Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, April 7 – April 11, 2025

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

5) Fonterra plans $1.7m refurbishment of Tasmanian cheese tower

Global dairy company Fonterra has plans to upgrade the cheddaring tower, as its Wynyard, Tasmania cheese factory.

It lodged a development application to refurbish and remediate the tower, boosting its height to 21 metres, nearly doubling its width, and upgrading it to new standards.

This includes the installation of new stainless-steel platforms and improved ventilation.

4) Former Mercedes CTO joins Aussie auto tech company Doftek

Doftek, an Australian automotive technology company specialising in active wheel alignment systems, has appointed former Mercedes-AMG executive Jochen Hermann to its Advisory Board.

The announcement follows a period of rapid product development for Doftek, deploying its Active Wheel Alignment (AWA) systems across multiple prototype vehicles for testing by global carmakers.

Hermann brings 30 years of automotive industry experience, primarily gained at Mercedes-Benz Group in Germany where he rose to become Chief Technical Officer and board member at Mercedes-AMG. He oversaw the development of the company’s global electric drivetrains and vehicle platforms, and was instrumental in creating the AMG GT performance vehicle lineup.

3) Tesla eyes Adelaide for battery factory

Electric vehicle and battery maker Tesla is considering building a factory to repurpose Tesla batteries in Adelaide, however, it needs to first fix the contaminated site.

The Tesla factory would be located at the growing Tonsley Innovation District, a manufacturing hub built out of the former car making site, and could create up to 100 new jobs.

In its proposal, the developer said it plans to build a fit-for-purpose Tesla facility that not only repurposes the company’s batteries but also provides a servicing facility and showroom for Tesla vehicles.

2) Mars Wrigley chews up plastic waste with $6.5 million Asquith factory upgrade

Mars Wrigley Australia has invested $6.5 million in a new production line to boost its gum and mints manufacturing capacity by more than 60 per cent while cutting plastic waste.

The upgrade announced on Monday, at its Asquith factory in NSW, will will increase local production of popular Extra gum bottle varieties including Spearmint, White Spearmint, Intense Mint, Peppermint, White Peppermint, White Bubblemint and Strawberry.

The investment also incorporates circular packaging technology that will eliminate 13 tonnes of soft plastics annually. That’s the equivalent to removing about 2,200 kilometres – or the distance between Sydney and Wellington, NZ – of plastic wrap a year.

1) Greensteel orders $1.6 billion worth of steelmaking kit, plans to bring new facility online “within two years”

Greensteel Australia announced on Thursday that it has placed an order with steelmaking infrastructure company Danieli Group, “valued in excess of $1.6 billion”, representing stages two and three of a proposed “ultra-low-carbon steel mill”.

The order includes a direct reduced iron (DRI) plant, two electric arc furnaces, a structural steel rolling mill, and a second rolling mill for reinforced steel (rebar).

Greensteel’s placed an initial order with Danieli in October for a rebar mill.

Picture: credit Greensteel Australia