food and beverage

ASX-listed Australian hearing implant manufacturer Cochlear has lost a court case in the US over two disputed hearing aid patents. In a ruling delivered last Thursday, the [US] Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled in favour of the Alfred E. Mann Foundation (AMF), confirming that defendants Cochlear infringed on two claims of AMF … Continue reading Cochlear loses US patent appeal →

It’s the time of the year when company boards and executives face their shareholders at annual general meetings. Boards will be asked to explain the pay packages of executives. Already some have been called into question. Some Australian companies cite the need to rely on the United States as a benchmark when it comes to … Continue reading OPINION: Should Australian companies set executive pay to a US benchmark? →

In a bid to re-strategise its business plans for growth in 2017, German bearing maker Schaeffler has announced that it looks to shave off 500 jobs at its industrial division in Germany and other European countries. The company has cited the move was due to slow delivery chains and overly centralised sales operations and mentioned … Continue reading Schaeffler cuts jobs but Asia Pac remains unaffected →

The X-Stream XS-720p slow motion camera by IDT offers continuous frame streaming via the PCI express 2.0 x4 interface with a sustained transfer speed of 1.75GB/sec. I has been designed for checking and inspecting high speed applications including industrial and packaging inspection, microscopy, media, traffic control and surveillance. The cameras flexible design has been implemented around … Continue reading Slow motion inspection camera for packaging plants →

Australia’s 457 visa system is back in the news again. If you believe Labor, the 457 visa is a rort allowing foreign workers to steal Australian jobs. The government, on the other hand, defends it as a way for Australia to meet skills gaps in the economy. Misunderstanding the problem is leading to wrong solutions … Continue reading The real issues with the 457 visa aren’t being addressed →

According to a recent article in Forbes, America’s manufacturers are getting very worried. As you read this, a number of influential US manufacturers and their associated industry representatives are urging President-elect Donald Trump to back off from his most threatening trade rhetoric. They want him to pursue a more nuanced approach to trade with China … Continue reading OPINION: So how will the manufacturing sector respond to President Trump? →

Victorian energy company AusNet Services’ first-half statutory net profit has fallen by 52 per cent on its previous year’s result. Net profit for the six months to September 30 was $178.6 million, down from $374.5 million a year earlier. AusNet Services is Victoria’s largest energy delivery service business, owning and operating approximately $11 billion of electricity … Continue reading AusNet profits fall by 52 per cent →

Lantek has developed a new functionality to its existing range of sheet metal solutions CAD/CAM software, which integrates online parts and consumables procurement for sheet metal parts. Using CAD/CAM software, Lantek’s customers can integrate with their own customers into a supply chain, allowing them to reorder previously supplied parts or request quotations for the manufacture of … Continue reading Sheet metal working now at your fingertips →

BlueScope Steel has partnered with TOLL, K&S Transport and Buzinga App Development to improve health and safety methods for their employees and contractors through the safety app, ‘SteelDrive’. The app, launched in June, 2016 and now available to Android users, allows truck drivers to document the restraining and transportation of steel, through photo-taking, GPS-tracking, and cloud-based … Continue reading BlueScope launches workplace safety app →

Voice recognition software maker Nuance Communications has announced that robot maker ROOBO will be using the Nuance Mix NLU development platform, which provides voice and natural language (NLU) capabilities, to create conversational and cognitive interfaces for ROOBO robots and devices. Additionally, Nuance and ROOBO are set to collaborate on future integrations of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to advance … Continue reading Talking robots will soon be here →

Ford’s closure of its Geelong manufacturing plant last month is part of a broader story about Australia’s manufacturing sector. But one side of this story has so far been overlooked: the role of Australia’s lax attitude to vehicle emissions. Globally, car manufacturers are taking climate action seriously by significantly improving fuel economy, in turn reducing … Continue reading Australia’s car industry ignored the elephant in the room: carbon emissions →

A forensic accountant has alleged that dairy processor Murray Goulburn may have overstated its earnings and even lost money in the last financial year. It was claimed in early November that its treatment of the milk supplier support program in its accounts was wrong. This in turn has led to dairy farmers doubting whether they’ll get repaid, … Continue reading Did Murray Goulburn overstate its earnings? →

Bolstered by rapid consumption growth and increasing customer needs in the Asia Pacific region, leading food processing and packaging solutions company Tetra Pak today announced their US$110 million investment in a state-of-the-art regional manufacturing facility near Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, to serve customers across the region. The move is prompted by increasing consumption volumes, … Continue reading Tetra Pak expands regional manufacturing footprint with US$110 million Vietnam factory →

US-based Hypertherm has released Rotary Tube Pro, software that makes it easier to design and cut tube and pipe parts with no 3D CAD experience required. The software features a parametric design interface that allows main tubes and side-wall cutouts to be added from a list of predefined shapes. Alternatively, users can add tubes and … Continue reading New pipe and tube cutting software →

After losing a contract to supply tinned tomatoes and speculation that Woolworths would end a five-year, $70 million fruit contract early, SPC Ardmona has seen the supermarket chain agree to purchase an increased amount of tinned fruit over the next three years.

Entrepreneur Dick Smith has said Woolworths’ decision to end its supply deal with SPC Ardmona was the fault of tough competition from Aldi, which could eventually run Woolworths and/or Coles out of business.

Woolworths has confirmed it will no longer source tinned tomatoes from SPC Ardmona in Shepparton, and won’t say whether it will continue to buy tinned fruit from the Goulburn Valley cannery.

Supermarket chain Woolworths is reportedly considering the end of its contract with SPC Ardmona, two years into a five-year, $70 million contract.

The Australian Food and Grocery Council releases its State of the Industry annual report today, and despite a healthy growth in export figures, has pointed to a strain on the industry through energy costs.

Highly acclaimed dessert and beverage base manufacturer, Frosty Boy Australia has joined with leading homemade baked goods crew, The Doughnut Bar to produce a soft serve solution to complement the company’s ‘Conuts’ range.