Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

UPS facility speeds safe dispatch of healthcare products

UPS has announced the opening of a new cutting-edge healthcare facility that provides a boost to businesses shipping time-sensitive, temperature-sensitive, and patient-critical healthcare products. The 13,400 square-metre Horsley Park, Sydney facility offers product storage at temperatures as low as -20°C, near real-time monitoring, motion-activated LED lighting, and reuses packaging to cut down on single-use waste. Managing director UPS Australia Stephen Stroner said: “The rollout of the Covid vaccine demonstrated that effective logistics can literally make a difference between life and death. It has helped pave the way for advancements in areas such as telemedicine and biologistics, where handling and distribution of products can require very precise conditions.”

Energy Renaissance shows off its battery Giga factory

Lithium ion battery manufacturer Energy Renaissance has shown off its new battery factory in Newcastle, NSW, releasing new pictures (main image) of the factory that is ‘almost ready to open its doors’. The plant will initially produce up to 300 Mega-watt hours of energy storage annually, scaling to 5.3 Gigawatt Hours, or 5.3 billion watts, of energy storage per year via its unique battery system. The company took to social media to say: “Despite the extreme wet weather and supply constraints, our property development partner ATB Morton has been pushing on, and our Renaissance One facility is almost at completion. Here’s a sneak peak of where we’ll be manufacturing as we enter 2023.”

Port of Newcastle to build container export port ‘as soon as possible’

The Port of Newcastle is to build a new container port outlet for Australian manufacturers ‘as soon as possible’ according to port CEO Craig Carmody. His statement came as the NSW government moved to scrap fees that have prevented the port from competing against Sydney ports. The NSW lower house has passed a bill that scraps fees Newcastle had to pay should it build a container terminal big enough to rival Port Botany and Port Kembla. The fees of $100 per container moved through an enlarged Newcastle port were part of an agreement privatising Port Botany and Port Kembla in 2013, effectively shielding them from competition. Newcastle plans a container terminal to diversify itself from exports of coal.

200 Tritium EV chargers destined for Ireland

EasyGo, the largest private car charging network in Ireland used by more than 30,000 drivers across 2,400 existing charge points, has announced a multi-million Euro investment in new fast DC EV chargers in towns and villages throughout Ireland. This investment is part of a partnership with eir, Ireland’s leading telecommunications company, where telephone kiosks are being removed and replaced with state-of-the-art EV chargers from Brisbane manufacturer Tritium. EasyGo intends to deploy around 200 fast DC chargers around Ireland.

New CEO for Tindo Solar

Experienced executive Richard Petterson has been appointed the new Chief Executive Officer of Australia’s only solar PV panel maker, Tindo Solar, replacing Shayne Jaenisch. Petterson joins the company after a career focused on the water utility sector, which has included significant leadership roles in public and private companies including Queensland Urban Utilities and TRILITY. Originally an engineer, Petterson has also worked in the manufacturing sector and was the Chairman of AdelaideAqua, a Joint Venture for the operation of the Adelaide Desalination Plant during its commissioning and operation. Director of Tindo Solar, Glenn Morelli said: “Water and energy are both crucial services that must be delivered with reliability, affordability and sustainability. Richard understands the needs of multiple stakeholders as we focus on growth, and we’re lucky to have him as our CEO.”

Furnishing industry shows sustainability credentials

The Australian Furniture Association (AFA) has become a Foundation Member of Sustainable Choice. Sustainable Choice is a new digital platform where brands and businesses can clearly report their sustainability and ESG credentials by publishing tangible actions, measurable impact, and verifiable accreditations. Sustainable Choice CEO Kiarne Treacy said: “Sustainable Choice is designed to house the sustainability credentials of reputable brands Australians use every day. We are here to help simplify ESG communications. Our platform allows businesses to transparently publish their sustainability roadmap, the actions they are taking to reduce their environmental impact and the traceability of products and materials.”

Noxopharm receives R&D tax incentive

Biotechnology developer Noxopharm has received a $5 million rebate under the federal government’s R&D tax incentive scheme for research spending during FY22. Noxopharm CEO Dr Gisela Mautner said: “This rebate strengthens our cash position at a time of critical research activity to advance our drug development pipeline. Specifically, it will support our ongoing clinical trials for Veyonda, as well as further our early stage R&D assets via the Chroma and Sofra programmes.” Veyonda is a novel proprietary formulation of anti-cancer drug idronoxil.

Picture: Energy Renaissance