Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Governor-General to join Good Design Australia as Patron

Design advocacy body Good Design Australia announced on Tuesday that the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, will become the Patron of the organisation, in what it said was a “historic appointment signal[ing] the critically important role of design in shaping Australia’s future.” In a statement, the organisation said the appointment comes “at a pivotal time”, when global economies are confronting challenges such as ageing populations, affordable housing and the impacts of climate change, which “are fundamentally design challenges, best addressed through a design process that fosters creativity, empathy, sustainability, and resilience.” Mostyn (pictured) added: “Design is one of our most powerful tools for solving complex challenges, and imagining new opportunities and possibilities.” Mostyn will officially take over from Dr Jan Owen as Patron at the 2025 Australian Good Design Awards Ceremony on October 17.

Nuclear risks viability of aluminium smelting, says Renew Australia

Clean energy lobby group Renew Australia for All has claimed a delay in transitioning to renewable energy in favour of nuclear could “risk the country’s four aluminium smelters and up to 13,500 jobs” due to high energy prices “and [cause] a collapse in electricity usage across our eastern states by 2035”. According to a statement by the group on Tuesday, the federal opposition’s modelling implies “industrial electricity usage would halve by as early as 2035” (from 45.4 terawatt hour per year currently to 22.8) which is “equivalent to the closure of Australia’s four aluminium smelters.” Nuclear reactors “risk our vital regional manufacturing hubs and the thousands of livelihoods that depend on them”, according to Renew Australia, which said a sector currently supporting 7,594 direct jobs and 5,886 jobs indirectly needs to be ensured of its viability. Climate Energy Finance founder Tim Buckley said: “The real-world impact of the opposition’s nuclear policy will be to create significant investor uncertainty and crowd out private investors who will invariably deter a significant part of the 260GW, $300-400bn in renewable energy investment proposals already in the grid connection queue across Australia.”

AI hype cooling in Australia, survey suggests

A study of 460 Australian “Design and Make companies” published by software company Autodesk has found “a shift in AI optimism and preparedness, as well as lingering concerns over cost control” among respondents. The results, shared last week, were part of Autodesk’s global State of Design & Make report, involving 5,600 participants in sectors including architecture, engineering, construction and operations, product design and manufacturing, and entertainment. Among Australian respondents, 40 per cent “consider cost control and cost management to be the largest challenge facing their organisation” and 68 per cent of respondents “believe AI will enhance their industry, down 9 per cent from last year”, and which was in line with global responses. Andy Cunningham, Senior Regional Director for Australia and New Zealand at Autodesk, said optimism “is following the classic tech hype cycle, as leaders face the reality of implementation, an ongoing technical skills shortage, and the limitations of the current technology… We were surprised by the AI optimism last year, but it appears the more we are learning about the technology, the more sceptical organisations are becoming.”

Sphere rationalises its collection of brands

Drone company Sphere — which announced last month that it is bringing production in-house through a partnership with towbar and trailer business Carasel — said it is consolidating group operations under a single brand identity. Its Sphere Group, remote operations platform Curo, and autonomous water sampling solution Nero will be absorbed into a refreshed Sphere brand, the company announced last week. Paris Cockinos, CEO, said the one brand “gives us focus” at a company that “as a small drone supplier has grown into a full-stack technology business”. Cockinos added that the move “cuts out complexity, aligns our team and strengthens our position in the market. We’re not splitting attention anymore.”

Proteomics sees “strong support” for $4.5 million placement

Perth biotechnology company Proteomics International Laboratories has announced “binding and irrevocable” commitments for a share placement to raise $4.5 million. In a statement to the ASX on Tuesday, the company said the placement was for approximately 12.1 million new fully paid ordinary shares at $0.37 per new share. Board and key management personnel committed to subscribe for $0.5 million. The funds will be used to drive the launch of proprietary diagnostic tests. Managing Director Dr Richard Lipscombe added: “[T]he funds will drive the  US and Australian launch of our suite of diagnostic tests: PromarkerD for predicting diabetic kidney disease, PromarkerEso for diagnosing esophageal cancer and PromarkerEndo for diagnosing endometriosis.”

Picture: credit Good Design