Manufacturing news briefs – stories you might have missed

Seed Terminator reaps benefits of non-chemical weed control Seed Terminator’s non-chemical weed control equipment is making waves on farms with its technology that destroys weed seeds during harvesting. The Seed Terminator (pictured) is attached to a combine harvester and processes material before it is returned to the soil. Seed Terminator’s Mark Ashenden said: “It basically…

Comfort Delgro trials electric and hydrogen powered buses

Public transport operator ComfortDelGro Corporation Australia (CDC) is to trial eight zero-emission buses on Melbourne roads in partnership with the Victorian Department of Transport. The Singapore company will operate the vehicles in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and CBD as part of the state’s three-year Zero Emission Bus Trial, a part of meeting the state’s commitment to…

Industrial resilience needs to be enshrined in law – Senator Patrick

Independent Senator Rex Patrick will present an Industry (Resilience and National Security) Bill into the next parliament if re-elected, putting into law the need to identify and support Australia’s critical industry capabilities. The South Australian senator will outline the proposal which calls for the establishment of an Australian Industry Capability Commission at a meeting of…

Election 22 the real issues – Productivity growth by Narelle Kennedy

@AuManufacturing’s occasional editorial series on the real issues in the 2022 federal election continues today. Here Narelle Kennedy looks at Australia’s industry and innovation policies and productivity. Blind spots in Australia’s industry and innovation policies are hampering productivity gains and here two particular causes of concern stand out. Firstly, innovation policies have an almost exclusive…

Curtin named ‘trailblazer’ to speed commercialisation

Perth’s Curtin University has been named the first of Australia’s Trailblazer universities to receive a share of more than $242 million in federal government funding to develop a research commercialisation hub turning research outputs into businesses. The Curtin-led Resources Technology and Critical Minerals Trailblazer hub will match $50 million of government funding to support from…

Dyno Nobel DigiShot used for world’s biggest blast by BHP – video

Explosives manufacturer Dyno Nobel’s DigiShot electronic blasting technology has been used by BHP Mitsubishi Alliance’s (BMA) Caval Ridge Mine in the Bowen Basin to create the world’s largest electronic blast (main picture and video, below). The DigiShot electronic initiation system is an easy-to-use, reliable accurate electronic initiation system primarily for use in large surface blasting…