
The path to a successful career in manufacturing and making a positive impact
Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor revolutionising recycling science. As a leading expert in the field of recycling science, and founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW. Veena is producing a new generation […]

Hunter class frigate program passes Preliminary Design Review milestone
BAE Systems’ Hunter Class Frigate Program has successfully completed its Preliminary Design Review (PDR). The review, which started in July, is a technical assessment that ensures the design is operationally effective and underpins the more detailed work that will now be undertaken. More than 1,800 people are now working […]

Kemppi Australia opens new Welding Innovation and Training Hub
Kemppi has recently opened of its Welding Innovation and Training Hub in Australia. The Hub will allow Kemppi to train welders in Australia and New Zealand on Kemppi equipment so that they can improve productivity and performance in the workshop and on the work site. Kemppi dealers and service agents […]

Q & A: Scott McPherson, SGESCO-MAX Managing Director
Tell readers what you do? SGESCO-MAX is a specialist in heavy vehicle safety. We design and manufacture a range of innovative, high-quality solutions to help solve our customer’s complex safety challenges. Some of our key safety systems include: – Anti-rollaway brake system – Blindspot monitoring (radar and vision) – Pedestrian […]

Where did Narendra Modi go?
Australia won the Cricket World Cup – something they are usually very good at doing – in a fairly, easy, straight forward way. Then the political man of the hour, Narendra Modi, India’s boss, in the stadium named after him, presented Australian captain, Pat Cummins with the winners trophy – […]

Australia’s first ever AI Month launches
Australia’s inaugural Artificial Intelligence (AI) Month launches today, calling on Australians to help shape and plan for the AI future they want to see. Held from November 15 to December 15, AI Month is an initiative from the National AI Centre (NAIC), which sits within Australia’s national science agency, […]

Amokabel doubles production capacity for special cable in Sydney
Investment will enable Australian engineers in the defence, mining, rail, telecoms, power grids and supermarket industries to benefit from short lead times and flexible order quantities. Amokabel has doubled production capacity at its cable factory in Sydney. The upgrade has boosted the manufacturer’s ability to deliver specialist cable for the […]

New $18M partnership building digital tech for safer workplaces
CSIRO, Australia’s national science agency, will join forces with five universities to keep Aussies safe at work using the latest digital technologies. The $18 million Tech4HSE program unites leading researchers in emerging technologies such as generative and immersive artificial intelligence (AI), augmented reality and cybersecurity, to develop tech to […]
Connection and education at the centre of renewed ag innovation event
Registrations now open for AgSmart Connect in Tamworth in March, 2024 There’s a new name and a sharpened focus, but an event that has showcased agricultural technology for the past two years is returning with the same promise of highlighting to the industry the enormous potential and opportunity in the […]
Lantek enhances productivity for sheet metal manufacturer
Australian laser subcontractor Online Laser Pty can manufacture twice as much as before with the help of Lantek’s sheet metal CAD/CAM and ERP software. Based in Bendigo, Victoria, the company has two Bystronic Bystar fibre lasers and previously used a proprietary system, which is now no longer supported, to manage […]
Digital service transformation trends
Five ways to stay competitive in 2024 and beyond The digital transformation sweeping the world is revolutionising how we live and work, fuelled by new technologies such as AI, machine learning and automation. Accounting for more than 70 per cent of GDP and 4 in 5 jobs, Australia’s service sector […]
Decarbonising our cities
The built environment accounts for 39 per cent of gross annual carbon emissions worldwide. How to account for embodied carbon emissions Operational emissions – for example from the electricity it takes to heat or cool buildings – account for some built environment emissions. But embodied carbon emissions also contribute a significant proportion. They […]

The path to a successful career in manufacturing and making a positive impact
Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Professor Veena Sahajwalla is an internationally recognised materials scientist, engineer and inventor revolutionising recycling science. As a leading expert in the field of recycling science, and founding Director of the Centre for Sustainable Materials Research & Technology at UNSW. Veena is producing a new generation of green materials, products and resources made entirely, or primarily, from waste. Veena also heads the ARC Industrial Transformation Research Hub for ‘green manufacturing’ – a leading national research centre that works in collaboration with industry to ensure new science is translated into real world environmental and economic benefits. Veena has been extensively recognised for the innovation and significance of her work, including via election to be a Fellow of the esteemed Australian Academy of Science. At the Women in Manufacturing Summit 2023, Veena examined how to use sustainability and circular economy strategies to improve environmental, social, and financial bottom lines in manufacturing. CAN YOU BRIEFLY INTRODUCE YOURSELF? I grew up Mumbai, which is such a fabulous city with so much going on. As a child, it was about understanding, first and foremost, how people actually made a living. It always impressed me that people would do this by fixing shoes, clothes and all kinds of electronic stuff that we had at home. To me, the creation of all these products out of things that were supposedly broken was really fascinating. I see my work not just as science and engineering, but as wider social reform. I have lived with my family in Australia for almost 30 years. WHAT ARE YOU DOING NOW? I’m the Director of the UNSW Sustainable Materials Research and Technology (SMaRT) Centre where we are known for pioneering the high temperature transformation of waste in the production of a new generation of ‘green materials’. Our best […]