Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, February 12 – February 16, 2024

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

5) Legrand is competitive with local manufacture – why not others?

In all the orgy of offshoring that has hollowed out Australian manufacturing in the past few decades, few have stopped to ask why do those companies that remain local manufacturers remain here, when so many now source offshore? writes Peter Roberts

Palash Nandy, CEO of electrical equipment manufacturer Legrand Australia and New Zealand, has been involved in operational and strategic decision making in the French-based Legrand Group for decades and has a pretty good answer to that question.

4) First battery graphite produced in WA

International Graphite has successful commissioned its new qualification-scale graphite micronising plant at Collie, south of Perth which will produce graphite used in battery anodes.

The 200tpa microniser is the largest in Australia and a milestone in the development of a domestic graphite industry, according to the company.

International Graphite told investors: “It will be the first to produce graphite products in Australia for customer acceptance testing.

3) Ghost Bat manufacture within 2-3 years – Boeing

Boeing Australia is planning to have the Australian production capability to move to commercial manufacture of the MQ-28A Ghost Bat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) within two to three years.

With funding of $400 million in funding for the production of three more prototype Ghost Bats at Boeing’s Melbourne factory announced on Friday, the company expressed its confidence in being able to manufacture the aircraft at scale in Australia.

Managing Director at Boeing Defence Australia, Scott Carpendale, told a media conference he was confident of the capabilities of the Melbourne factory, a planned Australian production facility in Queensland (pictured) and its many suppliers were

2) Boeing Defence Australia names new Managing Director

Aerospace, defence and space company Boeing has named Amy List as the incoming Managing Director of Boeing Defence Australia, replacing Scott Carpendale.

List will be based at Boeing Defence Australia’s Brisbane’s head office and report to Carpendale, who has been promoted from MD and vice president of the division to vice president of Boeing Government Services – APAC Region.

“Amy has more than 20 years of military and Defence industry experience, including engineering and operational service in the Royal Australian Air Force,” said Carpendale in a statement from Boeing on Monday.

1) RWC to acquire Holman Industries for $160 million

Plumbing solutions company Reliance Worldwide Corporation has announced that it has entered into an agreement to purchase Holman Industries for $160 million ($US 105 million), a seven times multiple on Holman’s EBITDA for the last 12 months.

Holman is a Perth-headquartered, family-owned manufacturer and distributor of branded plumbing and watering products, sold through retail and wholesale channels in Australia.

In an ASX statement on Tuesday, Reliance said it expected the acquisition would double its annual net external sales in the Asia Pacific region to approximately $360 million.

And in case you missed our podcast…

In episode 83 of @AuManufacturing Conversations with Brent Balinski, SPEE3D co-founder and CTO Steve Camilleri shares his thoughts on overcoming our national crisis of confidence when it comes to manufacturing, their approach to raising capital, why he prefers to live and work in Darwin rather than Melbourne, and more.

Picture: Holman Industries’ Perth headquarters (credit Holman)