Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

GreenHY2 receives first grant funding for Telstra project

Hydrogen Energy storage manufacturer GreenHY2 has received the 1st Instalment of the grant funds allocated by the federal government to provide its Hy2MEDI generation and storage system to Telstra. The amount received is $432,000 plus GST, with the total grant for the project valued at $1.5 million. Funds come from the Telecommunications Disaster Resilience Innovation (TDRI) Program, Power Resilience Round. Hy2MEDI incorporates a solar array, an Advanced long-life Solid State Metal Hydride battery, and Power Generation with dual fuel cells and an alternative hydrogen generator.

More trouble for Whyalla as rail operator stops some services

Sanjeev Gupta’s Whyalla steel works has had some rail services suspended by rail operator Aurizon over ‘contractual issues (presumably unpaid bills). The steel works, owned by GFG Alliance, has suffered a series of blast furnace outages. Aurizon has suspended some services which could include ore deliveries to the steel works and to the company’s export port at Whyalla. An Aurizon spokesman said: “We have endeavoured to find a suitable way forward, however, Aurizon has now suspended some rail haulage services to the customer until these issues are resolved,” the spokesperson said. This will impact Aurizon’s operations and the work our employees do for the customer.”

Genevo Marine seeks funds to build electric boat

Founded by a highly experienced team of renewable energy, boatbuilding, and electrical engineering experts, Genevo Marine is developing Australia’s first production electric boat (pictured) and scalable electric drive train to meet growing global demand. With strong interest in their first model, the E8, Genevo Marine is offering an opportunity to invest in the company via On Market crowd funding. Genevo Marine was selected into the federal government’s Industry Growth Program, validating their innovations, according to the company. “Our ethos is to provide an innovative, safe, and sustainably manufactured high-performance powerboat and electric drive train for the global market.”

Atomo Diagnostics to develop rapid syphilis test

Atomo Diagnostics will develop a rapid test for active syphilis diagnostics with a $2.44 million Cooperative Research Centres Projects (CRC-P) grant announced but not revealed on Tuesday. The grant award follows many months of collaboration between Atomo and the Burnet Institute on an easy-to-use solution that addresses this important unmet clinical need. The unique test, designed for both point-of-care professional use and at-home self-testing, combines Atomo’s integrated Pascal cassette that works with a small finger prick blood sample and a unique syphilis antibody developed by the Burnet Institute.

Seaport Therapeutics’ US225m capital raise 

Clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Seaport Therapeutics, which uses a unique drug delivery platform originally developed by Monash University, has announced the closing of a US$225 million Series B financing round, bringing the total capital raised by the Boston-based company to US$325 million since launching in April 2024. Seaport will use the proceeds to advance its clinical-stage pipeline of neuropsychiatric medicines and its Glyph technology platform. The Glyph platform was initially developed by Professor Chris Porter and his team at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

Orthocell raises $17 million for US expansion

Tissue regeneration technology developer Orthocell has received $17 million in commitments from institutions for a capital raise. New Australian and international investors joined existing institutions in the raising which will fund the launch of its Remplir product into the US and othe international markets. Remplir is a collagen nerve wrap used in the repair of peripheral nerve injuries. Post the raising Orthocell will have $35 million in cash.

CCRU Returns to Austeng After 34 Years

Engineering firm Austeng has shared that a catalyst cooler removal unit (CCRU), originally designed and manufactured by the Geelong company 34 years ago, has returned to its birthplace. In a post on Linkedin, Austeng said that the CCRU “was initially created for the installation and removal of the Catalyst Cooler in the main reactor (the “Cracker”) at what was then the Shell site. The design was undertaken by [company Managing Director] Ross George and father John George. This exciting project will now be handled by the Austeng team which includes Russell Brown, Dylan Mayson, Ross George and his son Russell, showcasing the strength and tradition of a family-run business in action.” Austeng added that the CCRU was brought back to the yard “early one morning with the help of a 250-ton crane” and the team now “begins the important task of refurbishing and ensuring the unit is safe for future use.”

Brandco acquisition not opposed by ACCC

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has said it will not oppose the proposed acquisition of Pernod Ricard Winemakers by Australian Wine HoldCo Limited via subsidiary Accolade. In a statement on Friday, the ACCC said Accolade’s acquisition of Pernod’s BrandCo division — which owns and manages a portfolio of Australian, New Zealand and Spanish wines including Campo Viejo, St Hugo, Church Road, Stoneleigh, and Jacob’s Creek — “unlikely to substantially lessen competition in wine processing and packaging services”. The ACCC said information and feedback gathered also indicated that the acquisition is unlikely to substantially lessen competition in the market for the purchase of wine grapes.

Federal government signs organics agreement with China

The federal government announced the signing of a new agreement this week establishing “areas for collaboration and co-operation on organic goods” with China. Agriculture minister Julie Collins met with her Chinese counterpart Luo Wen at Australian Parliament House today, signing a Letter of Intent on products certification. While China is currently Australia’s third largest market for organic exports by volume, the two nations do not have an organics equivalency agreement, and cooperation under this agreement “will look at opportunities for more efficient trade of organic goods exports.” Collins said the government “has been working hard to stabilise our relationship with China, especially within the areas of agricultural trade and exports”

Image: Genevo Marine