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Remondis Hygrogen Waste Collection truck

REMONDIS Australia’s global breakthrough with zero-emission hydrogen powered waste collection truck

REMONDIS Australia has achieved a global breakthrough by introducing one of the world’s first hydrogen powered waste collection trucks to its operations. After extensive trials, the carbon emission-free truck has participated in its first scheduled residential waste collection in the Illawarra region of New South Wales. The Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle (FCEV) relies on hydrogen which combines with air to generate electricity for motor function. Only water vapour is emitted, and nothing harmful to the environment. L-R, John Edgley (Hyzon), Wollongong City Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery, Chris Wade (Remondis), and Shellharbour City Mayor, Chris Homer. REMONDIS Australia CEO Björn Becker said the truck going into formal operation was historic. “We’re demonstrating that carbon-free transport can and does work in industrial settings,” Mr Becker said. “We’re hopeful that this is the start of a bigger journey whereby companies around the world follow REMONDIS’ lead and turn to fleet decarbonisation. “This should be likely as economies of scale take effect, making the take-up of such technology the norm and not the exception. “REMONDIS has gone all-out to deliver this ground-breaking environmental initiative at the earliest possible time and it’s something we’re very proud of.” REMONDIS NSW South Coast Region Manager Chris Wade said the truck would be fine-tuned through collaboration with its maker, Hyzon Motors, in coming months. “The ultimate aim is to have the hydrogen truck matching our current diesel trucks in all facets,” Mr Wade said. “That includes completing about 1,000 bin lifts over about eight hours. “Trial runs in recent months have been promising, giving us confidence to put the truck into formal operation, serving many of the 300,000 residents in the region. “Putting the truck through full commercial paces will give us additional information and enable adjustments to be made if necessary. “With distinctive markings indicating that it […]

Phasio secures $3.8M to digitise manufacturing and accelerate Australia’s sovereign capabilities

L-R: Sudharshan Raman (CPO and Co-Founder), Harry Conor Lucas (CEO and Co-Founder) Phasio, the manufacturing tech startup, today announced it has raised AUD$3.8 million in a seed round, led by AirTree Ventures to accelerate the manufacturing industry and global productivity. Generating over $113 billion in value in 2020-21, the manufacturing industry is a driving force behind the local economy. But compared to international counterparts, Australia’s manufacturing industry is falling behind. Globally, manufacturing contributes an average of 16% to a country’s gross domestic profits (GDP). But in Australia, the manufacturing industry is responsible for just 5% of GDP. Amidst the backdrop of current geopolitical tensions, there’s a need to increase high-value manufacturing and prioritise sovereign manufacturing capabilities to create a more resilient economy. “Manufacturing accounts for about a quarter of Australia’s national research and development investment. But right now, the industry is stuck with inefficient, siloed processes that are slowing manufacturers’ ability to imagine, design, and create, and with it, our economy,” said Harry Conor Lucas, CEO and Co-Founder of Phasio. Co-founded by Australian entrepreneur, Harry Lucas and ex-CSIRO researcher, Sudharshan Raman, Phasio is digitising how manufacturers quote, design and interact with customers to unlock new ways of working. Phasio’s manufacturing interface provides an end-to-end workflow between stakeholders (buyers and manufacturers) to create instant quotations, collaborate on designs, and manage personalised order experiences. By empowering manufacturers to build better, Phasio is helping to secure supply chains and accelerating the pace of manufacturing. “Our vision with Phasio is to elevate a new wave of local manufacturers onto the global stage. We believe that local manufacturing is the lifeblood of product innovation, and that by empowering local manufacturers to do more, we can in fact grow the manufacturing industry for everyone globally. Phasio offers an alternative to the us-vs-them mentality. We can have our local manufacturing […]

NSW Government seeks to enhance energy savings in hot water system upgrades

The NSW Office of Energy and Climate Change (OECC) has announced several proposed changes to the current Energy Savings Scheme (ESS) for hot water system upgrades. The changes are intended to improve energy savings in hot water system upgrades, ensure consumers have more stake and thus interest in their upgrade process, and align current ‘hypothetical’ energy savings calculations with real world results. Through this exercise, the government hopes to enhance customer engagement whilst also ensuring energy savings are more accurately calculated. Co-Payments: Increasing Customer Engagement Some upgrades under the ESS have required co-payments since 2014. These payments have helped make upgrades under the ESS more accessible to householders and businesses. However, the current $30 (ex GST) co-payment for residential hot water system upgrades and the lack of similar co-payments for small businesses and commercial upgrades have presented challenges. These include reduced customer engagement, perceived lack of legitimacy, and increased instances of high-pressure sales tactics. Efficient Energy Group (EEG) is an Accredited Certificate Provider (ACP) and the company’s CEO Joshua Liptak says the rationale behind co-payments is sound. “They’re there to encourage customer participation in their upgrade projects and help offset the cost of the upgrade. However, the problem for the OECC, and the government, is that when it’s set too low, customers may not be engaged enough to ensure they receive a quality product. Conversely, set the co-payment too high, and it may deter them from getting upgrades done at all. “The effectiveness of co-payments therefore depends on the right balance being struck between these 2 elements, and that’s what these proposed changes are trying to do.” He added, “The current co-payment also doesn’t adequately factor in the high value of the products being installed, which then risks sub par upgrades.” The New NSW ESS Hot Water System Upgrade Co-Payment […]

PepsiCo’s Regency Park site celebrates 40th anniversary and 30 years of team member

PepsiCo’s Regency Park manufacturing facility is celebrating its 40th year of making some of Australia’s most iconic snacks, such as Smith’s, Red Rock Deli, Doritos and Twisties, since its opening in South Australia in 1983. The milestone reflects PepsiCo’s continued commitment to the South Australian manufacturing industry by growing produce, employing local team members and making foods locally. To make its snacks, PepsiCo purchases 40,000 tonnes of potatoes from South Australian farmers in Angle Vale, Parilla and Langhorne each year. The site, is the proud birthplace of the premium potato chip brand Red Rock Deli, and also makes the world-famous Doritos range, including the innovative new limited-edition coriander flavour. It also manufactures the Smith’s Oven Baked range, which was launched in 2020 as a ‘better for you’ potato chip. The Regency Park site employs 310 South Australian residents, including Anna Marie Dykstra, who is also celebrating her 30th anniversary this year. A much beloved team member over her three decades with the business, Anna Marie started working as a packing check way attendant, and has had multiple roles before her current Training Leader role. “This is my second family. I say that because sometimes when you’re tired, you still want to come in, because you are looking forward to seeing your friends, to work again,” said Ms Dykstra. “I enjoy working here, I really enjoy it, and I’m so proud of being an employee of PepsiCo.” “South Australian farming and manufacturing is an integral part of our business at PepsiCo – a third of the potatoes we use nationally are sourced from South Australia,” said Doug Stakic, PepsiCo ANZ Manufacturing Director, who has been at the Regency Park site for 37 years. “We are proud of our contribution to the South Australian economy through our Regency Park facility over the […]

SYSPRO contributes to 100% improvement in AF Gason’s results

Customer Profile AF Gason designs and manufactures world-class broadacre farm machinery as well as industrial and wood-heating products. The company’s Industrial Services Division provides technical solutions for commercial and industrial applications across multiple sectors. AF Gason distributes and supports all its products via an extensive dealer network across Australia and New Zealand. The Business Challenge At the time of implementing SYSPRO in 2011, AF Gason needed an enterprise system which could be used across the entire length of its supply chain to ensure one source of the truth. The Solution AF Gason uses SYSPRO as its enterprise system across the entire length of its supply chain. The SYSPRO solution including SYSPRO MOM, records everything on the manufacturing side of the business from shop floor recording to shop floor data, job management, traceability, procurement and inventory management. It also covers all finance functions such as sales processing and invoicing, payables, receivables and cash management. The Outcome “We’ve had 100% improvement in our results over the past couple of years, and a great deal is related to being able to use the information out of SYSPRO to give us better decision-making capability in the business,” says Leon Nash, Chief Financial Officer at AF Gason. AF Gason has adopted many of the new elements in the system, including SYSPRO Manufacturing Operations Management (MOM). “We attribute the major payback on our investment to SYSPRO MOM and the ability to use shop floor recording and job recording appropriately. Our job recording accuracy levels have improved by more than 20%, and we’re close to 50% improved efficiency on the shop floor,” says Mr. Nash. Jason Yole, AF Gason’s Production Manager, agrees. “SYSPRO MOM has opened our eyes to what we can do with the business. We can see down to the job level of a […]

Rae-Line saves 20% in quality and time through SYSPRO implementation

Established in 1972 and based in Melbourne, Australia, Rae-Line is a market leader in the design and manufacture of commercial upholstery, sports and safety padding solutions. From humble beginnings, the company has grown steadily. Rae-Line now employs more than 140 staff and supplies its products to some of the biggest names in the automotive, heavy transport, recreational vehicle and sports padding industries. The Business Challenge Rae-Line’s inhouse ERP solution was no longer keeping pace with its growth. The system didn’t include Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and the financial system was separate. Management identified a need for a fully integrated, robust system to meet its changing requirements and support future expansion. The Solution Rae-Line evaluated six ERP suppliers before selecting SYSPRO based on an in-depth presentation, the capabilities of the solution and the responsiveness of the team. “From bulk upload of sales orders to managing those jobs through bills of material, inventory controls, stocktakes, Material Requirements Planning (MRP) and all the way through to the financial processes, SYSPRO is strongly aligned with our business processes.” – Dave Moody, General Manager and SYSPRO Project Leader The Outcome As a single point of entry, SYSPRO supports the 60% growth in staff and orders experienced by Rae-Line over the past two years. In addition, Rae-Line has seen a 20% improvement in quality and time through its ability to feedback information, resulting in fewer mistakes and reworks. Meeting stringent customer demands In recent months, several major customers have increased their demand by around 50%. This, combined with the 60% growth in staff and orders over the past two years, brought with it challenges which required a strong system. Commenting on the increase in orders, Moody says: “Because SYSPRO has a strong front end and can upload bulk sales orders, we’ve been able to satisfy the […]

Professor Andy Koronios, CEO, SmartSat CRC

SmartSat CRC increases investment in ACT to support Canberra’s new space agenda

Australia’s leading space research centre, SmartSat Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), has announced a suite of new R&D projects and university appointments in support of the ACT Space Update 2023, bringing its joint investment in the ACT to over $7M. With the launch of the ACT Space Update 2023, SmartSat is amplifying this commitment by injecting new funds into research in space technologies addressing bushfire resilience, spacecraft system autonomy, space objects surveillance and cybersecurity. One of two new research projects co-funded by SmartSat and ACT Government brings together the Australian National University (ANU) and EOS Space Systems to deliver advanced manufacturing technologies for the OzFuel instrument. This is a key payload of an Earth Observation Resilience satellite mission that aims to improve continental scale fire management and environmental monitoring tailored specifically to Australian Eucalypt forests. The second project brings together Infinity Avionics, UNSW Canberra and Nominal Systems to develop capabilities in Space-Based Space Surveillance (SBSS), a vital tool for both defence and commercial space operations contending with the risks of navigating increasing debris and space objects in Low Earth Orbit (LEO). SmartSat has also recently approved funding research capabilities in cybersecurity and resilient artificial intelligence for space systems at UNSW Canberra. This is in addition to two SmartSat-backed Professorial Chairs at ANU: Professor Hanna Kurniawati, Professorial Chair for System Autonomy, Intelligence and Decision Making; and Professor Kirk McKenzie, Professorial Chair of Precision Measurement in Space. SmartSat CEO Professor Andy Koronios, says that the $7M joint research investment in ACT demonstrates SmartSat’s commitment to supporting the national space sector. “Since 2020, SmartSat has demonstrated its commitment to building the ACT’s space R&D capabilities, funding over ten projects at ANU and UNSW Canberra. We are excited to support this proactive agenda laid out by the ACT government. “This fresh round of research investment by SmartSat delivers […]

Resourceful Living 2 Jess Hodge Hunter Awards

Made in the Hunter, for the world

HMA announces 2023 finalists and presentation night Mid-September put a spring in the step of Hunter manufacturing. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Varley Engineering at Carrington to make a significant announcement regarding the National Reconstruction Fund, and Hunter Manufacturing Awards announced its 2023 finalists. While Mr Albanese was suiting up in Newcastle’s traditional industrial heartland with safety glasses and a personalised rail safety vest to reboot manufacturing, selected HMA finalists were checking their black-tie arrangements and after-five options. HMA will announce the winners of its prestigious accolades at a gala event on Friday 20 October at NEX, in Newcastle. The awards inspire and encourage vibrant and enduring manufacturing and the event shines a light on the region’s leaders and innovators making a mark in their fields. The 2023 awards theme is “made in the Hunter, for the world” and HMA chair Jacqui Daley says it is important to recognise the growth of manufacturing in the region and to celebrate innovations and commitment as companies make a global push. “Hunter companies are transforming traditional manufacturing processes,” Ms Daley says. “Many are now increasing the levels of design for technologically complex, innovative, reliable, affordable, and available products, which are better, more sustainable, and solve a variety of society’s problems. It enables them to compete globally.” Many of this year’s finalists are first timers, such as Hey Zomi, Herb Urban, and new Hunter start-up No Thru, while others are “old hands”, such as Hedweld, Resourceful Living, Whiteley, and Tomago Aluminium. The No Thru interlocking security system is an innovative reimagining of the traditional temporary construction fence. Designed to address the shortcomings of current options, No Thru prioritises enhanced security, safety, and streamlined installation efficiency. “Our main target markets are construction, building, and hire companies,” says No Thru founder James Vadas. “This system eliminates […]

Women in Tech – Samantha Lear, Information Technology Team Leader, Network Security at Verizon

What is your role at Verizon and what does it involve? I am a Team Leader for Verizon’s junior network engineers and service desk in the Network Security department. My day-to-day role includes being the first level response for customers, triaging tickets, fulfilling network engineering requests and managing internal and external escalations. I also work closely with our operations and ASOC (Advanced Security Operations Centre) team in implementing cybersecurity operations. Why have you chosen this career path? I’m a gamer at heart and played a lot of games as a child, so naturally I was always on the computer. When deciding what I wanted to do as a career, I wanted it to be something I enjoyed, so I chose a path that would allow me to work with computers. A friend of mine suggested that I should study network security; I took their advice and haven’t looked back. It’s a field that I really enjoy as it’s challenging, there’s always a new challenge to solve, and I love troubleshooting. What has been the highlight of your career? Every promotion I’ve achieved at Verizon has been a career highlight for me. I started out as an intern before being hired as a Consultant Engineer for the Network Security team. I was then quickly promoted to the position of Lead Consultant Engineer, as I excelled in the work I was doing. Then I was promoted to my current role. Another highlight has been the opportunity I’ve had to work overseas in various global operations roles at Verizon. I worked in Japan for two months and in Germany for a week, both of which were incredible experiences. These opportunities helped me to build my international relationships and improve communication between my team and global operations, facilitating a better understanding of what our […]

Sevaan Group trials 4-day week

Leading parts contract manufacturer, Sevaan Group, announced today it is trialling a 4-day week to evaluate improvement in staff well-being, attracting new talent, and increasing productivity. The trial period will run for three months, from 11th September until the 31st December. The Group is spreading the normal 38-hour, 5-day work week over four days. Each day encompasses two shifts, morning and afternoon, consisting of 9.5 hours each. According to Sevaan Group’s CEO, David Green, the management-led initiative gained traction as a result of the positive outcomes attained by overseas companies that have already trialled the 4-day week. “The evidence suggests that these firms are benefitting from improved productivity, reduced sick leave and unapproved absenteeism, and a general increase in their employees’ well-being.” “The improved well-being of staff is particularly of interest because it aligns so strongly with Sevaan’s culture. We are a very employee focused organisation and our staff’s well-being is paramount. We have already introduced an EAP – LifeWorks – which provides staff with confidential, expert counselling across a broad range of issues, should they request it. We are hoping that a 4-day working week will further support our staff’s wellness. The evidence suggest that it helps to reduce anxiety, stress, fatigue and burnout,” explained David. A 4-day week is also appealing when it comes to attracting and retaining talent. “The manufacturing market in Australia is already very tight when it comes to hiring new staff. The 4-day week provides employees with a shorter working week, and more free time to spend as they please. This greater work-life balance is no doubt attractive to prospective staff, and helps to further differentiate Sevaan and reinforce the Group as an employer of choice,” said David. Evidence from US and UK companies which have already trialled the shorter week indicates that there […]

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