Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, April 15 – 19, 2024

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading.

5) From soft plastics waste to structural building panels

Australian composites manufacturer Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (SIS) has revealed innovative structural building panels made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and discarded soft plastics.

The lightweight, high-strength composite panels are the first in the world to be manufactured using post-consumer mixed soft plastics, which are blended with a proprietary material matrix, according to an announcement.

The prefabricated panels can have a structural strength on par with concrete, provide an up to 48 per cent reduction in embodied carbon compared to a concrete panel, and can last well beyond 100 years.

4) First Ghost Shark unmanned submarine surfaces

The first prototype Ghost Shark autonomous undersea vessel (pictured) being developed for the Royal Australian Navy has been completed.

The name references Boeing’s successful development of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Ghost Bat for the RAAF.

Developed in Sydney by US start up Anduril, the company has previously shown a 2.8 tonne ‘Dive-LD’ autonomous submarine, however no details of the Australian prototype were released.

3) IDT and Sanofi to manufacture mRNA vaccines under development

Drug development company IDT Australia and pharmaceutical business Sanofi have signed an agreement for the good manufacturing practice (cGMP) manufacture of Sanofi’s mRNA vaccines now under development.

The partners will collaborate to advance mRNA-based vaccine formulation, development and manufacture at IDT’s aseptic sterile injectables filling facilities in Melbourne (pictured) in volumes needed for clinical trials targeting a number of medical conditions. The facility is one of only a few such facilities in the Asia Pacific region.

mRNA technology came to the fore during the Covid-19 pandemic with vaccines developed quickly using the new technology proving effective in protecting the public from disease.

2) Tritium’s rapid rise and collapse is over – goes in to administration

The once high flying electric vehicle charger manufacturer Tritium DCFC has succumbed to a litany of financial problems, with the appointment of voluntary administrators to its three Australian subsidiaries Tritium Pty Ltd, Tritium Holdings and Tritium Nominee. By Peter Roberts.

According to a brief statement to the US Securities and Exchange Commission – parent company Tritium DCFC is listed on the US NASDAQ – the boards of the parent and subsidiary companies determined that they were insolvent or likely to be insolvent. There has been no announcement to the NASDAQ

Under Australian law administrators Peter James Gothard, James Douglas Dampney and William Martin Colwell of KPMG have taken control of the company’s Australian operations.

1) Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers for 2024 announced

@AuManufacturing’s Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers for 2024 were announced to a full room at Cockle Bay Wharf’s rooftop L’Aqua venue on Thursday morning.

After a five-month campaign and the assessments of five expert judges, the list for this year can be made public.

Picture: credit Tritium