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Metal additive manufacturing machinery manufacturer Titomic has broken into the US defence market with the sale of a custom Titomic Kinetic Fusion System (TKF System) to US-based venture business Triton Systems. The $1.2 million system, to be delivered within 9 months, is part of Triton’s larger strategic investment in developing new and innovative manufacturing applications.…

South Australian households to take to smart energy appliances Five hundred South Australian households are set to go energy-smart in a new project announced by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) and electricity distributor SA Power Networks. ARENA is providing $6.2 million to SA Power Networks’ $13.8 million ‘Energy Masters’ project. The project will see…

As we have been publishing our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – new statistics have emerged that show that even higher education research, until now a national strongpoint, is faltering. Professor Roy Green details the biggest decline ever recorded in higher education research. The newly released Australian Bureau of…

Submarine builder ASC has acknowledged industrial action underway at its headquarters at Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide and pledged to work for a mutually beneficial outcome to the dispute. However according to an unconfirmed report on Channel 7 news the government owned business cut a proposed wage rise of 10 percent to 6.75 percent, suggesting…

The federal government has awarded building materials group Adbri a $50 million grant as part of the Commonwealth’s Powering the Regions Fund which will speed decarbonisation of hard to abate cement production. The funds will increase capacity and production of lower carbon cementitious products at the company’s Birkenhead, Adelaide cement plant, South Australia’s largest. The…

Biofuels are one of Australia’s biggest industrial and environmental opportunities. Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – Geoff Bell looks at what is needed to make promise a reality. Australia, with its extensive demand for air travel and rich natural resources like biomass, solar and wind, is…

Cyclopharm’s Technegas radiopharmaceutical imaging system has achieved a streamlined reimbursement approval process in the United States, boosting its prospects in what is the world’s largest market. The Sydney company has received a Coding Determination for Technegas from the Center for Medicare Medicaid Services (CMS), which means users will have a unique identifier which streamlines their…

The Australian Research Council (ARC) has announced $22.5 million in funding for 50 fellowships under the Industry Fellowships Program. Projects cover salary contributions for up to three years and project costs up to $150,000 under the program, which operates across industry, community organisation, not-for-profit, and other sectors and seeks “to facilitate the adoption, translation and…

Packaging and recycling company Visy has launched its first retail product range, temporary floor and surface protection made from recycled paper. In a statement on Monday, the company said Visy Tread is being made at its paper mills at Reservoir and Coolaroo in Melbourne from 100 per cent recycled paper, and can be easily recycled…

An update on the Australian industrial gases market has calculated its value at an estimated $4.2 billion, growing 1.1 per cent per annum on average over the years 2019 – 2024. Market research firm IBISWorld has published selected details from its new Industrial Gas Manufacturing in Australia report, estimating the two largest companies – BOC…

Perth’s Hazer Group is to licence its Hazer Process for producing hydrogen and graphite to Canadian utility FortisBC which will construct a hydrogen production facility in British Columbia – the first to use the process overseas. Hazer will provide engineering services for the Hazer production facility with a design capacity of up to 2,500 tonnes…

Pharmaceutical manufacturer IDT Australia has announced that it has been awarded a Victorian government grant to assist in the establishment of an Australian-first facility for oncology drugs. In an ASX statement on Monday, IDT said it has established relationships with Antibody-Drug-Conjugate (ADC) biotech companies, including a master services  agreement with Japanese pharmaceutical company Nagase &…

Medical device and implants developer Signature Orthopaedics, RMIT University and the University of Melbourne have announced a new partnership, aiming to bring new personalised medical implant technologies to market. In a statement on Monday, the partnership was described as linking the company with research excellence in biomedical engineering, health, medicine, technology development and design. The…

Drone flight operations company Sphere Drones has been granted a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Area Approval for its site near Wagga Wagga, NSW by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. The BVLOS approval allows the business to demonstrate its BVLOS drone operations for customers, whilst further testing and developing its innovative HubX platform. HubX…

Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – we look at the evidence from innovation research. Professor Danny Samson outlines the steps needed to turn R&D into business success. Companies in Australia have a terrific opportunity to grow through innovation, given our access to global markets and the…

Chemistry Australia has announced the winners of the 2024 Industry Awards, with awards going to leaders of the Australian chemistry industry gathered in Melbourne. The achievements of finalists and winners were celebrated across six award categories. Chemistry Australia CEO Samantha Read said the Industry Awards continue to be an important opportunity to highlight the valuable…

Are we actually asking the question in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort. Here Allen Roberts looks behind the issue at the Australian way of getting things done, and whether that, itself, needs reform. As we seek to move towards 3% of GDP as a measure of the R&D…

Building-integrated photovoltaics company ClearVue Technologies has secured its inaugural contract in Australia for its energy efficient, electricity generating commercial windows. The Perth company said it had received the order from construction company Kapitol Group for a new commercial building project for the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, and Employees Union (CFMEU) in Melbourne. The CFMEU will incorporate…

South Australian submarine workers have decided to walk off the job this morning at 7.30am at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in a dispute over unequal pay in the rapidly growing sector. The ASC maintenance and sustainment facility will come to a standstill as 350 trades and operator support workers take protected industrial action over poor…

Sponsored article The BX Series asynchronous motor from global manufacturer, Bonfiglioli, meets the demands and standards of the manufacturing sector. “Thanks to its high-quality design, reliability and long operating life, the BX Series remains a popular solution for manufacturers,” explains Martin Broglia, MD of Bonfiglioli Australia and New Zealand. “This is a solution that reduces…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) Applications open for Industry Growth Program, $6.9 million announced for four not-for-profits to assist IGP A total of $6.9 million in grant funding was announced for four Industry Partner Organisations (IPO), alongside the opening of applications for the…

German company HyImpulse has launched their SR75 rocket from Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range in a launch which could lead to regular launches from the space port. The SR75 rocket is one of the largest commercial rockets to be launched in this country. A crowd of locals and VIPs who travelled to Koonibba from across…

Michelle Kruger appointed President of Austal USA Shipbuilder Austal has announced that the Austal USA Board of Directors has appointed Michelle Kruger President of Austal USA. Michelle has been Interim President since July 2023 and assumes the permanent role immediately. Michelle joined Austal USA in 2022 as Vice President of Global Services and Support, responsible…

Breakthrough Victoria has emerged as an investor in US-based “stratospheric exploration company” World View to the tune of $37 million, with the Arizona-headquartered company planning to establish a manufacturing operation and hire “up to 200” in Victoria. The investment vehicle for state government funds made the announcement on Friday morning. It shared that World View…

The federal government has placed a $30 million order with Queensland-based Craig International Ballistics for body armour that will be used by Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel, including in combat and counter terrorism operations. The contract, which will also create and sustain dozens of jobs, supports local small-and-medium enterprises and a future made in Australia,…

Australia’s R&D effort is focused around medical technologies and here in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – Dig Howitt of Cochlear outlines the way ahead to support innovation in the sector. Cochlear has long been a pioneer in innovation. It has reshaped hearing technology and made substantial contributions…

Aluminium chemicals company Alpha HPA has continued to develop its Stage 1, battery materials Precursor Production Facility (PPF) in Gladstone, Queensland. The company told investors that following first small scale commercial production of high purity aluminium nitrate (Al-nitrate) precursors in March, the plant was now in production of high purity aluminas (HPA). The company is…

Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – Saeid Nahavandi looks at the role robotic and autonomous systems can play in defence innovation and operations. In line with the complexities of modern warfare, the integration of advanced robotic and autonomous systems (RASs), artificial intelligence (AI), and human-machine collaborative…

Adelaide manufacturer Marine & General (MG) Engineering has joined in the BAE Systems Maritime Australia construction programme building Hunter class frigates at the Osborne Naval Shipyard in Adelaide. BAE Systems has long wanted to involve shipbuilder MG Engineering in the Hunter project as it diversifies the skills and facilities dedicated to the massive project. MG…

Nominations opened on Thursday for the annual Victorian Manufacturing Hall of Fame Awards, now in their 22nd year, with 14 awards to be presented at a gala dinner in October. Industry minister Natalie Hutchins opened nominations for the 2024 awards, calling Victoria the nation’s “home of advanced manufacturing” and stating that the awards provide a…

A total of $6.9 million in grant funding was announced for four Industry Partner Organisations (IPO), alongside the opening of applications for the Industry Growth Program (IGP), on Thursday.  In an announcement from industry minister Ed Husic, the four not-for-profits sharing in the $6.9 million were named as MTPConnect, the Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Hub,…

Just when it had looked as if control of Australia’s largest cotton processor, Namoi Cotton would fall to one Singapore predator, another Singapore company which had been the underbidder has stepped back into the ring. Olam Agri Holdings announced today that it would increase its offer to buy the company to 66 cents cash, trumping…

James Cook University has claimed a new compound developed by their researchers is a potential “game changer” against corrosion, and is seeking industry partners to get it into new paints. According to a statement from JCU on Thursday, a research team led by Professor Peter Junk has developed a compound combining “an organic corrosion inhibitor…

The Western Australian government has announced $18.4 million for an additional 50 standalone power systems to be installed by Horizon Power. In a statement on Wednesday, the WA government said that it was committing the funds to the state budget, as well as another $8 million “to support local businesses to manufacture wind turbine components.”…

The largest end-of-life vehicle recycler in the UK, EMR has acquired ‘a significant stake’ in Australian recycling company Renewable Metals in a multi-million dollar deal which will see a novel demonstration-scale battery shredding and critical minerals refining plant built in the UK. Renewable Metals has developed a highly differentiated recycling process which has fewer steps…

By Peter Roberts Defence Minister Richard Marles is comfortable with the possibility of Australia’s most successful locally owned defence manufacturer, Austal, falling to overseas ownership. I, for one, am not. In April Korean defence group Hanwha bid to buy Austal, emerging into the open after months of speculation that the company was a takeover target.…

Increased copper production in Chile and the positive outlook for copper are driving growth of the Chilean business of mining equipment manufacturer Austin Engineering. The Perth company told investors that Austin Chile had won a $2.5 million order for a full Cat 7495 dipper bucket for a local customer – a product it acquired with…

Today our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – turns to successful overseas models boosting innovation such as the US SBIR model. By Jefferson Harcourt. Research and Development (R&D) is essential in driving economic growth and maintaining a competitive advantage, and in Australia there’s a pressing need to enhance R&D…

AML3D expands scope of work for DSTG with new contract Wire arc additive manufacturing company AML3D has announced a contract with Toolcraft Australia to supply a six-part nozzle assembly for the Defence Science and Technology Group project. In a statement on Wednesday, AML3D said the $350,000 contract follows successful delivery of a four-stage nozzle assembly…

Battery technology company Li-S Energy has announced that its GEN3 semi-solid-state lithium sulfur (Li-S) battery cells have successfully passed a series of nail penetration tests with the results exceeding both the civilian and US military performance standards. The company tested its multi-layer semi-solid-state 2.5Ah lithium sulfur cells built on the company’s Phase 2 micro-production line…

Modular relocatable carpark manufacturer, PARKD is bringing a new level of prefabrication to the construction of multi-level car parks. The company’s modular design allows car parks up to six levels to be fabricated offsite and assembled to increase parking at shopping centres, airports and commercial sites. The listed Western Australian company released its results for…

Nominations have opened for NSW’s annual export awards, with the program covering 13 national categories and five NSW categories and accepting nominations until Friday June 14. In a statement on Wednesday, Investment NSW’s Deputy Secretary Katie Knight said the state’s exports continued to grow, currently contributing $150 billion, and with trade supporting one in five…

Today our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – turns to the critical importance of leadership from governments and business leaders in reversing the innovation slump. By David Martin of Ai Group. Leaders have the responsibility to shape the future of their firms by identifying opportunities and strategically aligning the…

@AuManufacturing turns today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – to one of the bright sparks in the innovation scene – the development of a research-based space industry. By Xavier Orr. Australia’s space sector has skyrocketed in the past two decades. As of 2008, Australia was the only…

The Australian and Queensland Governments will invest almost $1 billion into frontier technology company PsiQuantum to build the world’s first fault tolerant quantum computer in Brisbane. The investment follows decades of investment by governments in quantum computing research which has established a healthy science based start up sector, however the size of the investment is…

Satellite manufacturer Space Machines Company has announced a joint Indian-Australian mission on space debris management, supported by an $8.5 million grant from the Australian government. SMC, which bills itself an “in-space servicing firm”, announced “Space MAITRI” (मैत्री, or Mission for Australia-India’s Technology, Research and Innovation) on Tuesday, saying the joint industry-led mission will “demonstrate progress…

Perth marine engineering firm VEEM and propeller developer Sharrow Marine are to advance to manufacture of a new type of propeller designed for inboard motor propulsion. The two companies have replicated for inboard motors the advances made by the original Sharrow propeller which eliminated cavitation in traditional propellers. Now the US and Australian company have…

Textile technology developer Xefco has raised $10.5 million in its latest funding round led by Australian deep technology fund Main Sequence Ventures backing its technology to reduce textile emissions. Xefco has been commercialising its patented water-free textile finishing and dyeing solution, Ausora, aiming to create a greener supply chain for the fashion industry. Other new…

Faltering business expenditure on R&D is a major factor in Australia’s poor innovation performance. Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – Dr John Howard identifies businesses’ failings. This is an edited excerpt (full paper link below). From 1981 to 1995, Australian businesses made steady progress in lifting…

Energy technologies developer 1414 Degrees has announced it has acquired exclusive rights to a new method for producing net zero hydrogen from natural gas. The invention by the University of Adelaide (UoA) is the subject of an international patent application. The rights are in addition to rights acquired in January, also from the UoA, for…

By Hendri Yulius Wijaya, The University of Melbourne and Kate Macdonald, The University of Melbourne Around the world, more and more companies are publishing sustainability reports – public scorecards detailing their impacts on society and the environment. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) reports outline the positive and negative effects of a company’s activities, and the…

CRDC Australia has officially opened a new factory in the Melbourne suburb of Tottenham, where it is transforming end-of-life hard and soft plastics into “an Eco-Aggregate that improves concrete.” “Following the US, Costa Rica, and South Africa, we are proud to be the fourth global location hosting this groundbreaking technology,” said Shane Ramsey, Managing Director…

University of NSW Sydney researchers have assembled “protein nanowires” created by engineered bacteria and found that these were able to conduct electricity over short distances and even create it out of thin air. According to a statement from UNSW on Monday, the team used protein filaments created by E. coli (a bacteria that can cause…

Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – Katherine Woodthorpe looks at the potential of innovation in low emission products for export. She argues investing in innovation and STEM skills has economic returns. In the fight against climate change, Australia and the world are at a crossroads. The…

Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – we turn to the main support mechanism available for innovation – the R&D Tax Incentive. By Kris Gale. In Minister Husic’s 3% R&D drive to survive, one constant refrain in the Government’s innovation support story is the need to make…

The federal government has selected the University of Sydney’s Quantum Australia to establish and run a new $18.4 million Australian Centre for Quantum Growth, according to Industry and Science Minister Ed Husic. Promised in the government’s National Quantum Strategy, the centre will build connections across Australia’s booming quantum community. Husic took to social media and…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to @AuManufacturing were reading. 5) Boeing and Wagner join to manufacture and utilise sustainable aviation fuels Australian infrastructure, property development and investment management company Wagner has joined with Boeing to grow the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry to help meet Australia’s airline demand…

Defence Minister Richard Marles has announced a new $100 million assistance package for Ukraine, bringing the total Australian commitment so far to $880 million. However the decision, announced in the Ukrainian city of Lviv, has been immediately criticised as it continues a parsimonious support for the beleaguered country compared to other nations. Australia’s contribution is…

HyImpulse rocket arrives to be readied for launch Rocket range manager Southern Launch has announced that the German HyImpulseTech SR75 rocket has arrived in Ceduna, South Australia where it is being assembled and readied for launch (pictured) from the Koonibba Test Range. The single stage SR75 rocket uses propulsion technology which combines paraffin wax (candle…

The Victorian Government has announced two grants totalling $3.5 million awarded to assist in establishing lithium-ion processing and recycling facilities, which it says will increase the state’s capacity to process batteries by 19,500 tonnes annually. Ecobatt was awarded $2.5 million and Enviropacific Services $1 million as part of the Circular Economy Infrastructure Fund Hazardous Waste…

Ten Victorian manufacturers will boost their innovative capabilities through new grants announced under the state’s $15 million Made in Victoria – Industry R&D Infrastructure Fund. The Minister for Jobs and Industry Natalie Hutchins announced the grants, highlighting support for medical technology developer PolyNovo. The Port Melbourne company designs, develops and manufactures skin regeneration products to…

Aluminium ferry manufacturer Incat Tasmania has announced a new a new partnership that could see a second, smaller battery electric ferry being constructed at the company’s shipyard alongside a world-first 148 metre battery electric vessel already under construction. The new partnership with Danish shipping and logistics company DFDS to complete a design study for the…

Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – Serena Ross contrasts innovation to be new to the world, and continuous improvement – the lifeblood of her company, Circuitwise Electronics. Australia’s innovation effort can be improved by a greater focus on ‘ordinary’ innovation. In contrast to deep-tech or R&D-focused…

The federal government has signed a $500 million contract with Lockheed Martin Australia to deliver the next phase of the Joint Air Battle Management System that synchronises air and missile defence operations across air, sea and land operations. LMA was named in October as the strategic partner to deliver the project, known as AIR6500, which…

Akula Tech which aims to design and build a constellation of satellites to detect natural disasters and conflicts and analyse the information in space has qualified to join the XPRIZE Wildfire competition’s Space-based Detection and Intelligence Track (Track A). XPRIZE is a four year international competition to develop and demonstrate fully-autonomous capabilities to detect and…

New Zealand-headquartered energy projects business Hiringa Energy has launched a green hydrogen refuelling network in its home country, which it says will “act as a blueprint” for efforts in Australia. In August last year Hiringa was announced as a partner with Sundown Pastoral Co on the Good Earth Green Hydrogen and Ammonia (GEGHA) project. GEGHA…

Sicona Battery Technologies has chosen the south-eastern United States near the heart of battery and electric vehicle manufacturing for the development of its first commercial production facilities. By leveraging low cost and abundant silicon metal, Sicona claims its SiCx battery anode materials technology increases the energy density of lithium-ion batteries by 20 percent. Having recently…

The federal government has launched its Environmentally Sustainable Procurement Policy, which will be phased in from July and initially see companies bidding for government construction services contracts needing to meet agreed sustainability outcomes, including products with recycled content. In an announcement from environment minister Tanya Plibersek (pictured on right) on Wednesday, two phases of the…

The federal government has announced $330 million in grants for clean energy and emissions reduction projects at heavy industrial sites around the country. The government’s Powering the Regions Fund is supporting nine projects  ranging from powering mine sites with renewables, eliminating the use of coal in iron pellet production, trialling the use of biocarbon in…

Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – we turn to the role of national industry policy. Here Roy Green points to innovation and the success of a Future Made in Australia as intertwined. While lacking detail at this stage, the significance of Prime Minister Albanese’s Future Made…

Sparc Technologies raises $2.25 million Graphene and green hydrogen developer Sparc Technologies has received firm commitments from sophisticated and other professional investors to raise $2.25M through a share placement. New and existing investors strongly supported the placement. Sparc Technologies Managing Director Nick O’Loughlin, said: “Sparc is very pleased with the strong support it has received…

RMIT University and Visy have partnered up to develop energy-efficient bricks, which switch out clay for recycled materials and show promise in boosting energy-efficiency. The new bricks contain a minimum of 15 per cent waste glass and 20 per cent combusted solid waste (ash), as substitutes for clay, according to a statement from RMIT University…

Metal 3D printer manufacturer AML3D has signed a contract with the Australian Government Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) to provide components for testing in defence marine applications. The $240,000 contract requires AML3D to 3D metal print two representative marine components using a Nickel Aluminium Bronze (NAB) alloy and high strength duplex steel alloy. Manufacturing…

Lithium ion battery materials company Lithium Australia has increased battery recycling at its Envirostream facilities (pictured) as agreements with overseas manufacturers lead to higher collection volumes. The company told investors it collected 344 tonnes of batteries during the March quarter, including 177 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries (LIBs), an 18 percent increase in LIB collection volumes…

Consultation opened on Tuesday morning on the design of the federal government’s Solar Sunshot program, announced late last month. Sunshot is budgeted at $1 billion. It was announced on March 28 by prime minister Anthony Albanese during a visit to NSW Hunter Valley, which has a strong heritage in coal mining, pledging to “invest in…

Iron ore miners Fortescue and Roy Hill have joined with steelmaker Liberty and university partners in new projects from the Heavy Industry Low Carbon Transition CRC (HILT CRC) which are funded by the Australian Renewable Energy Agency. The projects in ARENA’s recent Iron and Steel R&D Round will develop technology to upgrade iron ore quality…

Procurement and supply chain intermediary Industry Capability Network is thrilled to announce the official launch of Gateway, marking a significant milestone within the organisation. Gateway by ICN is designed to support business networking, providing a pivotal connection between major projects and the regions’ best-suited suppliers. CEO of ICN National Office Warren Jansen said: “We are…

With business and direct government spending on R&D falling, and only university research rising, our editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – turns to collaboration between industry and public sector researchers. By Dr Tony Peacock. If Australia is to turbocharge our R&D to reach 3% of GDP, businesses will have…

Nova Systems wins Norwegian support contract Nova Systems International will support the Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF) with Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) of C130J Super Hercules aircraft. This is a major milestone for us that supports operational capability delivery for the RNoAF, and builds on the existing contracts with Norwegian Government departments. “Nova Systems…

Solar cell manufacturer and renewable energy project developer RayGen Resources has completed a $51 million capital raise, led by oil and gas services company SLB. In a statement on Monday from state government investment vehicle Breakthrough Victoria – which contributed $20 million through the round – it said that RayGen would use the funding “to…

Today @AuManufacturing launches its latest editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – with the bad, in fact the very bad news. After steadily rising since the 1980s, Australia’s innovation effort as measured by R&D spending has slumped dramatically in the past decade. Peter Roberts sets the scene. Innovation is the…

Today @AuManufacturing launches its new editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – Turbocharging Australia’s Innovation Effort – with the facts about the crash in R&D over the past decade. Here in this edited excerpt (full paper link below) Dr John Howard details the innovation slump. In 1981, Australia spent 0.90% of its GDP on R&D…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) From soft plastics waste to structural building panels Australian composites manufacturer Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (SIS) has revealed innovative structural building panels made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and discarded soft plastics. The lightweight, high-strength composite panels are…

Australian infrastructure, property development and investment management company Wagner has joined with Boeing to grow the sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry to help meet Australia’s airline demand for jet fuel. With demand set to grow 75 percent over the next 25 years Wagner, which owns the Wellcamp Business Park and Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport in Queensland,…

Australia has welcomed what the Department of Defence described as ‘the significant and tangible steps’ made by the United States Government to further streamline export control licensing requirements for AUKUS trilateral partners. The announcement of a licence-free environment between Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States will revolutionise collaboration and enable unprecedented levels of…

By Peter Roberts The federal government has accelerated the roll out of renewable power generation and storage with the country’s biggest ever tender. But despite Canberra’s plans for a Future Made in Australia, there was no mention of a role for local industry in the announcement made this morning. The Federal and NSW climate change…

By Peter Roberts The once high flying electric vehicle charger manufacturer Tritium DCFC has succumbed to a litany of financial problems, with the appointment of voluntary administrators to its three Australian subsidiaries Tritium Pty Ltd, Tritium Holdings and Tritium Nominee. According to a brief statement to the US Securities and Excgange Commission – parent company…

By Greg Jericho Australia’s economy is less an advanced economy than it is a petrostate style simple economy. That needs to change The announcement that the government would respond to the USA’s Inflation Reduction Act with the “Future Made in Australia” policy was a long time coming but welcome all the same. But while critics…

By Peter Roberts Mining company Iluka Resources has awarded long lead procurement packages for key equipment for the company’s planned rare earths refinery at its Eneabba zircon mine in Western Australia – the first refinery for rare earths in Australia for the minerals used in high technology products. The company is procuring the roasting kiln,…

Micro-X raises cash, accelerates product commercialisation Cold cathode X-ray machine manufacturer Micro-X has raised $4 million in a placement including from all four substantial shareholders and will embark on a share purchase plan to raise a further $1 million. The raising is being made at 9.5 cents a share, a 17 percent discount to the…

Another step in the process of Australia acquiring, and eventually building, nuclear powered submarines has been taken with the first three Royal Australian Navy officers assigned to US Virginia class submarines based at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The officers, ​Lieutenant Commander James Heydon, Lieutenant Commander Adam Klyne and Lieutenant William Hall, were assigned after graduating…

Sponsored After a successful Idea to Launch Masterclass hosted in Holland this year, Sopheon moves to Melbourne for a full two days of impactful training and workshopping over the 31st April and 1st May 2024 at the Melbourne Business School. Register now as numbers are limited. The Idea to Launch Masterclass articulates a Systematic Innovation…

Drone detection and countermeasure manufacturer DroneShield has topped off a year of rapid growth with a fully underwritten $75 million capital raising. The company is raising $70 million via a share placement, and an additional $5 million through a share purchase plan. The cash will be used to build up inventory to support a sales…

Below is the introduction speech from @AuManufacturing’s Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers awards event, held on April 18. You can view the 2024 list here.   Good morning and welcome.  We acknowledge the traditional owners of this land – the Gadigal people of the Eora nation – as we begin this event. When we launched this…

The first prototype Ghost Shark autonomous undersea vessel (pictured) being developed for the Royal Australian Navy has been completed. The name references Boeing’s successful development of the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Ghost Bat for the RAAF. Developed in Sydney by US start up Anduril, the company has previously shown a 2.8 tonne ‘Dive-LD’ autonomous submarine,…

Drone detection and countermeasure manufacturer DroneShield can look forward to greater opportunities selling to European militaries following an approval from the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA). The approval awarded via COBBS BELUX BV, DroneShield’s in-country Belgium and Luxembourg partner, is the first Counter-small UAS procurement framework agreement in NATO history. The initial agreement is…

By Peter Roberts So whether or not Australia will actually have a Future Made in Australia as wished for by the Albanese government comes down to what it has always come down to – a matter of Ideology. The sides of the debate are clear. Ranged against are the usual suspects – economically regressive media…

Defence Minister Richard Marles has outlined an ambitious Integrated Investment Program which incudes a jump in defence spending to the equivalent of 2.4 percent of GDP by 2033-34, a rise of a massive 0.3 percent on earlier projections. The programme, a response to the 2024 National Defence Strategy, involves a complete rebuild of Defence’s capability…

Rapid welding equipment manufacturer K-Tig is back in business having escaped administration through a downsizing and refinancing operation. Administrators KordaMentha announced that creditors had approved a rescue package that will result in the company returning to normal operations recapitalised, and with a smaller cost base. Under a Deed of Company Arrangement, K-Tig management has been…

Australia’s only manufacturer of solar panels Tindo Solar has celebrated five years of exporting to Vietnam with another shipment delivered in the first quarter of 2024. Tindo CEO Richard Petterson announced the milestone in an address at the Australia-Vietnam Green Economy Summit, which is led by Asialink and Climateworks Centre and supported by the federal…

By Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra Two major critical minerals projects in Queensland and South Australia are to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in federal government loans as part of the Albanese government’s new Future Made in Australia policy. New loans worth $400 million will go to the Australian company Alpha HPA to deliver…

Explosives detection device company GreyScan Detection has announced that its ETD-100 solution has been accepted by the United States Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) Innovation Task Force (ITF.)  GreyScan is a spinoff of commercialisation business Grey Innovation and uses capillary zone electrophoresis techniques for detecting trace quantities of inorganic explosives. The company said on Wednesday (Australian…

Clean energy and mobility company Pure Hydrogen has leased a 4,000m² site at Archerfield Airport, Queensland for its first demonstration hydrogen micro-hub (pictured). Pure intends to manufacture green hydrogen fuel at Archerfield, 11km from Brisbane CBD, to service commercial transport operators and the aviation industry. An electrolyser has been ordered which will use ‘green’ electricity…

Titomic announces sale of TKF metal 3D printing systems 3d printer manufacturer Titomic has announced the sale of cold spray additive manufacturing systems and associated equipment to Spanish technology centre Fundacion Centre Technologico Miranda de Ebro (CTME). The sale includes D633 medium-pressure and D523 low-pressure cold spray systems, a powder feeder and integrated spray booth…

Food ingredient company Harvest B has announced that it will launch lamb and beef blended meat products, which it says are world firsts and have been developed to make animal meat more affordable, sustainable and nutritious. In a statement on Tuesday, the company said it will collaborate with the animal protein industry to offer a “50:50…

Drug development company IDT Australia and pharmaceutical business Sanofi have signed an agreement for the good manufacturing practice (cGMP) manufacture of Sanofi’s mRNA vaccines now under development. The partners will collaborate to advance mRNA-based vaccine formulation, development and manufacture at IDT’s aseptic sterile injectables filling facilities in Melbourne (pictured) in volumes needed for clinical trials…

The federal government has announced $1.5 million in funding for Victoria University’s Sunshine campus as part of the TAFE Technology Fund. According to a statement from skills minister Brendan O’Connor on Tuesday, the funding to the dual-sector provider will be used for “cutting-edge machines to support the establishment of the Western Melbourne Precinct for Advanced…

Australian composites manufacturer Sustainable Infrastructure Systems (SIS) has revealed innovative structural building panels made from glass fibre-reinforced polymer (GFRP) and discarded soft plastics. The lightweight, high-strength composite panels are the first in the world to be manufactured using post-consumer mixed soft plastics, which are blended with a proprietary material matrix, according to an announcement. The…

Clean energy company MGA Thermal has secured an additional $5.7 million in funding, taking its recent funding round total to approximately $14 million. The company, which is demonstrating the scale and industrial capabilities of its thermal energy storage systems, was supported by returning investors including Main Sequence, Melt Ventures and new investor JEKARA. The funding…

EOS Defense Systems USA has participated in the US Army’s Project Convergence Capstone 4 (PC-C4) at the Army’s National Training Center in Fort Irwin, California. The subsidiary of Electro Optic Systems Limited demonstrated the capabilities of an R600 Remote Weapon Station (pictured) equipped with a Northrop Grumman M230LF cannon, coaxial machine gun, and four Javelin…

Eight small to medium-sized businesses delivering priority capabilities for Defence will be assisted by federal government grants totalling $3.47 million. The Defence Global Competitiveness and Sovereign Industrial Capability Priority grant programmes help Australian businesses boost manufacturing, harness their expertise and increase jobs. The latest recipients are: QPE Advanced Manufacturing (pictured) will receive $1 million to…

By Katie Howe Last week Prime Minister Albanese cheerfully welcomed the Chinese government’s removal of import duties on Australian wine. Following numerous government-to-government talks held in Canberra and Beijing over recent months, it was seen as a positive step in a new era of Australia-China relations. For winemakers, it was merely a small win on…

Vast Renewables has executed engineering contracts to complete Front-End Engineering Design (FEED) on its VS1 Concentrated Solar Thermal Power Plant (CSP) project. The New York listed company executed key engineering contracts with Afry, FYFE, Primero and Worley to complete FEED on the Construction of 288 MWh CSP power plant to be built at Port Augusta,…

Rio Tinto spends up big with local suppliers Rio Tinto increased its spend with suppliers and local businesses in Australia to more than $16.1 billion in 2023, as part of the company’s commitment to support communities where it operates. This was an increase of five per cent on the previous year and was spent with…

The federal government has released its Medical Science Co-investment Plan, following the announcement of a proposed Future Made in Australia Act in response to international attempts to shore up domestic industry. The co-investment plan, released on Monday morning, identifies “a broad range of high-value investment opportunities” in medical technology, according to a statement, as well…

Defence and communications manufacturer Electro Optic Systems has announced new customer orders valued at $24 million. EOS subsidiary EM Solutions has received additional orders worth $19 million, while EOS Space Technologies has won a $5 million contract. EM Solution’s orders include: Follow on orders from a European NATO navy for six King Cobra satellite terminals…

Aerospace company Boeing has been awarded a $139.5 million contract to deliver Increment 3 Block 2 software, systems and sensor upgrades to enhance the anti-submarine warfare, maritime strike and intelligence collection capabilities of the RAAF’s P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft. The RAAF’s first P-8A aircraft entered into service in 2016, with the latest upgrades supporting…

Applications have opened for SME manufacturers to apply for CSIRO’s Innovate to Grow, a free, ten-week, online program assisting companies “embarking on early-stage R&D or those venturing into new solutions”. In a statement on Monday, the nation’s science organisation said the intake of the Advanced Manufacturing cohort would be the first following the announcement of…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Sentient Vision to fall to foreign control in Shield AI takeover Optical detection and video imagery company Sentient Vision Systems is to fall into overseas control with a takeover by California-based Shield AI. Sentient previously collaborated with…

@AuManufacturing is very happy to announce our keynote speaker for the Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers awards breakfast this week. Our guest presenter on April 18 is Xavier Orr (pictured), CEO and co-founder of Advanced Navigation. Orr’s breakthrough in neural network research at university has turned into a manufacturing business supplying digital fibre optic gyroscopes…

By Peter Roberts @AuManufacturing’s editorial series – Towards 3% R&D – turbocharging our national innovation effort which is now seeking your input – has been made more relevant with the announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of a Future Made in Australia Act. Australia’s manufacturing future lies in technology and skills based products, as well…

Sponsored article Join Australia’s largest clean energy and recycling advanced manufacturing ecosystem – Deakin University’s REACH – to accelerate a cleaner, greener future for Australian manufacturing with an unprecedented investment in research-led innovation projects. As the nation’s most progressive university, we’re ready to work with you through our Recycling and Clean Energy Commercialisation Hub (REACH)…

The New South Wales Premier Chris Minns has announced that industry, innovation, trade and investment functions will return to the centre of government through the transfer of Investment NSW to the Premier’s Department. This front door of government will make it easier for industry, investors, and entrepreneurs to participate in major government priorities and ensure…

The announcement by the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of a Future Made in Australia Act has brought a chorus of negativism as well as support and advice from industry. Samantha Donovan interviewed industry policy leader Emeritus Professor Roy Green of UTS Sydney on ABC radio – his advice is to better coordinate policy, focus on…

The Queensland government has announced $2.5 million dedicated to a new solar panel recycling pilot program, which it says is the first in the nation, and comes alongside $3 million dedicated to renewable industry association grants. In a statement on Friday, the state government said that “thousands of solar panels” from the state’s homes, businesses…

The Victorian Government’s Invest Victoria arm has offered non-dilutive financial support to Dovetail Electric Aviation to support its electric propulsion development roadmap, according to the company. Dovetail has relocated its headquarters from NSW to Victoria, with Invest Victoria’s cash adding to that received from aerospace company Aciturri which recently became the lead investor in the…

Filtered and boiling water appliance manufacturer Zip Water has continued to innovate introducing a unique All-In-One tap to add to its product range. The new tap, manufacturied at Zip’s Sydney factory, offers five types of water delivery – filtered boiling, chilled, and sparkling water, alongside unfiltered hot and cold water. And this all comes from…

US company SpaceWorks Enterprises has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with rocket range operator Southern Launch to use Koonibba Test Range in South Australia for Re-Entry Devices (RED) returns. SpaceWorks is an aerospace company manufacturing advanced space transportation systems, including a line of atmospheric Re-Entry Devices (RED) to enable low-cost, autonomous re-entry of payloads from…

Manufacturing leaders have welcomed the announcement by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of a Future Made in Australia Act and greater focus from Canberra to supporting industry development. The Managing Director of Kimberly-Clark Australia Belinda Driscoll, said the company’s sole manufacturing plant in regional South Australia which produces VIVA, Kleenex, and Scott products, contributes over half…

Seven teams have been awarded a total of $446,426 in grants from the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) through the organisation’s Grand Challenge Fund, with industry partners contributing a further $450,000 to projects. The teams include those using sensing technologies for bee hive health monitoring, forestry fuel monitoring, and ”rapid microwave annealing for ultra-low-cost perovskite…

Armour steel manufacturer Bisalloy Steel has broken into the US military shipbuilding market, snaring a purchase order for processed Australian steel from Newport News Shipbuilding. Newport News is a division of HII, the largest military shipbuilder in the US and one of two US companies that designs and builds nuclear-powered submarines. Bisalloy, which processes steel…

Australian trailer manufacturer Borcat Trailers has taken a significant step towards sustainability by embracing Capral Aluminium’s LocAl Green lower-carbon aluminium. Borcat Trailers has partnered with Capral Aluminium, embracing LocAl Green lower carbon aluminium as the new standard for extruded aluminium supplied into its business. Capral’s LocAl offer includes two lower carbon aluminium options: LocAl Green…

Kongsberg Defence Australia has accelerated the construction of its $25 million Australian manufacturing headquarters at Technology Park in Mawson Lakes, Adelaide. The company purchased 6,000m2 of land at Technology Park from stated-owned developer Renewal SA in October 2022, planning to complete the building in stages over a number of years. However it now sees increasing…

US President Joe Biden has revealed that Japan and the United States and Australia will create a networked system of air, missile, and defense architecture. Biden gave no details however the development is seen as a step towards Japan joining Pillar 2 of the AUKUS agreement with the United Kingdom, US and Australia. Pillar 1…

On Thursday in a speech in Brisbane Prime Minister Anthony Albanese revealed he would put to Parliament a bill for a Future Made in Australia Act which would respond to increasing global competition through more activist industry policy. Here is an edited transcript of his speech. We need to be clear-eyed about the economic realities…

Next Science reports positive study for BLASTX Wound care technology developer Next Science has reported a study showing the company’s BLASTX product to be efficacious in the treatment of pressure ulcers when used in conjunction with negative pressure wound therapy (NPWT). BLASTX utilises the company’s NXBIO technology which reduces the impact of biofilm based infections…

The University of Wollongong’s innovation hub iAccelerate has calculated that its companies generated $75.3 million in sales in the 2023 calendar year, and a total of $416.5 million since its establishment in 2016. According to a statement from UoW on Thursday, its iAccelerate 2023 Impact Report calculated that companies paid $22.3 million through salaries and…

Sydney’s biggest water storage behind Warragamba dam, Lake Burragorang is proposed as the site for a pumped hydro project that could generate enough electricity to up to 500,000 homes and businesses. ZEN Energy is proposing to turn degraded coal industry land at Nattai on the escarpment above the lake into a 1,000 megawatts (1GW) Western…

Construction Materials manufacturer Wagners has launched a new 356mm Fibre Reinforced Polymer (FRP) utility pole for electricity networks feeling the pinch of timber shortages. Wagners Composite Fibre Technologies’ (CFT) launch comes in the wake of rising costs, declining quality and reliability of supply for traditional timber utility poles, due to deforestation and bushfires in 2002…

By Peter Roberts The federal government has flagged greater government intervention to nurture industry with a proposed enabling Future Made in Australia Act to set the scene for a more activist industry policy future. According to a speech to be delivered today to Queensland Press Club and leaked to media outlets, the Act is a…

The federal government has signed the production contract for 123 Boxer Heavy Weapon Carrier vehicles with more than 100 of those vehicles to be exported for use by the German Army. The export order is Australia’s largest foreign military export to Germany. Rheinmetall completed a contract with the German authorities with a total volume of…

Today in our editorial series – Towards 3% – turbocharging our national innovation effort – innovation policy analyst Dr John Howard shines light on why Australian R&D is going backwards. In this, the second part of a two-part series, Dr Howard discusses the reasons behind the fall in R&D spending, pointing the finger at a…

Australian autonomous uncrewed vessel developer Ocius Technology and US maritime technology firm ThayerMahan Inc have announced they will collaborate to demonstrate a powerful new capability at the AUVSI XPONENTIAL event running from 23 to 25 April off San Diego, California. The collaboration places ThayerMahan’s Outpost system of acoustic sensors and digital signal processing aboard Ocius’…

Construction is now underway on a cutting-edge co-working and innovation space that aims to transform Northshore Brisbane and cultivate a thriving community of entrepreneurs, innovators, and creatives. Situated adjacent to the Eat Street Northshore, The Wheelhouse will span 1,172 square metres across two levels in a warehouse-style building and accommodate up to 170 workers. The…

Only two more sleeps to go before the much anticipated return of the Polly Waffle chocolate bar. That’s the good news from confectionery manufacturer Menz which has revealed the official start of on-shelf rollouts for the childhood favourite will be from Friday the 12th April 2024. As reported by @AuManufacturing, the chocolate treat will not…

The University of Wollongong (UOW) has shared details of a new project with industry partner BlueScope Steel for lower-emission steelmaking, which was announced on Wednesday morning as securing $2 million in funding through an Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) grant round. According to a statement from the university, the project will investigate ways to utilise…

A request for proposals has been made from companies interested in inhabiting the Bradfield City Centre’s First Building, which will also house the Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility (AMRF), near Sydney’s second airport. According to a statement from the Western Parkland City Authority on Tuesday, the First Building is scheduled to open this year and “will…

Australian green hydrogen developer Provaris Energy and Global Energy Storage have entered an agreement to develop a gaseous hydrogen import facility at the GES terminal in Rotterdam, Holland. GES is developing a multi-client, multi-product terminal in Rotterdam, able to import both refrigerated ammonia and compressed hydrogen, with redeliveries into barges, rail, truck and the H2…

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced $59.1 million in funding supporting 21 R&D and commercialisation projects involving renewable hydrogen and low emission iron and steel. According to a statement from the federal government’s ARENA on Wednesday, the funding supports research teams “from some of Australia’s top universities, research organisations, startups and companies.” The…

Singer and actor Jessica Mauboy has lent her voice and is hitting the ‘buy local’ high notes as the newly-named ambassador of Australian Made Week 2024. Running from 20 – 26 May, the annual event aims to celebrate all that Australians create, with the home-grown singer songwriter encouraging us to prioritise buying products bearing the…

By Peter Roberts @AuManufacturing News and Media is one of many voices concerned at a precipitous fall in national R&D effort since 2008 – innovation is the lifeblood of the economy and Australia’s effort is faltering. The fall, which accelerated under the coalition government, has not been reversed by the new Labor government despite Canberra…

Construction has begun on a $500 million solar farm near Gladstone, Queensland that will provide power to the proposed Central Queensland Hydrogen project (CQ-H2). The Stanwell Corporation-led project, which is backed by $69.2 million in funding through the regional hydrogen hubs programme, could produce up to 292,000 tonnes of hydrogen a year by 2031. Located…

Casella Family Brands, the maker of Yellow Tail and Peter Lehmann wines, has switched on the largest solar PV facility in the Australian wine industry at its facility at Yenda, NSW. CEO of Casella Family Brands John Casella said the facility was a major step forward for the industry and his business. Casella said: “We’re…

Launching our new editorial series – Towards 3% – turbocharging our national innovation effort – innovation policy analyst Dr John Howard looks behind the statistics to reveal that Australia’s national R&D effort has slumped since 2009. In this edited excerpt, the first part of a two-part series, Dr Howard shows Australia is falling further behind.…

A new report has identified potential economic benefits from manufacturing above the generalised calls for Australia to become a renewables superpower. The report from the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU), the Climate Action Network Australia, and the UTS Institute for Sustainable Futures lays out the opportunities and actions required to stake out Australia’s value-added future.…

Expressions of interest are open for subsidies worth up to $6,000 through Investment NSW for up to 12  “emerging premium food and beverage manufacturers” wanting to exhibit at the Fine Food Australia trade event. According to a statement from Investment NSW, Fine Food is the southern hemisphere’s leading trade event for the food industry, attracting…

Packaging business BioPak has announced the acquisition of Australian-based reusable cup company, Huskee.  In a statement on Tuesday, BioPak said the deal “marks a significant partnership and alignment” and will “fast-track and strengthen both BioPak and Huskee’s shared vision towards a circular economy and a world without waste.” The value of the deal was not…

Hydrogen technology developer Sparc Hydrogen has successfully tested its second generation prototype photocatalytic water splitting (PWS) reactor atop a solar tower at the CSIRO Energy Centre in Newcastle, New South Wales (pictured). Sparc Hydrogen, a joint venture between the University of Adelaide, Fortescue and Sparc Technologies, tested over numerous trial runs the second generation prototype…

Silicon energy storage company 1414 Degrees has signed a term sheet that will see its Aurora Energy Precinct at Port Augusta in South Australia access the ElectraNet 275kV Hill-to-Hill power line connecting to the National Electricity Market. The company’s 50 percent owned joint venture with Vast Renewables, SiliconAurora Pty Ltd signed a term sheet with…

Paper, packaging and recycling business Visy has announced that an average of 63 per cent recycled content in its glass packaging across Australia and New Zealand for the financial year so far, a 5 per cent increase on the previous financial year. In a statement on Tuesday the company said the figure is higher still…

AML3D 3D printer gets to work in US submarine programme AML3D’s industrial-scale ARCEMY ‘X-Edition 6700’ Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM) metal 3D printing system has been commissioned and is in operation at the US Navy’s Additive Manufacturing Centre of Excellence (AM CoE) in Danville, Virginia. The $1.1 million order for the machine was placed through…

Training efforts are ramping up for Royal Australian Navy officers and staff of submarine builder ASC which will build AUKUS-SSN nuclear powered submarines in Adelaide in partnership with BAE Systems Australia. The first RAN officers are about to graduate from nuclear technology courses in both the United States and the United Kingdom, while ASC staff…

The Northern Australia Infrastructure Facility (NAIF) has completed a strategic assessment of manganese miner Element 25‘s Butcherbird Stage 2 expansion project. Butcherbird will export manganese to a high-purity manganese sulphate (HPMSM) refinery in Louisiana USA to supply the US electric vehicle battery industry. Element 25 Managing Director Justin Brown said: “The results of our Feasibility…

Pharmaceutical company Starpharma is to establish a new UK based company called Petalion Therapeutics Limited in joint venture with life sciences investment firm Medicxi,. Petalion will initially focus on developing novel targeted dendrimer-drug conjugate therapies in oncology, utilising Starpharma’s proprietary DEP dendrimer platform technology. Medicxi will fund Petalion with an initial investment of up to…

Fleet Space Technologies has announced the successful deployment of its next-generation Centauri-6 satellite on SpaceX’s Bandwagon-1 mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The new member of the company’s satellite constellation will help service demand for its end-to-end mineral exploration solution, ExoSphere, while also building capacity to deliver…

Aurora Labs has 3D printed a micro gas turbine that could be the centre of a small propulsion system or power plant for unmanned aerial vehicles or instant power generation. The system, part of the company’s development of 200N and 400N Class gas turbines, will be available in the market as early as next month…

Mining and green technology manufacturer Fortescue has officially opened its electrolyser manufacturing facility in Gladstone, Queensland – one of the first globally to house an automated assembly line (pictured). The 15,000sqm advanced manufacturing facility, constructed in just over two years, will have capacity to produce over 2GW of Proton Exchange Membrane (PEM) electrolyser stacks annually.…

Glove and protective clothing manufacturer Ansell is to expand globally with the purchase of Kimberly-Clark’s Personal Protective Equipment business (KCPPE) for $420.5 million (US$640 million) in cash. KCPPE designs and markets hand, body and eye protection products under the Kimtech and KleenGuard brands to customers scientific and industrial markets – its presence in scientific markets…

Optical detection and video imagery company Sentient Vision Systems is to fall into overseas control with a takeover by California-based Shield AI. Sentient previously collaborated with Shield to develop a ViDAR-enabled wide area motion imagery (WAMI) solution called ‘Sentient Observer’, which will fly this year. ViDAR is Sentient’s AI system, which uses an Electro-Optic or…

A Queensland government manufacturing grant will enable Mackay business, Key Solutions Group to purchase two Motoman AR1440 series welding robots, Power-Trac seam finders/trackers and rotary screw compressors. This will expand its manufacturing capacity and grow the business, resulting in as many as eight new jobs and the upskilling of 28 existing staff. Key Solutions Group…

Australian cultured meat manufacturer Vow is to launch its Forged meat product in Singapore following regulatory approval. The company took to social media and said: “We’re the first Australian company approved to sell cultured meat. “Available now in Singapore – introducing Forged Parfait – not an imitation of chicken or beef, but a new flavour…

As we prepare for the awards event on April 18, we are pleased to present our expert panel of judges for Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers 2024. Meet our judges, each of which is enabling an independent, credible, arm’s-length evaluation of nominees for @AuManufacturing‘s campaign. Keep an eye out for the announcement of our awards…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Arthur Sinodinos replaces co-founder as Chair at Hypersonix Hypersonic vehicle developer Hypersonix Launch Systems has announced former Australian Ambassador to the United States and Senator Arthur Sinodinos as the new Chair of its board. In a statement…

Applications have opened for grants worth between $50,000 and $300,000 through the Queensland government’s $2.67 million Mining Equipment, Technology and Services (METS) Collaborative Project Fund. Grants cover up to half of eligible project costs to assist teams “to innovate and collaborate to develop projects to address environmental and safety challenges facing the resources sector”. Funding…

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has signaled that pressures on gas prices are easing for industrial customers with news of a potential surplus of gas. Australia’s east coast gas market is expected to have a six petajoule (PJ) surplus in the third quarter of 2024, even if the three LNG producers export all their…

Alceon Private Equity has taken a 50 per cent stake in agriculture and transport industry equipment maker BOSS Engineering. According to a statement from BOSS, it is the first institutional capital and will allow it to increase both its rate of growth and geographical reach. The value of the stake was not disclosed, though according…

Excitement is building as Gold Coast based Gilmour Space Technologies prepares its Eris rocket for its inaugural flight into space. The company has been teasing the public for weeks about the planned date for the historic launch – the first of a fully Australian developed and manufactured rocket capable of reaching Low Earth Orbit. Australia’s…

EOS and RICO demonstrate long range autonomous control The Robotic and Autonomous Systems Implementation & Coordination Office (RICO) of the Australian Army and defence contractor Electro Optic Systems have extended the capabilities of the M113 Armoured Personnel Carrier (pictured) into long range autonomous weapons firing. The partners demonstrated the long-range firing capabilities of EOS’ R400…

Plastic recycling startup Samsara Eco has announced the next step in its partnership with athletic clothing brand lululemon, launching their first product containing “enzymatically recycled polyester” on Thursday. According to a statement from the pair, a limited edition Packable Anorak jacket by lululemon contains “a variety of inputs, including mixed plastic waste, lululemon apparel at…

The federal government has released the latest Australian Defence Export Catalogue. This iteration of the catalogue features a record number of businesses showcasing export-ready products services and technologies, up 20 percent compared to the previous edition. ​The release of the 2024 catalogue comes on the back of the release of the Defence Industry Development Strategy,…

CSIRO has announced $20 million in funding for its SME Connect program, which it says will allow the program to support “up to 750 SMEs through a range of programs and initiatives” including through facilitation, training, dollar-matched funding. SME Connect aims to help small to medium-sized businesses connect with R&D help. It runs programs such…

Composites manufacturer Airspeed has been awarded a contract to manufacture Replenishment At Sea (RAS) Stump Masts for the first batch of three Hunter class frigates being built in Adelaide. The RAS Stump Masts allow for the transfer of fuel, munitions and stores from one ship to another while at sea. Airspeed Managing Director Steve Barlow…

A Hydrus autonomous underwater vehicle made by Advanced Navigation was recently sent on a mission to the Indian Ocean’s Rottnest ship graveyard, sharing data with the Western Australian Museum and Curtin University to rebuild a model of a shipwreck dating back over a century. In a statement from the company this week, it said the…

Australia and US collaborate on ballistic missile interception Australia has supported the United States as it undertook a successful missile defence test off the coast of Hawaii. Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force assets supported the test conducted by the US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) and the US Navy. The US test involved…

The NSW Government has committed to begin procuring replacements for the Tangara fleet of suburban passenger trains by March 2027, with a 50 percent domestic manufacturing target to be included in the contract. The replacement fleet will be the first to buck the pattern of overseas acquisitions of trains, trams and ferries by the former…

By Peter Roberts Building products group Brickworks has announced the retirement of its long serving Managing Director Lindsay Partridge (pictured). Partridge, who is to be replaced by COO Mark Ellenor, is one of the country’s best respected and most successful manufacturing leaders. A ceramic engineer by training, he worked his way to the top job…

Global appliance company Electrolux Group has taken a significant step towards net-zero emissions in its remaining Australian factory with the commissioning of a new electric-powered furnace at its Adelaide cooking products plant. Electrolux is the only home appliance company still manufacturing in Australia, employing approximately 450 at Dudley Park who turn out up to 350,000…

Have you ever wished you could get together with other manufacturers in a relaxed setting, chew the fat, and maybe make a few new contacts you can do business with later on? It turns out @AuManufacturing news and Epicor have just the thing for you. Tomorrow – the evening of April 3 – you can…

By Peter Roberts Korean defence group Hanwha has made a bid to buy one of the few Australian-owned defence prime contractors, shipbuilder Austal, and take it into foreign control. The bid was confirmed this morning by the Perth shipbuilder, which has expended from aluminium ferry building to become a major defence shipbuilder in Australia and…

Drone detection and countermeasure manufacturer DroneShield has been awarded a $900,000 R&D contract from a Five-Eyes government to respond to increases in electronic jamming including potentially on the battlefields of Ukraine. The contract aims to leverage the potential of the DroneSentry-X Mk2 and aims to provide a set of software tools to enhance end-user capabilities…

1414 Degrees has announced the completion of the demonstration phase of its $6 million SiBox thermal energy storage project ready for commercialisation. The company, which is developing the SiBox technology in partnership with Woodside Energy Technologies, said the system had delivered continuous process heat at levels needed for industrial use. It defined a cycle of…

Rocket range operator Southern Launch is putting the finishing touches to Australia’s latest permanent spaceport ahead of its first launch. New launch facilities at the Koonibba Test Range north of Ceduna in outback South Australia are almost ready for the launch of German manufacturer HyImpulse’s SR75 rocket. The launch will will test HyImpulse’s hybrid propulsion…

Brisbane’s Graphene Manufacturing Group has secured Queensland government backing for a proposed Automated Battery Pilot Plant for the manufacture of GMG’s Graphene Aluminium Ion Battery. The company signed a Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund Agreement with the state for a grant of $2 million. GMG is using graphene to produce aluminium-ion batteries utilising…

The Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has welcomed the lifting of punitive tariffs on Australia’s wine exports by China. Speaking at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley wine region Albanese said the flow on of the Chinese change of heart would be enormous. Albanese said: “Now, when the impediments to trade with China were put in place,…

Solar cell manufacturer SunDrive Solar and ASX-listed AGL Energy have announced a Memorandum of Understanding exploring the possibility of building solar panels at AGL’s Hunter Energy Hub. The news coincided with Thursday morning’s announcement by prime minister Anthony Albanese of the $1 billion Solar SunShot scheme, aiming to grow a local supply chain for solar…

Sparc Technologies and the South Australian Department for Infrastructure and Transport (DIT) are to trial the company’s ecosparc graphene enhanced coatings on steel infrastructure such as bridges and jetties in the state. The parties have signed a Trial Agreement under which Sparc and the DIT will conduct collaborative field trials at the West Beach Bridge…

Strong employment outcomes for apprentices and trainees – NCVER The latest report from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that the proportion of apprentices and trainees who were employed after training remained high in 2023. The report, Apprentice and trainee outcomes 2023, shows that 95.6 percent of apprentices and trainees who completed…

Graphene Manufacturing Group announced this week that it has signed a Queensland Critical Minerals and Battery Technology Fund Agreement with the state government for a $2 million grant, supporting the company’s proposed battery pilot plant. Brisbane-based and Toronto-listed GMG is commercialising graphene aluminium ion batteries among other graphene-based products.  GMG claims that their batteries, developed…

The federal government has announced a $1 billion Solar SunShot scheme in association with the NSW government to support the development of solar panel manufacturing in Australia. Solar SunShot will help Australia capture more of the global solar manufacturing supply chain through support, including production subsidies and grants. This will help ensure more solar panels…

Have you ever wished you could get together with other manufacturers in a relaxed setting, chew the fat, and maybe make a few new contacts you can do business with later on? It turns out we have just the thing for you. On the evening of April 3 you can join some of your Sydney-based…

Silicon quantum processor manufacturer Diraq has announced a breakthrough in the operation of its processors overcoming one of the drawbacks of the technology – that quantum systems usually run at ultra low temperatures and need cumbersome cooling systems. The Sydney company revealed the results in a paper published in the journal Nature today showing that…

By Peter Roberts Queensland’s ARM Hub is supporting a local start-up to build a smart lithium battery for Australian homes, at the same time demonstrating its unusual-for-Australia innovation model. The batteries have a special casing that enables them to be repaired remotely, and the company, Vaulta, is scaling their pilot assembly plant at the ARM…

Imaging company EMVision Medical Devices is preparing for a meeting with the US Food and Drug Administration as it edges closer to seeking approval to market its emu point of care scanner to detect stroke. The company has been developing a system that uses microwaves and AI in a machine small enough to fit in…

Figures released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) have allowed the federal government to spruik the economic benefits of defence spending in growing Australia’s defence industry. The Australian Defence Industry Account (ADIA) data for 2022-23 shows the contribution from Australia’s defence industry to the national economy grew by 4.1 per cent on the…

An RMIT University-led team has designed and manufactured a surface, made of silicon and covered in tiny “nanospikes”, which is showing promise in controlling transmission of potentially dangerous viruses. According to a statement from the university, the results of a study that made the cover of nanoscience journal ACS Nano show 96 per cent of…

The US Food and Drug Administration has told biotechnology company Mesoblast that it now has sufficient clinical data to support a submission to approve the company’s remestemcel-L drug for treatment of pediatric patients. Remestemcel-L is being developed for inflammatory diseases in children and adults, including steroid-refractory acute graft versus host disease, and biologic-resistant inflammatory bowel…

Exports have resumed from dairy company Norco following a disruption caused by the 2022 Northern Rivers floods. Norco’s Lismore site was flooded in February 2022 and reopened in November last year.  According to a statement from federal agricultural minister Murray Watt on Wednesday, the first international shipment from the Lismore factory since then is currently…

The first in a series of AUKUS Innovation Challenges, the AUKUS Electronic Warfare Innovation Challenge, has been launched today through the Advanced Strategic Capabilities Accelerator (ASCA). The first AUKUS Challenge will seek innovative solutions to shared electronic warfare challenges from industry and research institutions in Australia, the United Kingdom and United States. ASCA will lead…

Aluminium chemicals company Alpha HPA has established small scale commercial production for its 5N purity aluminium nitrate (Al-nitrate) precursors at its Stage 1, Precursor Production Facility (PPF) in Gladstone, Queensland. The facility is now producing high purity aluminas (HPA) which are used as anodes in lithium ion batteries and is in final commissioning of process…

Synthetic fuel producer Zero Petroleum has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the South Australian government to explore opportunities for producing fuel from green hydrogen produced in the state.. The company demonstrated its product at the recent Adelaide Motorsport Festival, with a motorcycle powered by the company’s synthetic fuel racing around Victoria Park race…

5B, a Sydney-headquartered designer of prefabricated, relocatable solar PV systems, is deploying a 26 megawatt solar farm using its Maverick blocks at Bellevue Gold’s gold mine in Western Australia, which will form part of an 89.7 megawatt hybrid power station. The off-grid facility includes 528 5B Maverick arrays, and the combined wind, solar, thermal generation…

The commissioning of a new multi metal 3D printer in Melbourne as part of the iLAuNCH Trailblazer initiative is set to make space missions more affordable and efficient by creating lighter, faster and more robust aerospace components. The Nikon SLM-280 (Selective Laser Melting) at CSIRO’s Lab22 facility will print metals side-by-side in one continuous print.…

Additive manufacturing machinery manufacturer Titomic has announced its largest-ever order for D523 cold spray metal printing systems to the Royal Netherlands Army, the Koninklijke Landmacht. The order comprises 10 units of the D523 low pressure system with a total sale value of $1.28 million, marking a significant milestone in Titomic’s expansion in the defence sector.…

Composites manufacturer Quickstep has launched Quickstep Engineering Solutions allowing companies to benefit from its product development and manufacturing skills. CEO and Managing Director Mark Burgess said the company was thrilled to have productised ‘our incredible engineering offering – product and process design/development, industrial automation and supporting capabilities’. Burgess said: “With over 20 years of expertise…

Australian space suit company Metakosmos has announced an agreement with Saudi Arabian engineering services company Al-Sanai, which the Sydney-based startup says is “a strategic move” to reach new markets. In a statement on Tuesday (Sydney time), Metakosmos CEO Kiriti Rambhatla said of the collaboration: “As a part of the Metakosmos global customer expansion plan, after…

Underground mining contractor RUC Mining has launched a regenerative energy storage solution for mine shaft hoists or winders. Winders are heavy machines used to raise and lower minerals and materials in a mine shaft, with energy expended especially as the hoists raise materials and people to the surface. RUC Mining’s innovation is to capture and…

Governments and the Australian Renewable Energy Agency are backing trials of two energy-dense battery types not seen on electric vehicles to test the feasibility of battery micro-grids to supply those living in off-grid communities. With $2.85 million each from ARENA and the Western Australian government, regional energy provider Horizon Power will pilot two battery technologies…

3D mapping technology designed by CSIRO has reached the International Space Station, following a launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station last week, the nation’s scientific agency has announced. According to a statement from CSIRO on Monday, astronauts on the ISS will fit the device onto NASA’s Astrobee robotic platform. Dr Marc Elmouttie, a CSIRO…

The Westpac-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry survey of Industrial Trends shows a worsening in conditions for manufacturers in the year’s first quarter, and an outlook moving “deeper into pessimistic territory”. A summary reads that the quarter brought a “decline in new orders, a fall in output, a reduction in overtime and a material downsize…

Lincoln Minerals will begin a partnering process for its large-scale Green Iron Project on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia, which is underpinned by a recently announced 1.2 billion tonne (Bt) magnetite resource. The company aims to identify a funding and project partner for advancing the Green Iron Project to operational status. Magnetite is a…

By Peter Roberts The decision that BAE Systems Australia and ASC Pty Ltd are to build SSN‑AUKUS submarines in Adelaide promises to return government-owned ASC closer to the role originally intended when then defence minister Kim Beazley established the ASC to build the Collins Class submarine. The company, which will now also sustain Virginia and…

Fifty-six Queensland businesses will share in more than $5.5 million in funding to bring new and innovative products and services to the market under the state government’s Ignite Ideas and Ignite Spark funds. The Ignite Ideas Fund helps companies to take a viable product to market with grants of up to $200,000, while the Ignite…

The ELO2 Consortium’s pioneering lunar rover prototype, the result of Australian ingenuity in remote operations of mining equipment and aspirations in space, was unveilled in Adelaide today and could be on the way to the Moon courtesy of a NASA mission. The prototype, to be named Roo-ver, is one of two being developed by different…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Australian Vanadium produces first battery electrolyte Australian Vanadium has successfully produced its first high purity vanadium electrolyte, ready for use in vanadium redox flow batteries. Production follows the commissioning of the company’s vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility in Perth in December.…

Communications and defence contractor Electro Optic Systems is to raise $35 million to cater for growth including purchasing long lead time items such as cannon for its in-demand remote weapons systems (RWS, pictured). There has been a surge of recent orders for its large and especially small RWS systems – these enable missiles, cannon and…

The ability of electric powered machines to do the job – even towing a caravan – has been demonstrated with Fortescue’s first operational electric excavator reaching one million tonnes of ore moved. Over the past three months, the excavator had been running at partial capacity while the Cloudbreak mine site team familiarised themselves with the…

Research progresses robots for construction waste recycling New research — using deep learning (DL) and artificial intelligence (AI) to recognise vast array of materials and particles in mixed waste — could revolutionise the way construction waste materials are processed and recycled, according Monash University. Led by Monash PhD candidate Diani Sirimewan, a study “paves the…

Energy infrastructure company Lochard Energy has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) to support a $6.3 million feasibility study involving hydrogen-based long duration energy storage in Victoria’s Otway Basin. In a statement on Friday, ARENA said the study represents the second stage of Lochard’s H2RESTORE project, which aims…

Defence contractors BAE Systems and ASC have welcomed a federal government decision to name them as constructors of the SSN-AUKUS nuclear powered submarines to be constructed in Adelaide. BAE Systems global Chief Executive Charles Woodburn said the company was proud of its role in the delivery of the tri-nation programme to build next generation submarines.…

By Peter Roberts BAE Systems Australia and submarine builder ASC are the big winners in the federal government’s decision to name the companies that will build SSN‑AUKUS submarines in Adelaide. As predicted by @AuManufacturing news, BAE Systems and government owned ASC Pty Ltd will work together to establish the complex project and form a collaborative…

Australia has consummated its biggest ever defence export deal, with the federal government entering into an agreement to supply Australian-made Boxer armoured vehicles to Germany. Under the agreement, more than 100 Boxer Heavy Weapon Carrier vehicles will be built by Rheinmetall at its Military Vehicle Centre of Excellence in Redbank, Queensland and exported for use…

Quickstep’s new drone order from Carbonix Composites manufacturer Quickstep has announced a significant follow-on order from Australian partner and advanced drone development company Carbonix. The urgent requirement for 40 Volanti airframes and associated non-recurring engineering is the largest yet received from Carbonix for this drone type. Valued at $1.35 million the order is scheduled to…

Rare earth miner and metals producer Australian Strategic Materials has received backing for its Dubbo, NSW rare earths project from the Export-Import Bank of the United States (USEXIM). The bank has signed a non-binding and conditional Letter of Interest (LoI) to provide a debt funding package of up to US$600 million ($923 million) for the…

UNSW researchers’ new recycling technique able to convert various plastic types into polymer nanoparticles and remove dyes is  being commercialised, leading to deals with Arnott’s Group and coffee company Pablo & Rusty’s.  According to a statement from the university on Thursday, the technique is low-energy, and polymers dispersed in water can be either extracted for…

National peak body Science & Technology Australia has announced Ryan Winn (pictured), the current Chief Executive Office at the Australian Council of Learned Academies, as its incoming CEO. In a statement from STA on Wednesday, the organisation describes Winn as having a long and distinguished career within the Australian Public Service — including within both…

@AuManufacturing’s latest webinar – Secure Your Business Against Cyber Attack – is now available for you to view via our Youtube channel. Hear co-editor Peter Roberts in conversation with Grant Tinney, Founder, Chairman/CTO at STÄRKE – Advanced Manufacturing Group, Julie Harrison, CEO and Managing Director of Harrison Manufacturing and Michael Murphy, Head of Operational Technology…

Lithium ion battery materials company Lithium Australia has commenced pilot plant operations testing its LieNA lithium metal processing technology. Operating the pilot plant, at the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation’s Sydney facility, is through a joint development agreement (JDA) with Mineral Resources Ltd (MinRes). The plant is a key activity to demonstrate the technology…

Envirostream to recycle LG lithium batteries Battery recycler Envirostream has signed an exclusive three year agreement with LG Energy Solutions to recycle all its recalled lithium ion batteries collected in Australia. Envirostream, a subsidiary of Lithium Australia, expects significantly increased battery collection volumes equating to 140 percent of the company’s total in FY23. LG has…

Oil and gas developer Lion Energy has obtained development approval from the Queensland State Assessment and Referral Agency for its hydrogen generation and refuelling hub in the Port of Brisbane. The government’s approval represents a key milestone for the project, which will now proceed to the construction phase. Lion understands that only a handful of…

Following the November release of its report into advanced manufacturing, the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Resources has launched another inquiry, this time into food and beverage manufacturing. The committee released the terms of reference for its work on Wednesday, inviting submissions from interested individuals and organisations. It follows a reference…

Applications are open for the first round of grants under the federal government’s $6 million Global Science & Technology Diplomacy Fund – Strategic Element, with a stated aim to “strengthen scientific collaboration with our nearest neighbours” in the Asia-Pacific region.  Australian researchers and businesses can apply for grants valued between $100,000 to $1,000,000 for projects…

Jemena’s Malabar Biomethane Project, which is injecting biomethane from processed wastewater in the gas network, has become the first renewable gas project to receive certification under the new GreenPower accreditation program. The GreenPower Renewable Gas Certification Pilot was launched in 2023 and operates nationwide. According to its website, certification enables commercial and industrial users “to…

Australian Vanadium Limited has successfully produced its first high purity vanadium electrolyte, ready for use in vanadium redox flow batteries. Production follows the commissioning of the company’s vanadium electrolyte manufacturing facility in Perth in December. Independent analysis of the vanadium electrolyte produced at the facility shows that the impurities in the electrolyte were well within…

The Australian Space Agency has funded the development of an Australian aerospace grade Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver. The receiver, funded under its Moon to Mars Supply Chain Capability Improvement Grants scheme, is destined for use in various aerospace applications such as rockets, satellites, and aircraft. Queensland-based Gilmour Space Technologies, in collaboration with the…

Independent directors of building products group Boral have delivered a rare rejection of a takeover by a predator, recommending against the takeover of the company by Seven Group Holdings. While directors frequently wave through takeovers that deliver immediate profits to shareholders, the Boral Bid Response Committee (BRC) has recommended rejecting the bid from Kerry Stokes-owned…

Slightly over a third of the Australian team of young apprentices, trainees, and students competing in the upcoming WorldSkills 47th International Competition in France will be from Victoria, the state government has announced. WorldSkills will be held in Lyon on September 10 – 15, with the theme “Where there is a skill, there is a…

The federal government has long promised that renewables will bring prices down, notwithstanding the recent period of global inflation – and today there is the first evidence that prices may doing just that. Today’s release of the draft Default Market Offer (DMO) shows the retail energy bill benchmark stabilising and trending downwards, according to Climate…

The federal government’s Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced a $1,666,701 grant to Aboriginal Clean Energy Partnership (ACEP) to support Phase 1 of the feasibility study for the East Kimberley Clean Energy and Hydrogen Project. The total value of the Phase 1 study is $3,333,403, and according to ARENA represents “a key step in…

Wire arc additive manufacturing specialist AML3D has announced its attainment of AS9100D:2016, an aerospace standard Quality Management System accreditation. According to a statement from the company on Tuesday, the accreditation will enable it to manufacture flight and non-flight components, certified for the aviation, space and defence industries. The QMS covers quality assurance and risk management.…

A new study led by Flinders University has discovered what the university says is “a novel way to degrade and potentially remove toxic organic chemicals” such as azo dyes – synthetic dyes widely-used in industries such as textiles and food – using chemical photocatalysis powered by ultraviolet light. Professor Gunther Andersson, from the Flinders Institute…

Mining equipment manufacturer Austin Engineering has revealed it has been awarded purchase orders for significant previously anticipated programmes that will contribute to a growing order book for the current and subsequent financial years. Austin in Chile has been awarded the first tranche of purchase orders for OEM style truck trays worth circa $7 million to…

Perth shipbuilder Austal has won a contract for the construction of a 71 metre passenger cargo ferry, which will be built at the company’s Vietnamese shipyard. Austal Vietnam will design and construct the roll-on roll-off vessel for The Degage Group of French Polynesia in a contract valued at between $30-$40 million. The steel monohull design,…

Electrical manufacturer Ampcontrol has signed a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) linking electricity used by its NSW sites with renewable sources to offset operating emissions. The move to renewable electricity further aligns business operations to Ampcontrol strategy and sustainability goals, according to the company. Ampcontrol has signed a 10-year Agreement with energy provider Flow Power to…

Construction of a section of road at Wyndham Vale, Victoria – incorporating consumer and industrial waste and part of a ten-council trial – is expected to be complete by the end of the month.  The section at Cambridge Crescent will use a total of 170 tonnes of asphalt including 600 kilograms of recycled plastic, such…

Work has begun at Alstom’s Dandenong, Victoria factory on the latest order of 23 VLocity trains, which will bring regional passenger train and coach service V/Line’s fleet to 141. According to a statement from state public transport minister Gabrielle Williams – who visited the site on Monday – the trains will support demand on the…

Detpak wins national award for packaging design South Australian packaging manufacturer Detpak has received the APPMA Packaging Design Innovation Award for its Kerbside Recyclable Paper Bag for fresh potatoes. The APPMA (Australian Packaging and Processing Machinery Association) Awards of Excellence 2024 recognised Detpak, a subsidiary of the family-owned Detmold Group. Developed in association with potato…

Researchers at Australia’s leading science agencies are opening up opportunities for R&D into critical minerals opportunities through a new online course. The Australian Critical Minerals Research and Development Hub, a collaboration between CSIRO, Geoscience Australia and ANSTO, is inviting SMEs in the critical minerals industry to apply for a 10-week online innovation accessibility. The free…

Only one day remains left to register your interest to join @AuManufacturing’s latest webinar – Secure Your Business Against Cyber Attack. This webinar will explore why and how to audit your IT system, how to assess the cybersecurity readiness of your organisation and implement practical steps to protect your company from cyber attack The webinar…

Australian made Foodifox thermal food lockers have been installed at the University of NSW where they store hot meals ready for student pick up. The high tech lockers installed last week are allowing the more than 600 students dining at Goldstein Hall each day to access hot and fresh meals outside of core dining hours.…

Fortescue has become the first to demonstrate the use of ammonia, in combination with diesel in the combustion process, as a marine fuel. The demonstration, in the Port of Singapore, was achieved by the Singapore-flagged ammonia-powered vessel, the Fortescue Green Pioneer (pictured). Working with the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA), government agencies, research…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) DroneShield awarded $4.3 million order from unnamed US government customer Drone detection and countermeasure company DroneShield has announced a repeat order of $4.3 million from an undisclosed US government customer. According to a statement to the ASX…

Manganese miner Element 25 has progressed its plans to construct a high-purity manganese sulphate (HPMSM) refinery in Louisiana USA to supply domestic HPMSM to the US electric vehicle battery industry. Basic engineering packages for sections of the plant which will produce pre-cathode material via a proprietary hydrometallurgical process are being generated by equipment vendors and…

An industrial site at Penrith acquired by Aon Ari Property in December 2020 for the purpose of housing a collection of manufacturers has officially opened, with its owner pledging “to revolutionise how small manufacturers do business in Sydney”. In a statement from Aon Ari on Thursday, 12 tenants are already operating at the site, which…

BlueScope Steel’s Orrcon Steel subsidiary will manufacture components for Nextracker solar trackers under an agreement announced today which will see the first local steel used in ACCIONA Energia’s 480MWp Aldoga Solar Farm to be built near Gladstone. The components for Nextracker’s smart solar tracker used on distributed generation and utility-scale solar farms will be produced…

The first Australian produced Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) missiles – well known for their use by Ukraine – will be produced at a facility in western Sydney by the end of 2024, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. The article, which details US efforts to boost missile manufacturing by its…

Food ingredient company Pectin 360 says it is using homegrown technology to re-establish pectin production in Australia, something that hasn’t been possible in decades. Pectin is a vegan setting or gelling agent made from fruits and essential for products including jams and preserves, yoghurts, nutraceuticals and confectionery. It’s also currently an obstacle for some local…

The federal government has provided debt financing to the massive Nolans rare earths project, 135 kilometres from Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. Arafura Rare Earths announced that the federal government would provide conditions debt finance of US$533 million to catalyse the project’s remaining debt raising. As reported in @AuManufacturing, Arafura is advancing enabling works…

Continuing a recent string of modular construction-related announcements by state governments, Western Australia’s premier has visited a facility under construction at Shenton College. According to a statement from the WA government on Thursday, premier Roger Cook and education minister Dr Tony Buti inspected the $15 million double-storey building, manufactured at Kwinana by Ausco Modular workers. …

GPC Electronics expands at Penrith Printed circuit board and electronic systems manufacturer GPC Electronics is expanding its capacity with a new latest technology surface mount technology (SMT) manufacturing line. A team from industrial machinery company Hawker Richardson and GPC engineers have been setting up the new machines (pictured) at its Penrith, Sydney factory since delivery.…

Weld Australia will launch of two free online welder safety training courses in April: one for welders, and the second for welding engineers and supervisors. In a statement on Thursday, Weld Australia’s CEO Geoff Crittenden said that welding is a potentially dangerous process, undertaken across a wide range of locations and situations, and each has…

The federal government is has announced major backing for the Kathleen Valley Lithium Project in Western Australia which will produce lithium concentrate from later this year. It is expected to create around 900 jobs during construction and around 450 ongoing operational jobs. With $110 million from the Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) and $120 million…

Only a week left to register your interest to join @AuManufacturing’s latest webinar – Secure Your Business Against Cyber Attack. With attacks increasing Australian manufacturers with legacy systems built up over time are not fully aware of what is on their IT and operational technology systems. Hear how to audit your systems, plan and train…

Laboratory automation manufacturer LBT Innovations has announced that its APAS PharmaQC automated pharmaceutical manufacturing quality control system was now commercially ready after an extensive period of R&D. Primary validation of the device has been completed and the technology formally released to pharmaceutical manufacturer AstraZeneca, a partner in the development. APAS PharmaQC provides automated imaging, analysis…

CSIRO and Swinburne are demonstrating the future of Australian manufacturing at a new Swinburne-CSIRO National Industry 4.0 Testlab which includes a world-first process for the additive manufacturing of carbon fibre composite materials. Today, the Testlab showcased its world-first fully automated industrial-scale production facility using a 3D-printing approach to composite component creation. Based at CSIRO’s Clayton…

(Sponsored article) SOCO, a leading digital transformation specialist and IT solutions  provider, is excited to announce its second annual industry event scheduled for Tuesday, 14 May 2023, at the Microsoft Sydney Office. Titled “Breaking down the hype around AI and CoPilot for  Manufacturers”, the event offers a unique opportunity for  manufacturing leaders to explore the…

WOA sells Dirty Clean Food to Jay Albany Wide Open Agriculture is to sell its Dirty Clean Food business to its CEO Jay Albany through his holding company DCF Global. DCF aligns production, manufacturing and distribution to support and grow regenerative farming and regenerative farmers in Western Australia. The deal, work $1.5 million, will enable…

Battery materials company International Graphite has reached an agreement with its major shareholder Comet Resources that resolves a looming issue with Comet’s shareholding in the company. International Graphite has agreed to loan Comet $1.5 million and Comet has granted International Graphite the right to appoint a majority of Directors to the Comet Board. The arrangements…

The maker of Penfolds Grange, Treasury Wine Estates has noted an interim draft determination by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce that would reopen the China market to Australian wine exports. The determination outlines a proposed removal of the current tariffs which have crippled what was once a $1.2 billion export trade with China – reducing…

CSIRO scientists have led an international team that set a new efficiency record for fully roll-to-roll printed solar cells. In a statement on Wednesday, CSIRO said the breakthrough result for flexible perovskite cells was published in Nature Communications (linked) and was achieved by a team including members from University of Cambridge, Monash University, the University…

Paper products manufacturer and importer Kimberly-Clark Australia (K-CA) has cut the ribbon on a state-of-the-art distribution centre in Ravenhall, Victoria (pictured). Spanning over 23,000 sq. metres, the new DC is the second largest in K-CA’s Australian network and is the first in a series of investments to deliver faster, more efficient services to customers. The…

Startup boatbuilder Genevo Marine has released plans for a luxury motor launch powered by batteries and an electric motor. The Genevo E8 is 8.2 metres long with a beam of 2.48 metres, and weighs 2,500kgs. The boat is powered by a 400kW electric motor linked to a 132kWh Lithium-ion battery. The vessel boasts a 1kW…

Raytheon Australia has opened a new Centre for Collaboration in southeast Queensland, enabling opportunities for greater collaboration between the defence industry and the Australian Defence Force (ADF), according to the company. The Minister for Defence Industry Pat Conroy (pictured) officially opened the centre, which marks 25 years of investment by Raytheon Australia in developing secure…

Carbon fibre nanotube X-ray manufacturer Micro-X has released new video (below) and images of its lightweight in-ambulance CT scanner designed for early detection of stroke. The imager, developed under an $8 million contract with the Australian Stroke Alliance, shows how the company’s miniaturised X-ray emitters could bring mobile stroke diagnosis to the patient to reduce…

The Battery Stewardship Council (BSC) has announced a review of B-cycle, Australia’s government authorised battery recycling scheme, in the wake of unforeseen pressures facing industry. The review has been brought forward from 2025 by the BSC Board as, while B-cycle is meeting many of its goals, the current national economic conditions are creating pressures for…

Production on Victoria’s 25 new six-car X’Trapolis 2.0 has begun at Alstom’s Ballarat factory, the state government has announced, ahead of entry into service on the Craigieburn, Upfield and Frankston lines. According to a statement from public service minister Gabrielle Williams on Tuesday, the build is supporting up to 150 jobs directly in Ballarat, and…

Monash University spin-out Kite Magnetics and Canadian wooden and composite kit aircraft company CKD Aero have unveiled the new Dakota e-Hawk (pictured), which they claim is “the world’s most cost-effective two-seat electric aircraft”. A statement this week from the two companies said the Dakota would be “first in a series of kit aircraft” made by…

Nanosatellite manufacturer Fleet Space Technologies has demonstrated satellite-enabled Push-to-Talk (PTT) capabilities for the Australian Defence Force – Joint Capabilities Group as part of its ASCEND2LEO programme. The demonstration was enabled on its Centauri-4 satellite in-orbit via remotely delivered software derived from the ‘Beagle’ communications waveform, developed under projects funded by the SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre.…

Auckland, New Zealand based Frond Space Systems and Gold Coast rocket manufacturer Gilmour Space Technologies have signed a contract to supply a dragsail system for Gilmour Space’s MMS-1 satellite mission. Frond, which specialises in deployable space technology will provide a MICRO dragsail system, a lightweight and compact device that can be deployed at the end…

Volvo trucks has announced it ‘can now be made reality’ for the company to manufacture battery electric trucks at its facility in Wacol, Queensland. The announcement came as the Queensland government released a Zero Emission Heavy Vehicle Network Map (State-Controlled Roads) where battery electric vehicles may travel in future as Australia decarbonises. Queensland is the…

Manufacturers have been subjected to a lot of fearmongering about the perils of cyber attack. But, according to Michael Murphy, Head of Operational Technology and Critical Infrastructure APAC at cyber security solutions, hardware and services company Fortinet: “The threat landscape is very real.” And many Australian companies are neither adequately protected nor do they have…

Sydney-based aerospace company MicroTau, which has designed specialised polymer riblet films for aircraft to increase fuel efficiency, has been selected by the United States’ Department of Defense (DoD) for flight testing of its product. According to a statement from the Australian company on Friday, it was selected in response to the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU)…

The federal government’s Research and Development (R&D) tax incentive may have highly restrictive rules and definitions which cut the number of companies eligible for assistance, but for early stage and start up companies it can be a godsend. Available to companies turning over less than $20 million – itself a bone of contention with innovative…

Drone manufacturer and solutions provider Carbonix has flown its drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLoS), completing a mission with SA Power Networks inspecting 150km of powerlines in remote South Australia. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) approved BVLoS mission paves the way for Carbonix’s drones to inspect South Australia’s vast electricity distribution network of…

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has awarded a $9.4 million grant to Aurizon to support the development and trial of a retrofitted 1.8 megawatt-hour battery-electric tender (BET) to power diesel-electric locomotive. According to a statement from energy minister Chris Bowen on Friday, the country’s largest rail freight hauler will partner with Alta Battery Technology,…

Atomo Diagnostics sells HIV self tests Atomo Diagnostics has secured purchasing orders from Vitaris Healthcare for $970,000 worth of Newfoundland HIV self-tests, manufactured by Atmo under the Mylan brand. The kits, which are destined for a number of low and middle-income (LMIC) countries, will be manufactured during H2 FY24. Founder and CEO John Kelly said:…

Around 9,600 tonnes of material will be diverted from landfill every year thanks to the federal and Victorian governments investing $3.4 million for six new recycling projects in Melbourne and Ballarat through the Recycling Modernisation Fund. The new and upgraded facilities will employ 38 additional staff and will sort, process and recycle used plastics and…

Drug developer Immuron’s Travelan anti-diarrhoea oral antibody product set the company share price alight this morning following positive news from clinical trials in the United States. Travelan, which is made in Melbourne and on sale through Chemist Warehouse, is a non-absorbable, safe product which is composed of anti-bacterial antibodies that boost the gut immune system.…

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has announced just over $21.8 million to three projects in Western Australia, which it says will accelerate the shift to electric vehicles in the state. The funding awarded was: $15.8 million to industrial freight provider Centurion to roll out 30 battery electric trucks and 15 dual port chargers at…

One of the world’s largest science infrastructure projects, the billion dollar Square Kilometre Array radio telescope, is closer to fruition following the installation of the first antennas. These are part of more than 130,000 two-metre-tall, Christmas tree-shaped antennas (pictured) to be installed across 74 km of the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory in Western Australia. When signals…

LED lighting manufacturer VAILO has announced the official launch of the PC amber variant of its Zenith Gen-V flagship luminaire. According to a fact sheet from the company, white LEDs “pose significant challenges in wildlife sensitive areas due to their blue-rich spectrum.” Phosphor Converted Amber LEDs “offer a promising solution by providing a spectrum closer…

Industrial biotech company MicroBioGen, which breeds yeast strains for purposes including biofuels and baking, has announced Dr Heinrich Kroukamp as its new Deputy Head of Research. Kroukamp (pictured) has nearly a decade’s experience in working with and researching yeast, including as team lead for the metabolic engineering of yeast at All G Foods, and technology…

Austal delivers another LCS Shipbuilder Austal has announced that the future USS Kingsville Littoral Combat Ship has been delivered to the United States Navy – the 18th Independence-variant LCS built by Austal USA in Mobile, Alabama. Austal Chief Executive Officer Paddy Gregg said Kingsville was the penultimate delivery for the Independence-variant programme. “With the delivery…

The federal government has declared a new offshore wind zone for electricity generation in the Southern Ocean off western Victoria with trade unions immediately calling for stronger local content rules. This, the third officially declared offshore wind zone in the country, will generate up to 2.8 GW of offshore wind energy, a fact welcomed by…

CSIRO has published a new analysis of Australia’s circular economy, finding that though things have improved, the nation lags the global average of “circularity” for material flows. Released on Wednesday, the Australian material flow analysis to progress to a circular economy report used data on economy-wide material flows for 2019. It found that Australia’s circularity…

Applications are open for Round 5 of the NSW government’s Physical Sciences Fund, which offers grant funding of between $200,000 and $2 million to assist commercialisation of devices and systems. Preliminary applications were opened on Tuesday for the program, which is administered by the Office of the NSW Chief Scientist & Engineer and has been…

UNSW Sydney biosensing engineers have developed technology to make portable RAT test strips just as accurate as PCR tests carried out in a laboratory. While lab-based PCR tests take two days to show the COVID-19 virus, the test strips offer rapid, on-the-spot disease detection. Senior researcher Professor Ewa Goldys, with UNSW’s Graduate School of Biomedical…

By Peter Roberts Those questioning the effectiveness of the federal government’s $15 billion National Reconstruction Fund need to look no further than the success of the Clean Energy Finance Corporation initiative. But don’t expect rapid results – the CEFC took a decade to pick up steam and only now is showing the power of catalytic…

Valiant Space’s first propulsion system is now orbiting in space where it is a key part of the Optimus Orbital Servicing Vehicle (OSV) built by Space Machines Company (SMC). Valiant VS-1 thruster flew to space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 as part of the OSV and will be performing numerous orbit changing manoeuvres for SMC’s…

Manufacturers must prepare for a cyber attack as all companies are likely to face one, according to Julie Harrison, CEO and Managing Director of Harrison Manufacturing. One of the manufacturing leaders in conversation in our webinar – Secure Your Business Against Cyber Attack – Harrison said: “We have the attitude that it is a when,…

Air cooling and heating manufacturer Seeley International has announced is to close its Albury, NSW plant and consolidation of operations in Adelaide, blaming Victoria’s Gas Substitution Pathway for the loss of 125 jobs. The company manufactures Braemar gas appliances in Albury and air cooling systems in Adelaide, with a question mark having been thrown over…

CSIRO-developed printed flexible solar cells are travelling on Space Machines Company’s Optimus-1 private satellite, which flew  as cargo aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched on Tuesday (Australian time.) A statement from the national science agency following the launch from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California explained that it is exploring such solar cells as a…

Indigenous construction company Warle Construction is addressing housing affordability and availability through a project commercialising its innovative house framing system. The project will establish new manufacturing capabilities and jobs in the Northern Territory while delivering affordable housing designed to withstand harsh climate conditions such as cyclones, according to a statement. Warle’s process makes use of…

The Gilmour Space Technologies-operated spaceport in north Queensland has gained approval as an orbital launch facility, Gilmour announced on Tuesday morning. The Bowen Orbital Spaceport is the first granted its licence by federal industry minister Ed Husic under the Space (Launches & Returns) Act 2018, the company said. Rocket manufacturer and launch services provider Gilmour…

Satellite manufacturer Space Machines Company has announced the successful launch this morning of Optimus, Australia’s largest-ever private satellite and the company’s first Orbital Servicing Vehicle (OSV). The foundation of the company’s future in-orbit satellite servicing opereations was launched from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket during the Transporter-10 mission. Following…

Satellite manufacturer Fleet Space Technologies is to work with Stanford University’s Mineral-X programme to optimise mineral exploration drill targeting using the company’s constellation of nanosatellites now in orbit. Fleet Space has been named an industrial affiliate of the Mineral-X programme whose researchers combine deep expertise in geoscience, resource optimisation, and artificial intelligence (AI) aiming to…

An upcoming report on Victoria’s textile, clothing and footwear manufacturing industry has calculated the sector as worth $960 million in economic value and a source of employment for 10,300 people. According to a statement from the Australian Fashion Council on Tuesday, Moving the Needle: The State of Play of Victoria’s Textile, Clothing & Footwear Manufacturing…

Animal health company Zoetis has bought a 21-acre manufacturing site in Melbourne to significantly expand its operations and increase capabilities to manufacture vaccines for sheep, cattle, dogs, cats and horses. The company which produces 130 million doses of vaccines for companion animals and livestock in Australia each year, said the expansion would support development of…

The Maryvale Energy from Waste (EfW) project has been awarded the first Energy from Waste licence from Recycling Victoria under the state’s Waste to Energy Scheme. The EfW facility will process non-recyclable municipal solid waste (MSW) that would otherwise go to landfill to generate energy for Opal Australian Paper’s Maryvale pulp and paper mill, cutting…

Legrand Group announces acquisition of New Zealand’s Mechanical Support Systems Electrical equipment company Legrand has announced its acquisition of Mechanical Support Systems (MSS), a New-Zealand based company that offers cable management solutions for the electrical and mechanical sectors. MSS’ services include cable containment manufacturing, supply, installation and design, as well as bespoke fabrication. “While we are…

Detmold Medical which began manufacturing face masks as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic has launched a new range of Tri-Panel Respirators (pictured) and a Surgical Mask with Visor. According to the Adelaide company, which geared up to make 145 million masks during the pandemic, the new Australian made masks offer wearers extra protection, comfort…

Jupiter Ionics — which is commercialising an emissions-free, electrolysis-based method to create ammonia — has announced a $9 million capital raise, with Wesfarmers Chemicals, Energy & Fertilisers, CIMIC Group, and Breakthrough Victoria joining original investors. The company said in a statement on Monday that funding will go towards “accelerating the scale up of a self-contained…

Industrial technology company Calix has announced a new site for its Leilac-2 cement plant, which is commercialising new kiln technology enabling the capture of CO2 in process gases in the manufacture of cement and lime. The plant, supported by the EU, was forced to relocate from its original planned site at a HidelbergCement’s operational plant…

Western Sydney University’s Parramatta campus will host the Sensing the West Forum next week, organised by the NSW Smart Sensing Network (NSSN) in collaboration with WSU, the Celestino Sydney Science Park Urban Living Lab and CSIRO. According to a statement from NSSN on Monday, the day-long event on March 13 will be opened by NSW…

The Milo factory on NSW’s mid-north coast will see upgrades worth $32 million made before the year’s end, owner Nestle Australia has said. According to a statement from the company on Thursday, the Smithtown factory – which marked its centenary in 2021 – would benefit from new “state-of-the-art” technology that would support increased output. The…

A study just released by the Workplace Gender Equality Agency of gender pay gaps in companies found that women in the workforce are still badly treated, in fact very badly treated. The median gender pay gap in 5,000 companies studied on a base salary measure was found to be 14.5 per cent, while on a…

Register your interest today to join @AuManufacturing for our webinar – Secure Your Business Against Cyber Attack – on Tuesday March 19, 11.00am AEST. Learn how to plan for and respond to cyber security threats to your business from compromised credentials, external contractors or former employees, malicious actors and a lack of a complete understanding…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Toyota Australia assembles first hydrogen-powered generator at Altona Toyota Australia has announced that mining services company Thiess will take delivery of the first locally-assembled EODev GEH2 hydrogen fuel cell stationary power generator. The announcement was made on…

The federal government has announced new grants to support a series of local space projects to help grow Australia’s space industry. The 12 projects, which align with NASA’s Artemis mission, will share in more than $9 million in funding to help drive innovation and support cutting-edge Australian science. The Moon to Mars grants will assist…

A total of $25.7 million in support for 25 Mid-Career Industry Fellowships through the Australian Research Council (ARC) has been announced, backing research with industry partners in projects including green hydrogen production, methane pyrolysis, quantum sensors and extracting rare earths from waste. According to ARC’s website, the fellowships support academic researchers “in establishing careers in…

CUREator by Brandon BioCatalyst, a biotech incubator, has announced the allocation of $3 million to five life sciences projects through its third round. The projects are part of the Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) stream of CUREator, which was established in 2021. and sponsors projects ranging from discovery to clinical development stages. AMR is a growing…

Autonomous robot developer ANT61 has had its Beacon device (pictured) that diagnoses and potentially fixes issues with satellites in orbit sent into space for the first time. The device was sent into orbit earlier this week from the Esrange Space Center in Sweden aboard a MAPHEUS 14 sounding rocket. ANT61 develops autonomous robots that use…

By Peter Roberts Australia has a modest R&D tax incentive programme which rewards innovative young companies with a tax refund based on their R&D spending. But those same small companies face a refund cliff should they grow too big – the scheme returns tax on the basis of R&D performed only up to a company…

Australia’s emissions were lower in the September 2023 quarter than the same period in 2022, according to the quarterly update of Australia’s National Greenhouse Gas Inventory released today. Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions are now 25.4 percent below June 2005 levels, the base year for Australia’s targets under the Paris Agreement. Total emissions were at 459.7…

There is only a week left to nominate for Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers, @AuManufacturing’s prestigious annual awards program and merit list, proudly sponsored by MYOB, the CSIRO, the NSW government’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Facility, and the Commonwealth Bank. The window to join the superstars of 2024 is rapidly closing, with no nominations to be accepted…

Toyota Australia has announced that mining services company Thiess will take delivery of the first locally-assembled EODev GEH2 hydrogen fuel cell stationary power generator.  The announcement was made on Thursday at Toyota’s Altona site – which hosted car assembly until October 2017 – by Toyota Australia’s President and CEO Matthew Callachor, marking completion of the…

Orbital expects new drone engine model production in FY24 Drone engine manufacturer Orbital Corporation (Orbital UAV) has reported a fall in revenues in athe first half of FY24 however directors revealed a new engine model could be manufactured as early as April, 2024. The Perth company reported a net loss of $425,000, down 76 percent…

The federal government has today released a plan that defines the strategic rationale for a sovereign defence industrial base and aims to maximise support for Australian industry, including SMEs and its critical contribution to national security. The Defence Industry Development Strategy (DIDS) outlines: Focus areas for the defence industrial base Procurement reforms including simplifying contracting…

US technology company Keysight Technologies has taken a strategic stake worth $15.28 million in medical imaging company EMVision. In a statement on Thursday, EMVision said the investment represented a significant milestone, and would accelerate commercialisation of the portable brain scanner emu, its first product. Keysight will be issued 7,454,231 new ordinary shares at $2.05 per…

Plans are currently under way for over 30 new and upgraded schools under the new Manufacturing for Schools program, which the NSW government says will deliver cost and construction time savings of up to 20 per cent and 30 per cent. The new program employs “modern methods of construction” and links a network of industry…

A new Cairns, Queensland Rapid Accommodation and Apprenticeship Centre (RAAC) is to be a home for QBuild trades and apprentices where apprentices will build modular homes for the state’s north. Set to open in March, dozens of apprentices will make Cairns’ new rapid accommodation and apprenticeship centre their home – the facility will be used…

German rocket manufacturer HyImpulse has packed up their SR75 rocket ready for launch from South Australia in late April or early May 2024. Rocket launch facility developer Southern Launch is hosting HyImpulse at the Koonibba Test Range for the maiden launch of their SR75 single-stage rocket. Southern Launch CEO Lloyd Damp said: “HyImpulse are pioneering…

Microbial development and contract manufacturing companies Adelaide’s BioCina and Perth’s NovaCina have announced a strategic partnership to provide integrated drug substance and drug product solutions for the pharmaceutical sector. The two companies are buy-outs from the Pfizer pharmaceutical company and share the same investor – private investment firm Bridgewest Group – and will now collaborate…

DroneShield moves to profit on increasing global tensions Drone countermeasure company DroneShield has confirmed it moved to profit in FY23 on the back of rising global tensions and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The company reported record contracts and growing cash receipts which reached $73.5 million in FY23, five times the previous year. More than 68…

By Peter Roberts Much has been written about the Australian universities accord – final report from scientist and engineer Mary O’Kane (pictured). But from an industry innovation point of view her panel’s recommendations fall short of what is needed to kickstart Australia’s fading innovation – and I mean business innovation – performance. National R&D has…

The Tasmanian government, which is seeking re-election on March 23, has said it will provide $5.25 million in matched funding to support an expansion by aluminium-bodied shipbuilder Incat.  “We are investing $5.25 million and Incat are investing $5.25 million into this expansion, which will support up to 500 new jobs over the next three years,…

UNSW Sydney chemical engineering researchers have developed a way to create synthetic methane from sunlight and carbon dioxide, which they say could lessen reliance on fossil fuels and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. According to a statement from the university on Wednesday, the team’s process uses light and heat to induce a reaction which produces synthetic…

The countdown is on to register to join @AuManufacturing for our latest webinar – Secure Your Business Against Cyber Attack – on Tuesday March 19, 11.00am AEST. There are very real cyber security threats to your business from compromised credentials, external contractors or former employees, malicious actors and a lack of a complete understanding of…

The directors of building products group Adbri have entered into a scheme implementation deed under which a consortium of global building supplies group CRH plc and local premixed concrete supplier Barro Group will acquire the company. The partners made a non-binding offer valuing cement and lime manufacturer Adbri at $2.1 billion. Barro Group already owns…

Heating and cooling systems manufacturer Seeley International is to expand its air cooling manufacturing operations in Adelaide focused on export to the California market. Group Managing Director Jon Seeley said the company would extend its Lonsdale facility and update equipment for the scale-up of its innovative Climate Wizard Hybrid model which integrates evaporative cooling, heating…

Sponsored article With goals to open ‘unparalleled opportunity’, the South Australian government’s Advanced Manufacturing Strategy is set to make the state’s manufacturing sector the global partner of choice. The South Australian Government recently set out its plan to leverage the state’s competitive advantages in manufacturing to drive ongoing economic transformation. The government’s Advanced Manufacturing Strategy aims to…

Clean energy and mobility company Pure Hydrogen has announced the sale of a further battery electric vehicle for use by the NSW government and its successful entry into the North American market for hydrogen fuel cell electric heavy vehicles. The company’s majority owned Hdrive International has received a binding purchase order from Bourke, NSW based…

A $3.9 million investment between Queensland University of Technology and the Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA) Trailblazer program will add the ability to develop precision fermentation-based ingredients at the Mackay Renewable Biocommodities Pilot Plant (MRBPP.) The plant was established over a decade ago at the Mackay Sugar factory, and has focussed since then on biorefining,…

By Magnus Söderberg, Griffith University and Phillip Wild, Griffith University Building transmission lines is often controversial. Farmers who agree to host new lines on their property may be paid, while other community members protest against the visual intrusion. Pushback against new lines has slowed development and forced the government to promise more consultation. It’s not…

Synthetic biology could be an industry worth $30 billion to the nation annually and create 50,000 new jobs by 2040, according to the new Synthetic Biology National Progress Report, with the greatest activity expected to be in food and agriculture, followed by health and medicine industries.  The report was written by CSIRO Futures, with support…

Knoxfield, Melbourne manufacturer Stahl Metall has entered into a new contract with Kongsberg Defence Australia (KDAu) for the manufacture and delivery of Electrical Control systems and Cable and Harness Systems for the Naval Strike Missile (NSM). Kongsberg has linked with a number of local manufacturers as it moves to manufacture the msisile under Project SEA…

By Peter Roberts BHP might just be getting serious about fully exploiting its ability to refine and export copper on a large scale from its South Australian copper mines – however the company has considered major expansions previously and baulked at the cost. In 2012 BHP halted plans for a $30 billion expansion of its…

Work has begun on a new $100 million pharmaceutical plant being built for Noumed Pharmaceutical at Salisbury in northern Adelaide in partnership with Terre Property Partners. The plant, supported by $20 million from the federal government’s Modern Manufacturing Strategy, is UK group Noumed Life Sciences’s first production plant in Australia. Noumed is an integrated generics…

Surface engineering technologies company Laserbond has entered the Western Australian engineering market with the purchase of 40 percent of Gateway Parts & Equipment for $10 million. Laserbond has the right to acquire further shares after three years to obtain 51 percent of the company, with any subsequent purchase necessitating the approval of Gateway shareholders. The…

MGA Thermal’s blocks go a simulated decade  Thermal energy storage company MGA Thermal has announced successful simulation of ten years’ working life for its MGA Blocks. The Blocks are used to store and discharge heat, use a purpose-designed miscibility gap alloy, and are being rapidly cycled to help inform customers what to expect from storage,…

Steel maker GFG Alliance has signed a new agreement with the South Australian government seeking the supply of green hydrogen from a 250MW electrolyser under construction to feed the company’s Whyalla steel works. GFG has also entered into a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with energy company Santos for potential long term natural gas supply to…

The NSW government has announced $275 million in Net Zero Manufacturing Initiative grants, which it says will help small businesses and others “take advantage of the transformation of our energy grid”. According to a statement from the government on Monday, the grants will be across three programs: Renewable manufacturing: increasing capacity to make the components…

Australian satellite communications business Quasar Satellite Technologies is among seven companies selected to participate in the 13th Catalyst Accelerator, a program run by the US Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV). Quasar has developed a technology based on CSIRO’s phased array research and is able to communicate with thousands of nanosatellites through one…

Defence and communications manufacturer Electro Optic Systems has moved into the Middle East, inking a MOU leading to a joint venture with a local manufacturer to penetrate the region’s markets with its its remote weapons stations. The region is already the biggest customer for the RWS with ‘a Middle East customer’ placing an order worth…

A 3D printed ‘metamaterial’ boasting levels of strength for weight that have not been manufacturable could change how we make everything from medical implants to aircraft or rocket parts. RMIT University researchers created the new metamaterial – a term used to describe an artificial material with unique properties not observed in nature – from common…

Battery minerals company Lava Blue is to expand its Predictive Research into Speciality Materials (PRiSM) centre which it is developing along with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT). The centre is developing a process for production of high purity alumina (HPA) from sapphire bearing kaolin clay deposits in North West Queensland. HPA is the essential…

Natural hydrogen developer Gold Hydrogen has confirmed the presence of large reserves of helium gas underground on the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia. Gold Hydrogen has confirmed the presence of helium in drilling of its Ramsay Project at up to 6.8 percent helium concentration in raw gas. Reserves are estimated at 96 billion cubic feet…

The Assistant Minister for defence Matt Thistlethwaite has spruiked the government’s response to the Defence Strategic Review in the field of defence innovation, including through joint work with AUKUS partners the US and the UK. The DSR found that more support is needed for innovation, faster acquisition and better links between Defence and industry to…

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to this site were reading. 5) Gilmour Space raises $55m, Eris rocket heads for space The historic launch of an Australian developed and manufactured rocket is closer with Gold Coast-based Gilmour Space Technologies closing a $55 million Series D capital raise ahead of…

Calix grows on revenue and margin gains in water businesses Industrial technology company Calix has reported a gross profit up 126 percent on the previous corresponding period to $12.2 million on revenue and other income up 28 percent to $16.3 million for the half year ended December 31, 2023. Growth was driven by revenue and…

The 1,500 megawatt Yanco Delta Wind Farm project has been approved and will be one of the country’s largest clean energy projects, the federal government has announced. The project is 10 kilometres north-west of Jerilderie on a 33,000-hectare site in the Murrumbidgee and Edward River Local Government Area. The wind farm in the state’s South…

Ballarat, Victoria mining equipment manufacturer Gekko Systems has launched the OLGA Mk3 in process data and analysis instrumentation system which it said will deliver higher yields in gold processing plants Gekko Systems General Manager – Global Sales & Solutions Nigel Grigg said the OLGA online gold analyser was a flagship product for Gekko’s real-time data…

The South Australian government and the private sector have funded studies, planning and negotiations to lead to a final investment decision on the Northern Water project servicing BHP’s copper mines and refineries and the burgeoning green hydrogen and steel industries. If progressed, Northern Water would see construction of a 260 megalitre a day desalination plant…

The latest report released today by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER) shows that the profile of a young person who is likely to undertake an apprenticeship over university remains largely unchanged since 2007. The impact of increasing university participation on the characteristics of apprentices report found that students who are more likely…

Perth shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a contract extension for the construction of two additional Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats for the Royal Australian Navy. The $157 million contract follows the procurement announcement made by the Commonwealth of Australia (CoA) on 23 November 2023 and brings the total number of Evolved Cape-class Patrol Boats being delivered…

Automated welding manufacturer K-TIG has gone into administration, with Korda Mentha appointed as administrators. No reason was given for the move. Administrators have been appointed to K-TIG as well as a subsidiary Keyhole TIG Pty Ltd. The appointment does not extend to Keyhole TIG (USA) Inc. and Keyhole TIG (UK) Ltd which are continuing to…

Diraq opens commercial laboratory in Sydney Silicon-based quantum computing company Diraq opened its new commercial laboratory, located UNSW’s campus at Sydney, on Tuesday. The company, which announced a successful Series A-2 capital raise of $29 million (US$15m) last week, said the lab is “a critical step” in its plans “to leverage today’s semiconductor manufacturing infrastructure…

Solar tracker manufacturer PVH has unveiled the AxoneDuo Infinity tracker designed to maximise energy generation and suit Australian conditions. The latest innovation is set to transform Australia’s solar efficiency by offering adaptability across unique Australian conditions, including diverse configurations and unique terrain requirements, according to the Sydney company. Australia is expected to hit 50 percent…

The Queensland government has released an ambitious $570 million Queensland Battery Industry Strategy aiming to spur nation leading investment in renewable energy to create clean economy jobs. The strategy supports battery industry innovation, commercialisation, investment, supply-chain growth, and will promote Queensland nationally and internationally, according to a statement. It estimates that Queensland’s battery industry could…

CSIRO and Standards Australia have launched HyStandards, an interactive tool designed to provide the relevant Australian and international standards for hydrogen projects to industry users.   CSIRO’s Hydrogen Industry Mission leader, Dr Patrick Hartley, said HyStandards allowed users to choose from five different scenarios which then display a list of applicable standards.  The scenarios are electrolyser…

An international team led by RMIT University is developing what they describe as recyclable “water batteries” that address the safety problems of lithium ion-based energy storage. Lithium-ion is the dominant type of battery chemistry – powering many household devices, vehicles and more – due to its technological maturity, but also presents safety concerns due to…

Enzymatic recycling startup Samsara Eco and sportswear company lululemon have debuted the first results of a partnership announced in May last year: samples of a long-sleeve top made of recovered nylon 6,6.  In a statement on Wednesday, Samsara said the Swiftly Tech Long-Sleeve Top was both a world first and “a key milestone that brings…

Premium 4WD aluminium tray and canopy manufacturer Norweld has invested $5 million in a new 2,573sqm purpose-built facility in Wangara, Perth to meet demand from recreational and fleet customers. Once at full capacity the facility will employ 30 local staff and triple Norweld’s previous output capabilities in Western Australia, including servicing customers as far north…

The iLAuNCH (Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonics) Trailblazer project will apply the design flexibility and speed of additive manufacturing technology to develop large-scale carbon composite structures for rockets. Launch vehicles will require scalable production of low weight and high strength structures and components that can withstand the extreme loads, vibrations and shocks…

Chemicals and explosives manufacturer Orica is to acquire 100 per cent of the common stock of Cyanco Intermediate 4 Corp. (Cyanco) (the Acquisition) from an affiliate of Cerberus Capital Management, L.P. (Cerberus) for US$640 million. The acquisition of Cyanco, a US-based leader in the manufacture and distribution of sodium cyanide primarily serving the gold mining…

A new R&D project led by marine company Ocius Technology and supported by the Australian Composites Manufacturing CRC will optimise the use of wave energy, according to the ACM CRC. The project links Ocius with the University of New South Wales and will focus on wave energy for propulsion, harnessing energy for underwater flippers for…

Electrical engineering business Ampcontrol has announced that it is partnering with offshore wind developer, Star of the South, on the proposed Destiny Wind wind farm off the Hunter coast. An area covering 1,854 square kilometres off NSW’s Hunter region was declared suitable for offshore wind development by the federal government in July last year. It…

Miner and aluminium producer Rio Tinto has doubled down on its moves to decarbonise the aluminium production chain announcing a second and Australia’s largest renewable power purchase agreement (PPA) to supply its Gladstone operations in Queensland. The company has agreed to buy the majority of electricity from Windlab’s planned 1.4GW Bungaban wind energy project. The…

Textile recycling company BlockTexx has announced completion of a $7 million Series B round. BlockTexx said in a statement that funding came from existing investors and fashion innovation platform, Fashion for Good. Return investors include Artesian and seed investors Mike and Sue Gregg. The company is scaling up its novel chemical process, which is able…

Townsville manufacturer NEM Equipment Hire has been awarded $833,000 through the Made in Queensland programme to buy equipment to drive growth and create 20 new jobs over five years. The Queensland government manufacturing grant will enable the defence and agricultural steel fabricator to purchase a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) Beamline machine that will expand manufacturing…

The Queensland government has launched a new plan to deliver hundreds of locally made zero emission buses through direct government procurement. The new zero-emission buses will replace aging diesel buses in operation on the Translink network, with more than 400 buses locally manufactured, dependent on a competitive procurement process. The commitment builds on the Government’s…

Defence companies have quickly moved to welcome federal government plans for an enlarged Royal Australian Navy surface fleet at a cost of $11.1 billion over 10 years. Raytheon Australia Managing Director Michael Ward said the planned fleet wiould provide Australia with a much more potent naval capability encompassing significantly enhanced vertically launched strike and air…

By Peter Roberts It is amazing what a little cold hard cash – an extra $11 billion bringing the total to $38 billion over 10 years to be exact – can do. The federal government has tried to work wonders by piling the cash into the defence budget to achieve three of what seemed like…

a2 Milk Company grows despite decline in China market The a2 Milk Company, which pioneered the use of a2 proteins in milk as a healthy alternative, has reported positive results for 1H24. Revenue was up 3.7 percent to $812.1 million and EBITDA profit up five percent to $113.2 million despite a double-digit decline in the…