Briefs from the manufacturing industry – stories you may have missed

Applications are open for the Securing Raw Materials Program (SRMP).

The second round of the federal government’s Securing Raw Materials Program (SRMP) will invest $29 million in companies looking to undertake research and development of innovative, local raw material supplies. The government is looking for applications from manufacturing companies looking to innovate with Australian materials, including by linking up with public sector research bodies. Successful applicants will receive between $250,000 and $5 million in matching grants, which will enable them to relocate or expand from a capital city to a regional area, or expand from one regional area to another regional area, in partnership with a regional university or research organization. The program will support R&D and capitalize on a region’s comparative advantages, increase economic activity, diversity and jobs in regional areas, including by creating new industrial sectors, businesses and suppliers, and support and strengthen partnerships between industry and regional universities and research organisations. Applications are encouraged and close February 24, 2022. More information here.

Black Sky Aerospace aims for local self-sufficiency

Rocket manufacturer and space launch vehicle supplier Black Sky Aerospace has revealed its aim is to take Australia towards self-sufficiency in solid rocket fuel for space and defense with the announcement of a co-grant -investment by the Australian Manufacturing Growth Center (AMGC). Black Sky will receive nearly $500,000 from the commercialization fund managed by the AMGC to develop the processes, procedures and know-how to transform materials from Australia into solid rocket fuel for both space and defense. Without these precursor materials for solid fuels, Australia depends on supply chains subject to disruption. Black Sky Director Blake Nicolic said: “The entire Black Sky Aerospace team looks forward to continuing the project which will soon be visible in Australian skies.”

Aristocrat expansion game fails

Slots maker and online game developer Aristocrat Leisure has failed in its massive $5 billion bid to expand its booming online gambling business through the purchase of Playtech. The board of online gaming software provider Playtech had unanimously recommended the takeover, which was being carried out at a 58% premium to Playtech’s last closing price. Sydney-based Aristocrat told investors that a shareholder vote had failed to reach the 75% approval level required to proceed under Isle of Man law. “The recommended acquisition therefore lapses.” Aristocrat proposed the acquisition to accelerate its global growth strategy which has been increasingly dependent on online assets, a trend which has been reinforced by the closure of physical gaming sites during the Covid-19 crisis.

Lithium Australia to buy the last share of Envirostream

Lithium-ion battery materials group Lithium Australia has struck a deal to buy the last 10% it doesn’t own from lithium-ion battery recycler Envirostream Australia. Envirostream chief executive Andrew Mackenzie agreed to tentative terms for acquiring his 10% stake in the company with “a contemplated purchase price of $250,000”. No binding agreement has yet been reached, but it is expected that Mackenzie will continue as chief executive of Envirostream following any acquisition. Envirostream is Australia’s only authorized and EPA-registered mixed battery recycler, including lithium-ion batteries. Lithium Australia chief executive Adrian Griffin said: “The company’s goal is to keep used batteries out of landfills, manage them safely and efficiently and return as much of the critical minerals as possible. they contain the battery industry”.

Baraja joins Tier IV for autonomous driving

LiDAR technology developer Baraja has partnered with open-source software developer Tier IV to develop a new suite of software-defined sensors that combine best-in-class LiDAR and HDR cameras to enable autonomous vehicles. The suite will bring together Baraja’s state-of-the-art Spectrum-Scan LiDAR technology with sensor fusion software and Tier IV HDR cameras, creating a “perception solution” for autonomous vehicles that will deliver optimal performance in the widest range of possible situations, depending on the company. They will collaborate to build a reference unit that will form the basis of future commercial product offerings to automotive OEMs. Automotive-grade HDR cameras – which feature high dynamic range, LED flicker mitigation and built-in lens distortion correction – deliver a high-quality 2D representation of the scene, while Spectrum-Scan LiDAR provides a High definition 3D point cloud with greater data density. Together with Tier IV sensor fusion software, the resulting data will provide a rich and accurate representation of the physical world for automotive perception algorithms that will enable autonomous vehicle control systems to make better, faster, real-time decisions. .

Picture: Black Sky Aerospace

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