Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

New national robotics strategy expected for 2023

Federal industry minister Ed Husic has told an interviewer that Australia currently “[doesn’t] have a game plan on robotics whatsoever”, and that a national strategy is expected to be developed by the end of March next year. The Australian Financial Review reported on Tuesday that no decision has been made on who would drive its creation, but Husic said the nation was “really under done [in that area] … and we need to be doing work on robotics because it can be applied in areas where we’ve got skills shortages, and help businesses enormously.” The comments come after the launch this week of a six-week consultation period on critical technologies, grouped under seven categories.

Siren Cameras announces Kickstarter campaign

This week electronics startup Siren Cameras announced a Kickstarter campaign for its Siren X-1 product, a dual-lens camera capturing footage of both fish and angler. The Australian company describes its product in a new video (see below) ahead of the August 31 – September 20 Kickstarter campaign (a pre-launch page can be seen here.) According to Siren, the product clips onto a line and descends into the water, where it floats and allows the user to fish as normal. It also comes with a GPS unit, sensors to capture and visualise environmental information through an app, and it is hoped the product will come popular enough to collect sufficient data to aid in conservation efforts. Siren was previously awarded $178,250 in funding through the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, announced in September 2020.

Gale Pacific announces strong finish to financial year

ASX-listed Gale Pacific has delivered its 2021/2022 results, with double‐digit growth in second half revenue, EBITDA and profit before tax compared to the second half of the 2021 financial year. H2 FY22 revenue was $109.6 million, up 10.6 per cent on the previous corresponding period. The maker of polymer fabrics reported a revenue of $205.5 million for the full year, up marginally from $205.2 million the year before. CEO John Paul Marcantonio said it was ‘the third consecutive year of record second‐half revenue and profit” and was “driven by robust business performance in Australia and the United States, our core anchor markets, and a return to growth in the Middle East & North Africa region.”

New head of Siemens Australia announced

Peter Halliday has been appointed the new new Chairman and CEO of Siemens Australia, effective September 1 and replacing outgoing Chairman and CEO Jeff Connolly, who is leaving the company on August 31. Peter Halliday is currently Senior Vice President at Siemens Smart Infrastructure, and has been at Siemens for 24 years, holding senior roles in Australia, Asia and Europe. The timing coincides with Siemens’ 150^th anniversary in Australia. “This is an exciting opportunity, and I am looking forward to working with the great team in the region to progress the company towards its next phase of growth,” said Halliday. Connolly’s departure was announced in June, and he will be CEO of Thales Australia and New Zealand in his next role. 

Curtin launches new sustainable energy centre

Curtin University has launched a new Curtin Institute for Energy Transition, led by inaugural Director Professor Claus Otto. According to the university, the new centre would train and support the next generation of energy opportunity hunters to enable the transition to clean, sustainable energy. “Becoming sustainable requires more than replacing combustion engines with batteries. It means living together differently, and our role is to figure out what this different reality looks like, and to help create it,” said Professor Otto of the launch on Tuesday. “To ensure the transition to sustainable energy remains at the forefront, we need to generate new questions and answers to challenge what we think we know about sustainable energy. The news follows a launch the previous day of the University of Adelaide’s  new Institute for Sustainability, Energy and Resources.

Main picture: RIOS Intelligent Machines

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