Company acquisition plans
05 August, 2008
Bosch Rexroth plans to acquire all shares in Hägglunds Drives AB, which is based in Mellansel, Sweden. Hägglunds Drives is an international supplier of complete hydraulic drive systems, separate drive motors and services.
Proposed ‘cleaner coal’ power plant
05 August, 2008
GE Energy is garnering support from governments and industry to build a $3 billion Integrated Gasification Combined Cycle (IGCC) power plant by 2015.
$1.4b gas field announced but no gas until 2015
01 August, 2008
Oil giants ExxonMobil and BHP Billiton will develop a $1.4 billion gas and oil field in Bass Strait but, although oil production will start in 2011, gas production will not start until 2015.
Research and development helps Australian manufacturers
25 July, 2008 | Supplied by: AusIndustry
Melbourne-based automation and robotics specialist Andrew Donald Design Engineers is reaping great benefits from its work with Australian manufacturers. The company works with its customers to design automated processes to improve efficiency and productivity, and with its strong focus on research and development, has claimed the Australian Government’s R&D Tax Concession since 1998.
Emerson acquires TopWorx
16 July, 2008
Emerson has announced it has acquired TopWorx, a manufacturer of industrial sensors and controls that monitor and manage automated valves and other field devices.
Australia links with the US WateReuse Association
11 July, 2008
Information and research on water recycling available in Australia will be boosted with the establishment of an Australian division of the influential US WateReuse Association.
Crescent Gold suspends operation
09 July, 2008
Crescent Gold shares have sunk to a 12-month low, after the gold producer suspended its Laverton operation in Western Australia following problems with the processing plant.
Uni to help navy retain corporate knowledge
09 July, 2008
Specialised corporate knowledge loss is a significant business risk in the 21st century with a large number of ‘baby boomers’ now approaching retirement. The University of Wollongong and the Navy have committed themselves to a project that plans to maximise retention of irreplaceable knowledge before it ‘walks out the door’. The research project will be directly applied to Navy’s maritime engineering community and the knowledge gained could also provide benefits for other Australian organisations.
GroundProbe and Geoforce merge
03 July, 2008
GroundProbe and Geoforce have announced the signing of an agreement for GroundProbe to purchase the shares of Geoforce and merge the two companies.
AMS becomes Beamex premium partner
02 July, 2008
AMS Instrumentation & Calibration has been named one of the first four companies to join Beamex’s recently announced Premium Partner Program.
Building a better maintenance force — how knowledge testing simplifies training
25 June, 2008 by Roland T Ramsay, PhD*
The maintenance manager of any facility has as first priority the efficient and reliable operation of the organisation. But sometimes the individual employee assigned to a maintenance activity may not be equal to the task at hand.
Construction commenced on Australia's helium plant
06 June, 2008
BOC has commenced construction in Darwin on Australia’s first helium plant, due to begin production in July 2009.
Wide surface static eliminator
01 June, 2008 | Supplied by: Compressed Air Australia Pty Ltd
Exair’s 48" (1219 mm) Super Ion air knife neutralises static electricity while blowing away dust and particulates from printed surfaces, paper, plastics and 3D shapes. The wide laminar airstream full of static-eliminating ions is effective at high speeds and provides good cleaning up to 6.1 m away.
Static electricity management
01 June, 2008 | Supplied by: SMC Australia | New Zealand
Static electricity is a major problem in packaging, processing and materials handling. Static electricity attracts dust, and affects efficient paper and plastic handling and also label adhesion.
Low-torque rotary air connectors
01 June, 2008 | Supplied by: SMC Australia | New Zealand
With the current trend for automation systems to include operations involving rotary transfer of air and fluids, SMC Pneumatics has addressed the problems of tube rotation with its range of MQR rotary joints.
