Business

Probuild collapse – a tragedy that could have been avoided

Following the news that Australian construction industry giant Probuild has fallen into voluntary administration, leading credit reporting agency CreditorWatch assessed the warning signs that existed in advance of the collapse and how they could have been avoided. “This news comes as a devastating hit to the Australian construction industry,” says CreditorWatch CEO Patrick Coghlan “the demise of a business with the scale and reach of Probuild is bound to send shockwaves through the industry, as thousands of small businesses are impacted. Sadly, I fear this is the tip of the iceberg, and we could see many more going under, as an industry that was already under significant pressure is dealt another heavy blow.” Red flags in plain sight for industry partners The writing was on the wall for Probuild which, like the rest of the construction industry, struggled to survive a perfect COVID storm of supply chain disruptions, cost blowouts and increased worker absenteeism. CreditorWatch listed Probuild under a D1 or D2 RiskScore Rating from October 2021, with its risk of default or insolvency significantly higher than the average Australian business. This score was awarded based on a variety of factors, including the rapid increase in credit enquiries from August 2021 onwards. “The data underlines just how crucial it can be for small businesses to monitor the vital signs of their stakeholders and to identify those suppliers and debtors that could be at risk of default, in order to adequately assess their credit risk,” continues Coghlan. In the past five years, Probuild had 1,588 credit enquiries, of which 545 were lodged in the last 12 months alone. This increase is in line with the wider construction industry, which currently sits at the top of the ANZSIC Division for credit enquiries on 255, well above manufacturing on 75 and Professional, Scientific […]

Tricentis acquires Tx3 digital validation platform for life sciences Tricentis, a leader in test automation for modern cloud and enterprise applications, announces the acquisition of Tx3 Services, a provider of automated quality and compliance software testing solutions for life sciences companies. Building upon Tricentis’ AI-powered continuous testing platform, the addition of Tx3 provides greater specialisation and increased capabilities to address the unique needs of the healthcare and life sciences industries. Ensuring compliance with the many regulatory requirements across the healthcare and life sciences landscape is a complex and critical task. Many organisations in this space, however, have not yet modernised their software testing and still rely on a manual, document-centric approach for validation. Tx3 enables life sciences companies to automate computer systems validation and assurance processes, helping IT teams improve consistency, add efficiencies, and modernise regulatory compliance while lowering risk. Digital validation with Tx3 is based on agile principles and designed to help organisations accelerate compliance processes and certification by tightly integrating with software quality, testing, and DevOps tools. “Tricentis is already helping thousands of organisations produce high-quality software more quickly and efficiently,” said Kevin Thompson, Chairman and CEO of Tricentis. “And by combining our robust portfolio of software testing products with Tx3’s specialised digital validation platform, “Tricentis will provide an incredibly comprehensive and powerful solution specifically for life sciences and healthcare organisations looking to advance their digital transformation journey.” “We have enjoyed a strong partnership with Tricentis for many years, and we look forward to officially becoming part of the Tricentis family with this acquisition,” said Jason Tepfenhardt, CEO at Tx3 Services. “The combination of Tricentis and Tx3 will now enable even further integration and greater innovation as we continue to deliver products to help life sciences companies accelerate software testing, increase efficiency, and reduce risk.”

bp signs licensing agreement for Honeywell UOP’s Ecofining technology.

Under the agreement, bp will revamp hydroprocessing equipment at its former refinery site in Kwinana, Australia, to Honeywell UOP’s Ecofining process for a capital-efficient, fast-to-market path to produce approximately biodiesel at the underutilised plant. The refurbishment would enable bp to produce 10kbd diesel and sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from renewable feeds, integrating with its existing terminal operations. This production aligns with the company’s efforts around pre-feed engineering for its proposed diesel and SAF project in Western Australia. Renewable feeds have substantially similar molecules to petroleum-based diesel and jet fuel and can be used as a drop-in replacement without engine modifications, in the case of SAF in blends of up to 50 percent with the remainder as conventional jet fuel. Depending on feedstock choice, diesel and SAF produced from the Ecofining process is expected to result in a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional diesel or aviation fuel from petroleum.

RS Components webinar introduces new ranges to reduce MRO spend

Financial efficiency and saving time were the focus of the recent RS PRO Webinar held in late 2021, which attracted attendees from across the Asia Pacific. During the webinar, attendees were introduced to key RS PRO ranges and service offerings, including some of the recent range additions across Hand Tools, Sensors & Connectors, Automation & Control and Facilities Maintenance products. Decisions have consequences. And because every decision matters, every part matters. That’s why RS PRO offers an ever-expanding choice of over 60,000 quality-tested products engineered for demanding manufacturing and industrial environments. Scott Philbrook, Managing Director of RS Components ANZ said the webinar was a great success, showcasing our huge portfolio of quality-tested products for a range of industries and working environments. “With huge local stock holding of the RS PRO range across Asia Pacific you can get the products you need, when you need them.” He explained. “This webinar showcased our ever-growing range of RS PRO products, outlined the potential applications and gave us the ability to answer questions directly from industry participants.” Scott Philbrook said. The RS PRO range offers customers a choice where the combination of quality, performance and price create exceptional value. Our range of more than 60,000 high-quality, competitively priced industrial products and electronic components can be as much as 30% on branded alternatives. To ensure customers have complete confidence in the RS PRO offering, all products and components are backed by the RS Seal of Approval, representing leading industry standards for audit, inspection, test and certification. “Our local portfolio has recently seen significant increase with thousands of new product lines added to complement our existing RS PRO offering. The expansion in the range is meeting demand in the Australian market for affordable options for engineers looking for choice” says Scott Philbrook, Managing Director of RS […]

Beckhoff automation solutions

Founded in 1980, by Hans Beckhoff as a one-man operation, Beckhoff implements open automation systems using proven PC-based control technology. Primary areas their product range covers include industrial PCs, I/O and fieldbus components, drive technology, automation software as well as control cabinet-free automation. Products that can be used as separate components or integrated into a complete and mutually compatible control system are available for all sectors. The company’s new automation technology stands for universal and industry-independent control and automation solutions that are used worldwide in a large variety of different applications, ranging from CNC-controlled machine tools to intelligent building control. Development of innovative products and solutions based on PC-based control technology is key to the company’s continued success. The company has recognised many standards in automation technology that are taken for granted and introduced to the market as innovations. Beckhoff’s philosophy of PC-based control as well as the invention of the Lightbus system and TwinCAT automation software are milestones in automation technology and have proven themselves as powerful alternatives to traditional control technology. EtherCAT, the real-time Ethernet solution, provides a powerful and future-oriented technology for a new generation of control concepts. Beckhoff is headquartered in Verl, Germany and there are 4,500 employees worldwide and 1,900 engineers. The company has 39 representative offices worldwide from an overall total of 75 representatives worldwide. The corporate headquarters of Beckhoff Automation GmbH & Co. KG in Verl, Germany, is the site of the central departments such as development, production, administration, sales, marketing, support and service. Beckhoff has been represented in Australia since 2000, and in 2006 founded its own head office and warehouse in Melbourne. The first sales office in Sydney was established in 2011 and is now the National Engineering Hub responsible for project implementation. Beckhoff’s Managing Director, Nick Psahoulias, has been with the company […]

Book now! Registrations open for Australian Manufacturing Week 2022

Online registrations are open now for visitors to the inaugural Australian Manufacturing Week exhibition, taking place in Sydney in June 2022. Owned and operated by AMTIL, AMW is Australia’s premier manufacturing solutions event. Under the theme ‘Where technology meets innovation’, AMW 2022 will take place at the International Convention Centre Sydney (ICC Sydney) in Darling Harbour from 7-10 June 2022. The opening of registrations marks a major milestone in the build-up to the exhibition. Preparations for AMW 2022 have been marked by high levels of early interest, with the floor space almost entirely booked out well before the end of last year. “It’s great to finally have opened up registrations for visitors to AMW,” says Kim Banks, Head of Events at AMTIL. “We’ve had an incredible response from exhibitors, with stands getting booked faster than any of us had anticipated. There’s clearly a really strong appetite across the industry for an exhibition like AMW. Now we’re just concentrating on welcoming as many visitors to the show as we can.” AMW will occupy more than 9,000 square metres of floor space at the ICC Sydney, with more than 155 organisations taking stands to exhibit some of the very latest manufacturing technologies, processes and support services. AMTIL will be making regular announcements between now and the start of the event about its plans for the show, so it’s worth keeping an eye on the AMW website as well as its social media channels for the latest updates. The AMW exhibition will consist of six dedicated zones offering a comprehensive view of the modern manufacturing landscape. The Austech Machine Tools & Ancillary Equipment Zone will host an extensive range of metalworking and machine tool technology, including the latest state-of-the-art cutting tools from Iscar Australia. Exhibitors such as Automated Solutions Australia and Epicor Software […]

Carmichael-Mine-haul-truck-trainee-driver-Brooke-McNee-AUS-MN

Brooke revved up for a career in mining

Brooke McNee was born with a passion for performance vehicles in her veins. “My grandma has always been into cars, she passed that passion onto my dad, and as soon as they took me to my first Summernats I was hooked,” Brooke said. “Add to that growing up on a cane farm surrounded by a culture of big agricultural equipment, and there was no chance the McNee love of machinery and motorsport would skip a generation.” Now the 22-year-old is about to jump behind the wheel of an 85 litre, 3,500 horsepower engine as one of 60 new trainee haul truck drivers at Bravus Mining and Resources’ Carmichael Mine. The Burdekin local said getting to learn and qualify on Bravus’ fleet of Caterpillar 796 AC mining trucks was the “opportunity of a lifetime”. “I first began applying for mine operator roles in 2019 and when I wasn’t successful moved into a good job in real estate, which I really enjoyed,” she said. “But when I saw this traineeship advertised I knew I had to apply. “Not only is this my start in an amazing industry and working with massive, sophisticated machinery, it’s an opportunity that will open doors to other goals like building my first home.” Bravus Mining and Resources CEO David Boshoff said Brooke and her peers would undertake a four-week program of desk-based and supervised on-the-job training, including both day and night shifts. The 60 trainees will be employed by Bravus’ mining services contractor MacKellar, and their start dates will be staggered from the end of February through to May 2022. “We’re delighted to continue to invest in regional Queenslanders and give Brooke and the other trainees a paid, structured, environment to kick start their career in mining,” Mr Boshoff said. “We had just shy of 4,000 applications […]

Tasmania and Rio Tinto partner for a strong and sustainable future at Bell Bay

The Tasmanian Government and Rio Tinto will work together to ensure a strong and sustainable future economy for George Town, the Tamar Valley region and Tasmania, in a new partnership signed today at the Bell Bay Aluminium smelter. The partnership will seek to drive economic growth and employment outcomes in the State and support the Tasmanian Government’s target of doubling renewable electricity generation by 2040. Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), the Tasmanian Government and Rio Tinto will jointly investigate how the smelter’s manufacturing capability and electricity demand can help support the development of new industries and more renewable energy supply in the region. Rio Tinto has also committed to look at how it could further decarbonise Bell Bay Aluminium and investigate options for future investment to secure the competitiveness of the smelter. The MOU was signed at Bell Bay by Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein and Rio Tinto Chief Executive Jakob Stausholm. Peter Gutwein said “This MOU is a strong demonstration of our shared commitment to Tasmania’s economic and industrial future and reinforces the State’s renewable energy credentials. “Rio Tinto has been a figurehead of local industry here for some 67 years, directly employing more than 500 Tasmanians and more than 700 indirectly, and this agreement reaffirms Rio Tinto’s long-term commitment to our state.” Jakob Stausholm said “Aluminium is essential for the global transition to a low-carbon economy, and we are excited about the contribution our Bell Bay smelter can make both towards this transition and to the region’s future. “We want to help ensure a strong and vibrant future for Bell Bay, where we have been part of the community for well over half a century and where we are actively working with the Tasmanian Government on a shared vision for the future.” Bell Bay Aluminium General Manager Shona […]

Eraring set to close seven years early in 2025

Chris Briggs,Research Director, Institute for Sustainable Futures, University of Technology Sydney In a major step forward for Australia’s clean energy transition, the country’s biggest coal-fired power station Eraring is set to close seven years early in 2025, Origin Energy announced this morning. Eraring has been operating for 35 years in the central coast of New South Wales. Last year, it alone was responsible for around 2% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions, based on calculations from electricity market and emissions data. The fundamental reason for its early closure is the brutal impact the growth of renewable energy is having on the profitability of coal plants. Origin has announced it will be building a large, 700 megawatt battery on-site in its place to store renewable energy. This announcement follows the acceleration of other major coal plant closures: Liddell power station is scheduled to close in 2023, Yallourn’s closure was brought forward to 2028, and only last week AGL Energy edged forwards the scheduled closure of two more coal plants. This is a welcome step with transition planning by Origin – but also underlines the risks of Australia’s clean energy transition accelerating without a national plan for the exit of coal. Why is this happening? Old power stations are excellent sites for batteries due to their existing connections to transmission lines and lots of electricity capacity. This has also been announced for the closed Hazelwood and Wallerawang coal power stations. Over the past 12 months, the market share of renewable energy has increased to over 30%. In particular, the rapid growth of rooftop solar and solar farms in the middle of the day has sent daytime wholesale electricity prices crashing. To stay open, coal plants are using a variety of coping strategies. This includes cycling their output down on sunny days and ramping back up for higher prices as the sun sets and demand increases at the end of […]

Royal Wolf sets sail for future growth in global supply squeeze

As the global logistics squeeze continues to make front page news, the humble cargo box has seized the spotlight. Logistics woes now impact an estimated two out of three businesses, with no easy fix in sight for the world’s fractured supply chain. The two-year-old pandemic continues to whip up a perfect storm of culprits: global labour shortages; container crews benched for weeks on end by Chinese quarantines; a logjam of empty containers piling up at congested ports. The result? Soaring freight and transportation costs colliding head-on with a spike in e-commerce, spawned by long lockdowns. Royal Wolf, Australasia’s largest importer of new shipping containers and the biggest rental supplier, is right in the eye of the storm. Managing Director, Neil Littlewood, speaks about the challenges of the commodities squeeze, countering customer frustrations, and finding new growth solutions in adverse conditions. Compounding forces When you consider that about 90 per cent of the world’s exports are transported via ships and that most of those goods arrive ashore in container boxes, the scale of the problem becomes clear, says Mr Littlewood. Weighing in, too, are factors not directly pinned to C0vid-19. Australia’s trade imbalance with China means empty containers aren’t returning to China. Plus, the six-day Suez Canal blockage last March effectively paralysed one of the world’s most vital shipping arteries. On top of Omicron, you’ve had the Chinese New Year with its sacrosanct shutdown of factories and the Winter Olympics in Beijing coming straight after that, says Mr Littlewood. All these ripple effects just compound in a sphere as interconnected as the global shipping industry. Rates and reliability Both container prices and production times are at least double their pre-COVID levels, reports Mr Littlewood. Pre-pandemic, if we placed an order for standard (20 or 40 foot) containers, they would be in […]

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