As our panel of expert judges go about the marking of nominations, the Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers campaign looks at a company trying to turn theoretical physics research into the impossible dream of clean, abundant energy. Brent Balinski speaks to HB11 Energy founder Dr Warren McKenzie. The nation’s record on turning research inputs into…
Bus manufacturer Volgren reached a historic milestone with the delivery of its 2000th locally built bus from its Eagle Farm facility in Brisbane, the company announced this week. Since opening in 2009, the Queensland facility has been central to bus manufacturing in the state, delivering over 1000 buses to Brisbane City Council and achieving a…
Mill relining systems manufacturer Russell Mineral Equipment (RME) appointed Simon Thompson to the role of Chief Engineer, the company announced on Sunday. Thompson, who will officially commence in the role on 26 March, brings more than a decade of experience in the mining machinery original equipment manufacturer sector. He joined RME in 2018 as Global…
Round 26 CRC information session on March 26 A special information session is being held by Cooperative Research Australia for those bidding or considering bidding for a Cooperative Research Centre (CRC.) Hosted in collaboration with the federal Department of Industry, Science, and Resources, the session comes ahead of Round 26 of CRC grants (closing on…
By Timothy Weber, Australian National University and Andrew Blakers, Australian National University Australia’s energy policy would take a sharp turn if the Coalition wins the upcoming federal election. A Dutton government would seek to build seven nuclear power plants at the sites of old coal-fired power stations. The Coalition says its plan makes smart use…
As we prepare to hand nominations for Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers 2025 over to our judges, we look at an ASX-listed battery recycling company commercialising “deep eutectic solvent” research from the University of Adelaide. Brent Balinski speaks to IonDrive CEO Dr Ebbe Dommisse. There are a lot of ways to not make it when…
By Shane Albances In the competitive landscape of space technology, agility and speed of innovation are paramount. At Space Machines Company, we made a strategic decision to invest in developing our own satellite propulsion system as well as establishing a propulsion test facility — a capability that has already proven instrumental in accelerating our product…
This week in our Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers series, we hear from Dr Chris Jeffery, CEO of Convergence Medical Robotics. The third-time founder shares some lessons learned from running successful companies; how to build the right culture, especially at the early stage; and how you can move fast while doing difficult things. By Brent…
By Christopher Ferrie, University of Technology Sydney American quantum computing startup PsiQuantum announced on February 26 that it has cracked a significant puzzle on the road to making the technology useful: manufacturing quantum chips in useful quantities. PsiQuantum burst out of “stealth mode” in 2021 with a blockbuster funding announcement. It followed up with two…
By Changlong Wang, Monash University and Stuart Walsh, Monash University Hydrogen was once sold as a universal climate fix — a clean, green wonder fuel for cars, homes, power grids and even global export. But reality has cooled that buzz. This week, the South Australian government shelved plans for a A$593 million hydrogen power plant,…