Mergers And Acquisitions

Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings will take over Xerox Corp in a US$6.1 billion (A$7.6 billion) deal, combining the US company into their existing joint venture to gain scale and cut costs amid declining demand for office printing. This transaction has been unanimously approved by the Board of Directors of Fujifilm and Xerox on January 31st, and January 30th … Continue reading Fujifilm to take over Xerox for $7.6b →

SAP SE and Callidus Software (doing business as CallidusCloud) have announced that SAP Americahas entered into an agreement to acquire CallidusCloud. The acquisition gives SAP immediate leadership in the Lead to Money space that includes sales performance management (SPM) and configure-price-quote (CPQ). CallidusCloud offers a full suite of SPM and CPQ solutions, including sales enablement, sales … Continue reading SAP to acquire Callidus Software, ramps up pace in the cloud race →

Praxair has announced that it’s shareholders approved the business combination with Linde AG at Praxair’s special meeting of shareholders. This approval completes a key milestone in combining two leading companies in the global industrial gas industry under a new holding company named “Linde plc.”  Earlier this year, Linde had made public its planned $80 billion (A$102 … Continue reading Shareholders agree to $102b Praxair, Linde merger →

Last week, the NSW government announced the funding for the renewal of the Fitzroy Street shipyard slipway to reactivate the Port of Newcastle and the Hunter as a major marine ship repair and maintenance precinct. For this project, defence company Thales Australia will begin stage one of a phased redevelopment of the site, creating an … Continue reading New life breathed into Newcastle maritime maintenance →

A BIS Research report forecasts the global 3D printing plastic and photopolymer material market is estimated to reach $1.86 billion (A$2.37 billion) by 2023 at a CAGR of 21.5 per cent from 2017 to 2023. The report says that it is because of the reliable properties of plastic and photopolymer, their cost effectiveness as compared … Continue reading Global 3D printing plastic and photopolymer market to reach A$2.37 billion by 2023 →

South Korea’s JB Asset Management has put in its bid alongside private equity firm Newlake Alliance for the Arrium Australia assets which include the Whyalla steelworks, according to a report by the AFR. The report mentioned that the Korean consortium is also proposing a 200 megawatt gas-fired power plant be built as part of the proposal which would not … Continue reading JB Asset Management $5.3b backing of Newlake’s Arrium bid →

Chinese manufacturer Goldwind has acquired an up-to-530MW wind farm project from Origin Energy, in what the company says is the largest wind farm power purchase agreement in Australia. Goldwind paid AU$110 million for the Stockyard Hill Wind Farm project, located in Victoria. Origin Energy also agreed to purchase all the energy and renewable energy certificates … Continue reading Chinese manufacturer makes Australia’s biggest wind deal →

According to research by Curtin University, corrosion may be costing the Australian economy more than $30 billion each year. Within industrial environments, exposure to things like water, acid or salt causes corrosion of geared motors. This, in turn, reduces the strength of the corroded parts and inevitably means they have to be replaced. In corrosive … Continue reading Corrosion is eating away at Australian industry →

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 →

The new GEMÜ 4242 combi switchbox is suitable for secure and fast applications in most food and other types of process plants. It is small, compact and light, and is ideal for pneumatically operated linear actuators. With its integrated 3/2-way pilot valve made of anodized aluminium or stainless steel, the new combi switchbox 4242 from … Continue reading New switchbox for food processing plants →

RS Components (RS)  has announced availability of two connectors from Amphenol that are designed to meet the rigorous demands of use in hybrid-electric vehicles (HEVs). Key applications for the new MSD and mini-MSD connectors include high-energy storage systems for the battery Manual Service Disconnect (MSD) used for servicing plug-in HEV (PHEV) systems. The Amphenol MSD … Continue reading Hybrid vehicle servicing connectors now available →

Cutting tools maker Sandvik Coromant has signed an agreement to become a Premium Partner of leading machine tool manufacturer, DMG Mori. According to DMG, Sandvik Coromant will be the only tooling manufacturer to be named as a DMG Mori premium partner. As a DMG’s premium partner, Sandvik Coromant will work together with the machine tool … Continue reading Sandvik Coromant becomes DMG Mori Premium Partner →

Surdex Steel has installed the latest state-of-the-art Kinetic K5000 plasma processor with a broader range of options for profiling steel plate plus drilling heads for tapping and countersinking. At the same time a K2500 plasma machine has been upgraded to provide even greater capacity with the addition of more plasma cutting heads. Two oxy machines … Continue reading Surdex Steel forges ahead with new installations →

Australia’s second next-generation warship has been launched in South Australia. The Australian Navy’s latest vessel Brisbane was officially named and launched this morning at Techport, Australia’s premier naval industry hub. Brisbane is the second of three warships built in Adelaide as part of the most complex defence project in Australia’s history – an $8 billion … Continue reading Australia’s second Air Warfare Destroyer launched in Adelaide →

According to news.com.au, the makers of so-called “flushable” wipes that cause thousands of dollars of damage to plumbing systems could be facing a class-action lawsuit from disgruntled homeowners. Consumer watchdog ACCC has launched legal action against Kimberly-Clark and Pental, alleging the two companies deceived consumers by marketing wipes as “flushable” and that they would “break up … Continue reading ‘Flushable’ wet wipes manufacturers could be flooded with lawsuits →

Australia’s Defence Industry minister Christopher Pyne has reaffirmed that Australia remains committed to buying the new F-35 Joint Strike Fighter despite US President-elect Donald Trump’s recent comments saying its ‘”cost is out of control’”. SKynews reported that Trump had a go at aircraft maker Lockheed Martin criticising them over Twitter on the program which has … Continue reading RAAF sticking to F-35 despite Trump attack →

Westpac and the Group of Eight (Go8) have partnered to offer the first program in Australia for Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) students with a focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics (STEM) to undertake employment with the Westpac Group during their studies. The STEM PhD program was established in recognition of the importance of the … Continue reading Westpac launches Australia’s first employment program for STEM PhD students →

Faro Technologies, a global technology company that develops and markets computer-aided coordinate measurement devices and software, opens its new office in Brisbane, Australia. This move is part of Faro’s long-term growth plan and to increase its footprint in Asia Pacific. Faro’s customer base in Australia and New Zealand is growing. As such, this expansion is … Continue reading Faro expands into Queensland →

ThyssenKrupp, one of the world’s largest steelmakers, has revealed that it was the victim of a ‘massive cyberattack’ earlier this year. The company was targeted by attackers from southeast Asia in what it has described as “organised, highly professional hacker activities”. The hackers were trying to obtain “technological know-how and research results”, according to the … Continue reading Steelmaker loses data during brazen cyberattack →

  According to a report in the Australian Financial Review (AFR),  well-known Australian businessman Andrew Liveris has been recruited by Donald Trump to help bring back American manufacturing jobs. The chief executive of US multinational giant Dow Chemical, Liveris was appointed chair of the President-elect’s American Manufacturing Council. Liveris has led the manufacturing giant Dow … Continue reading Australian CEO becomes Donald Trump’s new manufacturing ‘tsar’ →