Our Managing Director, Mark Steiner joined other local business leaders at the 2021 Logan Business Distinction awards. It’s great to see local businesses able to celebrate together this year.
Check out our feature in the My City Logan paper.
Can you imagine satellites with sensors and cameras that detect bushfires within minutes, provide real-time crop data to farmers, connect our remote towns and communities; and rockets that provide valuable access to space from Australia…these are just some of the ‘real world’ capabilities possible with space technology today.
Hetech is proud to be one of The Australian Space and Manufacturing Network founding members. Innovation and advancement in technologies that improve peoples day-to-day lives is something we are very passionate about, we look forward to seeing what this network achieves in the coming years.
MEDIA RELEASE. Making it happen: The Australian Space Manufacturing Network. QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA, September 23, 2021 – Satellites with sensors and cameras that detect bushfires within minutes, provide real-time crop data to farmers, connect our remote towns and communities; and rockets that provide valuable access to space from Australia…these are just some of the ‘real world’ capabilities possible with space technology today.
The good news is that innovations like these are already being developed by researchers and companies in Australia. “However, the Space industry is still very new relative to other industry pillars, and it lacks the funding and basic infrastructure to support it,” said Adam Gilmour, CEO of Gilmour Space Technologies, a leading space SME that is planning to launch the first Australian-made rockets and satellites to orbit next year.
Recognising the growing market opportunities for new space products and services, over 30 of Australia’s leading space manufacturers, universities and supply chain companies (listed below) are supporting a $150 million bid for the Federal Government’s Modern Manufacturing Initiative – Collaboration (MMIC) stream.
The Australian Space Manufacturing Network (ASMN) – led by Gilmour Space with backing from the Queensland Government – aims to establish three new space facilities, centred in Queensland: (1) a common test and manufacturing facility, enabling members to advance their space research and technology development at lower cost; (2) an advanced manufacturing facility for building commercial rockets and satellites, anchored by Gilmour Space; (3) an orbital spaceport at Abbot Point near Bowen in North Queensland, that will help bring many of these products to space.
“With participation from six states and territories in Australia, we see this as a genuinely industry-led project that will provide the framework and infrastructure needed to unlock collaborations, create jobs and capability, attract private investment, and advance Australian space technologies from initial concept through to commercialisation and launch,” said Mr Gilmour.
Among the ASMN founding members are Swinburne University of Technology in Victoria; Space Machines Company and Neumann Space in South Australia; Electro Optic Systems and Greatcell Energy in the ACT; Spiral Blue in New South Wales; the ARM Hub and Griffith University in Queensland; and a number of international space companies, such as SatRevolution from Poland, which are looking to set up operations in Australia and provide export and supply chain opportunities to local companies.
“Australian space manufacturing facilities will unlock Australia’s true potential as a respected space faring nation,” said Glen Tindall, CEO of EOS Communications Systems. “The Australian Space Manufacturing Network and the diverse range of partners it brings together, demonstrates the end-to-end benefit these types of facilities will have across Australia and beyond.”
Dr Cori Steward, CEO of ARM Hub, added: “For Australia’s manufacturing future, we need to do bigger business together. As a key partner in the Australian Space Manufacturing Network, ARM Hub will be catalysing commercialisation through industry access to the nation’s expertise, de-risking technology adoption and building workforce digital capability, collaboratively.”
“With the global space economy expected to grow to a trillion dollars by 2030, the MMIC will provide timely support for our emerging space manufacturers to develop and mature significant, and globally competitive, space capabilities in Australia,” said Mr Gilmour. The ASMN proposal has been submitted to the Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources.
Hetech has made it to the finals of The Logan Business Distinction Awards! With over 400 nominations for the 23 industry categories, we are honoured to be selected as a finalist.
We can’t wait to catch up and celebrate with other local businesses at Logan’s Business Distinction Awards later this month.
The business awards were originally started by the Logan Chamber of Commerce over 35 years ago. It has a tradition of being a ‘night of nights’ on the Logan business and social calendar. The Business Achiever Awards were so successful at highlighting successful businesses in Logan that the Quest News Group utilised the model across Queensland for many years.
In 2012, the Logan Chamber of Commerce reinstated the awards without the intervention of Quest and from 2018 The Logan Business Distinction AwardsTM has been hosted with the support of the Beenleigh-Yatala Chamber of Commerce and the Logan Country Chamber of Commerce. Together we created a gala event like no other in the city, attracting over 400 nominations for the 23 industry categories. The judges then worked to announce finalists for each of these categories with the winners being announced on the night.
In 2019, it grew even bigger with more nominations, applications, 15 categories and 6 major award winners.
Innovative advances in technology, including digitisation, and automation, are significantly revolutionising the mining industry. Technologies such as AI & Big Data, autonomous vehicles, drones, automated sorting, and dewatering technology are reshaping the industry. Their benefits include but aren’t limited to improving mine safety, predicting mine hazards, and sending real-time information.
By creating more sustainable mining technologies and innovations we can be confident the industry will become greener, reducing the overall environmental impacts.
Here is a snapshot of just some of the ways technology is working to transform the industry.
1. Autonomous Vehicles
Self-driving vehicles are one of the progressions that mining companies are taking to improve the highly volatile sector. For a long time, mining has been faced with problems such as precarious conditions in the mines, lack of skilled labour, and high operating costs. Autonomous vehicles have provided a solution to this because they are safer, cheaper, and reliable. The vehicles integrate technologies such as GPS systems, two-way radio communication, and computing power to make navigation in mines safe and efficient.
2. Automated sorting
The mining industry has incorporated systems to separate valuable mineral ores from waste rock. Mining sorting equipment is not only a practical method to sort particles, but also a way to increase quality, yield, and productivity. The systems manage costs and have low downtime making mining operations highly efficient.
3. AI & Big Data
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data technologies present the mining industry with intelligent machines that work like humans and the benefits of data analytics to improve operations. With these technologies, mining is simplified because the devices can perform a variety of tasks such as drilling, blasting, and sampling. The application of AI and Big data also improves data exchange between users and reduces mining risks to workers because all risks are analysed.
4. Drones
The use of drones in mining solves numerous challenges in the industry by providing faster surveying, better blast optimisation, and improved surveillance of the mines. Data that was inaccessible or otherwise unsafe to reach can now be accessed and sent to the systems.
5. Dewatering technology
Influxes of water caused by weather conditions such as heavy rainfall can significantly slow down open-pit mining. For this reason, dewatering technology is used to handle the maximum inflow of water into the mines. These efforts reduce downtime and prevent the risk of operations.
Examples of Innovative Technology used in Mining
Different kinds of technology will benefit from certain types of mining techniques. For example, underground mines can utilise accurate noise and dust data to minimise health risks for employees or enable location tracking to keep your workforce safe. Meanwhile, surface mining, such as an open pit or open cast miners, can benefit from an automated fleet of remote-controlled equipment to help move materials with ease.
Hetech was involved in the manufacture of LASC (Longwall Automation Steering Committee) products to improve the safety of underground mining employees.
More details here on the CSIRO website.
We specialise in the advanced manufacturing of IoT technology and electronics that can benefit the mining industry. Our Australian designed and made products can help you future proof your business, so get in touch today to find out more.
Contact Hetech and let us be your Mining Electronics Design & Manufacturing Partner.