Best of the week — the five most popular stories among readers, July 22 – July 26, 2024

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

5) Civmec and Austal join forces for landing ship bid

Engineering firm Civmec and shipbuilder Austal have executed a memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to form a Joint Venture (JV) to submit a proposal to the government to support the project LAND8710 Phase 2, Landing Craft Heavy (LC-H) project.

LAND8710 Phase 2 (LC-H) will deliver enhanced transport and littoral manoeuvre capability to the Australian Army.

Earlier this week the government accelerated the build by Austal of 18 medium landing craft for the Army’s new littoral fleet at its Henderson shipyard in Perth.

4) Kimberly-Clark Australia appoints new Head of Supply Chain

The ANZ subsidiary of global personal care business Kimberly-Clark has named Jessica Renton (pictured) as its new Head of Supply Chain.

According to a statement from Kimberly-Clark Australia (K-CA) on Tuesday, the appointment “signifies [a] strategic move… to enhance operations, drive growth and improve customer experience” and comes ahead of a transformation of its supply network.

Among other responsibilities, Renton is described as charged with “a pivotal role in enhancing customer service and unlocking further growth for the business and its portfolio of personal care brands – including Huggies,  U by Kotex, Poise, and Depends.”

3) DroneShield continues to lose investor support

Shares in drone detection and countermeasure company DroneShield have continued their downward slide despite the release of the company’s latest quarterly report to shareholders.

The company’s shares have been under pressure since earlier this month when a negative media report questioned the valuation of the company, which has been riding high on rapid growth and sentiment surrounding the war in Ukraine.

2) $65 million in grants awarded through Carbon Capture Technologies Program

The federal government has awarded $65 million in grants to seven organisations through the Carbon Capture Technologies Program (CCTP), including building materials startup MCi Carbon, solvent technology business KC8 Capture Technologies and battery material company Novalith.

According to a statement from the department of climate change on Tuesday, the funded projects “will cut emissions from critical industries, directly remove climate-changing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and use carbon dioxide in new manufactured products.”

The program aims to support R&D of new ways to capture and use carbon dioxide, “especially in hard to abate sectors such as cement manufacturing.”

1) Canberra accelerates build of landing ships in Perth

The federal government will accelerate the build of 18 medium landing craft for the Army’s new littoral fleet at the Henderson shipyard in Perth.

The $2 billion project is expected to create 1,100 direct jobs and more than 2,000 indirect jobs, and is part of a programme that will also deliver heavy landing craft as well as amphibious vehicles.

The first of the medium landing craft vessels, designed by Birdon and to be built by Austal, is expected to be delivered in 2026.

Picture: Pat Conroy