Manufacturing news briefs - stories you might have missed

Fleet Space’s Centauri-6 satellite takes off flight at space discovery centre

A new piece of next-generation Australian space technology is on display at the Australian Space Discovery Centre in Adelaide. It is a full size model of Centauri-6, the eighth satellite launched by Adelaide-based company Fleet Space Technologies successfully reached orbit on April 8, 2024 aboard SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission. The satellite is set to enhance the capability of Fleet’s flagship mineral exploration technology, ExoSphere. Exosphere uses arrays of satellite-enabled seismic sensors to scan beneath the Earth’s surface, combining satellite connectivity, edge computing, AI, and geophysics to achieve a near-zero environmental impact. Fleet Space CEO and Co-Founder Flavia Tata Nardini said: “Centauri-6 is a portal into a future of resilient, energy-efficient microsatellites that can unlock previously unimaginable solutions to hard problems on Earth.”

Failsafe braking systems manufacturer Advanced Braking Technology has reported revenue for FY24 up 12 percent on FY23 to $16.46 million mainly from sales of its Failsafe Brake System used in the mining and defence sectors. Increased sales and control of expenses saw net profit for the year of $1.70 million, compared to $1.47 million the previous year. The company’s Research and Development (R&D) tax incentive refund for the year of $947,000 is higher than prior years as it ramps up product innovation activities. According to ABT: “The Company is positioned to grow sales during FY25 to a broader range of customers and geographic regions. The diversification of vehicle variants to which these products can be fitted is based on market intelligence and understanding the fleet and asset management requirements of the customer.”

The Queensland government has launched a new solar panel recycling, reuse and recovery pilot, in partnership with the Smart Energy Council. The programme will deliver solar panel recycling across the state with six solar panel collection sites across now confirmed, and a total of 15 planned. The sites include Capalaba and North Lakes in greater Brisbane, along with the Gold Coast, Rockhampton, Toowoomba and Townsville. The pilot is supported by $5.5 million in funding as part of the Queensland Government’s Recycling and Jobs Fund, and the Queensland Renewable Energy Industry Association Grant to deliver the end-of-life solar panel recovery trial. The product stewardship pilot is designed to test the feasibility of collection, re-use and recycling for solar panels from homes, businesses and solar farms, ensuring a significant reduction in landfill.

Low emission industrial technology developer Calix has reported revenue up 30 percent from $118.6 million to $24.2 million for the 12 months ended 30 June 2024. Growth and diversification in revenue streams contributed to the result, with Calix’s Magnesia business up 14 percent to $21.0 million and low emission technology business Leilac’s engineering revenues increasing from $100,000 to $3.2 million. Leilac technology is being commercialised in the decarbonisation of cement and lime production and Direct Air Capture of CO2 sectors. In the year calix invested $42. million in capability and capacity building to commercialise Calix’s platform technology. Calix’s Managing Director and CEO Phil Hodgson said: “Growing revenues, together with Calix’s strong balance sheet and disciplined cost management, provide a platform from which Calix can support current operations and develop its technology towards deployment into extremely large addressable markets.”

The Army’s Latchford Barracks’ design and technology hub MakerSpace has enabled two sergeants to 3D print valuable training aids, saving Defence thousands and greatly enhancing trainee learning. Preventative medicine Sergeant Corey Finley created a scaled replica of the 10,000-litre MAN 121 water pods enabling trainees to visualise what they need to do. Medical technology manager Sergeant Tim Binyon is in the research-and-development phase of creating a ‘wound-packing cube’. He has created a strong but flexible, flesh-like and durable enabling wound packing training.

Underwater systems composite manufacturer Matrix Composites & Engineering has reported an 80 percent lift in revenue to $85.0 million for FY24 following a very strong second half performance. Underlying EBITDA recovered to $11.0 million from $0.2 million in FY23, and the company generated $10.9 million in operating cashflow. The Perth company’s order book backlog for subsea work at 30 June 2024 was $33 million. Matrix Chief Executive Officer Aaron Begley said: “The outlook for FY25 remains positive with global interest rates having peaked, resilient energy demand, and capital investment across a broader energy mix including oil and gas.”

Analytical sciences and devices company Trajan Scientific and Medical saw a rebound in performance in the second half of FY24 with core EBITDA up 48.7 percent on the first half. The recovery saw revenue for the full year of $155 million within 5 percent of FY 23, following industry wide destocking of components and consumables in the first half and softer pharmaceutical equipment orders. Full year EBITDA was $17.2 million and operating NPAT $600,000, with the company ending the year with net cast of $11.2 million. Trajan founder, managing director and CEO Stephen Tomisich said: “This outcome in a challenging operating environment reflects the underlying strength of the Trajan business which is spread across a diverse range of customers, product lines, geographies and applications.”

Guidelines are available for grants worth $76 million under the Medical Research Future Fund’s National Critical Research Infrastructure initiative. Applications open on October 4, with funding available for four streams: innovation enablers, digitisation of health care, co-investment partnerships, and mRNA technology enablers. Up to $3 million per grant is available in Streams 1 and 2, up to $7 million in Stream 3 and up to $4 million in Stream 4. The new guidelines are available here.

Incat Tasmania has said its expansion plans took a major step forward with acquisition of a 12-hectare portion of the Norske Skog Boyer Mill site at Boyer. The site in the Derwent Valley will allow it to double its current shipbuilding capacity and workforce, the company announced on Thursday, and will produce multiple electric ships for the global market. It plans construction of a 240 x 120 metre production facility, with capacity to construct three large ships at one time. Incat CEO Stephen Casey said “The new site, which already has the appropriate industrial zoning, will allow us to construct hulls and decks for our vessels at Boyer and then transport the structure down the River Derwent to our existing Prince of Wales Bay shipyard to be completed… Incat has the vision and the shipbuilding expertise to lead the world in the design and construction of these new eco-friendly electric ships, and we are positioning ourselves as the shipyard of choice for major ferry operators who want to minimise their environmental footprint with vessels of the highest quality.”