By Joseph Brookes The head of Snowy Hydro and independent Senator Rex Patrick clashed in Senate Estimates on Monday over the use of foreign-manufactured steel and a lack of transparency within the “nation building” 2.0 project, after it was revealed much of the material is coming from Italy. @AuManufacturing last week reported that the $5.1…
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Export opportunities have opened up for steel manufacturer Bisalloy Steels with the signing of a MoU with Korean defence contractor Hanwha Defense. The companies will join forces to build armoured combat vehicles and self-propelled howitzers for international markets, including for a recently-executed contract with Egypt. Under the agreement, Hanwha Defense will procure Bisalloy steel for…
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Drone services company Swoop Aero has expanded its African operations with the delivery of vaccinations and medical supplies to distant locations in central Africa’s Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The company’s drones replaced small aircraft in its efforts to extend access to healthcare to the remote and largely inaccessible places. Authorities in the Équateur region…
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By Denham Sadler The federal government has spent a further $30 million buying imported rapid antigen tests for the aged care sector, as several Australian companies continue to wait to get local manufacturing off the ground. The Commonwealth has now spent more than $90 million this year on purchasing rapid antigen tests (RATs) manufactured overseas. These…
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A UNSW Canberra military ethicist examines the arguments for and against the adoption of so-called “killer robots” in a new book. Associate Professor Deane-Peter Baker said that his time on the International Panel on the Regulation of Autonomous Weapons (IPRAW) from 2017-19 and further policy work have informed Should we Ban Killer Robots?, released on…
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National bus maker Custom Denning has been awarded a $70 million contract to design, manufacture and assemble 79 new electric buses for the Sydney government bus network. Premier Dominic Perrottet and transport minister David Elliott toured the company’s St Mary’s factory today to inspect the production line where the Element e-buses (pictured) will be built…
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Australia and New Zealand manufacturer Halo Food is seeking new capital and plans an acquisition according to media reports. afr.com.au reported that a term sheet sent to investors stated that existing shareholder Bergen Special Opportunity Fund LP was to quit its holding in the company which planned a $3 million share placement and a $3…
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Perth unmanned aerial vehicle engine manufacturer Orbital UAV has been hit by the cancellation of a new UAV engine it was developing for Boeing subsidiary Insitu. The company said today it had received confirmation from Insitu of the termination of its third engine program under its long term supply agreement with Insitu. Production volumes for…
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European launch service provider Rocket Factory Augsburg AG (RFA) has partnered with Adelaide rocket launch facility operator Southern Launch to launch the company’s RFA ONE rocket from the Whalers Way Orbital Launch Complex in South Australia. This thirty-metre three-stage small rocket can deliver up to 1,350 kg to a 300-km polar orbit. The RFA ONE…
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By Joseph Brookes The productivity gap between the most innovative companies in the world and Australian firms is growing, according to new analysis by economists at the federal Treasury, who found local companies are now slower to catch up to the “global frontier” than they were in the mid-2000s. The findings from a technical paper…
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