AuManufacturing news and media (2025)

09/07/2025

Deep tech companies must prepare for scale from day one and embrace long development timelines, according Ian Mann, chief technology officer of ASX-listed semiconductor manufacturer BluGlass.

“We’re right in the thick of commercialisation right now,” Mann said.

“Whether it’s UV lasers for sterilisation or whether it’s lasers for quantum computers, that really is the next phase.”

In this story and accompanying podcast interview, Mann speaks to Simran Gill about sticking to one's vision. Episode available to stream at the link or download via most platforms.

Deep tech companies must prepare for scale from day one and embrace long development timelines, according to the chief technology officer of ASX-listed semiconductor manufacturer BluGlass. Dr Ian Mann, who leads technology and operations at the Sydney-based company, said founders venturing into comp...

07/07/2025

Australian bedding manufacturer A.H. Beard, established in 1899, has appointed Matthew Beard (pictured) as its new CEO.

According to a statement from the company, the appointment of the fifth-generation member of the Beard family is effective immediately.

“His appointment represents both a continuation of our family legacy and a bold step forward — bringing a younger generation’s spirit and insight to the evolving needs of our industry and customers,” said Chairman Garry Beard.

https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/fifth-generation-member-steps-up-as-new-a-h-beard-ceo

Australian Made Campaign FBA AU

Australian bedding manufacturer A.H. Beard, established in 1899, has appointed Matthew Beard (pictured) as its new CEO. According to a statement from the company on Monday, the appointment of the fifth-generation member of the Beard family is effective immediately. It adds that the new CEO joined th...

19/06/2025

Ahead of our Spotlight on Scaling Up event next week, Paul Childers, a Partner in BDO Australia’s Advisory team, shares a few things to keep in mind when manufacturers are seeking growth capital.

Childers will be moderating a panel on Finding Funding – featuring David Gall from the National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, Jack Lin from the Australian Business Growth Fund (ABGF) and Lauren Morrey from Breakthrough Victoria – as well as giving a standalone presentation at next week’s Spotlight on Scaling Up seminar at UTS: University of Technology Sydney.
Tickets here: https://lnkd.in/d2UG3Ngu

An audio interview with Childers is available to stream at the below link or download via most podcast platforms.

https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/knowing-and-showing-your-value-when-seeking-growth-capital

Episode guide

0:53 – An introduction to Childers and his work.

1:58 – The issue of scale’s importance in manufacturing at a macro and micro level.

4:15 – How to get the best valuation when fronting potential investors

6:02 – What a bank is looking for vs an investor

7:02 – Articulating a clear value proposition

8:15 – The importance of investor materials and what these should include

9:28 – There are different kinds of investors, and it’s important to look at a number of them.

10:55 – Spotlight on Scaling Up and Childers’ presentation, which will include what makes a manufacturing company valuable through an investor’s lens.

It might be to put a new sales team on the ground in a new market. Or to import some expensive production kit and fly an expert over to teach your staff how to use it properly. Or you might need to bring in outside technical help to bring a tricky project up the last…

08/06/2025

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to news and media were reading.

5) NSW Premier Chris Minns is facing criticism after buses promised to be built locally arrived nearly complete from a Chinese factory, despite government pledges to revitalise domestic manufacturing.

4) Am I the only one who thinks something is wrong with the substance of our economy as so under-performing and with a widespread lack of urgency in response to our underperformance? By Dr Jens Goennemann.

3) Simran Gill speaks to David Smirk, the founder of Phibion, a Top 10 Gold Award winner at ’s recent Australia’s 50 Most Innovative Manufacturers awards.

2) A contract worth over $20 million has been awarded to McCosker Contracting for concrete works at what will be the world’s biggest high-purity aluminium materials factory, located in Gladstone, Queensland, where Alpha HPA will have capacity for over 10,000 tonnes of HPA equivalent per year.

1) Australia’s approach to industry policy over the past six decades tells a story of remarkable institutional restlessness. By Dr John H Howard.

What were the five biggest stories of the week? Here’s what visitors to were reading. 5) Sydney’s new buses arrive from China despite local build promises New South Wales Premier Chris Minns is facing criticism after buses promised to be built locally arrived nearly complete fro...

05/06/2025

Why is there no outcry or concern that our economy doesn’t have the enduring ability to justify our wealthy way of living? Are we complacent ostriches with our heads buried in coal, eying at our Super and hopeful that it will be sufficient?" asks Jens Goennemann from the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre.

'This is what I wrote in 2023: “Australia’s continued fall in ECI rankings is completely predictable. If this is to change, then we must focus on transitioning away from a luck-based economy to becoming smarter if we are to protect our high standards of living and prosperity into the future.”

'Harvard’s assessment of our position in 2023 sounds familiar: “Australia has seen a troubling pattern of export growth.” Today, it reads that “economic diversification is again the reason for the poor showing, with Australia achieving a D minus ranking.”

'What’s different though is the increasing urgency.'

Department of Industry, Science and Resources Harvard University Harvard Kennedy School Senator Tim Ayres Ed Husic MP Anthony Albanese

Groundhog Day: The annual Harvard Growth Lab’s Economic Complexity Index (ECI) figures have been released – and Australia’s ranking has dropped, again. By Dr Jens Goennemann. Australia now ranks 105th in the world in the measure of the complexity of the products it produces placing us between ...

02/06/2025

Packaging business Detmold Group has announced that it is building a new headquarters at Adelaide, consolidating a team of 240 staff from across eight sites around the city at the one building by the end of 2026.

In a statement this morning, Detmold said the new three-level site at 260 Regency Road, Regency Park will be designed by Studio Nine Architects and built by Centina.

https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/detmold-group-to-consolidate-adelaide-presence-at-upcoming-regency-park-hq

Packaging business Detmold Group has announced that it is building a new headquarters at Adelaide, consolidating a team of 240 staff from across eight sites around the city at the one building by the end of 2026. In a statement on Monday, Detmold said the new three-level site at 260 Regency Road, Re...

02/06/2025

A contract worth over $20 million has been awarded for concrete works at what will be the world’s biggest high-purity aluminium materials factory, located in Gladstone, Queensland and with capacity for over 10,000 tonnes of HPA equivalent per year.

According to a statement today from Alpha HPA, the owner of the upcoming factory, the contract to McCosker Contracting is a major milestone.

Its existing Stage 1 facility is capable of producing 500 kilograms per week of HPA at greater than 99.995 percent purity, with the planned $550 million Stage 2 plant to have capacity of over 10,000 tonnes per year.

https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/worlds-biggest-high-purity-alumina-factory-in-gladstone-progresses-with-20-million-contract-awarded-to-mccosker-contracting

Gladstone Regional Council

A contract worth over $20 million has been awarded for concrete works at what will be the world’s biggest high-purity aluminium materials factory, located in Gladstone, Queensland and with capacity for over 10,000 tonnes of HPA equivalent per year. According to a statement from Alpha HPA — the o...

26/05/2025

Five million dollars in grants has been awarded to eight projects under Queensland’s Circular Economy Investment Program, including a robotic pallet dismantler, oyster shell waste in render and plaster products, and newly-developed materials from rigid plastic waste.

Kahil Lloyd, the acting Deputy Director-General at the Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation, said that for every three jobs in landfill, there are nine jobs in recycling.

“These projects will not only help to reduce the roughly 10 million tonnes of waste produced in Queensland each year but also innovate a range of industries and support up to 72 local jobs,” said Lloyd.

Among grant winners were Tom's Pallets, Mineral Fox and Repurpose Recycling. Full list republished at the link.

Five million dollars in grants has been awarded to eight projects under Queensland’s Circular Economy Investment Program, including a robotic pallet dismantler, oyster shell waste in render and plaster products, and newly-developed materials from rigid plastic waste. According to a statement from ...

20/05/2025

The newly-returned government’s ambition to make Australia a manufacturing powerhouse comes with its difficulties, as newly-updated Economic Complexity Index (ECI) rankings show Australia in its worst placing yet.

The rankings are published by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Growth Lab and go back to 2000. They measure the sophistication and diversity of a country’s exports.

An official announcement on the most recent rankings – and an updated set of information for individual countries, including growth projections based on the ECI – will happen in the near future, the Growth Lab told AuManufacturing news and media on Tuesday (Australian time.)

The news coincided with a keynote speech by new federal industry minister Senator Tim Ayres to the Collaborate Innovate Conference 2025.

During it he described the industry policy task ahead of the government as “very clear. Australia must build its economic complexity and resilience, and do it with purpose and urgency.”

https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/between-botswana-and-the-ivory-coast-australia-dives-further-in-economic-complexity-rankings-to-105th

Department of Industry, Science and Resources Harvard University

The newly-returned government’s ambition to make Australia a manufacturing powerhouse comes with its difficulties, as newly-updated Economic Complexity Index (ECI) rankings show Australia in its worst placing yet. The rankings are published by the Harvard Kennedy School’s Growth Lab and go back ...

19/05/2025

Transport for NSW said today that it has begun engaging manufacturers and suppliers “to gather insights, identify key considerations, and help it shape the direction of further engagement” for the NSW Government's Future Fleet Program.

“NSW had a long and proud history of rail manufacturing, and we are delivering on our commitment to revitalise the industry and create new jobs and economic opportunities,” said TfNSW Deputy Secretary of Infrastructure Projects and Engineering Camilla Drover B Eng MAICD.

TfNSW advises manufacturers to visit its Industry Portal to access a survey and to register with the Industry Capability Network.

https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/nsw-begins-industry-engagement-for-rail-manufacturing-program

Industry Capability Network - NSW

The NSW government has begun a market and analysis campaign, as it seeks to establish one of the “strongest rail manufacturing pipelines in Australia”, beginning with around 450 carriages to replace Sydney Trains’ ageing Tangara fleet. In a statement on Monday, the government agency Transport ...

19/05/2025

Monday news briefs

- BATES Pipes and Products, a maker of precast concrete products for the civil infrastructure sector for three decades, has marked 30 years in operation.

- The Illinois Quantum and Microelectronics Park (IQMP) announced a letter of intent (LOI) with Diraq, with Diraq to join the IQMP as a tenant.

- Ampcontrol has announced the renewal of its partnership with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service - Official Site - Northern NSW

- Resource Capital Funds has become majority shareholder of RUSSELL MINERAL EQUIPMENT - RME.

- MathWorks has unveiled Release 2025a of its MATLAB and Simulink product families, including the launch of a generative AI assistant, MATLAB Copilot.

- Tindo Solar has announced that consumer advocate CHOICE has recognised it as having "the best-performing modules in Australia and the only solar panel where the power output matched the manufacturer’s claim".

https://www.aumanufacturing.com.au/manufacturing-news-briefs-stories-you-might-have-missed-546

Geelong’s Bates turns 30 Geelong-based, family-owned business Bates Pipes & Products, a maker of precast concrete products for the civil infrastructure sector for three decades, has marked 30 years in operation. A profile by Geelong Manufacturing Council (of which Bates is a member) notes that the...

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