Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, August 18 – August 22, 2025

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

5) Carbon280 launches Kwinana pilot plant following $10.6 million seed round

Hydrogen storage startup Carbon280 launched its Hydrilyte Technology Pilot Plant in Kwinana, Western Australia, which aims to prove its technology at an industrially-relevant scale.

According to a statement from the company on Monday, the pilot is a 100 kilowatt prototype at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6. The pilot and a lab onsite are funded via a $10.6 million seed investment led by Woodside Energy, as well as a forecast $5.5 million in federal R&D rebates.

The pilot aims to prove Hydrilyte “at an industrially relevant scale, delivering critical performance data for partners and investors”. Hydralite is described as able to separate hydrogen from helium and allow hydrogen to be stored safely, at ambient temperature and pressure.

4) $28.7 million awarded through new Industry Growth Program grant round

Grants totalling $28.7 million have been awarded via another round of the federal government’s Industry Growth Program.

According to an update from the federal department of industry’s website on Wednesday, three of the grants went to SDIP Innovations, Iondrive Technologies, and Hart Marine.

3) Stop blaming wages and power bills. Here’s what’s really holding back Australian manufacturing

Tropes about high costs don’t tell the whole story when it comes to making things in Australia. Those aren’t the real reasons why the industry’s share of GDP is so low, explains Dominic Parsonson.

Manufacturing isn’t a “nice to have” for Australia, it’s a pillar of growth, resilience and national security. Yet whenever we talk about rebuilding the sector, the debate collapses into two tropes: “our wages are too high” and “our electricity is too expensive.” That’s not the whole story.

The numbers don’t support the usual excuses, though.

2) Codan EBIT up 28 per cent to $146 million

Electronics manufacturer Codan has delivered its full-year results, with group revenues up 22 per cent to $674.2 million and “all profitability metrics increased” versus the previous financial year.

According to a statement from the ASX-listed company on Thursday, net profit after tax was up 27 per cent to $103.5 million and earnings before interest and tax rose 28 per cent to $146 million, after expensing $5 million of non-recurring, pre-tax costs.

The company described the group revenue result as reflecting strong organic growth, supplemented by the acquisition of US-based Kägwerks by subsidiary Codan US Inc., announced in September last year.

1) Withdrawal of major investor, subsequent “cash crisis” cited in Energy Renaissance’s collapse

The administrator to Energy Renaissance has given “withdrawal of a major investor from a planned funding subscription program” as the reason for the battery maker’s difficulties.

According to a short statement from Jirsch Sutherland provided to @AuManufacturing on Sunday, the withdrawal “left the company in a cash crisis“. 

Stewart Free and Bradd Morelli of Jirsch Sutherland were appointed joint administrators of ER Industrial Pty Ltd (formerly Energy Renaissance Pty Ltd) on Wednesday last week.

And in case you missed our podcast…

In episode 128 of @AuManufacturing Conversations, Vortair CEO Jeff Lang shares plenty of detail about the highs and lows of manufacturing entrepreneurship, why the industry needs better leaders and to stop blaming others for its difficulties, and more.

Picture: credit Energy Renaissance