Month: August 2017

Formed in 1987, ANSTO is Australia’s national nuclear organisation and the centre of Australian nuclear expertise. With more than 350 scientists and engineers, ANSTO’s Lucas Heights facility is home to some of Australia’s most critical scientific infrastructure including the nation’s only research reactor, a suite of neutron beam instruments, particle accelerators and cyclotrons. ANSTO’s Open Pool Australian Lightwater (OPAL) reactor is a state-of-the-art 20MW multi-purpose reactor that uses low enriched uranium (LEU) fuel to achieve a range of nuclear medicine, research, scientific, industrial and production goals. Opened by the Prime Minister in 2007, OPAL is one of a small number of reactors with the capacity to produce commercial quantities of radioisotopes. This capacity, combined with the open pool design, the use of LEU fuel and the wide range of applications, places OPAL amongst the best research reactors in the world. The tour will be a journey into the sub-atomic world, exploring how – using the basic building blocks of our universe – ANSTO researchers are helping solve…

It is important that we look at government programs as a means to assist business to achieve what they are looking for – simply speaking – growth and improvements to the bottom line. Advanced Manufacturing Growth Fund This $47.5m program supports capital projects to establish and expand advanced manufacturing activities in Victoria and South Australia. Funding of between $500,000 and $2.5m to cover up to a third of eligible project costs is available. It is part of the 2017-18 Budget designed to boost innovation, skills and employment in advanced manufacturing in Australia. The program supports capital projects by small and medium enterprises that expand and establish advanced manufacturing using advanced technologies, design and engineering excellence or innovative business processes. The program aims to improve the overall efficiency and competitiveness of firms by increasing investment in advanced manufacturing activities in Victoria…

The skills challenge attracted 16 teams of researchers from ten countries to compete. Two teams represented Australia, with teams tasked to build their own hardware and software to successfully pick and stow items in a warehouse. While Amazon is able to quickly package and ship millions of items to customers from their network of fulfillment centers, the commercial technologies to solve automated picking in unstructured environments are yet to be developed. Eight teams made it through to the finals, with the ACRV placing fifth after the picking and stowing rounds. “It was a tense few hours,” according to the Centre’s COO Dr Sue Keay, “Our team top scored early with 272 points on the final combined stowing-and-picking task, but we then had to wait on the results for five other teams, many of whom had outperformed us in the rounds, before it became clear that we had won.” “Not bad for a robot that was only…

Located at the former GM Holden site at Fishermans Bend, the defence hub will be the biggest of its type in the nation and is where BAE Systems plans to manufacture the Australian Army’s Armed Combat Reconnaissance vehicles. The most diverse defence hub of its type, the site will enable up to 1,000 engineers and highly skilled technicians to design, develop, deliver and maintain new defence platforms and systems for the Australian Defence Force. Premier Daniel Andrews and Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan on 1 August visited the Fishermans Bend site to announce that Victoria had been selected as the preferred state by BAE Systems to build 225 new Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles. The Andrews Labor Government has signed a Heads of Agreement with BAE Systems to build the state-of-the-art vehicles at Fishermans Bend, should it win the contract for the LAND 400 Phase Two project. The final decision on which…

In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on 31 July, the UoS and Thales have committed to work closely together over the next five years to develop new technologies and capabilities. The MOU was signed by the UoS Vice-Chancellor and Principal Dr Michael Spence and Thales Australia Country Director and CEO Chris Jenkins. “This is a significant milestone in the company’s history as we move to an enhanced relationship with the University of Sydney,” said Jenkins. “Thales Australia’s long-term relationship with the University has contributed to breakthrough technology in underwater sensing and Thales’s sovereign capability in fibre laser sensors. “Recognising the pace of innovation, especially in digital technologies like big data, machine learning and artificial intelligence, it is critical for Thales to partner with leading universities. The future applications of these technologies will require a holistic and integrated response, moving beyond individual disciplines and creating the next generation of careers and technological and industrial capabilities.” Dr Spence said the signing was a significant milestone that would see UoS…

Six of the seven activity sub-indexes in the Australian PMI expanded in July with new orders (down 3.7 points to 55.8) and sales (down 5.1 points to 55.8) continuing to expand, albeit at a slower pace, while employment bounced back into positive territory (up 8.4 points to 57.4). Readings above 50 indicate expansion in activity, with the distance from 50 indicating the strength of the increase. Six of the eight manufacturing sub-sectors expanded strongly in July (according to trend data), led by non-metallic mineral products (up 1.9 points to 67.3), wood & paper products (up 1.7 points to 67.0) and machinery & equipment (down 0.7 points to 58.0). The textiles, clothing, furniture & other manufacturing sub-sector fell deeper into contraction (down 0.2 points to 34.7) while printing & recorded media ended its recent recovery, slumping 4.4 points to 47.9. The input prices sub-index increased a further 4.4 points to 69.3 in July, while wages dropped 4.7 points to 55.7, dipping below its six-month average…

The biannual index, which surveyed more than 1,200 Australian small and medium exporting businesses, looks at perceptions about current and future economic conditions and the international business outlook. “All key indicators have lifted significantly since the last survey, which was in market in November 2016,” said Swati Dave, CEO and Managing Director of Efic. “We have found that confidence among respondents is strong in terms of economic conditions, their financial position and perceived future profitability from international revenue and employee growth.” Expectations for future economic conditions over the next 12 months have increased by ten basis points since the last survey. There is also a much stronger expectation of international business profitability with 58% of all respondents anticipating increased profitability over the next year. Around half of surveyed businesses are expecting to increase employee numbers, an increase of six basis points on the previous survey. Two-thirds of all respondents are expecting future sales revenue to increase. Businesses with a turnover of $10m to $100m are even more confident of growth with 70% expecting sales…