This month marks two years of manufacturing for Philip Goodman, who says his company has so far managed to turn about 300,000 kilograms of post-industrial plastic into new permeable pavers. The Director of Truegrid Australia came to manufacturing after a career as developer and builder, particularly of over-50s lifestyle resorts. Goodman says he saw Truegrid…
By Nicholas Way Mick Henricks is a rare breed – someone who has been able to turn his lifelong passion into his livelihood. The blacksmith behind the Roma-based The Farmer’s Forge in southern, central Queensland, he has been able to turn his passion for metal and woodwork since his school days into a growing business.…
The details of Para Mobility’s history are not totally clear. The assistive technology company began in 1983, and CEO Peter Cleaves says it’s had various different names and about six different owners during the time. What seems clearer is that it began with and continues to operate based on needs. “Like most AT businesses in…
By Kylie Turner, Climateworks Centre and Luke Brown, Climateworks Centre In the budget last week, the government was keen to talk about its efforts to turn Australia into a renewable superpower under the umbrella of the Future Made in Australia policies. Future Made is a framework that sets out how to target green subsidies to…
Jindera, NSW-based grain silo maker SilOz goes back to the 1970s and is almost a year into its current ownership. As a maker of products based on Australian steel, its history reflects some of the shifts in the local steel sector over the decades. “It used to be a part of the Smorgon Group, which…
By Nicholas Way Bert Manning of Mittagong in New South Wales has always loved fixing and making things, especially if they are well designed, well made and use the best of materials. So much so that he started his first business back in the 1990s, manufacturing stainless steel exhaust systems before moving on to augers…
Today our fourth Celebrating Australian Made editorial series begins, coinciding with Australian Made Week 2024 (Monday May 20 to Sunday May 26.) It’s that time of year again, when Australians show a bit of love for goods made here, those who make them, and the value of supporting them. Australian Made Week was first marked…
By Nicholas Way For nearly two decades, the Bawa family-owned business, Sunrise International, has been supplying the market with an extensive and specialist range of trailer parts and accessories. Starting in Melbourne in 2005, it now has two manufacturing plants there – Sunshine in the west and Chelsea Heights in the south – employing about…
By Ian Lowe, Griffith University For decades, Australia has exported uranium – but not used it, other than in the Lucas Heights research reactor. But change is coming. We now face a rapidly deepening commitment to the nuclear industry, through nuclear submarines (bipartisan support) or nuclear reactors (Coalition support). The Albanese government was quick to accept…
By Kylie Walker, Australian National University This year’s federal budget is making up for decades of lost time – both in our clean energy transition and in betting on new technological breakthroughs. The Future Made in Australia Act holds tantalising potential for building Australian science, research and development. The aim is to turn Australia into…