Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Tariff exemption consideration a welcome first step: Ai Group

The agreement by US president Donald Trump to consider an exemption for Australian steel, aluminium and iron from a 25 per cent tariff is “a welcome first step to protect vital industries with more than 100,000 mostly regional jobs,” Innes Willox, Chief Executive of the Australian Industry Group, said following the news on Tuesday. The the national employer association Chief Executive said it was “very important that Australia has been able to get on the front foot” after Trump’s tariff announcement over the weekend, though the negotiation “has a long way to run… We must now use every lever at our disposal to influence the American administration to reverse course and withdraw the proposed tariff against Australia.”

Memphasys completes final patient visit in Felix clinical trial

Memphasys has announced completion of the last patient last visit (LPLV) for the clinical trial of the sperm selection technology, known as the Felix System. Felix is used for assisted reproductive technology (ART) procedures. The next step after the milestone is the data lock, expected in approximately two weeks — following a final phase of data clean-up, data management, and source data verification — the company told the ASX on Tuesday. The current focus is on data verification and quality control to ensure the trial  dataset is robust and reliable before moving into statistical analysis. The release of preliminary trial results is expected in early March  2025. CEO Dr David Ali said, “It’s a meticulous process, but a necessary one as we prepare for regulatory approvals and commercial discussions. We look forward to sharing the trial results very soon.”

Automation rewards wine businesses of all sizes, believes ifm

Automation has been adopted by larger wineries to meet rising demand, though it is sometimes unfairly viewed as taking away from the craft of winemaking by smaller producers, according to sensor business ifm. Commenting on Wine Australia figures showing a 34 per cent surge in export value between January and September 2024, ifm Regional Sales Manager Darryl Blackeby said automation remained “key to scaling up and staying ahead in such a dynamic industry”, adding that it was not just for big players. “There’s a misconception that automation takes away the craft of winemaking,” said Blackeby. “But the truth is, the right systems can enhance quality while addressing challenges like labo[u]r shortages and climate variability.” He cited tailored wine ferment monitoring and temperature control as two examples where smaller-scale winemakers could benefit.

Truly autonomous AI closer with new unsupervised learning approach, say researchers

A new algorithm which is much closer to natural intelligence than current methods and known as called Torque Clustering can  significantly improve how AI can independently learn and uncover patterns in data, research from University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has shown. According to a statement from the university on Tuesday, the technique “can efficiently and autonomously analyse vast amounts of data in fields such as biology, chemistry, astronomy, psychology, finance and medicine, revealing new insights” and results are published in a new paper in the journal IEEE Transactions on Pattern Analysis and Machine Intelligence. Distinguished Professor CT Lin from UTS said the next wave of unsupervised learning aims to mimic the approach of animals in nature, learning by observing, exploring, and interacting with their environment, without explicit instructions. Dr Jie Yang added that another inspiration was “the torque balance in gravitational interactions when galaxies merge. It is based on two natural properties of the universe: mass and distance. This connection to physics adds a fundamental layer of scientific significance to the method.”

Production tax credits pass senate

The federal government’s Future Made in Australia (Production Tax Credit and Other Measures) Bill 2024 passed the Senate on Monday, establishing incentives in hydrogen and critical minerals production promised in last year’s federal budget. These are worth $2 per kilogram of renewable hydrogen produced between 2027–2028 and 2039–40 for up to ten years per project, and ten per cent of relevant processing and refining costs for Australia’s 31 critical minerals, for critical minerals processed and refined between 2027–28 and 2039–40, for up to ten years per project. The incentives will only be provided once projects are up and running, producing hydrogen or processing critical minerals used in products like wind turbines, solar panels and electric vehicles.

Hydrogen council welcomes bill’s passage

The Australian Hydrogen Council (AHC) said in a statement that it “applauds the passing of critical legislation”, paving the way for the $2 per kilogram hydrogen production tax incentive (HPTI). AHC CEO Dr Fiona Simon said the incentive “keeps Australia in the race globally”, gave greater certainty to investors, and set the nation up to achieve the goals in the National Hydrogen Strategy. She added that there was no “do nothing” approach for hydrogen. “We need it as a large-scale option for decarbonising energy that requires molecules. And we need it as a chemical solution to produce commodities like green iron. And we also need to remain a trusted energy partner across Asia and the export of molecules is critical to Australia’s ongoing prosperity.”

Australian Made encourages you to “love local” on Valentine’s Day

The Australian Made Campaign has said it encourages shoppers “to love local this Valentine’s Day,” and noted that “Aussie couples the driving force behind many of our locally-made products.” According to Family Business Association figures cited by Australian Made, family businesses represent 70 of all businesses nationally, and employ 50 per cent of the workforce. Australian Made highlighted two husband-wife duos from their membership — Phoebe and Aaron Breckell from skincare manufacturer Woohoo Body, and Mandy and Dan Wilson from hemp accessories business Bohemi — and recommended shoppers purchase products that carry the Australian Made green and gold kangaroo. “Every small Australian Made business helps the country,” said Phoebe Breckell. “Although being a manufacturer in Australia has its challenges, we’re determined to stick around for a long while yet.”

Picture: Phoebe and Aaron Breckell from Woohoo Body (supplied)