The ZigBee Alliance, a global group of companies creating wireless solutions for commercial and industrial use, has added features to the ZigBee specification to give manufacturers greater flexibility when designing compatible products.

A transparent plastic as strong as steel and as thin as a sheet of paper has been developed, according to a study published on Friday in Science magazine.

Fieldbus Foundation, HART Communication Foundation, and Profibus Nutzerorganisation have begun a cooperative effort to improve implementation of wireless technology in the manufacturing and process industries.

Matrikon Inc and Meridian Energy have been honored with the 2007 Engineers Australia Excellence Awards (Newcastle Division) for their Predictive Asset Management (PAM) system.

Australia's first helium plant will be built in the Northern Territory, after a $33 million project was finalised between BOC and Darwin LNG.

Australia's first large molybdenum mine is being developed by junior explorer company Moly Mines.

Cisco and Emerson Process Management have announced an agreement to deliver wireless architecture for many applications available to process manufacturers.

The Hart Communication Foundation (HCF) has released the HART 7 specification, enabling more capabilities for communication with intelligent field devices, including Wireless HART.

Bluechip Australian companies lag behind Europe and Japan in environmental standards and only two in 10 firms have policies on overseas labour exploitation, according to a global ethical investment study done by London-based Ethical Investment Research Service (EIRIS).

For the first time in Australia, engineering students will have the option of accelerating their degree to complete their studies in three years instead of four.

Champion Compressors has unveiled a new public image, comprising a new company slogan, a refreshing new colour scheme and a company mascot — Champ, the Blue Heeler.

The vast majority of Australian companies want to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions but only 10% say they have the know-how to do it, according to a report by the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group).

China's president Hu Jintao has given support to the proposal by Yilgarn Infrastructure to build a port and infrastructure near Geraldton, to boost the flow of Australian iron ore to the resource-hungry superpower.

Factories have much to gain from wireless technology, such as robot control, RFID tag monitoring, and local area network (LAN) communications. Wireless systems can cost less and offer more flexibility than cabled systems. But factories are challenging environments for wireless systems, as verified by tests conducted recently by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the US.

ManufactureLink, Australia’s first online sourcing system for custom manufacturing and engineering services, has registered its 1000th buyer since beginning its online purchasing system in May 2006.