Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, February 3 – February 7, 2025

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

5) Applications open for CRC-P grants worth up to $3 million each

Nominations opened on Thursday for Round 17 of Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grants, which offer  between $100,000 and $3 million in matched funding for short-term (up to three-year) collaborative projects led by an industry partner.

An update on the industry department’s website explains that support is open to all sectors, though there is a focus on the National Reconstruction Fund priority areas and the National Science and Research Priorities. (More information at this link.)

According to the department, grants “strengthen links between industry and research organisations, allowing the development of new technologies, products, processes and services.”

4) Kite Magnetics expects to create “more than 140 highly skilled jobs” at upcoming factory

Electric motor startup Kite Magnetics will open a new factory in Melbourne’s southeast, the state government has said.

According to a statement from the Victorian government on Friday, the upcoming factory is expected to create “more than 140 highly skilled jobs and up to 550 indirect jobs” and increase production of Kite Magnetics’ Aeroperm to 50,000 tons per year by 2029.

Aeroperm is the company’s novel nanocrystalline magnetic core material for its motors and generators, and was developed at Monash University by Kite Magnetics co-founder Dr Richard Parsons and Professor Kiyonori Suzuki. It has a claimed “ten times lower energy loss” compared to existing core alloys.

3) AWU urges support for sector following Oceania Glass collapse

The Australian Workers’ Union has said “understandable concern” among members had followed the voluntary administration of Dandenong’s Oceania Glass, and raised a perceived lack of support for domestic glass manufacturing.

In a statement on Wednesday, the union said its priority is currently “to gather comprehensive insights and secure explanations” from management and administrators of the collapsed company.

Grant Thornton Australia partners were appointed as administrators on Tuesday.

2) SEMMA says action needed on cheap imports following Oceania Glass collapse

Industry association the South East Melbourne Manufacturers Alliance (SEMMA) has blamed factors including “poor policy, cheap imports, government over-taxing businesses and crippling union agreements” for Dandenong-based architectural glassmaker Oceania Glass falling into administration this week.

In a statement on Wednesday, following news of Oceania’s collapse on Monday, SEMMA said it was “shocked” at another manufacturer going bust.

It said the glassmaker had come under the same pressures as Keppel Prince and 346 other manufacturers around Australia which had collapsed recently.

1) Oceania Glass enters voluntary administration amid financial review

Oceania Glass, a leading Australian architectural glass manufacturer based in Dandenong, Victoria, has entered voluntary administration as of February 4.

Grant Thornton Australia partners Lisa Gibb, Said Jahani and Matt Byrnes have been appointed as Joint and Several Voluntary Administrators to oversee the process.

Specialising in float glass, coated glass and laminated glass, Oceania Glass operates distribution centres nationwide, playing a key role in the Australian construction industry. The Administrators have confirmed that the company will continue trading while an urgent financial review is conducted, alongside an accelerated sale process aimed at securing a buyer to keep the business operational.

Picture: credit Oceania Glass