Celebrating Australian sovereign capability – how to not create a sovereign manufacturing sector

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has committed the country to purchasing US and UK submarine technology with strong support from the Opposition, as part of the AUKUS agreement. This is the latest chapter in a decades long – and spectacularly unsuccessful – effort to establish an Australian sovereign submarine design and manufacturing enterprise. Peter Roberts…

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Austal delivers its largest-ever ferry

Perth shipbuilder Austal’s Philippines yard has delivered the 115-metre, high-speed vehicle-passenger ferry Express 5, to Molslinjen of Denmark, following the successful completion of sea trials in Balamban, Cebu. The ‘Auto Express 115’ high-speed catamaran ferry is the largest ferry (by volume) constructed by any Austal shipyard in the company’s 35-year history. During sea trials, the…

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Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Stärke Advanced Manufacturing Group acquire Gadac Plastics Stärke-AMG has added plastics to its strengths in precision metals manufacturing through its acquisition of GADAC Plastic Injection, a long-standing Australian family-owned plastic specialist business. GADAC provides a ‘design to finished product’ service for the manufacture of plastic product, specialising in plastic injection-moulding, product design and assembly. The…

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Sparc reports progress on battery materials project with QUT

Technology innovator Sparc Technologies has reported progress in the development of hard carbon anode materials for sodium ion batteries in its research project with Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The company said QUT had delivered the first project milestone report which describes the results of SIB half-cell battery testing and material characterisation for a sustainably…

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Toward a competitive Queensland industrial ecosystem – by Cori Stewart

Robotics, AI and design for manufacture industry hub ARM Hub CEO Associate Professor Cori Stewart presented at the inaugural RACQ Electric Transport Industry Transformation Forum in Brisbane recently. Dr Stewart was asked what an advanced electric transport ecosystem looks like. Queensland needs deeper manufacturing capability to capture global market electric vehicle opportunities. Can Queensland be…

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Australia closer to Boxer combat vehicle exports

The federal government has taken a significant step towards securing a major defence export deal, for Boxer heavy weapon carrier vehicles made in Queensland for the German Army (pictured). The Minister for Defence Industry, Pat Conroy and his German counterpart, the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence Thomas Hitschler have signed a…

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Sydney companies announce contract to manufacture drone avionics

Carbonix and GPC Electronics Group have entered into a manufacturing contract, which will see GPC contribute avionics, design and testing input for Carbonix’s unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs.)   The two Sydney-based companies made the announcement on Thursday morning, calling it “a significant step forward for the sovereign capability of the Australian drone industry” and assisting Carbonix…

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