Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

Astroscale, HEO partner on space monitoring This week Japanese satellite servicing company Astroscale Holdings and Sydney-based non-Earth imaging specialist HEO announced a three-year memorandum of understanding. According to a statement from Astroscale on Tuesday, the agreement deepens an existing partnership on monitoring, assessing and ultimately servicing allied defence, government and commercial assets. The pair will…

Mackay’s QUT Pioneer BioPilot fermentation station gets $18 million upgrade

QUT has launched an upgrade to its Mackay-based Pioneer BioPilot, which it says has made the facility into the nation’s top pilot-scale fermentation facility. The $18 million investment in the QUT Pioneer BioPilot included support from the federal and state governments and the Australia’s Food and Beverage Accelerator (FaBA), and will “empower innovative companies” to…

Goodbye petrostates, hello ‘electrostates’: how the clean energy shift is reshaping the world order

By Niusha Shafiabady, Australian Catholic University and Xiaoying Qi, Australian Catholic University For more than a century, global geopolitics has revolved around oil and gas. Countries with big fossil fuel reserves, such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, have amassed significant wealth and foreign influence, helping shape the world order. But the global shift toward renewable…

A Sydney company’s plan to build thousands of fast, cheap and out of this world first responder vehicles

Last month Space Machines Company, which plans to one day offer “roadside assistance in space”, completed what it says is an important milestone. The company successfully completed its 3D printed Scintilla engine, which passed a critical design review as well as more than 1,200 seconds of testing time at a private farm somewhere in Queensland.…

Despite disappointments, this founder is still adamant about high-tech gear made here

Appreciation has grown in the last decade or so for a modern, holistic view of manufacturing. It’s “more than just production”, you will have heard countless times, and production is the lowest point in the “smiley curve” model of where value is added.  The National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, for example, chose to open its inaugural…

The global plastics treaty process has fallen flat. Here’s what went wrong, and how you can help

By Melanie MacGregor, Flinders University Progress towards a legally binding global treaty on plastics pollution stalled and went into reverse this week. The United Nations Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meeting in Geneva, Switzerland, ran overtime. It’s likely to conclude this evening, without agreement. This is an incredibly disappointing result. As a member of the Scientists’ Coalition…

Manufacturing news briefs — stories you might have missed

EPCA Expands into Latin America Mining equipment electrification company EPCA has announced a strategic partnership with Escala Consulting, which will represent EPCA across Mexico and Latin America as the official sales representative for the region. “With established operations in Australia and Mexico, Escala leverages deep regional insight and cross-border industry experience to unlock commercial opportunities…