US President Donald Trump has sparked a diplomatic row with Australia after he threatened to end offshore manufacturing of parts for the F-35 Lightning joint strike fighter (JSF). Speaking to Fox news he described overseas purchases for the jet as ‘crazy’. Fifty Australian suppliers, and hundreds if not thousands of jobs, are in the direct…
BlueScope Steel’s Australian and international operations have been hit by a cyber attack, the company confirmed today. Its US North Star and New Zealand businesses are continuing largely unaffected with only minor disruptions. However manufacturing and sales operations in Australia have been disrupted with some manufacturing processes paused. Local steel despatches are continuing using some…
Perth heavy engineering firm Civmec has won a major new contract with miner Rio Tinto to further develop Rio’s Mesa A iron ore operations hub in the Robe Valley of Western Australia. Rio is developing three new mines and supporting infrastructure for existing operations at Mesa A and Mesa J mine sties under its Robe…
Australia’s only manufacturer of high performance quenched and tempered plate steel products, Bisalloy Steels, is celebrating its 40th year in business with a concerned international push. The Unanderra, NSW company has built on the competitiveness of local steel manufacturing with a distribution push in South East Asia, the UAE and South Africa and an expanding…
The make up of the Prime Minister’s National COVID-19 Coordination Commission (NCCC) has come under fire for its bias towards gas and mining industries. There are two bureaucrats, Chairman Neville Power is a miner and energy executive, Andrew Liveris hails from Dow which utilises gas, Catherine Tanna is managing director of Energy Australia, and James…
Innovative X-ray machine manufacturer Micro-X has ramped up production of its Nano device following a Covid-19 jump in demand. The company confirmed it was committing $4 million to ramping up production at its Adelaide plant following a $15 million capital raising from institutional backers and a subsequent share offer to existing investors. The Nano, the…
The end of the financial year is fast approaching, but manufacturers still do not know when controversial cuts to R&D tax incentives will apply. With the Covid-19 pandemic highlighting the role of innovation, Kris Gale calls for the federal government to abandon its reforms. The federal government is to be congratulated for announcing additionally flexibility…
New materials developer Talga Resources has revealed more details of its deal with Bentley Motors to jointly develop a single unit electric vehicle drive train or e-axle. The deal, previously announced in @AuManufacturing, will see the company develop technology and materials with the ultimate aim of creating a new electric motor that utilises aluminium windings…
Defence supplier Safran Electronics has subcontracted Adelaide-based Acacia Systems and Western-Sydney based Thomas Global Systems for the design of the Optronics Search and Attack, Navigation Radar and Navigation Data Distribution systems for the new Attack class submarines to be built in Adelaide.
SME manufacturers are joining the rush to equity markets to help shore up their finances as the Covid-19 pandemic clouds the economic future. Keytone Dairy Corporation is the latest to announce a capital raising on the Australian exchange, succeeding in raising $12.5 million through a share placement with sophisticated investors. New shares are to be…
