just adoption, newly appointed shadow minister for agriculture and resources Ed Husic says. Husic was appointed to the position last week after Joel Fitzgibbons stood down from the role. Earlier this year Husic pushed…

Planning for defence industry puts manufacturing modernisation in the shade

Comment by Peter Roberts The federal government continues to impress with its continuing rollout of policies and plans to support the creation of defence industry that can help secure Australia in times of trouble. There is already a suite of policies supporting building industry capabilities, identifying critical sovereign capabilities, assisting SMEs into global supply chains,…

The Pivot: Lessons from the biotech frontline

By backing the team, not the project, a business can recover from a project failure, move on to another project and ultimately be successful. And then repeat the success on further projects.

Defence minister praises Collins class subs – so why did we go overseas for a new design?

Comment by Peter Roberts Defence minister Linda Reynolds has praised the capabilities of the Collins Class submarines once derided by a former Coalition defence minister. It went down in history that then minister David Johnston warned in 2014 he would not trust the government-owned defence builder, the Australian Submarine Corporation (ASC), to build a canoe.…

Being a female leader in medtech manufacturing – by Serena Ross

Female CEOs and senior executives are more common in manufacturing than in the past, but still enough of a rarity for Serena Ross to have to reach out overseas for someone to mentor her when she became CEO of her family business. Here she writes about what it is like being a woman leader in…

Cross-sector technology opportunities for manufacturing – by Adrian Beer

Australia has begun to develop its manufacturing industries following supply chain disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic. Here Adrian Beer, CEO of mining equipment, technology and services industry growth centre, METS Ignited, highlights cross-sector opportunities for manufacturers in Australia’s leadership in mining and minerals processing. Whilst 2020 has brought significant challenges, we have seen the manufacturing…

Things picking up for Sydney sensor business

UNSW spin-out Contactile won the Advanced Manufacturing category at last month’s Australian Technologies Competition. Brent Balinski spoke to co-founder Heba Khamis about making robots feel like we do. 

About time Canberra did something about local battery production

Comment by Peter Roberts It is about time the federal government got serious about backing lithium-ion battery manufacture in Australia. The plethora of grid-scale storage batteries under construction, booming solar PV plus home battery installations, and the nascent market for electric vehicles mean we are consuming more and more batteries. But while we produce the…

CEFC invests in Chinese solar venture, but why?

Comment by Peter Roberts Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation has been one of the big successes of federal government efforts to kick-start enterprise and innovation in the renewable energy space. Its great strength is the corporation, which the coalition tried to abolish completely when it first came to office, is that it is run by…

What does a contemporary manufacturing executive look like?

By Peter Tulau The thing about reality checks is that they tend to be thrust upon businesses at the most inconvenient moments, and as reality-checks go, this current one is large. What happens over the next period is critical to business success and leadership will play a critical role in that. Savvy manufacturing businesses are…

Luck or leverage? How Australian manufacturers can use innovation and incentives to make local products more attractive to export markets

We have long been internationally admired for our low levels of debt, high standards of living and a consistently safe and stable environments in which to live and work. We are indeed the lucky country but if we hope to retain that title, we face a choice: to continue safely along this well-worn path or to strike out and forge a new path.

Biden win highlights areas of Australia’s energy leadership

Analysis by Peter Roberts It is easy to look back over over the past decade and see a lost opportunity to transition our energy supplies – one that is exposed by the election of Joe Biden as US President with his vow to embrace low emissions and abide by the Paris climate agreement. Australia’s climate…

Business R&D has tanked, what of the reformed Tax Incentive – by Kris Gale

By Kris Gale The recent passing of the Bill that preserved and, in some ways, extended the value of the R&D Tax Incentive (the RDTI) has been warmly received by the market. It follows the improved understanding of the programme requirements contained in the Moreton Resources and Bogiatto cases, along with the noticeable improvement in…

High-tech nanotube payoff for Micro-X

Comment by Peter Roberts Things don’t get much better in the tech field than a technology company that has mastered carbon fibre nanotubes to make a step-change in a technology around for more than a century. But for Micro-X, the Adelaide company that has developed the world’s only nanotube X-ray emitter, that mastery is the…

Robotics adoption matters: series conclusion

@AuManufacturing’s Robotics adoption matters series has concluded. Brent Balinski recaps some of what was discussed and hears from a few different voices on the importance of teamwork.  

Advanced is great, but what about traditional manufacturing – by Daen Simmat

Industrial designer Daen Simmat (pictured below) takes a look at policies supporting a transition to advanced manufacturing in Australia with approval, but also asks ‘what about traditional manufacturing’ and making it smarter? In the mid-1960s, manufacturing was separated into two categories “advanced” and “traditional.” Traditional manufacturing was hard product industries such as automotive, steel and…

Australia-China relations and Australia’s manufacturing industry – by Katie Howe

The Australia-China political and economic relationship has been under strain with attitudes toughening in Beijing and Canberra. Here China specialist Katie Howe explores what the deteriorating relationship means for Australian manufacturing. “Australia and the People’s Republic of China, inspired by their longstanding friendship and growing economic and trade relationship since the establishment of diplomatic relations…

Why James Bennett’s Australian Made Products are taking Facebook by storm

Comment by Peter Roberts I only just heard about the extraordinary James Bennett’s Australian Made Products Facebook page. In six years James’s various Facebook groups – all passionate about Australian manufacturing – have amassed more than 3.5 million followers on Facebook. That is one in every eight Australians follows James. He has a number of…

Robotics adoption matters: how do we compare internationally, and does that need to change?

Recently-released figures show no improvement in Australian purchases of industrial robots, and other nations seem to be upping their investment as they adapt to the pandemic. Brent Balinski looks at some recent trends in this part of our Robotics adoption matters series.

Looking back, losing the car industry was more of a disaster than thought

By Peter Roberts The news this weekend that GMC has launched the world’s first zero emissions all-electric supertruck, the HUMMER EV is a painful reminder of what might have been, and what a disaster for Australia was the loss of our car industry. The Hummer is the quintessential gas guzzler of America’s oil-driven excesses, an…

Qantas could act to bolster domestic oil refining – by Shane West

The local oil refining sector has shrunk to parlous levels, while national airline Qantas has a need to reduce its carbon emissions. Shane West ponders how both issues could be tackled by a move to refine jet fuel from local crude oil. This is a great opportunity to bolster the Australian refining industry and reduce…

How to build a lean railcar manufacturing supply chain – by Ross Sterland

Last week @AuManufacturing revealed NSW had bought 2,000 railcars and trams in a decade overseas. Here Ross Sterland, explains how the problem could be turned into a lean manufacturing local opportunity. The year is 2050. Australia’s rail rolling stock manufacturing industry is world-leading. At a federal level, the government’s 30-year plan to reinvigorate the industry…

New board to help modernise manufacturing

By Peter Roberts The federal government has reinvigorated the advisory board helping to implement its Modern Manufacturing Strategy with a new name and a number of high-powered business appointments. The newly named Industry Innovation and Science Australia (IISA) adds industry to the name and purpose of the former body and will continue to be led…

Composites competence: Australian leader says it’s about strategy not rivalry

University of Southern Queensland has emerged as a national leader in composites research, with an explicit focus on real-world, industry-based problems. Brent Balinski spoke to the university’s Centre for Future Materials founding director Professor Peter Schubel about some of its recent work, and why it makes sense to work together rather than compete.

Why the NBN might just be the worst thing to happen to business (and consumers)

Comment by Peter Roberts Politicians often get things wrong but Tony Abbott has to take the cake for his dismissal of Labor’s all-fibre National Broadband Network in favour of what he claimed was a better and cheaper mash-up of fibre, copper, satellite etc. Let’s remind ourselves of two things Abbott said at the time. At…

NSW buys 2,000 rail cars from overseas in 10 years

Analysis by Peter Roberts The New South Wales government have ordered close to 2,000 rail carriages and tram cars from overseas in only 10 years, putting the lie to the government’s suggestion that it is forced to buy trains overseas, according to a new analysis by the Australian Manufacturing Forum. According to analysis for @AuManufacturing…

Manufacturing and renewables: Albo’s budget reply

By Denham Sadler Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese has unveiled his alternate vision for Australia’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on revitalising local manufacturing through renewable energy and defence industry spending. Mr Albanese delivered his budget response speech on Thursday, criticising Josh Frydenberg’s second budget for its short-term politics and lack of longer-term…

The surge to renewables promises cheaper power for manufacturing – by Ben Waters

Manufacturers have experienced a sudden shift from cheap, fossil fuel electricity to expensive generation. Now the shift to renewables is on, and manufacturers are beginning to free themselves from the grasp of high fossil fuel prices. Here sustainability and cleantech leader Ben Waters discusses the new reality of renewably generated electricity. Manufacturing is key to…

Startup sees a crab bag of potential in seafood shell waste

Brent Balinski spoke to Kimberly Bolton, the CEO of Carapac, about their plans to turn an abundant waste source — crustacean shells from seafood processors — into biodegradable films and containers.

Rio Tinto’s greener beer can could be the future

Analysis by Peter Roberts Aluminium refiner Rio Tinto could be pointing a way for its aluminium smelters to survive with a move to develop low-carbon aluminium for use in making beer cans. Rio Tinto already makes RenewAl, a low CO2 primary aluminium brand. Now the company and the world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev)…

A few further thoughts on industry policy

Peter Rowland contributes to the discussion around “picking winners” in the wake of the federal government’s industry policy release.

The 2020-21 budget falls short of the reset for manufacturing we need

Budget analysis by Peter Roberts The 2020-21 federal budget has been packaged and sold as many things, from one for jobs, to a reset for manufacturing. There are certainly a multitude of initiatives, but this is certainly not a budget that will ‘galvanise investment in Australian manufacturing’ to quote industry minister Karen Andrews. The problem…

Picking winners: what is it, are we doing it, and does that matter?

Brent Balinski gathers some reactions to last week’s industry policy announcement, and to the notion of picking winners. 

How Synroc’s science-push failed as the panacea for nuclear waste

Comment by Peter Roberts CSIRO’s Synroc synthetic rock method for safely storing radioactive waste is making headlines again (more on that later), but as someone who has been around for a while it all just demonstrates yet again the topsy turvy way we see innovation in Australia. Synroc was unveiled in 1978 by a team…

Industry plan is ‘a start’ but there is far more we need to do – by Roy Green

In June Professor Roy Green kicked off @AuManufacturing’s crowd sourcing campaign to create a new deal plan for manufacturing. Here he gives an initial response to Canberra’s industry policy announcement.

PM Morrison to reveal modest manufacturing boost at press club

By Peter Roberts The Canberra media was this morning leaked details of a Prime Ministerial address due to be given to the National Press Club today (Thursday) detailing the government’s long-awaited plan for manufacturing. According to a report in The Guardian there is no national manufacturing plan, national manufacturing body and no attempt at bi-partisanship…

How SPC kept in business with the borders closed – by Robert Giles

Victoria’s tough lockdowns may have stopped Covid-19’s spread, but border closures make it difficult for manufacturers. Here Robert Giles, CEO, SPC Ardmona explains how his company kept the business running. You would have to have been living under a rock to have missed the news that Victoria’s borders have been closed to much of Australia…

The great internal combustion engine scam – we are being had big time

Comment by Peter Roberts The sooner Australia takes real action to move towards an electric vehicle future, the better. This is clear now with two pieces of news – the UK will ban diesel and petrol cars from 2030, and the revelation of the lie we are living clinging onto fossil fuelled vehicles. While Australia’s…

Grant Australia the opportunity to innovate

The current economic crisis has exposed the decay in Australia’s manufacturing capability and highlighted the need for increased investment in innovation.

The stuff that needs to be screamed from the rooftops

Australian manufacturing could be called a story that doesn’t tell its story. The wind is very much in the industry’s sails, an audience heard last week, but its members could do a better job communicating their successes.

Editorial – why we don’t run paid news disguised as editorial

EDITORIAL – by the editors, @AuManufacturing news There is a lot of concern in the community about the declining quality of the media in Australia, but what is being seen in the reporting of national affairs is nothing compared to what has happened to specialist press such as industry news. Hardly a week goes by…

National broadband – rooster or feather duster by Laurie Patton

The federal government has announced billions in spending on upgrading the National Broadband Network. Here Laurie Patton asks whether the NBN is a rooster or a feather duster. NBN Co will now spend $3.5 billion replacing inferior connections with the fibre they should have had from the beginning. Of course in all likelihood this will…

Will we learn from the past and seize the opportunity of a post-Covid world

By Peter Roberts Standing in front of Chateau Tanunda in the Barossa Valley yesterday hit home a lesson of the past – where there is trouble, there is also opportunity. The Château’s origins go back to the decimation of Europe’s, and Australia’s eastern states’ vineyards by the fungal root disease phylloxera in the 19th century.…

First business, now homes to get fibre in admission NBN rollout was flawed

By Peter Roberts The federal government will today unveil a $3.5 billion upgrade plan for the National Broadband Network to extend fibre to more homes in a tacit admission that its strategy of delploying copper was flawed. The upgrade will take fibre deeper into neighbourhoods now serviced by fibre to the node plus copper to…

More recycling innovators need to stay the course, says pioneer

There is no shortage of promising papers being published, but they need to better focus on where they can make a difference, according to a long-time recycling researcher. Brent Balinski spoke to Associate Professor Abbas Mohajerani about focus, patience and turning butts into building products.  

Full circle for Australian rocket launches – Woomera to Koonibba

Comment by Peter Roberts A DART rocket just launched from Koonibba Rocket Range in South Australia carrying a Defence satellite marked a return to the days in the 1960s when Australia was a nation capable of launching a payload from its own shores. At just 3.4 metres long and weighing 34 kilograms, the DART rocket…

ARENA and CEFC get funding, but with a fossil fuel twist

By Peter Roberts The federal government has refunded the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC), bodies they tried to abolish years ago, but there is a fossil fuel sting in the tail. The two bodies will receive total funding of $1.9 billion past 2020, with ARENA receiving the majority –…

Hydrogen futures, and moving from extraction to synthesis by Stan Thompson

Hydrogen produced from renewable energy is coming to the fore just as the world exits an epoch when extraction and exploitation give way to a more benign future of synthesis, argues Stan Thompson. This change has major implications for an extractive economy such as Australia’s. It is hardest to see a profound transition when you’re…

Steelmakers keen to cut emissions, but remain behind the cutting edge

Comment by Peter Roberts Steel is the second-most produced industrial commodity after cement, and like cement is a major contributor to global emissions of carbon dioxide that are causing possibly irreversible changes to the climate. With steel contributing up to nine per cent of total global emissions, both Liberty Primary Steel and Mining Australia and…

Morrison’s gas-fired electricity play – damn the expense, damn the environment

Comment by Peter Roberts Today prime Minister Scott Morrison broke cover – yes Canberra is prepared to subsidise a totally uneconomic gas-fired power station in New South Wales, ostensibly to reduce energy prices. The Coalition has talked about cutting energy prices so often only to disappoint that we can discount that as the real reason.…

Considering a worm’s-eye view aids in design award win 

Compost Revolution’s beginner-level worm farm, made in Australia and entirely out of recycled plastics, won gold at last week’s Good Design Awards. Brent Balinski spoke to the company’s David Gravina about the project.

September, and still no manufacturing policy

Comment by Peter Roberts I have been receiving a number of phone calls from colleagues asking me: “what has happened with manufacturing policy?” Covid-19 has been with us since the beginning of the year, exposing the fragility of our international supply chains and our own inability to cater for our own, even very basic needs.…

The myth of infrastructure spending – it is just not happening

Analysis by Peter Roberts You could be forgiven for thinking that federal and state governments have massively boosted investment in infrastructure projects to help Australia move through the Covid-19 related recession. There are seemingly daily mutterings from Canberra of big spending, coming soon…but apparently not actually coming at all. New figures from Infrastructure Partnerships Australia,…

AMF member stranded in Europe – where is the help from the government?

A long-time member of the Australian Manufacturing Forum is stranded in Europe and desperate to return to manage their business in Australia – but government travel restrictions on returning to Australia have not been exactly helpful, as the latest airline ticket cancellation (pictured) suggests. This is the story so far, by an AMF member. I…

Decarbonised steelmaking moves a step closer

Comment by Peter Roberts At least two, and possibly three groups are now operating pilot plants that use renewably generated hydrogen to replace coal in the steelmaking process, promising a future of green, fossil fuel-free steel. The latest just announced is the HYBRIT consortium of three firms, LKAB, SSAB and Vattenfall, which has just commissioned…