Manufacturing news briefs - stories you might have missed

Reused food waste for farming gets support

The federal and Western Australian governments have co-invested $11.25 million in three organic recycling infrastructure projects that will divert up to 275,000 tonnes of Western Australia’s food organic and garden organic (FOGO) waste from landfill each year and convert it into compost. The new facilities are located to the north, east and south of Perth and will support 146 construction jobs and 98 ongoing positions, according to a statement from the federal government this week. Eastern Metropolitan Regional Council will receive $2 million to build a new $18 million FOGO processing plant north-east of Midland at the Red Hill Waste Management Facility, which processes organic waste from five councils. It will initially process 60,000 tonnes of organic waste each year. C-Wise Holdings will receive $5.75 million to build a new $28.6 million facility processing 100,000 tonnes of organic waste each year. Joint funding of $3.5 million will expand the existing Go Organics facility at Boonanarring, north of Gingin, with the $7.42 million project to support processing of 75,000 tonnes of organic waste each year.

Conflux achieves new aerospace certification

Additively-manufactured heat exchanger specialist Conflux Technology has shared news of its aerospace certification, AS 9100D. The scope of certification encompasses production, capabilities and design process. Andrew Milner, Business Analyst and Quality Assurance expert at the company said that it was a significant milestone. “Being certified to the AS9100D standard demonstrates our commitment to the highest levels of quality and operational excellence, and is a mark of confidence within the tightly regulated supply chains of Aerospace, Space and Defence,” he added. Achieving the certification with the design element was “of particular significance in the Aerospace industry” the company said. “There is a very small number of organisations that include this in the certification scope, particularly within Australia.”

Katherine Open Day showcases new drones

Charles Darwin University (CDU) will demonstrate its expertise in drone education, training and research at the CDU Katherine Rural Campus Open Day on Saturday. The North Australia Centre for Autonomous Systems (NACAS) at CDU is the territory’s first research, training and test flight centre for drones, and is also developing a new airspace corridor stretching from Katherine to 30 kilometres north of the town, above 250 square kilometres of tropical savannah and semi-arid country. The corridor is being created specifically for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drones – a category of the technology that operates outside the direct visual range of the pilot.

New life sciences training centre launched

The Australian Research Council (ARC) Chief Executive Officer Judi Zielke has launched the ARC Training Centre for Next-Gen Technologies in Biomedical Analysis in Western Australia. According to the ARC, the University of Western Australia-led centre will deliver a workforce trained in the development of transformative technologies that will rapidly expand the Australian pharmaceutical, diagnostic and defence sector. Zielke said the ARC Training Centre will boost Australia’s manufacturing capability by fast tracking screening, and integrating 3D printing, advanced sensing, big data analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence to deliver optimal solutions in diagnosis, treatment and wellbeing across the life sciences industry in Australia. “Potential applications include the development of the world’s first point-of-care sensor for mother’s milk to inform mothers about the nutritional changes in their breast milk, and bringing genomics-based healthcare technology to the community,” she said. The ARC is investing $4 million over four years in the facility, supported by $12.6 million in funding and in-kind support from university and industry partners.

Jim Round to lead recycler VicReturn

VicReturn, the Scheme Co-ordinator of the new Victorian Container Deposit Scheme, has hit the ground running by appointing Jim Round as its inaugural CEO. Round brings a wealth of experience to VicReturn, including in leadership roles at the Victorian Department of Jobs, Skills, Industry and Regions as Deputy Secretary and as the Chief of Planning and Governance at the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. He has previously worked as an economic adviser to Prime Minister Gillard and as a Director in the Office of the Premier, the Hon. Dan Andrews MP. VicReturn was announced by the Victorian Government last month as the Scheme Coordinator of the Victorian Container Deposit Scheme, CDS Vic, which commences on 1 November. VicReturn is a not-for-profit entity with members comprising some of Australia’s leading beverage companies: Lion, Coca-Cola Europacific Partners and Asahi Beverages.

Carbon Revolution merger confirmed for July, 2023

Carbon fibre road wheel manufacturer Carbon Revolution expects its merger with Twin Ridge Acquisition Corp to occur in July, 2023. The merger, which will recapitalise the Geelong, Victorian company and list if in the United States, is progressing well, according to a statement. The company has filed its F-4 statement which is an important milestone in the transaction with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Shareholder approval will also be required in Australia. Meanwhile the company reported March quarter 2023 results which reflected the start of one new wheel supply programme and the resumption of production of the Corvette ZO6 wheel. However revenue was down in the quarter to $7.1 million, a nine percent fall on the previous corresponding period. Ferrari wheel sales moderated during the quarter.

DXN receives first modular data centre order from Flow2Edge

Prefabricated modular data centre manufacturer DXN has received its first order from its exclusive global distributor Flow2Edge Holdings. The order is worth $590,000, and is in addition to a service contract executed with Flow2Edge worth $362,400 a year to the Sydney company. DXN’s Chief Executive Shalini Lagrutta said: “The DXN team are excited to be delivering our first module to Flow with this order. APAC is a massive market, and Flow is well positioned to become a leader in the edge data centre business across the region.” DXN continues to supply Australian customers.

Bluechiip raises $2.2 million, announces share purchase plan

Sample management solutions company Bluechiip announced the successful raise of $2.2 million (before costs) via a placement to institutional, sophisticated and professional investors, with 88.0 million new ordinary fully-paid shares at an issue price of $0.025 per ordinary share. The company said in an ASX statement that the placement was strongly supported by both existing and new shareholders, including existing substantial holders, with Chairman Iain Kirkwood supporting the placement by subscribing for a total of $100,000 worth of new shares. Bluechiip said it intends to use the proceeds for continued production scaling and sales expansion, especially in the North American market, and ongoing working capital. It also announced a share purchase plan, inviting all existing shareholders to subscribe for new shares at the same price as the placement.

Picture: credit Bluechiip