Company News

The Budget 2024: Comment and Feedback on Energy Policies

Attributed to Jack Curtis, co-founder of Neara Cost of living/bill relief p“The Albanese government’s $3.5 billion energy bill relief scheme will alleviate pressure on households and small business owners across Australia struggling to manage rising electricity prices. Yet despite the short-term financial support, concerns are rising around the growing cost of the energy transition. The clean energy transition is crucial to Australia’s future. But years of rising energy costs and reduced reliability as we transition from fossil generation to renewables are becoming harder to justify for many. The $300 energy bill relief package for home owners is a great initiative, but it’s not enough. The cost of the clean energy transition could easily blow out within the next six years and continue to increase financial pressure on consumers. Equal focus and investment must be applied to the underlying drivers of rising energy costs, particularly those related to the energy transition, and what can be done differently to mitigate them. To offset costs and stabilise energy prices, the government must source the most efficient, cost-effective pathway to 82% clean energy by 2030. This means embracing a holistic strategy encompassing all generation and network capacity sources whilst leveraging new technology that can optimise both. Put simply, more money needs to go further. Australia doesn’t have the same depth of funds as our overseas counterparts, specifically compared with the United States Inflation Reduction Act. Federal and state governments need to work closely on the strategic deployment of funds by stress-testing each proposed pillar of the energy transition and its potential cost before rolling out the initiative. The renewable energy infrastructure toolkit we’ve been relying on is essential, but it’s expensive, time-extensive, and continues to face increasing headwinds. Australia has alternative solutions to stress-test costs and bring renewable energy online faster. We must actively explore […]

The Budget: Skill funding welcomed

RSM Australia National Leader – Manufacturing Services, Jessica Olivier: Rather than the manufacturing sector as a whole, the Budget focused on Critical Minerals, Clean Energy and Green Technologies, however it was pleasing to see the announcement of $500m for the tertiary sector to increase skills in manufacturing and clean energy, as well as the announcement of various initiatives to lift private investment and workforce skills, and boost local supply chains. Beyond that announcement and as expected, we saw the Federal Government set out their agenda for the recently announced Future Made in Australia Act and highlight their priorities by focusing investment on transformational opportunities. Last year’s $15b National Reconstruction Fund has been rolled into the Future Made in Australia policy, which on a positive note saw a 51% increase in the overall funding allocated to Future Made in Australia totalling $22.7b. This also included “picking winners” such as the $1 billion for the Solar Sunshot production of solar panels in the Hunter Valley and $1 billion to build the world’s first fault-tolerant quantum computer in Brisbane, along with $840 million for Arafura’s rare earth metals production in the NT. WA will be the primary beneficiary of the $566m allocated to GeoScience Australia to map what is under Australia’s soil and seabed to uncover mineral deposits for critical mineral processing. We also saw the Government demonstrate their commitment towards a cleaner, greener future in Australia with funding towards green energy, critical minerals and renewables in Australia – in particular $13.7 billion in production tax incentives for green hydrogen and processed critical minerals. In terms of grants (both new and extended programs), it should have been a significant part of the new measures announced to bolster manufacturing, however there was little specifically targeted at this sector. In relation to other incentives and over 8 years […]

Xefco Q & A: Tom Hussey, CEO and Co-Founder

What is your role at Xefco and what does it involve? Xefco was born to transform the textile industry by tackling problems of functional performance and sustainability in fashion. Traditional wet dyeing and finishing is a huge part of the textile supply chain with the process making up about 36% of the industry’s carbon footprint and about 3% of all global carbon emissions. What’s more, it’s an extremely water and chemical-intensive process leading to about 20% of all industrial wastewater. With Xefco’s innovative technologies, Ausora and XReflex, we are creating advanced materials for a sustainable future. In my role as CEO and co-founder, I drive the business forward through innovation and as we commercialise our solutions. This means working with investors, building and leading a motivated team and ensuring we’re working efficiently with innovation at the forefront of everything we do. I’m currently focused on using our latest capital to grow the team and commercialising Ausora, which is a novel way of dyeing and finishing textiles without water. How is Ausora is benefitting the environment? Ausora is a waterless dyeing and finishing solution using a unique shower plasma process to produce the same look, feel and performance properties without the environmental footprint. Ausora’s solution not only eliminates the use of water but cuts energy, chemical consumption and cost compared to conventional wet dyeing and finishing. In removing the need for water, Ausora is also removing polluted water from being discharged back into waterways. The shower plasma process also consumes 97% less chemistry and uses 90% less energy compared to conventional wet dyeing and finishing processes. As such, Ausora has the potential to stop millions of tonnes of waste entering our waterways and CO2 from entering our planet. Reducing cost production of textiles. How does this work? Within textile production, the […]

The Pure Food Co. a winner

Nutrition technology company The Pure Food Co has taken out the Innovation of the Year category at the recent Asia Pacific Eldercare Innovation Awards in Singapore, recognising the best food and nutrition system on the market developed to improve the health of older people. Co-Founder Sam Bridgewater and Australian Director Chris Deed. The Pure Food Co, which was founded in 2013 to nourish the world’s seniors, was recognised for the development of a nutritional system to improve the health of aged care residents and hospital patients in Australia, New Zealand and now France. While improving the nutritional value of food, The Pure Food Co also provides wrap around support and training for staff. By providing a nutrition system, clinical benefits include maintenance of weight and muscle mass, resulting in reduction in falls and serious illness. The team also provides on-the-ground training and implementation support for staff, creating strong compliance and understanding of the system.

All systems go for Australia’s first software degree apprentices

Australia’s first cohort of software engineering students to combine an apprenticeship with a degree, rubbed shoulders with defence industry leaders today in an official launch of the program at UniSA. Thirteen UniSA students have started work this year with three Adelaide defence employers – BAE Systems, submarine company ASC and electronic warfare specialists Consunet – combining work and study in their first year of a Bachelor of Software Engineering. The UniSA students will support South Australia’s growing defence sector, ahead of the construction of nuclear-powered AUKUS submarines. Following the UK’s lead, where software degree apprenticeships are delivered in conjunction with BAE System’s submarine shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness, the students are earning and learning in a fusion of academic education and practical workplace training. SA Minister for Education, Training and Skills, Blair Boyer MP, officially launched the degree apprenticeship program this morning at UniSA’s Enterprise Hub, joined by industry partners and UniSA Provost & Chief Academic Officer Professor Joanne Cys. The program is a partnership between UniSA, the State Government, the defence industry and the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group). Funded by the State Government with a $450,000 commitment over three years, the Australia-first initiative of blending university study with paid work could set a precedent for other industries depending on its success. “This is a tangible way in which the Malinauskas Labor Government is supporting key defence industries in South Australia, helping to create a skilled, qualified pipeline of employees,” Minister Boyer says. UniSA Vice Chancellor Professor David Lloyd says the degree apprenticeship is a natural fit for UniSA. “We are extremely proud to lead the country in co-designing this Australia-first program with industry and the State Government. “The apprenticeship is designed to embed software engineering students into SA’s defence sector from day one. By learning – and earning – on […]

Secop's new BD Nano compressor for E-cars is compact, powerful and quiet AUS MN

New compact and efficient compressor new trend for electric cars

Chilled Drinks and Food During Trips There is an increasing demand and trend for onboard refrigerators in cars, and technology is making this a reality. In response to automotive customers’ constant search for greater comfort, onboard refrigerators will be available as a standard or optional feature in both top luxury brands and more mainstream models. Electric vehicles in particular are already able to supply a cooling unit with power to keep drinks and food perfectly chilled. The BD Nano compressor from Secop sets new standards in reliability and cooling performance of the fridge. Its predecessor, the BD Micro, is the current benchmark in the automotive market and is already used in premium car brand models equipped with a fridge. The BD Nano provides a solution that is smaller, quieter, and more powerful than the BD Micro. Compact, Powerful, and Quiet The compressor BDN45F-A from the BD Nano new series is optimised for R134a/R1234yf refrigerants and offers – in a compact size – premium cooling performance, high efficiency, and low noise and vibration. The BD Nano’s footprint is 93 millimetres tall with a weight of just 1.5 kilograms, perfect for small cars’ fridges to maximise the room for food and drinks. Its efficiency (COP) can reach up to 1.53 W/W (ASHRAE LBP). The result combines low energy consumption, extended battery life, and an optimised total cost of ownership. At 58.7W (ASHRAE LBP), the cooling capacity of the compact Nano continues to push the envelope. It means the temperature pull-down is fast to quickly cool the content of the fridge. Thanks to improved acoustic comfort for noise-sensitive applications, Secop was able to reduce sound levels by 6 dB/A compared to the BD Micro, the predecessor of the BD Nano and current benchmark in the cars’ cooling solution market segment. Another strength of […]

A proactive approach to wellbeing

Fostering mentally healthy workplaces is top of mind for all employers, but actioning this across diverse workforces and in hybrid work environments poses a very real challenge. Medline empower managers and minimise risk Managing the priorities of keeping people safe at work, while also building psychologically safe workplaces, has caused a headache for many HR leaders who feel caught in a reactive cycle. If employees are only talking to their managers about wellbeing issues when things reach a critical point, the impact on the workplace is more widely felt. A proactive approach With this in mind, taking a proactive approach to helping people take care of their wellbeing in a holistic and preventative way can have long-term benefits to our workforces. For global healthcare company Medline, which has staff across manufacturing, warehouse, office and on-the-road work environments, this approach to supporting wellbeing was a puzzle to be solved. HR Business Partner at Medline Alana Rodwell was determined to find a user-friendly option for workplace wellbeing: “We’ve got around 300 people in our business nationally, and a very diverse workforce. For many, English is their second language. We looked to Sonder partly because of the multilingual service. It’s a massive opportunity to provide employees with a service where they can chat to somebody in their language, in a way that feels comfortable for them.” A culture of care While Medline had an existing culture of care, the legislation introduced in 2023 on psychosocial safety in the workplace prompted Alana and her team to look for a more meaningful way to deliver wellbeing support. They wanted a solution that would help their people when they needed it most. Whether that was with an article on how to improve their confidence as a leader, access to medical information around the clock, or simply […]

A future made in Australia needs to be built on Australian research and development

The Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) welcomes the vision for innovation and prosperity that the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese outlined today. ATSE has long called for ambitious action to take advantage of the opportunities ahead of us in energy, manufacturing, advanced technologies and more. Such action will crucially help arrest Australia’s slowing productivity growth and declining economic complexity that puts us at 93rd in the World. We look forward to seeing the details of the new initiatives as they are announced. The Prime Minister has called for ideas to allow Australia to best capitalise on our comparative advantages and invest in new industries. Australia’s science, research and innovation sector will need to lead the way in this transformation – developing new industries, skills, products and opportunities for the nation. A step change is needed to enable this. As a first step, we call on the government to boost investment in research and development (R&D) to 3% of GDP. Australian investment in R&D has reached a 30-year low. We only spend 1.68% of our GDP on R&D. Meanwhile, our competitors are growing their R&D spending, with the USA, Japan, Germany and many other developed countries spending over 3% of their GDP on R&D each year. “The Prime Minister has said the world won’t wait for us. He’s right. We need an immediate and sustained increase in R&D funding to make sure Australia doesn’t get left behind.” “Australian research and innovation will be the driving force behind our future prosperity. Australia cannot afford to neglect R&D any longer,” said ATSE CEO Kylie Walker. ATSE looks forward to working with the Australian Government as this plan is developed and implemented. Australia’s leading scientist, technologists and engineers stand ready support Australia’s innovation future. ATSE has recently developed a number of high-impact proposals that directly […]

Deepen Desai, Chief Security Officer, Zscaler AUS MN

Encrypted Attacks Report 2023

-Deepen Desai, Chief Security Officer, Zscaler Why do you think threats to manufacturing companies are increasing? / Why was manufacturing the leading category targeted? The rise in threats targeting manufacturing companies can be attributed to several factors: manufacturing organisations have become hubs of innovation, driving significant economic impact as they work to rapidly adopt new technologies, IoT/OT devices, and dramatically expanding connectivity in their networks while overhauling legacy systems for improved productivity. This means, in turn, that they have become rich cyber targets. Not only do they have valuable intellectual property, but their expanded attack surface and complex supply chains mean that attackers can often find substantially more weak entry points into manufacturing networks. Meanwhile, the role of manufacturers as critical infrastructure providers and key drivers of GDP can make them attractive targets to nation-state backed threat actors seeking to disrupt commerce. In light of these challenges, the manufacturing sector faces a critical need to balance innovation with cybersecurity measures. While embracing Industry 4.0 innovations like smart factories and the internet of things (IoT) and adopting generative AI applications hold the promise of increased efficiencies, these advancements expand the attack surface and expose manufacturers to increased security risks, creating additional entry points that cybercriminals can exploit to disrupt production and supply chains. Recently, Zscaler ThreatLabz research revealed manufacturing as the industry most targeted by encrypted attacks in 2023, accounting for 31.6% of total encrypted attacks observed across the Zscaler cloud. No industry is immune from having to navigate the paradox of encryption. It is essential for all organisations to inspect every aspect of traffic to minimise the risk of encrypted attacks infiltrating the enterprise. Are these attacks/threats related to [disrupt] technology or attempting to find a way into [disrupt] administration? Encrypted attacks are sophisticated and versatile, targeting various sectors by […]

New report shows Kimberly-Clark Australia’s $520m contribution to GDP and keeping jobs local

Kimberly-Clark Australia contributes $520m to Australia’s GDP annually and supports over 2,600 direct and indirect jobs nationwide through its Millicent Mill in the Limestone Coast region of South Australia. As one of South Australia’s largest non-mining-based manufacturers, the Mill produces 85,000 tonnes of VIVA, Kleenex, and Scott essential paper products each year. 12 per cent of full-time manufacturing roles in the Limestone Coast are provided by the Mill. Over $750 million has been invested into the Mill since it was first established in 1966. A new report released has found Kimberly-Clark Australia to be a significant contributor to the nation’s manufacturing industry, adding $520m to GDP annually and supporting over 2,600 local jobs. With outputs reaching an estimated gross value over $400 million, the independent report commissioned by Kimberly-Clark highlights the annual contribution of the company’s Millicent Mill to the regional Limestone Coast and South Australian state economies, generating $172 million and $216 million of value added, respectively. Well-known for its leading personal care brands including Kleenex, Huggies, U by Kotex and VIVA, Kimberly-Clark Australia is one of the largest employers in South Australia, with 462 employees, contractors and casuals. The Mill generates employment for approximately 219 people in interstate and overseas locations. The company is also one of the largest non-mining-based manufacturers in the state, producing 85,000 tonnes of VIVA, Kleenex and Scott products each year. Key highlights from the report, which include: Supporting the economy: Kimberly-Clark Australia contributes $520m to Australia’s GDP, $216m to South Australia’s GSP and $172m to the Limestone Coast’s GRP annually. Putting this into perspective: The economic impact of Kimberly-Clark Australia to South Australia equates to 3 percent of the manufacturing value added to GSP. Keeping jobs in-market: Millicent Mill supports over 2,600 direct and indirect jobs in Australia, with 12 percent of […]

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