Quickstep hit by absenteeism, Sydney floods, to focus on growth opportunities

The natural disasters hitting Australia – Covid-19, absenteeism and sickness, and troubled international supply chains have hit aerospace composites manufacturer Quickstep, forcing it into a loss. The Bankstown, Sydney company said absenteeism and sickness were continuing and continues to average 12 percent, while the recent Sydney floods – worsened by the granddaddy of all disasters,…

Micro-X poised to release improvised explosive device imager

X-ray equipment manufacturer Micro-X is poised to launch a major extension to its product offerings – a lightweight, rugged X-ray imager to detect improvised explosives devices (IEDs) The company told investors that pre-production prototypes of its Argus IED X-ray camera (pictured) were close to completion, following delays in commissioning manufacturing equipment at its Adelaide plant.…

MCi’s new Newcastle office supports CO2 capture

Staff and stakeholders in carbon capture and reuse technology company Mineral Carbonation International (MCi) have gathered in Newcastle, NSW to mark the opening of the company’s new local industrial headquarters office. The Canberra-based company is constructing a mobile demonstration plant on Kooragang Island that captures and uses CO2 to produce manufacturing and construction materials, such…

Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Barrett Communications delivers HF radios Barrett Communications – in collaboration with Royal Communications Inc. – has delivered High Frequency (HF) high power radio communications systems to assist in comprehensive communications coverage across the US. An undisclosed United States Federal Agency has recently installed high power HF radio systems into all states and territories of the…

Austal and Spectainer collaborate on shipping container system

Shipbuilder Austal and shipping container innovator Spectainer are collaborating on the industrialisation of Spectainer’s collapsible shipping containers. Spectainer’s system involves fully automated, horizontally collapsing containers (pictured) which can be expanded or collapsed for easy transport . The container, though not the first collapsing container, answers one of the key choke points of global shipping –…

Defence signals geospatial goods and services purchases

The defence department has signalled purchases of geospatial goods and services from Australian and international companies as it moves to improve the flow of data to support defence and national interests. The department has established the Geospatial Goods and Services Standing Offer Panel (GeoPanel) to buy ‘goods, services and relevant emerging geospatial technologies’ from approved…

Sparc Hydrogen meets goals for catalytic production of hydrogen

Technology development company Sparc Hydrogen is on track to meet key project milestones in proving the feasibility of an Australian technology that produces green hydrogen through the use of a thermo-photocatalyst and solar radiation, avoiding more traditional and costly electrolysis. Developed by the Flinders and Adelaide universities, the technology has the potential to create significant…