EPCA Expands into Latin America
Mining equipment electrification company EPCA has announced a strategic partnership with Escala Consulting, which will represent EPCA across Mexico and Latin America as the official sales representative for the region. “With established operations in Australia and Mexico, Escala leverages deep regional insight and cross-border industry experience to unlock commercial opportunities for innovative technologies in mining and energy” said EPCA in an update last week. “This collaboration aligns with EPCA’s goal of accelerating the adoption of battery-electric retrofit solutions in one of the world’s most resource-rich and emissions-intensive regions. Initial efforts will focus on building strong relationships with mining clients and stakeholders, identifying early adopters, and positioning EPCA’s electric powertrain technology as a practical, zero-emission alternative to diesel across Latin America’s mining sector.” EPCA was a Top 10 Gold Award winner at this year's Australia's 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers.
MicroTau appoints Rebecca Lodin as inaugural CTO
Aerospace technology company MicroTau has announced Rebecca Lodin (pictured) as its first Chief Technology Officer. According to a statement from the company last week, the appointment “reflects Rebecca’s numerous significant contributions to MicroTau’s hardware and manufacturing development roadmap and the continuing development of the broader engineering capability”. She previously held the positions of Engineering Manager and Head of Engineering. MicroTau said that continuing along the critical path of obtaining regulatory certification and scaling up manufacturing, meant the strategic importance of the CTO role, “responsible for ensuring alignment of cross-functional teams”, has become clear. Lodin has previously worked at manufacturers Nanosonics, Baraja, and Finisar.
First Graphene posts June quarter results
Graphene applications developer and producer First Graphene has reported a combined income for the June quarter of FY2025 of circa $273,000 (unaudited), comprising ~$145,000 in graphene sales and ~$128,000 in paid development and grant-funded programs. The sales revenue was primarily generated from the company’s composites and polymer segments, the company said last week, and brings total income for FY2025 (unaudited) to more than $1.2 million, covering topline graphene sales, development and grant-funded programs. The company added that its pipeline of commercial opportunities started to convert during the quarter, with receipt of two significant material orders totalling ~$165,000 for PureGRAPH materials to be used in polymers. Supporting these orders was an additional ~$155,000 in process subsequent to quarter’s end, “setting the stage for a strong FY2026 for the Company”, it said.
Australia's home battery boom shows early stages of the “electrostate”: Monash expert
Figures from the Clean Energy Regulator show a household battery boom is sweeping Australia following the federal government’s $2.3 billion Cheaper Home Batteries program coming into effect on July 1. According to the university's Dr Graham Palmer on Monday, it underscores underscores a crucial shift: energy storage, not just energy supply, will shape the future of the clean energy transition. “Australia’s rapid uptake of household batteries signals the early stages of the ‘electrostate’ – where electricity becomes the dominant energy carrier, powering everything from homes to heavy industry,” said Palmer. “But this future remains highly contingent, not only on diverse storage technologies but also on the institutional and social frameworks that support them. Household batteries represent an early and essential contribution to this evolving energy landscape.”
Think tank: “stop giving enormous quantities of gas away for free”
According to new analysis from progressive think tank The Australia Institute, a 25 per cent tax on revenue from gas exports to replace the “broken” Petroleum Resource Rent Tax (PRRT) would raise around $12.5 billion annually. According to a statement from the institute on Monday, 80 per cent of Australia’s gas production is currently exported, primarily by foreign-owned companies, and 56 per cent of the gas exported “is given away for free, including 78 [per cent] of gas exported from WA, and 100 [per cent] of gas exported from the NT, with no royalties paid on this gas.” Richard Denniss, Executive Director of The Australia Institute, said: “The Prime Minister says that ‘progressive patriotism’ should define Australia’s trade policy, and it is hard to see a better way to put Australians first than to stop giving enormous quantities of gas away for free and to start putting the interests of Australian manufacturers and households first.”
AFGC says sector needs productivity gains now
The Australian Food and Grocery Council, the peak lobby group for food and grocery manufacturing has said that the conversation on productivity is timely. After attending an industry roundtable on Friday, the AFGC said that lifting productivity in its sector would require action on “reducing regulatory burden, strengthening supply chain and transport infrastructure, and ensuring a reliable, affordable energy supply.” AFGC Chair Bernie Brookes added that, “Australia needs to move with urgency to invest in productivity gains for us to maintain our globally competitive and resilient manufacturing base.” Food and grocery manufacturing employs nearly 300,000 Australians, is gaining “a bigger share of a shrinking manufacturing sector” according to the AFGC, “as recent ABS data shows manufacturing’s share of the private sector is declining due to high costs in Australia and supply chain disruptions.”
