Quickstep sees aerospace orders out to FY29

Composites manufacturer Quickstep expects to receive purchase orders for the ongoing production of aerospace components from customers Northrop Grumman, Lockheed Martin and Marand by the end of July 2024. The company, in an update for investors, said that over the coming months production was transitioning to the next phase of multi-year orders under long-term agreements…

Defence giants join to form new Australian submarine company

Defence giants Huntington Ingalls Industries (HII) and Babcock have formed a new joint venture H&B Defence to develop sovereign capability for the AUKUS conventional armed, nuclear-powered submarine programme. H&B Defence combines nuclear submarine and shipbuilding experience from Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States to support the nuclear-powered submarine programme unforlding under AUKUS. HII…

Jord International names incoming CEO

Process engineering company Jord International has announced that Greg Jones (pictured on left) will begin as its new CEO on July 15. Jones joins the privately-owned, 400-person firm after 17 years at steel company InfraBuild, where he is Executive GM of Distribution & Processing, according to his Linkedin profile. Jones will replace current CEO Angus…

Detpak to begin supplying sugarcane-based compostable product range to South East Asia, Middle East

Packaging business Detpak is launching its Eco-Products range into South East Asia and the Middle East.  The Eco-Products from Detpak range was formerly only available in ANZ. The range is made from moulded sugarcane bagasse fibres and includes fast food packaging such as clamshell containers, bowls and plates. (Eco-Products is a Boulder, Colorado-based developer and…

Drone business Infravision expects to double in size over next 12 months

Sunshine Coast-based startup Infravision, which has developed a drone-based powerline stringing system, expects to hire another 70 over the next 12 months as the energy transition drives demand for more high-voltage electricity transmission lines. In a statement from the Queensland government on Monday, it was shared that Infravision and state-owned energy company Powerlink are using…

Capral acquires Brisbane distributor Apple Aluminium

Capral Aluminium has announced the acquisition of Archerfield, Brisbane-based supplier and fabricator Apple Aluminium In a statement to the ASX on Monday, Capral described the acquisition as “relatively small”, though aligned with a strategy to grow via targeted acquisitions and strategic investments. Apple Aluminium’s turnover was given as about $12 million, while Capral’s revenues for…

$2.9 million in defence grants awarded

The final recipients of the Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority (SICP) and Defence Global Competitiveness Grant (DGCG) programs have been awarded a cumulative $2.9 million in funding. In a statement on the new DIDG program, which was launched on Monday, industry minister Pat Conroy also shared news of nine grant recipients for the outgoing SICP and…