Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

McCormick opens upgraded factory

Food company McCormick has officially opened its upgraded Sunshine Coast waste treatment facility, which it says will make “a major step forward in reducing waste” while supporting growth of the Gourmet Garden herb and spice brand. According to a statement on Friday from the company, the new “state-of-the-art trade waste treatment facility was unveiled” after seven months of construction, with its primary purpose to manage liquid waste from manufacturing activities. “As we continue to expand our international presence, we’re investing in smart infrastructure to uphold our high standards in trade waste management,” said Paris Golden, Managing Director of McCormick Australia. The upgraded facility is “estimated to realise about AU$27.93 million in total economic impact in the Sunshine Coast region, and create about 90 local jobs, directly and indirectly” according to McCormick. It was developed in collaboration with Aerofloat and McNab, and has a 500-kilolitre holding capacity and the ability to process 25 – 40 cubic metres of wastewater per hour.

“Conspiracy mentality” behind EV misinfo: new study

A University of Queensland-led study has found misinformation about electric vehicles (EVs) “has taken root in society and is primarily fuelled by mistrust and conspiracy theories”, according to a statement from the university on Tuesday. Misinformation statements tested included that EVs are more likely to catch fire than petrol cars, produce no emission savings and emit harmful electromagnetic fields, and were “all claims which are demonstrably false,” said Dr Chris Bretter from UQ. The surveys in Australia, the US, Germany and Austria found people were more likely to agree than disagree with misinformation, even among EV owners. “The fact that even EV owners were more likely than not to agree with misinformation underscores just how embedded it’s become in society.” Professor Matthew Hornsey added that, perhaps surprisingly, education played no role in whether survey respondents agreed with false information, and that the biggest predictor “was actually conspiracy mentality – a tendency to believe conspiracies occur and seeing the world through a lens of corruption and secret agendas… This same outlook has also been associated with opposition to science-backed technologies like vaccinations and wind farms.” The project also involved researchers from Germany and was published in Nature Energy.

ON Accelerate cohort showcased

CSIRO celebrated the progress and achievements of its latest ON Accelerate cohort at a showcase in Melbourne last week. The program aims to “fast-tracking breakthrough ideas into real-world applications and market-ready ventures” and last week 11 teams were showcased since the three-month program began in April, each selected for “groundbreaking solutions and ideas at the cutting edge of technology”. Each achieved technology validation through the program, with accomplishments ranging from advancing novel medical treatments and diagnostic tools to developing sustainable industrial solutions. Dr Jen Taylor, Executive Director of Future Industries at CSIRO, said that barriers had been broken through the program, including “establishing connections with the broader innovation ecosystem, including mentors, investors and customers”. The 11 teams joined the ranks of ON Program alumni, which have gone on to create 83 new companies, secure $336 million in commercialisation grants and raise $415 million in investment capital.

DroneShield expands in Europe

Counter-drone company DroneShield has announced that it “is making a significant investment to expand its operations in Europe” and shared its ambitions to support defence programs such as ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030. In a statement on Tuesday, the company said it is aiming to establish a European manufacturing and in-house assembly facility, which will be its first outside of Australia, including plans to establish a new sales hub and create a second manufacturing line “for select DroneShield hardware, with at least 65 per cent European-based industry content for certain products sold in the region.” Europe is currently represents “over A$500m across dozens of opportunities”, said the company, and establishing local production “is expected to bring further demand through qualifying the company for additional deals.” It cited the €800 billion (circa A$1.4 trillion) ReArm Europe Plan/Readiness 2030 plan to become more militarily self-reliant and counter the threat from Russia, as well as a recently-completed $8.2 million order with an unnamed European military customer for dismounted and vehicle-mounted counter-unmanned (CUxS) systems, its fourth successful order from the customer.

Pact launches new food-grade recycled plastic resin

HDPE plastic resin made from recycled milk and juice bottles at a Pact-operated recycling facility in Melbourne has passed testing, meeting US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety requirements for use in food and drink packaging. According to a statement from the packaging company on Tuesday, its new rFresh 100 food-grade HDPE resin is produced at the Circular Plastics Australia (CPA) recycling plant in Laverton, where plastic milk and juice bottles collected from kerbside recycling bins are sorted, shredded,  washed and sanitised before final conversion to a high quality, food grade resin. Pact Executive General Manager, Recycling, Shareef Khan, said in a statement that milk bottles made with the resin were tested in international facilities and met food safety requirements under US FDA 21 CFR 177.1520, in food-contact tests including both chemical end tests and sensory assessments. “Being US-FDA compliant means that new milk and juice bottles can be manufactured from up to 100 [per cent] recycled rFresh 100 resin.” The Laverton facility is also FSCC 22000-certified, and its operations are supported by an on-site testing laboratory to assure the recycled resin complies with the US FDA regulations.