Company News

Australian Plant Proteins secures investment as global demand grows

Construction of Australia’s first major commercial plant protein extraction facility will commence this month after investment was finalised last week. Australian Plant Proteins (APP) will begin the $20m fit-out of its plant at Horsham in Victoria’s Wimmera region, with commercial production due to commence in the first quarter of 2020, after securing investment from Melbourne based Scalzo Foods. APP, formed by investment firm EAT Group in 2016, has developed a proprietary extraction process for pulses to create high-protein powders which can be used across a broad range of food and beverage categories. The company already operates a small production and R&D facility in Werribee in Melbourne’s west. Company director and co-founder Brendan McKeegan said the investment from Scalzo Foods provided both the capital and distribution capabilities to meet APP’s target of full commercial production in early 2020. “We welcome the investment from Scalzo Foods, which is a highly respected, family-owned and run food manufacturing business with operations in Australia and New Zealand,” Mr McKeegan said. “APP’s process yields an extract containing more than 85 per cent protein. This is far higher than many other alternative protein sources and, combined with favourable sensory and taste elements, has enabled APP to generate significant local and international demand for the product as a key ingredient for a range of foods and beverages including meat alternatives, protein bars and shakes, snack foods and non-dairy beverages. Since we created this business, the global demand for high quality, alternative sources of protein has exploded off the back of people’s desire for greater sustainability in the development of the food and beverage products they consume.” APP’s initial focus for commercial manufacturing will be on faba beans, which are commonly used by grain growers as rotational crops to replenish nitrogen in soil. “This is a great story at […]

Specialised service for safe noise output from large machinery

Manufacturer and engineered solutions provider for industry, Minetek, now has a ‘Sound’ division to ensures large mobile machinery used in the resources sector meets all relevant compliance laws and is expected to save operators considerable money in the process. Specialising in equipment such as trucks, diggers, excavators, drills, loaders, dozers and the like, Minetek Sound’s expertly engineered sound attenuation reduces noise by intelligently treating the noise sources in the most effective way. According to Minetek’s Mr Richard McAlpin, by solving problems at the source and through correct engineered designs, there are several clear benefits beyond just sound attenuation. These include: Prevention of overheating through engineered designs. Ease of maintenance Less downtime Compliance with strict government regulators Reduction of fines Improved community relations “Mines are 24/7 operations, and anyone working or living near a 24/7 source of mining noise can, without realising it, suffer hearing and physiological damage,” said Mr McAlpin. “WorkCover statistics show up to 3,000 workers’ compensation payouts each year for deafness attributed to large mining machinery, so the threat to hearing is very real and in need of attention. “More often than not, in the course of treating the cause of sound pollution on vehicles, we also lower the risk of the vehicle over-heating. “And because we keep the machines maintained according to maintenance guidelines proved by Minetek, we find that maintenance and downtime is heavily reduced which is positive for the operator. “Ultimately though, the fact that fines become far less frequent and the local community benefits are the real clinchers.” These are complete turnkey solutions to noise problems generated by just about any large diesel machinery. Intense and detailed noise studies and testing is performed in all areas. Minetek looks at a number of scenarios to provide an overall increase in airflow and improved performance. Minetek […]

No more speeding fines

All New SPEED ALERT PRO is Australia’s only 100% road legal speed alerting device that warns you when driving over-speed for an area or road being travelled on. Recently acknowledged and encouraged by the Road Safety Commission which compliments the use of any electronic device which can help notify motorists of changing speed limits and assists motorists to drive within the speed limit. This is exactly what Speed Alert PRO does! It gives audible beeps warning when driving over the speed limit on any road in Australia. This clever device knows exactly the speed you should be travelling at. Highly accurate GPS technology and Australia-wide database helps you to know the speed limits for the roads you are driving on. This is exactly the type of product any motorist needs to avoid speeding fines, keep their drivers license and stay safe on the roads. Comes with everything needed all in the one box. At just $228 it is affordable for any motorist and less than the cost of a speeding fine. With Police set to roll out 3000% more speeding cameras in Australia and everyone already getting so many speeding fines, this product is absolutely essential for any motorist in Australia! It also fixes the problem of inaccurate speedometers by giving you real-time highly accurate vehicle GPS speed of travel which is much more accurate than car Speedometer. Many drivers are getting fined because their speedo is inaccurate and with zero tolerance speed cameras in Australia you can get fined for doing just 1km/h over the speed limit!

Advances in Corrosion Science and Corrosion Engineering

The Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) will be hosting an International Symposium focusing on the latest advances in corrosion science and corrosion engineering. This two-day symposium will be held on 24-25 July 2019 at the Marriott Hotel in Melbourne. The symposium will celebrate the significant contributions of the following ACA notables: Les Boulton, Bruce Hinton, Brian Kinsella, Brian Martin, Greg Moore and David Nicholas. Featuring keynote presentations from 15 high calibre International and Australian speakers, this event will bring together leading local and global corrosion experts and showcase the latest advances in corrosion science and corrosion engineering. A panel discussion and open forum will be held at the end of each day and technical papers of high quality and substantive length will be available to delegates. Engineering Alloys will take centre stage in the first session of the symposium with a presentation titled ‘Alloy Design for Corrosion Resistance’, delivered by John Scully, University of Virginia, USA. Following this, Nick Birbilis from Monash University will discuss the latest insights into corrosion of light metals. The first day of the Advances in Corrosion Science and Corrosion Engineering International Symposium will also showcase the latest industry knowledge in Corrosion Resistant Alloys; Corrosion Modelling & Prediction; and, Cathodic Protection. In addition to the technical program, there will also be a trade exhibition and attendees will have the opportunity to network during morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea breaks. At the conclusion of the first day’s events there will be a networking cocktail function followed by the event highlight – the Symposium Dinner and Awards presentation. The second day of the symposium will have a strong industry focus. Corrosion management in the oil and gas industry will be the heart of the morning session. Topics covered will include: Corrosion Monitoring for Oil & Gas Applications; Microbiologically […]

Dragon eases documentation burden for professionals

Speech recognition solutions such as Nuance’s Dragon can help professionals work better, faster and smarter because they help you power through your documentation work. Nuance’s Dragon Professional software for Windows systems understands the sound of your voice and the language you use to transform spoken words into text to create more detailed, compliant documentation, faster than ever before. By simply using your voice, you can create reports, documents and other paperwork three times faster than by keyboarding, and with up to 99% accuracy. Better still, as Dragon leverages the latest in Deep Learning technology, it constantly learns and adapts to your unique voice and environmental variations even while you are dictating to deliver new levels of personalised accuracy and productivity. The speed and precision of Dragon helps save you time and money while increasing your productivity and lets you focus on what matters most, delivering the best possible personalised client service. Improving Compliance For many professionals capturing client conversations, disclosure regarding commissions and fees, discussions concerning conflicts of interests and general client instructions is increasingly important so as to meet compliance requirements. With Dragon, client communication and instructions can be documented immediately and accurately. You can then feed the information back into your CRM systems or simply maintain it within the relevant client file. The process also creates an auditable trail to help ensure compliance. Working from Anywhere at Any time Some speech recognition solutions also let you keep up with financial documentation from any location. Powered by the cloud, Nuance’s mobile app, Dragon Anywhere, delivers the powerful, professional productivity features of Dragon desktop speech recognition to Android and iOS mobile devices. This lets you complete and share documentation – by voice – directly on your device while you are on the move. Plus, with Dragon Anywhere you can also […]

HandySCAN 3D scanner meets Boeing’s requirements

Creaform, the worldwide leader in portable 3D measurement solutions and non-destructive testing (NDT) solutions, has announced that its HandySCAN 3D metrology-grade 3D laser scanner can now be used for recording physical attributes of aircraft dents and blends on all models of Boeing commercial airplanes. Boeing has released a service letter with guidance on the use of 3D scanners for measuring dents and blends on airplanes. The SmartDENT 3D solution and the flagship HandySCAN 3D scanner were used in the process of guiding Boeing’s quality requirements for the service letter. “Creaform is proud to see leaders such as Boeing, turn to 3D scanning solutions for surface defect inspection. With SmartDENT 3D, our goal is to provide the most accurate damage assessment to our customers, so they can make informed and safe decisions, while getting their aircraft back flying with minimal down time,” said Jérôme Beaumont, Global NDT Business Manager at Creaform. Overview of SmartDENT 3D benefits: Speed: 80 times faster than the pit gauge technique. It is the fastest and most reliable aircraft surface damage inspection tool available on the market. Metrology-grade measurements for aircraft maintenance: The scanner is accurate to 0.025 mm (0.0009 in.) and has a resolution of up to 0.100 mm (0.0039 in.) with high repeatability and traceable certificate. Intuitive pass/fail assessments: With its intuitive design and real-time software visualization, Creaform’s NDT solutions ensure short learning curves and minimal operator experience influence on the accuracy of results. Live visualisation and portability: Weighting less than a kilo, the handheld scanner is the perfect tool for work in hangars or directly outdoors. Users can easily perform 3D surface inspection of any part of an aircraft on which they would use manual techniques—including on and under wings. In addition to complying with Boeing’s service letter, Creaform HandySCAN 3D scanners are listed […]

Renewables still setting strong pace in South Australia

The April shelving of a major solar thermal plant has done little to slow the pace of renewable energy projects being proposed in South Australia. Andrew Spence In the past three months, applications for almost 1.7 gigawatts of renewable energy generation across six projects have been assessed by the South Australian Government’s State Planning Commission. Of these, the 280MW Cultana Solar Farm – the first large scale project in billionaire industrialist Sanjeev Gupta’s plan to generate one gigawatt of dispatchable renewable energy in South Australia – was approved by State Planning Minister Stephan Knoll last month. The other five projects still awaiting ministerial consent include: RES Australia 176MW solar farm and 66MW battery storage facility near Murray Bridge; Neoen Australia(Crystal Brook Energy Park) 125MW windfarm, 150MW Solar Farm and 130MW lithium-ion battery near Crystal Brook; Energy Projects Solar (Bungama Solar) 280 MW solar PV and 140MW battery storage plant to integrate into the National Electricity Market through a 275 kV connection to ElectraNet’s Bungama Substation near Port Pirie; Energy Projects Solar staged development of a 500MW solar farm with 250MW storage near Robertstown, and; RES Australia (Twin Creek Wind Farm Project) 183MW wind and 50MW battery storage near Kapunda. Two other South Australian projects – the 95MW Tailem Bend Solar Project and stage one of the 220MW Bungala Solar Farm near Port Augusta started exporting power to the national grid earlier this year. There are also dozens of micro solar farms up to 5MW being constructed across the state. South Australia is home to Tesla’s 100MW/129MWh battery, which became the “world’s largest lithium-ion battery” when it was installed at Neoen’s Hornsdale Wind Farm in December 2017. South Australia already leads the nation in the uptake of wind energy and roof-top solar with renewable sources accounting for more than 50 per cent of the electricity generated in the state. However, […]

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FoodTech Qld 2019 exhibitor proves environmental responsibility can be a profit

A major waste-to-energy project in Queensland is being used by CST Wastewater Solutions at FoodTech Qld 2019 to show food and beverage producers how environmental responsibility can be a profit not a cost. The technology involved in the far-sighted green energy initiative by leading meat processor NH Foods Australia, at their Oakey Beef Exports facility, is already paying handsome dividends in terms of cleaner wastewater effluent, as well as a reduced fossil fuel environmental footprint and lower energy costs. The same GWE anaerobic technology can be applied to any food, beverage or agribusiness enterprise with a biological wastewater stream. This is not pie-in-the-sky future technology, this is proven, profitable technology which has demonstrated its performance over five years. The technology will be on display on stand C34 at FoodTech Qld at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre July 28-30. In addition to food and beverage processors, the technology can be applied to agribusiness operations including all forms of meat, livestock, poultry, fish and agribusiness, including fruit, sugar, vegetable, grains and other crops. The Global Water & Energy (GWE) COHRAL (Covered High-Rate Anerobic Lagoon) plant involved was installed at Oakey by Australian environmental engineering and green energy authority CST Wastewater Solutions, which recently inspected the plant as it reaches its landmark fifth year of service in southern Queensland. It found the clean, compact and robust plant is in outstanding condition, having required only routine maintenance over that time as it continuously produces 3000-4000 m3 of biogas a day, depending on plant throughput. The generated biogas is directly used in the plant’s existing boiler replacing natural gas. This leads to replacement of fossil fuels and sharpened cost-efficiencies at a time they are most needed during the current Australia-wide drought. The anerobic digestion plant extracts green energy biogas from Oakey Beef Export’s wastewater […]

Smart technologies can improve safety in the oil and gas industry

By Gaurav Sharma, Head of Industries Business, ANZ, Cognizant Employee safety remains a key concern within the oil and gas sector. The nature of tasks and activities makes it a riskier industry than others. Workers’ fatigue is another factor increasing that risk. However, the oil and gas industry is in a prime position to take advantage of technologies such as robotics, wearables, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine-learning (ML) to minimise some of the risks, as well as drive innovation. The risks of fatigue Fatigue is a major contributor to safety incidents in the oil and gas industry. An oil and gas worker’s job includes inherently risky routine and physically demanding tasks such as positioning heavy equipment, climbing on scaffolds, and physical inspections and maintenance. Characteristics specific to the oil and gas industry are also factors increasing that risk, such as fly-in fly-out and shift work conditions, dealing with time zone changes and 24/7 operations, handling hazardous chemicals or working in extreme weather conditions. Research indicates that the injury rate of Australian shift workers is two times higher than other workers, due to fatigue-related factors such as insufficient sleep, disrupted sleep patterns, and extended working hours. Using digital technologies to predict fatigue risk There is an increasing awareness across risky industries that digital technologies have an important role to play in improving work safety. Leading oil and gas providers are now looking to improve their current standards even further through data collection, monitoring, and automation. However, there is still a long way to go to full adoption, as estimates suggest that just one percent of the data currently captured by operators is being used for improvement purposes. These technologies can provide companies with better control on workplace hazards and better training, while improving onsite communications and overall workforce and business […]

AI challenges revealed in book

The Future Computed: AI and Manufacturing is an in-depth look at the challenges and opportunities of AI and how it’s transforming the manufacturing sector. Interviews with customers, policymakers, labor representatives and Microsoft experts shed light on how AI is driving efficiencies, enabling products and services, and allowing for safer workspaces. The book also offers a timely look at how society can respond to some of the challenges this new technology creates, and the need to develop new laws and regulations to address workforce disruption and develop AI in an ethical and responsible manner. A free download of the book is available at The Future Computed microsite, where you can also find other interesting content from the book (e.g. customer videos, case studies, and executive summary).

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