Metal furniture manufacturing sector predicted to fall 6.4 per cent this year

“[C]onsiderable import competition and shaky downstream demand” have contributed to revenues among metal furniture makers in Australia falling at an annualised 2.2 per cent per year for the five years to 2025-26, according to new industry analysis from IBISworld. According to the company’s new Metal Furniture Manufacturing in Australia – Market Research Report (2015-2030), the…

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First deployment of Xefco’s Ausora tech set for upcoming Shinta Woo Sung Vietnam factory

Australian textile technology developer Xefco has announced the first commercial deployment of its plasma-based, water-free dyeing and finishing technology, to be installed at a Shinta Woo Sung (SWS) facility in Vietnam. SWS is a footwear fabrics specialist headquartered in Indonesia, with its website listing companies including Nike, Patagonia, New Balance and Calvin Klein. Xefco was…

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Seven-year industry-research partnership launched as the Western World looks to regain its AM mojo

APAC and applications are big parts to the current additive manufacturing story, attendees at a launch event for the new Additive Manufacturing Cooperative Research Centre heard last week. The AM CRC is a seven-year effort expected to invest over $250 million developing “a world-class additive manufacturing ecosystem” in this nation.  Keynote Terry Wohlers, founder of…

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Tomago Aluminium in consultation with workers as smelter’s future remains in doubt

The owners of Australia’s biggest aluminium smelter are in talks with workers at Tomago, with the company “yet to identify a pathway” to commercially sustainable operations beyond 2028. Tomago Aluminium’s current electricity contract with AGL Energy expires in December 2028. The site employs 1,000, produces up to 590,000 tonnes of aluminium annually, and uses about a…

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R.M.Williams opens second workshop, brings wallet-making in-house

Clothing and boot business R.M.Williams has increased its production capacity by 90 per cent with the official opening of a second workshop at its factory. According to a statement on Monday from the company’s owner, Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s investment vehicle Tattarang, the new 20,000 square metre facility increases the manufacturing and distribution footprint in…

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Extel appoints new Chief Growth Officer

Melbourne-headquartered product development and electronics engineering company Extel Technologies has appointed Sammy Wallwork as Chief Growth Officer, as it looks to “deepen customer partnerships and enhance… design and manufacturing capability” with clients across Australia and the United States. In a statement on Monday, Extel Technologies’ CEO Bruce Fitzgerald said: “We recognise Sammy for his energy,…

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Green steel, energy strategy and ESG: The new direction for Australia’s steel industry

Sponsored As ESG reporting becomes mandatory and decarbonisation accelerates, Australia’s steelmakers are rethinking how they source and manage energy — not just to stay competitive, but to future-proof their operations. Australia’s steel industry is standing at a defining moment. With growing pressure from investors, regulators and supply chains to demonstrate measurable sustainability outcomes, energy strategy…

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