Like many manufacturing leaders, PFi group CEO Gavin Dunwoodie (pictured) is short of staff and is investing in ways to utilise existing staff better as well as in recruiting, training and retaining new ones. But so bad was the situation in 2022 he took to advertising on a billboard (pictured, below) along with fellow Queensland…
Perth luxury shipbuilder Silver Yachts has begun construction of two SpaceCat luxury catamaran yachts. With a unique design by naval architect and designer Øino, the 36 metre SilverCat Series offers style, space, performance, and value that is exclusive in the market, according to the company. Best known for its large single-hulled super yacht designs such…
On Monday we published part one of this article, concerning what a scaleup company is and why they matter. Today we conclude by looking at what they need. By Brent Balinski. There are 25,000 tonnes of wet wipes thrown out by Australians every year, all made of polyester or polypropylene and therefore non-biodegradable, and almost…
Like most Australian manufacturers in post-Covid Australia in 2023, Richard Simpson, Managing Director at Notting Hill, Victoria manufacturer Furnace Engineering, is having trouble hiring staff. Labour and skills shortages have become an everyday refrain, but for Simpson it is not just a matter of taking on anyone – he has learned that can be a…
Next in Spotlight on scaleups, we hear from Paul Hutchings of series sponsor Fusion5. By Brent Balinski. Employment has managed to grow over the 12 months — despite unemployment being at its lowest level since the 1970s — and growth in hours worked has outpaced it. It is common to hear manufacturers talk about difficulties…
Family owned confectioner and food manufacturer Ferndale Foods Australia has inaugurated its $20 million state-of-the-art food manufacturing facility in Ballarat, Victoria to produce ‘better for you’ bars and snacks. Once fully operational, the new facility – the company’s third – to be known as FoodLine Australia will have the capacity to manufacture 180 million bars…
In the first part of a two-part series we consider the importance of scaleup manufacturers. Brent Balinski spoke to some fast-growing manufacturers and other experts about the subject. Adam Gilmour describes himself and his team as “super-busy” assembling an orbital launch vehicle and launch site when asked. Gilmour Space Technologies has been focussed on rockets…
Environmental technology company Calix and lithium miner Pilbara Minerals have announced a final investment decision to build a $104.9 million demonstration plant for processing a lithium-enriched product from a low-grade spodumene, able to produce over 3,000 tonnes per annum of lithium phosphate. The two ASX-listed companies announced a joint venture for the Pilgangoora Project in…
Filtration screen specialist ActionLaser has announced its entry into the international market for plastic recycling via a project backed by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre. ActionLaser was established in 1988 based on laser drilling technology developed at CSIRO, originally focussed on centrifuge screens for the sugar processing industry, and later branched out into filtration screens…
By Melita Jazbec, University of Technology Sydney; Andrea Turner, University of Technology Sydney, and Ben Madden, University of Technology Sydney Most Australian food waste ends up in landfill. Rotting in the absence of oxygen produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. While some facilities capture this “landfill gas” to produce energy, or burn it off to…
