Comment by Peter Roberts Australia has had numerous prime ministers from Bob Hawke to Malcolm Turnbull who have boasted about us being an ‘innovation nation’. But this is a classic case of promoting one of your weakest points to try to avoid scrutiny – in fact Australia has never been, and is not even remotely…
Gilmour Space Technologies has failed in its’ latest attempt to launch its One Vision suborbital test rocket from a mobile launch site in outback Queensland. CEO Adam Gilmour said on the weekend in a letter to investors that seven seconds before launch the test rocket suffered an anomaly that resulted in the premature end of…
Kimberly-Clark Australia has quietly closed its Ingleburn, Sydney plant which has produced its popular Huggies nappies since 1988. The factory was promoted by the US group as a poster boy of local investment and advanced people management techniques, and produced one billion nappies annually, making it a rare example of local mass production. The factory…
Perth marine engineering group CIVMEC (ASX:CVL) has completed construction of a massive new modular ship construction hall at the Henderson marine precinct. The 52,000 square metre facility is an incredible 18 storeys, or 70 metres tall, 130 metres long and 40 wide. Built to house complete air warfare destroyers, frigates and offshore patrol vessels as…
Comment by Peter Roberts Excuse my cynicism but a cynical government held a gabfest in Canberra this week that we are meant to believe shows their commitment to Australian manufacturing.. Industry reps, academics and others met with industry minister Karen Andrews with the outcome? Well bugger all. Andrews said: “The roundtable discussed ways to enable…
Canadian conglomerate BRP has completed the purchase of 80 per cent of the outstanding shares in leading Australian aluminium leisure craft and trailer builder, Telwater Pty Ltd. The successful conclusion of the takeover was announced yesterday at the Sydney International Boat Show. BRP Marine owns the Evinrude, Alumacraft and Manitou brands, but Telwater is considered…
Steel industry titan Sanjeev Gupta has followed through with his billion dollar renewables promise with three massive projects coming to reality around Whyalla, in South Australia. The owner of Liberty steel is forging ahead with a $600 million upgrade to the Whyalla steel works that will boost output to 1.8 million tonnes a year, as…
The South Australian Government’s plan to create the world’s biggest virtual power plant (VPP) using solar PV and Tesla batteries has reached a milestone with 1,100 homes connected. The government plans to connect 50,000 homes together which would act as a single generating unit, cutting energy rices, increasing grid stability and contributing to its goal…
A decision by the Federal Court has broadened the scope of the federal government’s tax concession scheme for R&D according to observers. The decision in the case of Moreton Resources v Innovation and Science Australia has opened the concession up to non-laboratory based claimants and mining companies, according to accounting group BDO. BDO partner Nicola…
Explosives and mine technology group Orica (ASX: ORI) has announced that its 2017 purchase of the GroundProbe business has exceeded expectations with the new division considered a growth engine for the company. GroundProbe, which makes laser and radar monitoring and measurement systems, cost Orica $205 million to buy but has exceeded the company’s original business…