Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Ai Group on inflation: “the worst is behind us, but”…

Employer representative the Australian Industry Group has welcomed new inflation figures released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday, but cautioned that there is “a lot of work to do” in returning the nation to “a stable economic footing”. The ABS tracked inflation at 2.4 per cent per annum (headline consumer inflation) in the December quarter of 2024, the lowest level since early 2021, and the Trimmed Mean measure dropping to 3.2 per cent per annum. “It’s welcome news that the worst of inflation is behind us, but Australia is far from out of the economic woods yet,” said Innes Willox, chief executive of the Ai Group. “… [I]t is concerning that this outcome has been achieved in very weak economic conditions. Australia is in its longest period of sustained low growth since the mid-1990s, consumer demand remains subdued, and much of the private sector currently faces recession-like conditions.”

HB11 joins TINEX initiative

Fusion energy company HB11 Energy has announced that it will sit on the Industrial Council of TINEX, part of a $US 180 million initiative by the US government to win the global race to commercialise clean fusion energy. TINEX (Target Injector Nexus Collaboration for Inertial Fusion Energy Concepts) is the only initiative dedicated to the support of inertial (laser) fusion, a field that was historically pioneered by the HB11 Energy’s Australian team, and will open US Department of Energy (DoE) resources at General Atomics (lead organisation), Colorado State University, SLAC National Accelerator, UC San Diego, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) to address challenges of precision injection and tracking of an engineered fuel pellet as it is shot into a laser fusion reactor. Managing Director Dr Warren McKenzie said: “We are delighted to fly the Australian Flag as one of the only non-US participants on the council representing this rapidly evolving industry.”

Hydrostor announces engagement sessions 

Long-duration energy storage developer Hydrostor has announced upcoming business and industry engagement sessions for its planned Silver City Energy Storage Centre (SCESC) in Broken Hill. The company is inviting local businesses to register interest in participating in the project, which is awaiting final approvals, with construction set to begin this year and will deliver jobs and economic benefit to the region. The sessions “will be held in mid-February to early March” according to the company. The project is planned to provide long-duration energy storage capacity and stability to the Broken Hill region, with total capacity of 200 megawatts and 1,600 megawatt-hour (representing “eight hours of storage duration at full output”.) Interested businesses can register here. 

Redarc celebrates new console exports

Following completion of its work on the NASAMS air defence system as part of Project LAND 19 Phase 7B, REDARC Defence & Space has announced that it will continue its partnership with Kongsberg Defence Australia on the export of Naval Strike Missile (NSM) Coastal Defence System (CDS) command and control consoles. The company described the news last week as a “significant export order” and marking “a key milestone” for the company, which is the defence division of Redarc Electronics. “This partnership builds upon our strong foundation of collaboration, beginning with our successful delivery of critical components for the NASAMS Fire Distribution Centre (FDC),” said Executive General Manager Scott Begbie.

FoodTech returns to the Gold Coast

Food manufacturing and technology event FoodTech Qld has announced its return to the Gold Coast from June 19-20 this year. According to a statement from its organisers, the event at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre will feature technological advancements in food production, food science, supply chain, distribution and warehousing, food safety, processing, packaging, and plant equipment. It is expected to attract “more than 3,000 professionals from the food and beverage manufacturing industry” with attendees to “gain direct access to more than 140 leading suppliers showcasing breakthrough solutions that are revolutionising the food production and processing landscape.”

Quantum Brilliance announces new COO

Diamond-based quantum computing company Quantum Brilliance (QB), has announced Dr Andrew Dunn as its new Chief Operating Officer. According to a statement from the company on Wednesday, Dunn will lead operational execution of QB and also “focus on developing strategic partnerships across the traditional semiconductor ecosystem” related to the company’s “groundbreaking mass-deployable, room temperature quantum diamond technologies into everyday devices and high-performance computing systems.” Dunn steps up from serving as UK Country Manager for the company and has previously working at Arm Holdings and the Royal Bank of Canada in the UK, where he is based.

Australian startup has skin in the supersonic game

MicroTau, which is commercialising a shark skin-inspired riblet technology designed to cut down drag and save fuel for planes, has announced that its tech flew on a supersonic flight test. In a statement on Linkedin on Wednesday, MicroTau said its riblet product “was aboard the aft underbelly of the XB-1 during today’s test flight, marking the first time this product has flown at supersonic speeds”. Chief Test Pilot Tristan “Geppetto” Brandenburg flew the XB-1 plane, designed and made by Boom Supersonic, to a top speed of Mach 1.122 during a 34-minute flight over Mojave, California. According to Boom, it is the first civilian aircraft since Concorde to break the sound barrier. “Supersonic sharks? You bet!” reads the comment from MicroTau.

Sleeptite appoints sales manager

Assistive technology company Sleeptite has announced the appointment of Jay Cook as its new National Sales Manager. The company, which was a a Top Ten Gold Award winner at this title’s Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers awards this year, said Cook brought “a wealth of experience” in both assistive technology and healthcare, adding that “With a proven track record of success and innovation, Jay is set to lead our sales team to new heights.”

Picture: credit Boom Supersonic