Concrete sector grows despite housing downturn, $3.4bn industry report reveals

Australia’s concrete product manufacturing industry has shown resilience in the face of challenging residential construction conditions, growing at a modest but steady pace, according to a comprehensive market report released on Tuesday. The IBISWorld report reveals the industry has reached an estimated value of $3.4 billion in 2025, growing at a compound annual growth rate…

Details

QUT team make stretchable semiconductors better able to turn body heat into electricity

A team of Queensland University of Technology researchers (pictured) have developed a new alloy with potential use in wearable, flexible semiconductors. The researchers, each from QUT and each belonging to the ARC Research Hub in Zero-emission Power Generation for Carbon Neutrality (ZeroPC), published their work in the journal Nature Communications. A statement from the university…

Details

Tiny manufacturers: How black soldier flies are turning food waste into valuable products

In a world where manufacturing typically conjures images of sprawling factories and complex machinery, a tiny six-legged workforce is quietly revolutionising production processes at Southern Cross University. Black soldier flies, the unassuming insects with appetites twice their body weight, are being harnessed as nature’s manufacturing plants to transform food waste into valuable resources, researchers revealed…

Details

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Governor-General to join Good Design Australia as Patron Design advocacy body Good Design Australia announced on Tuesday that the Governor-General, Sam Mostyn, will become the Patron of the organisation, in what it said was a “historic appointment signal[ing] the critically important role of design in shaping Australia’s future.” In a statement, the organisation said the…

Details

Housing construction slump crimps demand for plastic pipe manufacturers: IBISWorld

The national market for plastic pipe and plastic packaging material manufacturing is worth a predicted $4.7 billion this financial year, with revenues shrinking an average of 1.1 per cent annually between 2020 and 2025, according to a new report from IBISWorld. A contributor to the decline in revenue in “a mixed-performance” category was increased mortgage…

Details

In the trade war, China has moved to curb supply of critical minerals. Can Australia seize the moment?

By Marina Yue Zhang, University of Technology Sydney In the escalating trade war between the United States and China, one notable exception stood out: 31 critical minerals, including rare earth elements, were strategically exempted from tariffs. This was not a gesture of goodwill. It was a tacit acknowledgment of the United States’ deep dependence on…

Details

Construction begins on Central Coast Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub

Construction has begun on the Central Coast Food Manufacturing Innovation Hub, a $17.14 million project funded by the federal government and delivered by not-for-profit organisation Central Coast Industry Connect (CCIC) in partnership with the Central Coast Council, University of Newcastle and Regional Development Central Coast. In a statement on Thursday, CCIC said the project will position…

Details