A new battery technology based on zinc and mangaese chemistry is being commercialised by the University of Adelaide thaks to Chinese R&D funding. University researchers believe the combination of metals and an incombustible aqueous electrolyte will produce a battery that is safer, cheaper and more reliable than those already on the market. Chinese lead-acid battery…
Building products group Boral (ASX: BLD) has reacted to a weakening Australian economy by cutting costs, resizing its operations and chasing new opportunities. Chairman Kathryn Fagg told the company’s annual general meeting that 2018 financial year housing starts were down 15 per cent, and the value of work done on roads, highways and bridges and…
Three Australian dairy infant and nutritional foods companies have announced links which deepen their access to the growing Chinese consumer market. Wattle Health Australia (ASX: WHA), Bubs Australia (ASX: CUB), and Jatenergy (ASX: JAT) have found strategic partners to open new distribution channels in what is the world’s largest market for nutritional dairy products. Wattle…
Australian building products group Brickworks (ASX: BKW) has added to its fast-growing US brick manufacturing network with the purchase of RedlandBrick Inc for $70 million. The Sydney company bought four modern manufacturing sites in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia, adding to its portfolio of brick making assets in the north east of the country. While Redland…
Comment by Peter Roberts The New South Wales government has confirmed its love affair with importing expensive transport equipment with the purchase of 13 Sydney harbour ferries for a reported $1.3 billion. Writing in MichaelWest.com, maritime commentator Neil Baird said Northern NSW company, Birdon had contracted to build the ferries in China and Indonesia. The…
Development capital interests have agreed to buy leading South Australian supplier of precision components and assemblies for defence and aerospace industries, Levett Engineering.. CPE Capital subsidiary ASDAM will add Levett to a growing portfolio of manufacturing interests, focused on high tecnology suppliers to defence prime contractors. Levett provides complex parts for naval and air force…
Technology giant Microsoft has joined rival Google in announcing important advances in quantum computing, the next stage in smaller and ever more capable computers. Yesterday Microsoft chief executive officer Satya Nadella announced the technology company had developed a “full-stack, open cloud ecosystem” to bring the benefits of quantum computing to developers around the world. He…
Advanced materials group Talga Resources (ASX: TLG) has begun a large scale commercial trial of a Talga graphene enhanced coating for ships hulls. Over 700 square metres of the coating is being applied to the Algarrobo (pictured), a 33,000 tonne container ship as a performance booster for conventional marine primer. Talga managing director Mark Thompson…
Defence manufacturer BAE systems demonstrated two fully autonomous armoured vehicles for the Australian Army this week, providing insights into autonomous technologies on future battlefields. The ‘battlefield simulation’ demonstration was held at the Majura Training Site where the Chief of Army was shown two customised M113 tracked armoured vehicles (pictured) in operation. BAE Systems engineers and…
Comment by Peter Roberts This week the seamier side of Australian business was again in the spotlight as supermarket group Woolworths admitted to underpaying staff by as much as $300 million over a decade. There were the usual explanations that this was all the fault of our complex industrial relations system. This is a ridiculous…
