It may sound like science fiction, but wastewater treatment plants may one day turn ordinary sewage into biocrude oil, thanks to new research at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The technology, hydrothermal liquefaction, mimics the geological conditions the Earth uses to create crude oil, using high pressure and temperature to achieve in minutes … Continue reading Making fuel out of sewage →

Digital mediation platforms and trends such as the circular economy will profoundly change the ways manufacturers operate, believes supply chain expert Jan Godsell. Brent Balinski spoke to the Warwick Manufacturing Group professor about how this could look.

Metal additive manufacturing is on the march, but despite growing interest, technologies remain slow, expensive, and limited in what they can produce. Brent Balinski spoke to Carnegie Mellon University Professor Jack Beuth about what’s being done to change this, and what to expect from 2017.

All over the world, ageing populations and changing attitudes are making it harder to hold on to workers, believes Dr Rodney Brooks. Brent Balinski spoke to Brooks, founder of Rethink Robotics, about some demographic and technology shifts to watch out for and why it’s best to be realistic.

Energy management technologies are being adopted by companies these days with rising costs, stricter regulations and the desire to have a sustainable image.
Syed Shah looks at some of these trends.

The Business Council of Australia (BCA) looks set to double down on its failed strategy in its appointment of new president Grant King.

A frequently-used case study on what Australian advanced manufacturing encompasses – including a global mindset, high-value products and sophisticated technology – ANCA is a local manufacturers’ manufacturer. Co-founder Pat Boland told Brent Balinski a few things about what guides the company’s approach to innovation.

Lean leadership is a key element of lean manufacturing and provides a framework for maximising the value of temporary employees. Standardising leadership of temporarily employed people can transform the effort and effectiveness of each individual.

Despite the well publicised closure of some manufacturing sectors in Australia, manufacturing isn’t dying. Instead, like industry around the world, it’s undergoing a period of significant change as new, disruptive technologies and economic realities take hold and new markets emerge.

US President-elect Donald Trump made an election promise to cut the US federal corporate tax rate from the current 35% to 15%. A somewhat more modest proposal is under way in Australia.

President-elect Donald Trump is right: The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is a damaging deal and deserves to be killed off.

A water treatment company is expanding its zero discharge filtration systems into the municipal sector.

Australian businesses with links to the United States will be slowly digesting the recent Trump victory and how it might play out. It’s extremely difficult to predict, but in the meantime there are strategies businesses can pursue.

Spreading the adoption of Industry 4.0 technologies among Australian manufacturers is vital to lifting their international competitiveness, according to the Australian Manufacturing Growth Centre. Brent Balinski spoke to the group’s chair, Andrew Stevens, about a new partnership aimed at encouraging this adoption.

Normal alloy steels have various elements added in small quantities to improve their material strength, hardenability, temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and other properties. Any level of carbon can be combined with these alloying elements.

Two South Australian companies are proving the strength that comes with combining forces, teaming up to win a contract that will see them help develop the future of Australia’s land defence force.

2016 will go down as a watershed year for all the wrong reasons: Britain’s EU exit faces strong opposition; Syria remains plunged in civil war; and in the wake of the US election politics in the two major Anglosphere democracies are now deeply polarised.

Donald Trump’s victory promises a further departure from the traditional Asia-Pacific order created during the Cold War years. This was when the US provided military and economic dominance through a system of defence alliances with the major trading partners in the region, including Australia.

The vast majority of Australian companies are privately held. There are many advantages for this. Private companies face fewer regulations and lower requirements than public companies when it comes to reporting to shareholders, for example.

It’s easy to see why energy efficiency hasn’t been a top-line priority for many of Australia’s manufacturers.