Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

“Carbon leakage” review launched

The federal government has opened public consultation on options to help address the risk of carbon leakage and its impact on heavy industries, such as steel and cement. Leakage occurs when industries move from countries with more ambitious emissions reduction policies to those with weaker policies. According to a statement on Tuesday, the review will assess the need for an Australian carbon border adjustment mechanism, emissions product standards, further funding for decarbonisation, and multilateral initiatives. This is the first of two consultation rounds to inform the review. “Highly skilled manufacturing jobs and industry will form the bedrock of the world’s decarbonisation and this review will help them have a long-term presence in Australia,” said energy minister Chris Bowen. “We welcome submissions from industry, business, environmental groups, researchers, trade partners and the broader community about how best we can assess and address the risks of carbon leakage.” A second round of consultation will be held in mid-2024, and final advice from the review will be provided to the Government September 30,  2024.

Clarence Street redone in recycled material

About 120,000 glass jars and over 200 tonnes of reclaimed asphalt were used to refresh a one kilometre stretch of Clarence Street in the city, the City of Sydney has said, equating to nearly a quarter of materials used to renew more than 8,000 square metres of road surface. “Some glass bottles and jars can’t be recycled to become another glass container. Despite the best efforts of people putting them in the yellow lid bin, they end up in landfill,” “This shift away from linear thinking is vitally important to tackling climate change and improving circular economy outcomes,” Lord Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, said. “But by using them in our roads we create this new market which has the added benefit of using less sand, which is one of the most overly consumed natural resources on our planet.” The council said the product used on Clarence Street is densely graded asphalt and meets standards set by Transport for NSW for heavy duty traffic operations.

Victorian medtech roadmap released

The Victorian Medtech Skills and Devices Hub (VMH) has released a white paper, titled The Medical Technology Skills-Education Gaps Roadmap, identifying the education and training needed to accelerate the growth of the sector. VMH Co-Director and University of Melbourne Professor David Grayden said Victoria has the opportunity to “seize a significant piece of the $500 billion global medtech market, but it starts with building a stronger pipeline of properly trained, job-ready graduates and professionals”. According to a statement from VMH, rhe paper delves into the current state of the sector as well as offering “a strategic roadmap for fostering innovation, collaboration and sustainable growth.” The paper can be accessed here.

Newcastle Williamtown Air Show to be held on Saturday

The City of Newcastle (CN) and the Royal Australian Airforce (RAAF) will host the Newcastle Williamtown Air Show 2023 this Saturday, November 18, with a RAAF aircraft flying display at 10 am to 12.30 pm and again at 1.30 pm to 4 pm. According to a statement on Tuesday from CN, there will be free viewing areas at Nobbys Beach, Foreshore Park and Stockton, and up to one hundred thousand people are expected to enjoy family-friendly activities such as rides, face painting, food trucks, static RAAF displays and roving entertainment, in addition to aerial displays and flypasts.

ANSTO Secures ARC funding for battery project

ANSTO scientists are contributing to an Australian Research Council Discovery Project to investigate electrolyte and interface engineering of solid-state sodium batteries. Funding of $433,552 was awarded to the project, with Professor Vanessa Peterson a co-investigator with Dr Nana Wang, Professor Jiazhao Wang, Dr Germanas Peleckis, Professor Hua Liu, all of the University of Wollongong; and Associate Professor Hansu Kim of Queen’s University (Canada.) According to a statement from ANSTO, the project aims to develop large-scale solid-state sodium-ion batteries exhibiting better safety compared to classic liquid electrolyte batteries without compromising on performance. “This will be achieved by novel engineering of solid-state electrolytes and electrolyte-electrode interfacing by a fundamental understanding of sodium-ion transport using statistical and machine-learning techniques” it said. adding that expected outcomes include an understanding of ion-transport mechanisms in batteries, delivery of advanced solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivity, and batteries with excellent performance and safety characteristics.

HaemaLogiX names new CEO

Clinical stage Australian biotech company HaemaLogiX has announced the appointment of Damian Clarke-Bruce as Managing Director and CEO, effective November 13, with outgoing CEO Bryce Carmine to remain active in the company, retaining his role as Chair. Clarke-Bruce most recently held the position of Managing Director and CEO for Race Oncology, and previous positions include US Executive Director of Marketing in Rare Disease and Head of the Global Launch Leadership Team at Pharming Healthcare Inc. Director Alan Liddle said: “Damian’s extensive knowledge of global strategic commercialisation, along with his experience in business development and licensing, launch excellence and marketing will be instrumental to the next stage of the HaemaLogiX journey.”

Matrix’s $30 million subsea buoyance contract award

Subsea buoyance system manufacturer Matrix Composites & Engineering has announced a significant contract for a subsea oil and gas riser system for an international project. Awarded by Subsea 7, the $30 million contract follows an $18 million order from the same operator announced during 1H23, and takes orders for subsea umbilicals, risers and flowlines (SURF) to more than $90 million. The systems will be manufactured at Matrix’s Henderson, Perth facilities and will be delivered during FY24. CEO Aaron Begley said: “With a strong pipeline in the subsea market for our traditional oil and gas products, and with diversified work across the renewable energy and resources sectors, the company is confident in its growth trajectory.”

EOS’s new $28 million contract

Defence contractor Electro Optic Systems has announced a new order worth $28 million for its R600 remote weapon stations (RWS). The order, for a customer in South East Asia which the company did not name, will be delivered from 2025 through to 2026. The products are to be supplied from EOS’s facilities in the United States.

Archer receives R&D Tax Incentive

Fab-less semiconductor company Archer Materials has announced that it has received a $1,455,936 cash rebate from the Australian Federal Government’s Research and Development Tax Incentive program. The cash rebate was provided for eligible R&D activities conducted during the year ended June 30,  2023, related to the Company’s 12CQ chip for quantum electronic devices and ‘lab-on-a-chip’ biochip technology.

Picture: credit Aikenhead Centre for Medical Discovery