Leading brewer eyes thermal energy storage system
One of Australia’s leading craft breweries is looking to a cutting edge thermal energy storage system to provide the heat required to make its beer.
Australia is no innovation nation, in fact we are all talk
Comment by Peter Roberts Australia has had numerous prime ministers from Bob Hawke to Malcolm Turnbull who have boasted about us being an ‘innovation nation’. But this is a classic case of promoting one of your weakest points to try to avoid scrutiny – in fact Australia has never been, and is not even remotely…
Kimberly-Clark closes its Australian Huggies factory
Kimberly-Clark Australia has quietly closed its Ingleburn, Sydney plant which has produced its popular Huggies nappies since 1988. The factory was promoted by the US group as a poster boy of local investment and advanced people management techniques, and produced one billion nappies annually, making it a rare example of local mass production. The factory…
Universities step in to fuel shipbuilding boom
South Australian universities are sharpening their focus on maritime engineering courses to help secure a sovereign workforce to implement Australia’s $90 billion continuous naval shipbuilding program.
Australian manufacturing saved by a roundtable
Comment by Peter Roberts Excuse my cynicism but a cynical government held a gabfest in Canberra this week that we are meant to believe shows their commitment to Australian manufacturing.. Industry reps, academics and others met with industry minister Karen Andrews with the outcome? Well bugger all. Andrews said: “The roundtable discussed ways to enable…
Australian manufacturing returns to growth in July
The Australian Industry Group’s Performance of Manufacturing Index released this morning shows the industry returning to overall expansion, but highlights a widening gap in performance between growing and other sectors within Australian manufacturing.
Australian manufacturer successfully demos cement carbon capture tech in EU project
Calix (ASX:CXL) has announced that a project in Belgium trialling its carbon capture technology has completed preliminary test runs, and that this was successfully demonstrated on cement and lime meal.
R&D tax concession interpreted widely by court
A decision by the Federal Court has broadened the scope of the federal government’s tax concession scheme for R&D according to observers. The decision in the case of Moreton Resources v Innovation and Science Australia has opened the concession up to non-laboratory based claimants and mining companies, according to accounting group BDO. BDO partner Nicola…
GroundProbe emerges as growth engine for Orica
Explosives and mine technology group Orica (ASX: ORI) has announced that its 2017 purchase of the GroundProbe business has exceeded expectations with the new division considered a growth engine for the company. GroundProbe, which makes laser and radar monitoring and measurement systems, cost Orica $205 million to buy but has exceeded the company’s original business…
Avid makes it local
A Perth based electrical contracting firm has enjoyed a spectacular increase in sales and productivity, thanks to a shift in business strategy to local manufacturing.