Shay Chalmers takes a look at community perceptions of manufacturing. Often seen as dirty and unattractive, Shay believes the sector’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic is changing the face of manufacturing – and offering a way forward for Australian Made. The challenge is real. Manufacturing tends to conjure up some unfortunate mental images for people,…
Lithium chemicals company Lepidico has announced the development of a new proprietary process for producing high purity, battery grade lithium carbonate from lithium hydroxide. The process sequesters and consumes upstream generated carbon dioxide, thus reducing the processes’ carbon intensity. The Perth company has applied for provisional patent protection from the Australian Patent office. Lepidico plans…
Cleanaway Waste Management has agreed to buy the recycling and recovery businesses of Suez Groupe in Australia for $2.52 billion, subject to various conditions. The waste management and recycling company will buy what is a high quality, nationally vertically integrated waste management and environmental solutions business employing 2,000 people, according to Cleanaway. It includes six…
Chemicals and explosives business Incitec Pivot’s shares plunged 9.4 per cent this morning with news of further problems at its trouble-plagued Waggaman ammonia plant in the US (pictured). The plant, one of a number of plant failures and natural disasters that have hit the company, was under repair until March 6 and started up through…
The Covid-19 pandemic year of 2020 was a shocker for apprentices in Australia, with the pandemic hitting apprenticeship starts and completions hard. Commencements plunged 18.8 per cent to 126,665 as at 30 September, 2020 while completions were down 14 per cent to 73,205. There are now 264,425 Australians in apprenticeship training according to new figures…
By Peter Roberts The story of the moment is not so much the Covid-19 pandemic, but the discrimination, disadvantage and in some cases abuse that women suffer every day in Australian workplaces. This situation is disgracefully endemic in what should be Australia’s model workplace – the federal Parliament. Lack of opportunity, bullying, belittlement, unwanted sexual…
Supashock to produce missile launcher for Rheinmetall Defence contractor Supashock will design and manufacture a missile launcher capability for the Rheinmetall BOXER 8×8 Combat Reconnaissance Vehicle (pictured). Under a $10 million contract the Adelaide company will deliver the capability for Boxers being built for the Australian army under the LAND 400 Phase 2 program. Under…
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s advanced X-ray techniques have revealed new structural details about the arrangement of atoms in conjugated polymers, an important class of materials that are used in LEDs, organic solar cells, transistors, sensors and thermoelectric power devices. The research, conducted at ANSTO’s Australian Synchrotron in Melbourne, offers the possibility of…
The federal government has launched a ‘smart buyer’ process to select the company that will develop an Australian Guided Weapons Enterprise as foreshadowed in @AuManufacturing. The Enterprise will operate a guided weapons manufacturing capability as part of planned purchases of a suite of long-range strike and defensive weapons under a $1 billion plan. BAE Systems,…
By Peter Roberts @AuManufacturing has been extensively covering moves globally towards low and zero emissions cement and steel production. Removing carbon emissions from these vital construction materials is vital if the world economy is to transition to a greener future. Now a new agreement between industrial process technology company Calix and major cement producer Adbri…
