Sustainability

New trade fair: Warehousing and logistics strategic drivers of productivity

From NZ Manufacturer magazine Momentum was on full display at a launch function celebrating the arrival of Logistics Automation New Zealand powered by CeMAT, where more than 100 industry professionals gathered to discuss the forces reshaping supply chain operations. The event brought together CEOs and decision‑makers; both automation and robotics suppliers and integrators together with key buyers of this technology. Organisations including Beckhoff, The Warehouse Group, Fonterra, Foodstuffs, Global Express, Briscoe Group and many more. The launch served as a forum for open discussion on the pressures accelerating automation adoption — labour shortages, rising volumes, increasing service expectations and the need for scalable, efficient operations. Automation in action: Real‑World tours underscore practical value Attendees were given a rare glimpse behind‑the‑scenes tour of two major automated facilities, reinforcing the real‑world application and impact of modern intralogistics systems. Bluebird Foods (PepsiCo) hosted a tour of its Automated Storage and Retrieval System (AS/RS) – backed by Dematic; demonstrating how automation boosts storage capacity, throughput and operational efficiency is achieved in a high‑volume production environment. DHL Supply Chain opened its new NZ$90 million Auckland life sciences and healthcare facility, showcasing the Geek+ robotic system deployed by Automate-X. The visit highlighted how robotics and intelligent software are improving speed, accuracy and reliability in highly regulated supply chains. Automation moves to mainstream The event featured a presentation from Stephen Lakey, Chair of the Australasian Supply Chain & Logistics Association (ASCLA), who noted the industry’s readiness to accelerate adoption. “The strong turnout and enthusiastic response highlight an industry ready to move. Events like Logistics Automation New Zealand, powered by CeMAT, are essential for helping organisations navigate the technologies, integration challenges and change management required for successful automation,” said Lakey. “ASCLA is proud to support initiatives that connect and educate supply chain professionals.” Keynote speaker Nick Becker, […]

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Resilient firms and economies: Unlocking growth in emerging markets

Resilience is like a bridge spanning a turbulent river. The waters below may surge unpredictably, but the bridge’s strength lies in its design, maintenance, and ability to withstand. The Resilience Consortium brings together governments, businesses, and multilateral development banks (MDBs) to strengthen resilience in emerging markets. Drawing on insights from the 2025 Resilience Consortium Pulse Check Survey, completed by more than 270 executives, along with a quantitative follow-up analysis, structured interviews with community members and the Consortium’s leadership group, and global, high-level convenings held throughout the year. The importance of collective action: In an era of disruption, resilience has become a key driver of competitiveness and innovation. No single actor can mitigate systemic risks alone: Businesses contribute agility, innovation, and investment; governments enable progress through effective policy and infrastructure; and MDBs mobilise capital, derisk investment, and coordinate cross-sector efforts to address systematic risks. Together, these actors can build systems capable of withstanding and adapting to shocks. Focus on emerging markets: Emerging markets, which represent nearly 60 percent of global GDP, are vital to the resilience agenda. They face exposure to trade disruptions, commodity volatility, and climate risks, yet they hold the potential to drive global growth in the decade ahead. Strengthening resilience in these economies is critical not only for their own prosperity but also for safeguarding global stability. Resilience preparedness: Organisations are becoming more resilient, but progress remains uneven. Preparedness has improved by 13 percentage points since 2024, yet only one in four companies considers itself ready to withstand major disruptions across all resilience dimensions (e.g., financial, organizational, digital and technology resilience) and this share falls to one in five when assessing resilience capabilities (i.e., crisis response, foresight, disruption preparation, and strategic re-orientation). Financial resilience remains the strongest dimension, with 40 percent of firms reporting readiness, while digital and technological […]

Ruled by engineers: how China gets things done, leaving the US in the dust

Mark Beeson, Adjunct Professor, Australia-China Relations Institute, University of Technology Sydney. In modern times, the world’s most powerful and influential states have also had the largest economies. When the United States overtook Britain in the early 20th century, it was only a question of time before it assumed international political leadership too. Indeed, the failure to assume this role is widely thought to explain the duration of the Great Depression and the turmoil of the period between the two world wars. At a time when American hegemony seems to be in terminal decline and China might overtake the US economically, plausible and original explanations of their relative fates are welcome. Dan Wang’s Breakneck: China’s Quest to Engineer the Future, succeeds on both counts. At the heart of this very readable book is Wang’s argument that there is a profound difference between the two rivals: the US is run by lawyers and China is ruled by engineers. Wang is perfectly placed to unpack this deceptively simple idea, having been born in China and spent large chunks of his relatively short life there and in the US. He is a keen and shrewd observer of both societies, and the book is sprinkled with personal anecdotes and illustrations of his key claims. Consequently, it’s not a conventional “academic” account, but that may come as a relief to many prospective readers. Lawyers versus engineers The biggest difference between China and the US today, according to Wang, is not the sort of ideological differences that distinguished America’s competition with the Soviet Union, but their respective abilities to get things done. “The greatest trick that the Communist Party ever pulled off is masquerading as leftist,” Wang argues. “China is an engineering state, which can’t stop itself from building, facing off against America’s lawyerly society, which blocks everything it can.” There […]

Beneq launches Transform XP – Redefining atomic control in ALD

Second-generation platform delivers advanced control, in-cycle annealing, and high-throughput performance for Wide Bandgap power and RF device manufacturing Beneq introduces the Beneq Transform XP, a second-generation ALD platform developed to meet the performance demands of Wide Bandgap (WBG) power and RF device technology development and manufacturing. Building on the proven Beneq Transform platform, the new system adds advanced ALD control, faster cycle times, and greater process capabilities in a high-throughput format. The Beneq Transform XP features a second-generation, flow-optimized 25-wafer mini-batch thermal ALD reactor that achieves breakthrough deposition rates with single-digit-second cycle times for common ALD oxides and nitrides. Refined flow and pressure dynamics ensure exceptional within-wafer and wafer-to-wafer uniformity – even at a few nm film thicknesses – while precise dwell-time control delivers excellent conformality on high-aspect-ratio structures. Transform XP also introduces advanced PEALD process control to precisely manage low-energy ions. This enables optimized plasma pre-cleaning and deposition, resulting in improved interface quality, tunable passivation, and enhanced device performance and reliability. The system integrates in-cycle annealing, a proprietary step that densifies and purifies films to achieve stoichiometric, low-impurity materials and crystalline alignment, such as AlN lattice orientation. “Transform XP is in response to the next wave of device challenges in power and RF manufacturing,” said Dr. Mikko Söderlund, Head of Sales, Semiconductor ALD at Beneq. “Customers value the original Transform® for its versatility and reliability. With XP, we introduce capabilities they specifically asked for – improved ion control, faster cycles, and in-cycle film densification – all in a versatile platform.” With over a dozen Beneq Transform clusters installed globally for WBG pilot and production use, and more than 100 process modules shipped, Beneq continues to support leading IDMs, foundries, and RTOs advancing More-than-Moore technologies.

Piecing together the puzzle of future solar cell materials

Formamidinium lead iodide is considered one of the best-performing materials in the halide perovskite group, since it has promising properties for future solar cell technologies. New findings from Chalmers can now shed light on its structure; this is crucial if we are to engineer and control the material. Global electricity use is increasing rapidly and must be addressed sustainably. Developing new materials could give us much more efficient solar cell materials than at present; materials so thin and flexible that they could encase anything from mobile phones or entire buildings. Using computer simulation and machine learning, researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden have now taken an important step towards understanding and handling halide perovskites, among the most promising but notoriously enigmatic materials. Electricity use is constantly increasing globally and, according to the International Energy Agency, its proportion of the world’s total energy consumption is expected to exceed 50 per cent in 25 years, compared to the current 20 per cent. “To meet the demand, there is a significant and growing need for new, environmentally friendly and efficient energy conversion methods, such as more efficient solar cells. Our findings are essential to engineer and control one of the most promising solar cell materials for optimal utilisation. It’s very exciting that we now have simulation methods that can answer questions that were unresolved just a few years ago,” says Julia Wiktor, the study’s principal investigator and an associate professor at Chalmers. Promising materials for efficient solar cells Materials lying within a group called halide perovskites are considered the most promising for producing cost-effective, flexible and lightweight solar cells and optoelectronic devices such as LED bulbs, as they absorb and emit light extremely efficiently. However, perovskite materials can degrade quickly and knowing how best to utilise them requires a deeper understanding of […]

Supercharging battery manufacturing in Australia

The Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA) has opened the $500 million Battery Breakthrough Initiative (BBI) to support and grow battery manufacturing in Australia. BBI will provide clean energy manufacturing opportunities for Australia’s workforce and allow Australia to leverage its expertise in battery energy storage. ARENA CEO Darren Miller said batteries are crucial to achieving Australia’s net zero emissions goal. “Energy storage is a critical enabling technology for our renewable energy future. We know that solar and wind energy can provide us the lowest cost renewable energy generation at scale, but we also need to be able to store it for when it is needed.” “BBI will enhance Australia’s battery manufacturing capability, improve supply chain resilience and battery manufacturing processes, and foster innovation.” ARENA will focus on awarding funding to projects across the following areas: Active materials: supporting projects relating to the production of cathode materials, anode materials, and electrolytes used in electrochemical batteries Battery cell manufacturing: supporting manufacture of electrochemical battery cells and components that directly support battery cell manufacturing Battery pack assembly: supporting projects related to battery pack assembly, which includes the connection of battery cells (or modules and flow battery stacks) into battery packs. Central to the National Battery Strategy, the program has been designed in consultation with the Department of Industry, Science and Resources (DISR) and a broad range of stakeholders. BBI is aligned with the Economic Resilience and Security stream of the Future Made in Australia (FMA) policy agenda. Funding provided through BBI may include capital grants, production incentives or other payments deemed appropriate by ARENA for the project. Program guidelines and other support documentation are now available on ARENA’s website. The submission portal will open in August 2025. Project proponents are strongly encouraged to contact ARENA before submitting an application. The program will remain open until […]

Australia’s competitiveness hits 13-year high

Australia rose to 13th from 19th place out of 67 nations for competitiveness, according to the Swiss-based IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024. It was Australia’s highest ranking in 13 years. The improved ranking is the result of Australia’s stronger business and government investment, population growth and budget positions. Australia’s stable economy, transparent regulations and global business ties provide a secure and thriving environment for investors. Singapore, Switzerland and Denmark were ranked the world’s top three most competitive economies respectively. While the United States was ranked 12th (down three places), the United Kingdom, France and Japan were outside the top 20. The World Competitiveness Ranking measures economies, regions and sub-regions based on how they optimise their individual competencies to achieve long-term value for their people. The ranking examines economic performance, business efficiency, government efficiency and infrastructure. Top 10 for economic performance Australia’s overall economic performance improved from 10th to 7th. Australia’s competitiveness in international investment was ranked in the global top five. The high ranking reflected the country’s strong performance in both inbound and outbound investment. Strong international trade, high commodity prices and a comparatively healthy local economy have also helped drive this rebound in Australia’s competitiveness. Australia was ranked highly for: government efficiency (13th in the world) infrastructure (18th in the world) business efficiency (22nd in the world). Read more about Australia’s competitiveness profile [PDF, 440KB] in the IMD’s World Competitiveness Yearbook 2024. A top investment destination Australia has long been a top destination for investment, thanks to a resilient economy, a skilled workforce, and stable and transparent regulatory frameworks. Strong business ties with Asian markets make Australia a natural springboard into the fast-growing region. In green energy and critical minerals, Australia is a global leader – and intends to capitalise on its natural advantages to become a renewable energy superpower. […]

A global treaty to limit plastic pollution is within reach

Winnie Courtene-Jones, Lecturer in Marine Pollution, Bangor University. Representatives from 175 countries will gather in Geneva, Switzerland, in August for the final round of negotiations on a legally binding UN treaty to end plastic pollution. Non-governmental organisations, academics and industry lobbyists will also be in the room. They will all be hoping to influence what could be the world’s first truly global agreement on plastics. The summit, known as “INC-5.2”, follows a failed attempt to reach agreement in Busan, South Korea, late last year. That meeting ended without resolving important issues, despite hopes that it would conclude the treaty process. Now, it’s crunch time in Geneva. Either countries bridge their political divides, or risk the whole process falling apart. I’ve been researching the effects of plastic for more than a decade and have been involved in the UN treaty process since 2022. I’ve attended several of the negotiations and will be in Geneva next month. The science is clear: we need ambitious action which tackles every stage of the plastics lifecycle, from production through to disposal. But the question is, will countries deliver? In 2022, the UN Environment Assembly agreed to develop a legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution. Since then, progress has been slow. Negotiations have repeatedly stalled over issues such as whether the treaty should limit plastic production or regulate chemicals, how to define terms, and how to fund implementation. Environment activists calling for a strong global plastics treaty in Busan, South Korea, December 2025. Associated Press/Alamy Industry lobbying has also played a powerful role throughout. At the last round of talks, lobbyists for the petrochemical and plastics industries made up the single largest delegation. They outnumbered representatives from the EU, all of Latin America, the Pacific islands, independent scientists and Indigenous communities. This imbalance threatens to weaken the science-based action that is urgently […]

Rugged devices drive innovation in harsh industrial environments

Manufacturing environments expose both equipment and processes to constant stress. Heat, vibration, airborne particulates, moisture, and noise all affect how people work and how well operations run. Even in these tough conditions, manufacturers push to improve speed, accuracy and system responsiveness. Rugged devices support these efforts by reducing delays, improving visibility and connecting decision-making directly to the point of action, according to Getac. Frank Baldrighi, business development manager – Australia and New Zealand, Getac, said, “Work no longer depends on desktop access or end-of-shift reporting to progress. Rugged devices provide mobile, durable access to the tools and data that workers require in real time. Teams can track workflow progress, review equipment histories, update maintenance logs, and verify task details onsite, all without leaving the immediate work area. This removes unnecessary downtime, compresses feedback cycles, and improves responsiveness across teams.” Access to live data at the point of use eliminates ambiguity so workers can verify specifications, update quality data, and escalate emerging issues without interrupting production. Many of these tasks would have involved manual paperwork or communication through supervisory layers in traditional environments. However, rugged devices reduce those handovers and bring execution and oversight closer together, letting operators make better, faster decisions based on current conditions and clear instructions. Training also improves when workers interact with real systems while guided by context-specific instructions. Augmented and mixed reality applications help new employees follow correct procedures while completing actual tasks. This approach accelerates learning and reduces reliance on legacy knowledge held by a small group of experienced staff. Sustainability efforts similarly benefit from this shift in visibility. Workers can identify avoidable waste, inefficiencies, and asset fatigue during the task, not after production has ended. Energy usage, cycle timing, material flow, and process deviations become measurable and actionable in real time. Maintenance teams can […]

Trillions to be unlocked in sustainable investment opportunities in Asia

Asia’s robust economic fundamentals present significant opportunities for scaling financing into sustainable development projects, even amid geopolitical headwinds and trade tensions, said policy and business leaders at the inaugural Hong Kong edition of Unlocking capital for sustainability. Against the backdrop of increasing global polarisation and accelerating climate change, Asia is uniquely positioned to lead decarbonisation efforts and capitalise on the opportunities that the region’s green transition offers. Hong Kong, in particular, has emerged as a key gateway in the region for sustainable finance, authorising over 220 environmental, social and governance (ESG) funds last year, with assets under management (AUM) totaling HK$1.2 trillion, with opportunities for trillions more. In his keynote address, Christopher Hui Ching-yu, Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury, Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, noted that Hong Kong’s “markets, regulatory frameworks and connectivity with global capital flows position us uniquely – not merely as a gateway, but as a catalyst for scaling green and transition finance across Asia and beyond.” Hong Kong is making significant strides, with green and sustainable debt issuances in 2024 exceeding US$84 billion. The city is also fostering cross-border trade and digital collaboration in carbon markets to connect capital with carbon projects worldwide, developing its FinTech ecosystem to finance underfunded and impactful green projects, and building the capacity of its workforce to meet the demand for green skills, highlighted Hui. Themed “Mobilising capital for the green transition”, the inaugural Hong Kong edition of the thought leadership forum, organised by Eco-Business in partnership with United Nations Environmental Programme Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), took place during Hong Kong’s Wealth and Investment Mega Week. Hosted at Renaissance Hong Kong Harbour View Hotel, the forum gathered more than 120 decision-makers across government, finance and industry to identify the solutions needed to mobilise finance for Asia’s […]

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