Historic XXXX brewery to continue operations
The 141-year-old Castlemaine Perkins Brewery in Brisbane has had its registration extended by 15 years.
Pumped hydro energy storage wins $610 million federal loan
The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) has approved a loan of up to $610 million for Genex’s Kidston pumped hydro project in Queensland, 270 km north of Townsville. The Kidston Project is the first globally to utilise an abandoned mine and will be capable of producing 250MW of power for eight hours. NAIF CEO Laurie…
Austal ups profit forecasts on Australasian gains
Perth shipbuilder Austal (ASX:ASB) has boosted its profit forecasts on strong gains from its Australasian ship building yards. While the company said its Alabama yard was still performing strongly with orders for two ship classes for the US Navy, it said multi-hull ferry building was now increasing on its new regional investments. Austal expects an…
Funding windfall for windfarm listening device
By Andrew Spence Adelaide-based company Ping Services has closed a $650,000 seed fund round after securing an additional $200,000 in government funding earlier this year. The patented device, known as the Ping Monitor, uses acoustic analysis, machine learning and the Internet of Things (IoT) to continuously detect wind turbine blade damage. The key piece of…
First Graphene ships first commercial product
New materials leader First Graphene (ASX: FGR) has made its first commercial sales of its breakthrough PureGRAPH material manufactured in Perth. The company, which has established a 100 tonne per year plant at Henderson, has shipped to customers in the UK, Ireland and Germany, according to an investor announcement. It also revealed formal, long-term supply…
Adelaide startup signs agreement with Australian Space Agency
By Jessica Bassano Spun out of the University of South Australia in 2015, Myriota last year raised $15 million through a Series A funding round, with Boeing HorizonX Ventures among the contributors. The Statement of Strategic Intent follows a similar agreement penned between international aerospace company Boeing and the Australian Space Agency in April. Deputy head of…
Plasma power: the Australian project aiming to do better than wet coating for textiles
An Innovative Manufacturing CRC-backed project announced last month is aiming to move research on material coating methods out of the lab and into factories. Brent Balinski asked project lead Dr Weiwei Lei a few questions about how his process works and what the project hopes to achieve.
Problem solvers triumph at 2019 Good Design Awards
Winners of the 61st annual Good Design Awards were named last week at an event which celebrated problem solving through “clever, considered and meaningful design.”
Solar energy export a manufacturing opportunity
Two northern Australian mega-projects to turn solar energy onto fuels exportable to our Asian neighbours have taken steps towards reality, opening up new manufacturing opportunities. The Guardian today reported a series of low-key events held in the Northern Territory three weeks ago by those behind a $20 billion venture to generate solar electricity and export…
Pressure is building to expand defence sector
Comment by Peter Roberts If you are a manufacturer in the defence business, or are diversifying into the sector, you are very likely onto a good thing. Yes, everyone has heard the government’s boast that it has spending of $200 billion planned on new equipment, including $50 billion for submarines and $35 billion for frigates.…