manufacturing

The South Australian government and SA senator Nick Xenophon have urged the new federal government to secure the long-term future of the Whyalla steelworks.

As mining endures the downturn, it now has the opportunity to adopt innovations from other industries, Adrian Hale, director of Natural Resources, Asia Pacific South, Dassault Systèmes, writes.

Arrium’s Moly-Cop grinding media business has lodged an application with Chilean environmental authorities to double capacity at its Mejillones plant.

Eleven reportable leaks have led to investigations at the Pilbara Fertiliser site in Western Australia, owned by Yara International.

Labor will announce a commitment worth $100 million to attempt to save Arrium’s Whyalla plant, but the federal government has criticised the timing of the news, saying it wouldn’t enter a political auction on the issue.

The first graphene factory in the country has been opened in Geelong, which can “consider itself the graphene capital of Australia” according to the company behind it.

Glencore has announced that it will be closing its North Queensland Bowen Coke Works facility over the next few months.

Industrial thread and craft company Coats Group has announced the acquisition of Gotex and Fast React Systems.

Ausdrill has sold its Drilling Tools Australia business to Robit, for $66 million.

Australia’s largest wire rope supplier WRI industries has been playing an ever-growing game since the 1920s, building a business from the BHP empire to become the largest supplier in the country, and thanks to a fortuitous buyout, the world.

Orica’s net profit has fallen by nearly a third, partly due to the settlement with the Australian Taxation Office.

The OECD report Back to Work Australia makes some grim predictions for workers who lose their jobs. That is the potential threat facing some 7,000 Arrium employees, those at Queensland Nickel and Caterpillar in Tasmania, and next year, workers in Ford’s plants in Geelong and Broadmeadows, Victoria. The report was released just before the announcement … Continue reading A grim future for Arrium, Ford and Queensland Nickel workers? →

RCR has announced its plan to exit coal services, amid its other businesses, cutting close to 300 in the process.

Australia is pivoting its economy away from dependence on resources like coal and iron ore, but are there other commodities we can bank on to take up some of the slack? In this “future commodities” series we explore the economic future for commodities we’ve always relied on, and some we haven’t.

Ben Hagemann puts a new twist in the tale of one of America’s last surviving steel wire rope manufacturers.

Global steel output fell last year, the first time this has happened since 2009, according to figures from the World Steel Association released this week.

Mining consumables business Bradken must rectify unacceptable odour levels emitted from its Kilburn factory by February next year, the Environmental Protection Authority has said.

The NSW Department of Planning has approved Orica’s proposal to increase the levels of ammonia at its Kooragang Island facility.

Liebherr has announced plans to manufacture a crawler tractor in the 70 tonne range.

Two of the world’s largest wire rope manufacturers – Bridon and Bekaert – have announced plans to merge.