Ten SME innovators that have been through CSIRO’s On Accelerate mentoring programme have been celebrates at a showcase in Melbourne. ON Accelerate breaks down the challenges that often prevent deep tech ideas and research from getting to market. The showcase highlighted 10 deep tech teams in CSIRO’s Accelerate 8 cohort for progress in areas including…
Channel Nine media has revealed that a group of 70 economists from the nation’s most important universities support the recently announced Future Made in Australia policy. The exclusive story by well respected journalist Shane Wright in the SMH newspaper also puts a rocket up the Productivity Commission which has continued its long standing antipathy to…
Timber products group Big River Industries has broadened its interests in decorative and functional panels with the purchase of Brisbane based Specialised Laminators Qld (SLQ). The NSW manufacturer is a full spectrum timber building and construction product manufacturer from procurement of raw materials through to sale of finished products to end users. It two factories…
Australian Manufacturing Forum member Allen Roberts is incensed that the federal government is comfortable with foreign takeover of our most important sovereign defence manufacturer, shipbuilder Austal, as is @AuManufacturing. Tasked in the Forum with detailing his concerns, minus expletives, Allen reports. Leaving out the expletives, let’s focus on a few obvious strategic points. The government…
By Peter Roberts Perth international shipbuilder Austal has been awarded a $779 million (US$516 million) US Navy contract modification for the construction of the lead ship of the T-AGOS (ocean surveillance) programme, T-AGOS 25. The company, the largest Australian owned and controlled prime defence contractor, said the contract modification exercised an option for ordering long…
Latrobe Magnesium has received firm commitments to raise $12.0 million from new and existing institutional and professional investors via an institutional placement and has announced plans for an entitlement offer to shareholders to raise another $6 million. The company, which recently produced what it called the world’s first environmentally sustainable magnesium oxide (MgO) from fly…
The Whyalla steelworks is back producing steel following successful repairs to the blast furnace, GFG Alliance Chairman Sanjeev Gupta has just announced. Gupta made the announcement while visiting the steelworks to inspect repairs (pictured) after an uncontrolled iron breakout which damaged the furnaces outer shell. Whyalla is Australia’s only source of steel rails and structural…
The Assistant Minister for Manufacturing Senator Tim Ayres is confident that the federal government’s new National Rail Manufacturing Plan will see greater investment in industry and a growth in employment and apprentice training. Interviewed on radio 2GB, Ayres was commenting on the just announced national procurement database providing ‘a one-stop-shop of rollingstock projects’, the National…
Defence’s technology solutions development programme, the Defence Trailblazer has launched a new $12 million grant scheme to accelerate the development of defence industry capabilities. Defence Trailblazer’s new Accelerating Sovereign Industrial Capabilities (ASIC) grant programme will fast-track the translation of defence R&D into industry capabilities. Executive Director Dr Sanjay Mazumdar said: “The Defence Industry Development Strategy…
Arafura Rare Earths has secured conditional approval for up to US$300 million in debt finance from Export Development Canada (EDC) backing its Nolans rare earths project near Alice Springs in the Northern Territory. This builds on the Australian government’s conditional debt finance of US$533 million and should speed the closure of financing on a project…