Australia and Germany to begin hydrogen feasibility study
Australia and Germany have signed a declaration of intent on a feasibility study “into the potential for closer collaboration and the future development of a hydrogen supply chain”.
Orica’s FRAGTrack wins Good Design award
Explosives group Orica’s in-line ore fragmentation measurement technology, FRAGTrack has won a Good Design award in engineering for outstanding design and innovation. FRAGTrack automatically and accurately measures rock size and fragmentation following the blasting stage in mining and quarrying. Optimal fragmentation can greatly reduce energy consumption, improve equipment productivity, and increase production rates in minesites,…
Export grants scheme to ‘reduce administrative burden’ under proposed changes: minister
The federal government intends to change the Export Market Development (EMDG) grants scheme, which would be available to those with revenues under $20 million, shift from reimbursement to grants, and become simpler to apply for.
EOS resumes Covid-hit exports worth $150 million
Space, communications and defence equipment manufacturer Electro Optic Systems has restarted exports of $150 million worth of weapons systems stalled by shutdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Richards Coach Works to be acquired by Bucher Municipal
Swiss-headquartered Bucher Municipal has announced that it will acquire Richards Coach Works for an undisclosed amount.
Building R&D capacity via targeted grants
The current economic crisis in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, has exposed the decay in Australia’s manufacturing capability and highlighted the need for increased investment in innovation.
The myth of infrastructure spending – it is just not happening
Analysis by Peter Roberts You could be forgiven for thinking that federal and state governments have massively boosted investment in infrastructure projects to help Australia move through the Covid-19 related recession. There are seemingly daily mutterings from Canberra of big spending, coming soon…but apparently not actually coming at all. New figures from Infrastructure Partnerships Australia,…
AMWU calls for industry assistance as 61,000 jobs lost
The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) has called for immediate assistance to manufacturers as more than 61,000 manufacturing jobs were lost over the June quarter. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics labour accounts the number of full time jobs in manufacturing shrank from 941,000 in March to 880,000 in June. Underutilisation of workers –…
AMF member stranded in Europe – where is the help from the government?
A long-time member of the Australian Manufacturing Forum is stranded in Europe and desperate to return to manage their business in Australia – but government travel restrictions on returning to Australia have not been exactly helpful, as the latest airline ticket cancellation (pictured) suggests. This is the story so far, by an AMF member. I…
Memphasys received $1.3 million R&D rebate
Bio-separation company Memphasys has received a $1.29 million tax rebate under the R&D tax incentive scheme. The payment is a refundable tax offset of eligible expenses on research and development. The company is developing the Felix device, an instrument used in in vitro fertilisation that separates high quality sperm from a semen sample, improving the…