Manufacturers have experienced a sudden shift from cheap, fossil fuel electricity to expensive generation. Now the shift to renewables is on, and manufacturers are beginning to free themselves from the grasp of high fossil fuel prices. Here sustainability and cleantech leader Ben Waters discusses the new reality of renewably generated electricity. Manufacturing is key to…
Brent Balinski spoke to Kimberly Bolton, the CEO of Carapac, about their plans to turn an abundant waste source — crustacean shells from seafood processors — into biodegradable films and containers.
Analysis by Peter Roberts Aluminium refiner Rio Tinto could be pointing a way for its aluminium smelters to survive with a move to develop low-carbon aluminium for use in making beer cans. Rio Tinto already makes RenewAl, a low CO2 primary aluminium brand. Now the company and the world’s largest brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev (AB InBev)…
Peter Rowland contributes to the discussion around “picking winners” in the wake of the federal government’s industry policy release.
Budget analysis by Peter Roberts The 2020-21 federal budget has been packaged and sold as many things, from one for jobs, to a reset for manufacturing. There are certainly a multitude of initiatives, but this is certainly not a budget that will ‘galvanise investment in Australian manufacturing’ to quote industry minister Karen Andrews. The problem…
Brent Balinski gathers some reactions to last week’s industry policy announcement, and to the notion of picking winners.
Comment by Peter Roberts CSIRO’s Synroc synthetic rock method for safely storing radioactive waste is making headlines again (more on that later), but as someone who has been around for a while it all just demonstrates yet again the topsy turvy way we see innovation in Australia. Synroc was unveiled in 1978 by a team…
In June Professor Roy Green kicked off @AuManufacturing’s crowd sourcing campaign to create a new deal plan for manufacturing. Here he gives an initial response to Canberra’s industry policy announcement.
By Peter Roberts The Canberra media was this morning leaked details of a Prime Ministerial address due to be given to the National Press Club today (Thursday) detailing the government’s long-awaited plan for manufacturing. According to a report in The Guardian there is no national manufacturing plan, national manufacturing body and no attempt at bi-partisanship…
Victoria’s tough lockdowns may have stopped Covid-19’s spread, but border closures make it difficult for manufacturers. Here Robert Giles, CEO, SPC Ardmona explains how his company kept the business running. You would have to have been living under a rock to have missed the news that Victoria’s borders have been closed to much of Australia…
