CAPS Australia's manufacturing division has developed a large packaged skid to support a major natural gas project in Pakistan that will provide energy to thousands of homes and businesses across the country. [ + ]

As part of its expansion in Australia, Pepperl+Fuchs has moved its head office. The company's new headquarters is in a facility previously occupied by Govan in Campbellfield, Melbourne. [ + ]

Orica has signed a major natural gas agreement with Esso Australia and BHP Billiton to purchase up to 42 PJ of natural gas per year for three years. [ + ]

Emerson Process Management has introduced its new General Manager and Managing Director responsible for Australia and New Zealand: Karl Wigginton. [ + ]

Rumours that Energy Australia's Wallerawang power station is set to close are just that - rumours. According to Paul Toole, the Member for Bathurst, the company has refuted speculation that the power plant will be mothballed by March 2014. [ + ]

Even if Holden continues manufacturing cars in Australia, most - if not all - of the work will be done by robots, a union official has predicted. [ + ]

An engineering student has won JCU's annual Charles (CN) Barton Medal for his fourth-year thesis, an in-depth investigation into improving the efficiency of bulk materials handling. [ + ]

A new online community that extends the Industrial IP Advantage website has been launched. Cisco, Panduit and Rockwell Automation are sponsoring the online community, in cooperation with ODVA. [ + ]

In a further step towards automation in the supermarket, Cornell University engineers have trained a robot to work as a 'checkout chick' in a simulated grocery checkout. [ + ]

CSIRO is virtually bringing together the various pieces of Phar Lap that are spread across Australia and New Zealand using robotic technology. [ + ]

The Safety Maturity Index (SMI) tool is a self-guided assessment that gives manufacturers visibility into the effectiveness of their safety programs and the ability to optimise plant performance. [ + ]

Sandvik has announced it will cut 37 jobs at its Heatherbrae facility, five months after cutting 69 jobs across its Mayfield and Heatherbrae operations. The company attributed the decision to weaker demand for its mining products. [ + ]

Engineers Australia has expressed its dismay at Hydro Tasmania’s consulting arm cutting almost 40 jobs. The company says it was forced to make the cuts as a result of tightening in the Australian engineering consultancy sector. [ + ]

The humble pH sensor has been updated by researchers from Edith Cowan University. The traditional glass electrode devices that have been in use since the 1930s have been replaced with a new sensor, thinner than a human hair. [ + ]

Following an extensive design consultation process for its Peppertree Quarry, Australia's largest building and construction materials supplier, Boral, is now leading the way in world's best practice for in-pit crushing. [ + ]