China

Construction has started on ABB‘s robotics manufacturing and research factory. Located in China, the facility is expected to open in 2021 and is the result of a US$150 million ($218m) investment by the SIX Swiss Exchange traded company. Located in Kangqiao, near Shanghai, the facility will involve machine learning, digital, and collaborative solutions. According to … Continue reading ABB begins work on future robotics factory →

Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key opened its second China office on Monday, July 15. The office, in Shanghai, will support the company’s growth in the Chinese market and supports Digi-Key’s entire Chinese business. “Our continued commitment to the China market has not wavered one bit. We are excited to announce our move to new offices … Continue reading Digi-key expands its footprint in China →

Austrade recently led a delegation of nine Australian health service providers to hospitals and medical facilities in Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou. As China pursues its Healthy China 2030 strategy, opportunities are opening up for Australian healthcare manufacturers to tap into the Chinese market, according to Austrade’s trade commissioner in Chengdu, Tim White. “The mission clearly … Continue reading A fit future for Australian healthcare technology providers in China →

UNSW’s Torch research roadshow has made three stops in China in May leading to two new collaborations between Australian researchers and Chinese manufacturers. Meeting enterprises, technology transfer platforms and investment institutions in Yixing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the researchers from the Sydney-based university obtained two new industry partnerships while in China. The Torch events will reportedly … Continue reading UNSW connects Australian research with Chinese manufacturing →

SIMEC Energy Australia (SEA), a member of Sanjeev Gupta’s global GFG Alliance, has signed a key strategic partnership with Shanghai Electric for engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) for the Cultana Solar Farm project in South Australia earlier this week. According to the press statement on the GFG Alliance website, the agreement was signed by GFG … Continue reading GFG enters strategic partnership with Shanghai Electric →

Australian companies are largely optimistic about expanding their investments in China despite the shifting market challenges, a new report by KPMG Australia suggests. The research, conducted by KPMG in partnership with the China-Australia Chamber of Commerce (AustCham), the Australia China Business Council (ACBC) and the University of Melbourne as part of the second edition of … Continue reading KPMG: Aussie companies confident about investing in China →

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has forecast that Australia will slip to 2.8 per cent growth next year, down from an expected peak of 3.2 per cent this year, due to the impact of the continued US-China trade war. The IMF’s October World Economic Outlook report has revised down the forecasts for global growth contained … Continue reading IMF downgrades growth forecast in wake of escalating trade tensions →

China on Wednesday introduced a fresh round of tariff cuts on numerous import products,  in a move perceived as a means to protect the Chinese consumers against the escalating trade war with the US. China’s State Council announced broad details of the cuts late Wednesday, without saying whether they would apply to U.S. products. China has previously vowed to exclude … Continue reading China to cut tariffs on imports including machinery, electronic devices →

Swinburne University has announced the establishment of an advanced manufacturing research centres in Weihai in the eastern Chinese province of Shandong, in a move intended to broaden Australia and China’s industrial and technological engagements. The Joint Research Centre in Advanced Manufacturing is a partnership between Swinburne, Shandong University Weihai (SDUW), Weihai Economic and Technological Development … Continue reading Australia, China broaden industrial ties with new research centre →

A new partnership between CSIRO’s Data61 and Chinese self-driving technology company, ZongMu Technology, is aimed at solving the problems of avoiding pedestrians and vehicle collisions by equipping vehicles with computer vision, an intuitive way to allow a machine to see and understand the environment the way humans do and react to hazards.  The Smart Vision Systems … Continue reading Data61, Zongmu partner for autonomous vehicles R&D →

Though the general consensus is that Australian manufacturing is experiencing a downturn, Steven Impey looks at the country’s export statistics, which tell a different story. Back in June, senator Nick Xenophon stressed to an industry summit in Canberra that Australia’s manufacturing sector had shrunk by roughly 12 per cent in the past 10 years. That’s … Continue reading The art of exporting Australian-made →

One of China’s largest automotive manufacturers is backing the expansion of a lithium-tantalum project in Western Australia. The Great Wall Motor Company has agreed a $28 million upfront equity subscription to Pilbara Minerals, under-pinning support of second-phase production to the company’s Pilgangoora mine. “This marks an important milestone for Pilbara and Pilgangoora project and is … Continue reading China’s $23b Great Wall invests in WA lithium →

An Australian mining company is in discussions with leading anode manufacturers after making a “major breakthrough” in the production of battery-grade graphite. Kibaran Resources claims to have perfected a “groundbreaking” and “environmentally friendly” graphite purification method using non-toxic chemicals, which could advance the electric vehicle market in Asia. The new purification process uses simple acids that … Continue reading Australia anode breakthrough to boost electric car makers →

GS1 has announced a collaboration with IBM and Microsoft to leverage GS1 standards in their enterprise blockchain applications for supply chain clients. The organisation’s global standards for identification and structured data enable blockchain network users to scale enterprise adoption and maintain a single, shared version of the truth about supply chain and logistics events—increasing data … Continue reading GS1, IBM, Microsoft collaborate to leverage GS1 standards for blockchain applications →

Joint Research Centres announced last week in a media statement that Australian researchers collaborating with Chinese partners on industry-based projects can apply for funding under the third round of the Australia-China Science and Research Fund (ACSRF) The statement mentioned that this round of funding will support up to six new ACSRF – Joint Research Centres … Continue reading Australia, China share research and innovation →

Researchers from Edith Cowan University have developed a way to modify the atomic structure of iron to create a metal that can strip impurities from water in just a few minutes. The breakthrough, recently published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials, offers new applications in the mining, textile and other industries where large amounts of … Continue reading Small technology promises to clean huge volumes of wastewater →

Hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear is spending $50 million on a new manufacturing facility in China. The manufacturer has been criticised for this plan, having previously only manufactured implants in Australia (although it has plants for other products overseas). Cochlear’s new plant will be built in the Chinese city of Chengdu, producing implants for China and … Continue reading Cochlear defends plan for Chinese manufacturing plant →

New types of touch screens that would be very robust but also sensitive enough to detect ten fingers at once, are to be developed in a research partnership between UNSW Science and Chinese company WeTouch. WeTouch, which is based in Sichuan Province, has grown rapidly since it was founded in 2011 by major shareholder Guangde … Continue reading UNSW developing touch screens with WeTouch →

CSL has announced that it has agreed to acquire 80 per cent equity of plasma-derived therapies manufacturer Wuhan Zhong Yuan Rui De Biological Products (“Ruide”) from Humanwell Healthcare Group (“Humanwell”) for US$352 million. The transaction will provide CSL with a strategic presence in the Chinese domestic plasma fractionation market, and complements the leadership position that … Continue reading CSL to acquire majority stake in Chinese manufacturer Ruide →

Chinese building materials and homewares company China Lesso Group Holdings is opening its first exhibition space in Sydney. The company, which manufacturers hardware, building materials and electrical equipment, intends to open a 30,000sq m centre in Greenacre in Sydney’s west. The store, called Lesso Home, has been compared to Bunnings, and will even be located … Continue reading Chinese manufacturer opening Bunnings rival store in Sydney →