A new quarterly survey by Westpac shows Australian businesses juggling reduced consumer demand and other challenges, though being “well positioned” at this early stage in the calendar year, according to the bank. “Progress on cost inflation is more than offsetting the decline in demand, meaning businesses have fared relatively well and have not yet had…
Details
The federal government has pushed forward with plans to develop and field the MQ-28A Ghost Bat unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) which is seen as a companion for manned Royal Australian Air Force planes. The government said it has secured hundreds of highly skilled jobs while driving industry innovation with the allocation of an additional $399…
Details
By Peter Roberts Until now the talk in defence circles has been about the possibility that fewer than the planned nine Hunter class frigates might be built at a new shipyard at Osborne in Adelaide (pictured). This is something that has kept Adelaide manufacturers, already reeling from Australia’s recent on-again, off again submarine policies, awake…
Details
Transport electrification group GoZero has received $80 million in asset finance facilities from the Commonwealth Bank which will fund the electrification of the bus fleets of Sydney independent schools. The schools, including Queenwood, Knox Grammar and Scots College, through GoZero’s charter business the NSBC Group, will have their diesel buses replaced by battery electric buses…
Details
There are now just four weeks left to nominate for Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers, this title’s prestigious annual awards program and merit list. We have plenty of profiles coming up from this year’s nominees, where you can learn how and why your peers innovate. This week we featured BlockTexx, with co-founder Graham Ross sharing…
Details
By Andrew Gunn, Monash University and Christian Jakob, Monash University The bush is full up – no room for more renewables, according to Nationals leader David Littleproud. Instead, renewables should be restricted to large solar arrays on commercial buildings in the cities. The country-focused minor party presumably hopes to capitalise on rural scepticism of large scale…
Details
Cochlear upgrades profit outlook on strong implant sales Hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear has upgraded earnings guidance following better than expected growth in revenue from bionic ear implant sales. The company told investors underlying net profit for FY24 was now expected to be between $385-400 million, a 26 to 31 percent increase on FY23. The upgrade…
Details
The federal government has announced a further $41 million in Energy Efficiency Grants (EEG) for Small and Medium Enterprises to improve energy efficiency, save on energy bills and lower emissions, taking the total size of the scheme to $62 million. The grants between $10,000 and $25,000 can be used to upgrade to more efficient equipment…
Details
Perth mining automation company Jevons Robotics has announced that Ausroad Manufacturing, a maker of specialist road maintenance and mine support vehicles, has become a strategic investor. In a statement on Tuesday, Jevons said that the pair were now poised to “embark on a series of collaborative projects in the coming years”. The size of the…
Details
Coal to fertiliser producer NeuRizer has secured a second customer for its one million tonne per annum urea plant under construction at the former Leigh Creek brown coal field in mid-north South Australia. The company told investors it had signed a Term Sheet with Samsung C&T Corporation to negotiate a 5-year Sales and Marketing Agreement…
Details