Port Macquarie’s Birdon wins big in US defence market
Port Macquarie boat manufacturer and maritime engineering firm Birdon has won more than $700 million worth of new contracts in three months, including two contract wins in the United States.
South Australian companies lead defence industry innovation boost
By Jim Plouffe Defence industry SMEs from South Australia have won more than $8 million in contracts to provide the Australian Defence Force with a capability edge. Of the 15 contracts valued at more than $28 million awarded to Australian small businesses developing cutting-edge defence technologies, four are based in South Australia. Australian Minister for…
NSW government, GE Additive sign MoU on new 3D printing centre at Western Sydney Aerotropolis
The NSW government and GE Additive have signed an MoU to develop a 3D printing centre at the Western Sydney Aerotropolis.
Cleanaway gains as recycling crisis continues
Waste management and recycling company Cleanaway (ASX: CWY) has released a strong result for the 2019 financial year, with revenue and EBIT both up by more than 34 per cent. The company which has been expanding at a time when Australia faces a rising recycling task, reported EBIT of $217.6 million, up 45.7 per cent,…
Carbon Revolution among winners in $28 million round of defence innovation grants
Fifteen grants totalling $28 million were announced on Thursday through the Defence Innovation Hub, including one to Geelong-based Carbon Revolution to develop world-first wheels for Chinook helicopters.
Australian researchers show how cheap “whiskers” can aid sensing in drones
A University of Queensland engineer has led a team creating affordable “whiskers” to help small drones sense and navigate their environment.
ORORA boosts sales but suffers from business transition costs
Packaging giant Orora Limited (ASX: ORA) today reported big revenue gains and a profit jump in its latest financial year. The company, the de-merged Australian operations of the global AMCOR packaging group, saw a 12 per cent boost in revenues to $4.25 billion. The company also announced net profit was up 1.4 per cent to…
Two funding wins for Australian battery production
Two groups progressing to manufacture modern batteries and systems in Australia have received government funding boosts. Queensland battery system manufacturer RedEarth has received a $5 million investment from the $80 million Queensland Government Business Development fund. The investment, which matches 4.75 million raised from investors, will boost production of the company’s residential and commercial scale…
Lead prices and pollution rising as smelter closure continues
Global lead prices and fears of lead pollution are rising in the South Australian regional centre of Port Pirie as the town’s giant Nystar metals smelter enters its second prolonged period of shut down this year. The smelter has been shut since early this month when its’ top submerged lance furnace suffered damage, allowing molten…
How recycling is actually sorted, and why Australia is quite bad at it
By Jeff Seadon, Auckland University of Technology Recycling in Australia used to be fairly simple. Our older readers may remember bottle drives, paper and cardboard collections, and the trip to the scrap metal merchant to sell metals. This is called, in recycling parlance, sorting the “streams”. It creates very clean recycling that requires little sorting…