Canadian marine engineering firm Cellula Robotics has announced it is six months into a contract with Defence Cooperative Research Centre Trusted Autonomous Systems (TAS) to develop the next generation of fuel cell powered, Extra-Large Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (XLUUV). Funded by the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) and in collaboration with Australian sub-contractors, the company’s project SeaWolf…
The Australian Government will send more armoured vehicles to Ukraine, this time comprising 14 M113 Armoured Personnel Carriers (APCs) and a further 20 Bushmaster Protected Mobility Vehicles (PMVs). The gift announced by defence minister Peter Dutton on the eve of the election follows 20 bushmasters valued at $50 million which have been airlifted to the…
Luxury chocolate maker Haigh’s Chocolates has purchased land at a new industrial estate in northern Adelaide for a major expansion of its manufacturing and warehousing operation. The company, the oldest family owned chocolate maker, joins high-profile food and drink manufacturing businesses in Salisbury South, buying 3.6 hectares at the Nexus North development next to the…
By Peter Roberts When the dust settles on this federal election someone had better do a stocktake of the hundreds of grants that have been sprayed around the manufacturing sector – public money shovelled out the door at a rate never before seen – all with no transparency, little process and no accountability whatsoever. The…
Australian in-space transportation provider, Space Machines Company (SMC) has secured the support of SpaceX as a launch partner to carry its Optimus Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV) to space as part of its April 2023 mission. SMC’s Optimus OTV is one of the largest commercial spacecraft designed and manufactured in Australia. The 2023 mission will demonstrate…
@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…
Goulburn Valley, part of the SPC family, has unveiled a complete rebrand, including new logo, across the Goulburn Valley range – the first major consumer based campaign delivered by the SPC house of brands in three years. The new look encapsulates how in the Goulburn Valley, the life of fruit is so good, you can…
Defence electronics contractor Thomas Global Systems will be Prime System Integrator for the Australian Army’s M1A2 Abrams battle tank Immersive Tactical Trainer (ITT). With Australia buying 75 M1A2 Abrams Main Battle Tanks (MBT), Thomas Global will establish a new advanced manufacturing facility in Newington, NSW, to deliver 16 Immersive Tactical Trainers. Thomas Global Systems will…
Andrew Forrest’s Fortescue Metals Group has announced a reorganisation which upgrades its Fortescue Future Industries offshoot within the group, at the same time announcing the appointment of senior global executives and a new executive who will become FFI’s future CEO. The company said the reorganisation would transition the company to a truly global company. In…
From landfill to useful rail infrastructure The Victorian Government will invest $1.6 million to install a new production line that will process used plastic bags into durable railway sleepers as part of its Recycling Modernisation Fund. The Integrated Recycling facility in Mildura, where Duratrack railway sleepers made from 85 per cent recycled plastic will be…
