By Adam Bartley, RMIT University and Matthew Warren, RMIT University A 12-tonne fishing boat weighs anchor three kilometres off the port of Adelaide. A small crew huddles over a miniature submarine, activates the controls, primes the explosives, and releases it into the water. The underwater drone uses sensors and sonar to navigate towards its pre-programmed…
Details
Fortescue has opened a new $US 23 million (about $36 million) site at Kidlington in the UK, which it says will focus on technical development, testing and prototype production of batteries and zero emission powertrains for motorsports, mining haul trucks, and other automotive applications. According to a statement from the company on Thursday (Australian time)…
Details
Queensland munitions manufacturer NIOA has begun production of 30mm ammunition for the Army’s next-generation armoured Boxer combat reconnaissance (CRV) vehicle, marking a new high for munitions manufacturing in Australia. The company will produce 40,000 rounds of medium calibre training ammunition at the Commonwealth Government-owned NIOA-operated plant in Benalla, Victoria for the eight-wheeled Boxer, which is…
Details
Queensland clean energy project, the $14.2b Borumba Pumped Hydro Energy Storage, has hit a milestone with the project declared a coordinated project by the Coordinator-General. Declaration means a rigorous assessment of social, economic and environmental matters can begin on the project being developed by Queensland Hydro. Borumba involves building a new upper reservoir, as well…
Details
Visual simulation companies One World LED and Sportal will consolidate their national and international research and development capabilities into new premises at Tonsley Innovation District in Adelaide joining other companies such as Micro-X, Zeiss, Siemens and Sage Automation in the former car making site. The companies research, design and engineer custom LED technology in Adelaide,…
Details
There are many ways to skin the digitisation cat. While some manufacturing CEOs see digitisation through the prism of hard manufacturing technologies, others such as Vanessa Katsanevakis, Director of Sussex Taps are focussed on softer, but equally essential issues. Since Katsanevakis took over the business from father Nicholaas Johannes van Putten in 2011, she has…
Details
Guidelines are available for the Queensland government’s Manufacturing Energy Efficiency Grants (MEEG) ahead of applications opening on October 23. Grants provide matched grant funding of between $5,000 and $25,000 for equipment or processes to decrease energy use or carbon dioxide emissions, with project needing to demonstrate a 10 per cent reduction in either. In a…
Details
Defence contractor XTEK has told shareholders that it will shut its Adelaide site by 2024 and move the factory’s manufacturing and R&D operations to the United States, citing opportunities in that market. XTEK supplies defence products, such as drones, and develops its own, including composite armour based on its proprietary XTclave process. XTclave is a…
Details
PepsiCo’s factory at Regency Park marked its 40th anniversary on Thursday According to a statement from the company, it purchases 40,000 tonnes of potatoes a year from South Australian farmers in Angle Vale, Parilla and Langhorne to create products including the Red Rock Deli brand of premium potato chips and crackers, and the Smith’s Oven…
Details
A development application has been submitted to Sunshine Coast Council for the Turbine Precinct food and beverage precinct, according to a report on a local news website. According to Turbine’s website, the completed site will be “Australia’s first purpose built, end-to-end food and beverage manufacturing and education precinct” and is “expected to be operational March…
Details