food and beverage

Poultry processor Baiada Group has improved its workplace practices since last year’s findings of employee exploitation, according to a report by the Fair Work Ombudsman.

Byron Bay beer maker Stone & Wood has been reported to be looking to further expand its largest brewery as sales jump by 60 per cent to more than $30 million as a response to rivals’ “corporate comb overs” – attempts by large global breweries to spur growth in the premium and craft beer segments by … Continue reading Stone & Wood mulls expansion to quench thirst for demand →

A new report from Forrester has identified and compared the top 11 IoT software platform providers for this quarter. According to the report, IBM, PTC, GE and Microsoft lead the pack, while  AWS, SAP and Cisco Jasper offer competitive options, and LogMeIn, Ayla Networks, Exosite and Zebra Technologies lag behind. Forrester evaluated vendors based on 25 … Continue reading The top IoT software platforms for 2016 →

The Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, today announced that Thales Australia has been awarded a $100 million contract to design a major sonar system upgrade for Collins class submarines. Minister Pyne said Thales Australia will engage other Australian-based companies including Sonartech Atlas and L3 Oceania, as well as suppliers from the … Continue reading Thales snaps up Collins sub sonar contract →

Jim Metcher, the NSW secretary of the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) and the longest-serving union leader in the country has been accused of hiding his violent past from the Fair Work Commission. This includes his brutal domestic abuse of his daughter and ex-wife. He is expected to face the Fair Work Commission on … Continue reading Union boss’s violent past comes to light →

With Asia Pacific leaders reaffirming their commitment to free trade at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Peru, Malcolm Turnbull is “confident” that US president elect Donald Trump will “see the light” and do an about turn on his protectionist stance against the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP). Currently it looks to be headed for … Continue reading Turnbull trusts in a Trump TPP turnaround →

CSIRO has launched its “FloWorks” Centre for Industrial Flow Chemistry today in Clayton, Victoria. The aim of FloWorks is to provide cutting-edge research into flow chemistry capability, making it more accessible to the chemical manufacturing industry. Senior research scientist with CSIRO’s manufacturing sector and Director of the new centre, Dr Christian Hornung, said flow chemistry … Continue reading CSIRO set to improve chemical manufacturing →

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 →