State government grants to help your small business: 2016

State government grants to help your small business: 2016 – SmartCompany

Do you run a South Australian business that exports overseas? You could be eligible for a grant of up to $50,000.

Perhaps you are leading a Victorian business that is trialling a new technology project? There’s a grant for that too.

In August we brought you our list of the best federal government grants for your business and today we’ve rounded up some of the state and territory grants available to SMEs.

This is not a complete list of all the grants available in each state and territory but when it comes to business grants, knowing where to start looking can be half the battle.

With the states and territories increasingly focused on encouraging innovative enterprises, now is the time to find out if your business is eligible for a grant.

New South Wales

Minimum Viable Product program

How much? Up to $25,000

How does it work?

Now part of the NSW Government’s ‘Jobs for NSW’ program, the Minimum Viable Product program is aimed at technology startups that are in the process of testing their business model.

Businesses from all sectors are able to apply for the grants, however the business must be technology-driven. Grants of up to $25,000 are available to use towards up to 50% of the cost of an approved project.

To be eligible, the business must have an Australian Business Number (ABN) registered in NSW, own the relevant intellectual property or rights to commercialise the technology and have a relationship with either a potential customer or potential distributor.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Building Partnerships Grants

How much? Up to $100,000

How it work?

The Building Partnerships Grants are also part of the ‘Jobs for NSW’ program, which replaced the Regional Industries Investment Fund, and are aimed at technology-based businesses.

Businesses can receive up to 35% of the costs of an approved project, capped at $100,000, to help them complete a pilot project with key customers or to fund new marketing partnerships either in Australia or overseas.

To be eligible, the business must have an ABN registered in NSW, own the relevant intellectual property or rights to commercialise the technology and have a relationship with either a potential customer or potential distributor.

Applications are currently open. More information is available here.

Tech Vouchers

How much? A matched voucher worth up to $15,000

How does it work?

The Tech Vouchers program is designed to encourage SMEs to work with universities and research organisations with technical expertise in particular areas.

Priority is given to companies that have not previously worked with universities or research organisations and the money can go towards funding a joint research project, gaining access to research facilities and equipment or technical expertise or trialing a production run.

To be eligible for the vouchers, companies must have fewer than 200 employees and turn over less than $30 million each year. The company must be incorporated in NSW and have been operating for at least one year.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Bin Trim Rebates Program

How much? Between $1000 and $50,000

How does it work?

The Bin Trim Rebates Program is part of the NSW Environment Protection Agency’s ‘Waste Less, Recycle More’ initiative to encourage recycling in workplaces.

SMEs with up to 200 employees can apply for rebates of between $1000 and $50,000 to cover up to 50% of the cost of purchasing small-scale, onsite recycling equipment. The rebates are also available to businesses that manage business waste, including facility managers and recyclers.

Applications are currently open and more information is available from the NSW EPA website here.

Accelerating Growth Loans and Gazelle Loan Guarantees

How much? Not available

How does it work?

These two forthcoming schemes are aimed at ‘gazelles’: fast-growing SMEs that are recording strong revenue growth year-on-year.

The Accelerating Growth Loans scheme will provide direct finance to SMEs, while the Gazelle Loan Guarantees are intended to help SMEs obtain loan approvals to continue to grow.

Applications are expected to open soon and businesses can ask for more information via the Jobs for NSW website here.

Victoria

LaunchVic

How much? Unspecified

How does it work?

The Victorian Government has set aside $60 million over four years for LaunchVic, an independent body with the aim of strengthening Victoria’s entrepreneurial and startup sectors.

The first round of LaunchVic funding grants was announced in August, with 18 projects across the state sharing in a total of $6.5 million in funding. Individual grants ranged from $30,000 to $1.25 million.

Applications for the second round of funding will open in September and LaunchVic is looking for proposals that add value to Victoria’s acceleration, incubation and co-working capabilities; are “ambitious, creative and have a global orientation”; can strengthen the diversity and collaboration among the state’s entrepreneurs and startups; and which are financially viable.

More information is available here.

Grow Your Business program

How much? Between $4000 and $15,000

How does it work?

The Victorian Government’s Grow Your Business program provides a number of types of grants to Victorian SMEs, with the overarching aim of helping small and medium businesses become internationally competitive by contributing to the costs of mentoring and networking programs.

The Business Development Plan and Business Development Plan – Mentoring streams of the program provide grants for up to 50% of a project’s cost, capped at $7,500.

The Business Strategic Review stream provides up to 75% of a project’s cost, capped at $4000, and the Group and Network Programs stream provides a grant of up to 75% of a project’s costs, capped at $15,000.

Applications are currently open for the streams and information about the eligibility requirements for each is available here.

Victorian Government Technology Innovation Fund

How much? Between $50,000 and $350,000

How does it work?

The Victorian Government’s Innovation Fund is open to businesses working with the Victorian public sector and are designed to support the development and trialing of new technology that will help make government more efficient.

To be considered for a grant, businesses need to pitch a technology-based program that addresses a public sector need and has the support of the relevant government department or agency.

Projects funded usually run for between 6-24 months and the grants are typically between $50,000 and $400,000.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Automotive Supply Chain Transition Program

How much? Up to $71,000

How does it work?

Designed to help support Victorian companies in the automotive supply chain, this program provides financial support for both companies undergoing transitions and companies that can assist those firms.

For companies undergoing a transition, the following grants are available:

Up to $5000 of support to review an existing business transition plan
Up to $16,000 of support to develop a business transition plan
Up to $10,000 of support for merger advisory services
Up to $55,000 in support for business transition services.

The same grants are available for specialist firms that can help these businesses through the transition. The Victorian Government plans to create a panel of these specialist businesses, which will be listed on the Business Victoria website.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Local Industry Fund for Transition program

How much? A matched funding grant of up to $2 million

How does it work?

The Local Industry Fund for Transition is a program to support regions affected by the closure of large scale manufacturing in Victoria, including the north, west and south-east parts of Melbourne, and Geelong.

Businesses of all sizes can apply for grants of up to $2 million to cover up to 25% of eligible project expenditure to help fund projects that will create jobs in the specified regions.

To be eligible, businesses must have both an Australian Business Number and an Australian Company Number; the financial capacity to contribute $3 for every $1 of grant funding; and the ability to provide financial reports from the past three financial years to the government.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Queensland

Ignite Ideas Fund

How much? Up to $250,000

How does it work?

The Ignite Ideas Fund is part of the Queensland Government’s Advance Queensland initiative to support businesses across the state.

Under this program, businesses can receive Tier 1 grants of up to $100,000 or Tier 2 Grants of up to $250,000 to go towards proving their business idea will work or identifying a market or investor for the product.

To be eligible, businesses must: have fewer than 200 employees; be incorporated in Queensland; be registered for GST; demonstrate the idea can achieve high growth and create jobs; have a minimum viable product; and show support for the project from customers, industry partners or investors.

Applications for the second round of funding under the program open on September 12. More information is available here.

Business Development Fund

How much? Between $125,000 and $2.5 million

How does it work?

Also part of the Advance Queensland initiative, the Business Development Fund is aimed at businesses that are in the process of commercialising research or an innovative product or service.

Businesses in need of seed, early stage or follow-on investment can receive between $125,000 and $2.5 million from the program if they can demonstrate the business will create new, skilled employment and is commercially viable.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Knowledge Transfer Partnerships

How much? Up to $50,000 per project

How does it work?

Businesses that wish to hire a graduate to work on an innovative project can receive up to $50,000 per project under this government scheme.

The funding is intended to cover two-thirds of the project’s costs, with the business required to cover the remaining one-third.

To be eligible, businesses must have fewer than 200 full-time employees; have been operating for at least two years; have an ABN and be registered for GST; and be prepared to manage the project in collaboration with a university.

Applications for the fifth round of funding will close on October 7. More information is available here.

Australian Capital Territory

Innovation Connect

How much? Between $5000 to $30,000 in matched funding, depending on the project.

How does it work?

This grant program is designed to help Canberra businesses develop new and innovative products and services.

There is a particular focus on projects that will encourage investment or have the potential for commercialisation, and grants are offered in two categories.

In the Proof of Technology category, businesses can receive between $5000 and $30,000 in matched funding to prove their concept. In the Accelerating Innovation category, businesses can receive between $5000 and $10,000 to assist with the commercialisation of their project.

Applications for the Accelerating Innovation grants are open year-round, while the Proof of Technology grants are offered through separate funding round throughout the year. More information is available here.

Trade Connect program

How much? Up to $15,000 per financial year.

How does it work?

This grant is aimed at helping businesses in the ACT prepare for exporting opportunities through trade show participation, market research, mentoring and the development of advertising material.

In order to be eligible, businesses must have an annual turnover of less than $10 million; have developed products that are ready to be exported; and operate a main business location in the ACT.

Applications are currently open and more information can be found here.

Business Improvement Grant

How much? Up to $5000.

How does it work?

This grant is part of a pilot program by the ACT government to encourage SME growth and is designed to help businesses implement recommendations from an experienced business advisor.

In order to be eligible, businesses must have been trading for at least two years and have annual turnover between $500,000 and $1.5 million. All funds provided need to be matched dollar-for-dollar by the business.

Applications are currently open and more information can be found here.

South Australia

Start-up Business Grants

How much? Up to $20,000

How does it work?

The South Australian Government has created a Small Business Development Fund as part of its Northern Economic Plan to encourage business activity in the Playford, Port Adelaide Enfield and Salisbury council areas.

Entrepreneurs and new businesses can apply for grants of up to $20,000 under the Start-up Business Grants program.

Applications are currently open and are assessed every six to eight weeks. More information is available here.

Business Expansion Grants

How much? Between $10,000 and $100,000

How does it work?

This program also forms part of the Small Business Development Fund.

Established businesses in northern Adelaide can apply for grants worth between $10,000 and $100,000 to support activities that will grow their businesses. The Government has allocated $6 million for these grants.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Export Partnership program

How much? Up to $50,000.

How does it work?

This program is about helping small and medium businesses tackle international markets.

The state government will match a successful applicant’s investment towards researching overseas markets and participating in trade missions. Businesses can also use the funds to adapt their website to for international markets or participate in export-related training.

Applications are currently open and more information can be found here.

Innovation Voucher program

How much? Up to $50,000.

How does it work?

This grant is designed to encourage collaboration between SMEs and research and development organisations.

The fund is part of the South Australian government’s plan to encourage greater innovation in the manufacturing sector and fuel job creation in other industries. The money goes towards technical research and prototype testing.

To be eligible, businesses must have annual turnover of less than $200 million. The recipient must also be willing to make a financial contribution to the project, which is determined by annual turnover.

Applications are ongoing and more information can be found here.

Tasmania

New Market Expansion Program

How much? Unspecified

How does it work?

Tasmanian SMEs can apply for financial assistance to help pay for marketing activities related to developing new national and international markets under this program.

The funds can be used to commission market research and business matching services; undertake promotional activities, including advertising; develop promotional materials; travel for marketing purposes, including to attend trade exhibitions; and for inbound buyers’ visits to Tasmania.

To be eligible, businesses must have annual turnover between $300,000 and $20 million. Industry associations and groups of companies that are working on new market or export marketing initiatives may also apply.

Applications will be open until April 30, 2017. More information is available here.

Advanced Manufacturing Marketing Expansion Program

How much? Up to $10,000

How does it work?

Similar to the New Market Expansion Program, this grants scheme is designed to help advanced manufacturing enterprises in Tasmania conduct market development activities to create new national and international markets.

The same criteria applies, with including the requirement that the company is turning over between $300,000 and $20 million.

More information about the grants is available here.

Northern Territory

Smarter Business Solutions

How much? Up to $20,000

How does it work?

Businesses based on the Northern Territory that have been trading for at least 12 months can apply for grants to help reduce their day-to-day energy, water and material costs.

Along with free advice and on-site consultations at their business premises, business owners can apply for a grant of up to $20,000 to install energy efficient saving initiatives; a grant of up to $10,000 to install a renewable energy system; or a grant of up to $300 to buy and install energy monitoring equipment.

To be eligible, businesses must be physically located in the NT, have fewer than 200 employees and have annual turnover between $75,000 and $20 million.

Businesses must also be willing to participate in a follow-up evaluation and must not have already received an equivalent grant under a previous government program.

Applications are now open and more information is available here.

Indigenous Business Development Program (IBDP)

How much? Up to $30,000

How does it work?

Indigenous people who are starting or expanding their business can apply for grants under the Indigenous Business Development Program.

To be eligible, applicants must live in the NT and their business must be more than 50% Indigenous owned and based and registered in the NT.

Applicants must also be able to show commitment from land councils, where appropriate, and will need to be able to either make financial contributions or show they are able to do so.

Applications are currently open and more information is available here.

Trade Support Scheme

How much? Up to $10,000

How does it work?

The Trade Support Scheme is designed to help NT businesses cover the costs associated with international marketing activities.

Businesses can apply for grants for a range of activities, and different funding caps apply to each activity. The activities included in the scheme are: airfares, marketing and promotion, website design, freight, trade exhibitions and conferences, accommodation, on-the-ground expenses, training, and participation in the Australian Tourism Exchange.

The funding is offered as a taxable cash reimbursement.

Applications are open year-round and more information is available here.

Western Australia

Regional Events Scheme

How much? Up to $50,000

How does it work?

Organisations that hold business conferences, exhibitions and trade shows, as well as festivals and entertainment events, may be eligible for funding under the Western Australian Government’s Regional Events Scheme.

The scheme is administered by Tourism WA and it aims to raise the profile of the state as a tourist destination.

Applications for funding for events that fall between July 2017 and June 2018 will open in October. More information is available here.

Commercial Development Grants Program

How much? Up to $25,000

How does it work?

The Commercial Development Grants Program is available for WA-based creative businesses to help them increase revenue, build audiences and client bases, access new markets or increase market share and build their profiles.

Businesses can apply under two categories – projects up to $15,000 and projects of more than $15,000 – and the maximum grant available is $25,000. The grant can be used to cover up to 80% of the expenditure for a project.

Applications for projects under $15,000 are open year-round, while applications for projects of more than $15,000 close on October 6.

More information is available here.

Five disruptive trends in tech for 2017

The tech revolution continues to barrel forward lately, and 2017 will see some of the most innovative and evolutionary disruptions we have seen thus far.

There will be more connection, more automation, and more significant impact in business and investment than ever before, and the revolution has just begun.

The innovations coming to fruit in 2017 are poised to redefine business and connection as we know it. From banking to devices, 2017 holds many a change in store -the technology of this next phase is dynamic, gigantic, and will feel like a futuristic sci-fi fantasy novel.

Finance will be automated

Many financial experts are predicting that automated banks are the next big disruptor for the banking sector. According to a recent study, automated banking could replace 30 per cent of bank jobs over the next decade. Financial advisors and analysts are due to be quickly replaced by robo-advisors that render them moot -with big data in the wings, robo-advisors have the data needed to make split-second, uber-informed decisions. The payments and mobile banking industries are riding high, as well: fintech startups raised over $22.3 billion in funding in 2015, up 75 per cent from 2014. This trend will speed up in 2017.

Big data will get even bigger

Big data will be a necessary asset for companies in all sectors, From trucking to data entry, big data algorithms will change the landscape in a big way, metaphorically and literally — geographical information systems will get a major upgrade in speed and efficiency. For example, MIT and Ford Motors recently partnered to read the cellphone location data of Bostonians, producing instantaneous traffic and transportation patterns that typically take years to build. Innovation will continue with developments in big data storage, providing much needed revolutionary agility in IT. Steve Wozniak has joined big data storage company Primary Data as their Chief Scientist, so we can be sure to see some huge changes there.

The Internet of Everything truly begins

The Internet of Everything in both the consumer and B2B market will continue to rise, especially in North America, connecting data, things, processes and people. Intelligent systems will grow rapidly in 2017, especially after the release of the Home app from Apple this fall. Over 100 products are already on the market that will work seamlessly with apples HomeKit, so a smart-linked home will be an affordable possibility for anyone. Security, lights, electronics, and climate can all be controlled for the first time in one app. Wearable devices will continue to climb and mesh with healthcare and big data.

Mobility will continue to dominate.

Customers are almost completely mobile — as of now, four out of five people use their phones to shop. The global workforce is becoming increasingly mobile, working from home, and tech software and communications will begin to reflect that predominantly. From mobile storage for work-from-home employees to advanced security, mobility has only begun to gain traction. Verizon is one company to watch, as they are in the process of acquiring Irish fleet and mobile workforce management company Fleetmatics, positioning the mobile company to be the largest mobile workforce management company in the world.

Space exploration will become increasingly affordable.

Expect in 2017 to see huge changes in the space exploration sector. Costs will go down drastically, with what would previously cost billions of dollars costing only millions. The U.S. Federal Aviation Authority recently approved private company Moon Express to launch an unmanned exploratory moon mission in 2017, and the company plans to forge ahead with commercial missions to the moon to exploit its mineral resources.

We will also see huge strides in satellite use – Planet Labs Inc. has launched a fleet of tiny shoebox-sized satellites that can transfer daily high-res earth images, providing affordable and useful information to companies interested in economically sensitive areas like farmland, oil storage tanks and parking lot usage.

What construction jobs will look like when robots can build things

By 2034/35, almost 20% of Australians (6.2 million) are projected to be aged 65 or over. One sector already feeling the impact of the ageing population is construction. In Queensland, the number of construction workers aged 55 and over increased from 8 per cent of full-time workers in 1992 to 14.2 per cent in 2014.

An ageing workforce is likely to increase the need for less physically demanding jobs or maybe technology might address this issue. Task automation and the industry’s innovation culture are two of the greatest areas of uncertainty for the construction industry.

A new study that developed evidence based scenarios for 2036, depicts how automation and manufacturing could grow in the construction sector, creating more knowledge intensive jobs as a result.

The study explores future technology that eliminates dangerous and difficult tasks, particularly in light of the ageing workforce.

Experts in the industry were asked the extent to which technology would progress and how many or which tasks could be automated. There was no consensus on this and the other point of contention between the interviewees was how bold the industry would be in its pursuit of new solutions.

The research did suggest the construction workforce will need a broad understanding of digital applications, in addition to traditional project management and communication skills.

Figure 1: Construction industry scenarios from the Farsight Report

Construction jobs of the future

The trends analysis and scenario development in the report produced some examples of possible construction industry jobs in the year 2036, including:

Building assembly technician

Someone who oversees robotic systems and examines data feeds throughout the life of a project. This worker would optimise workflows and make adjustments on real time feedback from clients about design or changes to materials.

Virtual/augmented reality trainers

Breakthroughs in virtual and augmented reality technology could provide low-cost immersive environments where apprentices and trainers can meet virtually in any training situation, such as worksite, factory, design studio – the possibilities are endless.

Building drone operators

These professionals would control and program drones to carry out complex tasks such as site inspections, deliveries and maintenance.

Robot resource manager

Robots in the workplace will need someone to take care of commissioning, software programming, maintenance and re-purposing or recycling of robotic parts. Keeping track of this exploding field of technology will be a key challenge for the role.

Other opportunities

The Australian construction industry is changing with the introduction of digital collaboration platforms, like Building Information Modelling (BIM), robot machine prototypes such as the Fastbrick robot and rapid progress in 3D printing capabilities. These innovations will need more people skilled in the use of software programs and less people for labour-intensive jobs such as bricklaying or paving.

BIM is software that creates a 3D visualisation of a building. However, it extends beyond 3D imaging to show scheduling, cost control, facility management and energy performance monitoring. The UK government has mandated that all centrally funded work is to be undertaken using BIM by April 2016 and the Queensland government has stated that it will progressively implement the use of BIM into all major state infrastructure projects by 2023. As workers’ skills in BIM increase in Australia, the improved cost and time saving will drive customers to demand that projects are managed in this way.

Already, in the Netherlands, the company MX3D is using 6-axis industrial robots to print a fully functional steel bridge. Contour Crafting technology, a process invented at the University of Southern California, has great potential for automating the construction of whole structures as well as sub-components and a company in China is using 3D printing to build houses.

The manufacturing part of the construction industry is expected to grow at 5% per annum out to 2023, compared to a growth rate of 2.3% for the industry as a whole. While the current prefabricated building market in Australia is still comparatively small, with only A$4.5 billion of the total A$150 billion construction industry, it is expected to contribute to more affordable housing stock and to take a much greater share of creating multi-storey buildings.

The nature of construction work is set for a step change over the next 20 years and careful strategic thinking is needed to navigate the changes.

The changes will require humans to exercise judgement and decision-making that reflects human values and aspirations; a task that is well beyond the most advanced artificial intelligence systems.

George Quezada, Research Scientist, Data61

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

UQ develop new bauxite processing method

The University of Queensland has worked with Rio Tinto to create a new way to process bauxite ores.

According to the university, not only does the method add value to the ore, it also reduces the mine’s environmental footprint.

UQ’s Dr. Hong Peng, from the university’s School of Chemical Engineering, said the process utilises bauxite ore waste.

“Queensland is ideally placed to benefit from this technological improvement as bauxite is abundant in north Queensland and there are already processing facilities and experts established here,” Peng said.

“Now instead of wasting the bauxite ore by-products, we can recover most of the minerals, which also reduces the environmental impact of the mining activity.”

The new method will also make some previously uneconomical mines viable.

Bauxite contains between 30 and 54 per cent alumina, which is refined from bauxite ore using the Bayer process, which separates alumina from the mixture of various iron oxides, titanium dioxide and aluminosilicate, which is known as the desilication product (DSP).

Using the conventional Bayer process, the DSP crystallises to a fine powder intermingled through the residue, making separation of the components impossible.

“The red mud has to be chemically neutralised and maintained in long-term storage,” Peng said.

Peng’s method looks to control this crystallisation, instead yielding a coarser material, which can be separated and removed.

“The current process wastes a lot of these other minerals and creates bauxite residue,” he said.

“The new method we’re developing has environmental benefits and financial benefits, as the by-products can be sold.”

The research was supported by the Advance Queensland Research Fellowship, which is focused on aiding the mining industry in overcoming challenges.

Peng was one recipient, along with Dr. Pradeep Shukla – who is aiming to upscale new technology to produce cyanide on-site for gold and base metal mines – and Dr. Sergio-Andres Galindo-Torres, who aims to introduce new modelling and visualisation technologies

World first: China’s hack-proof communications system

China has launched what it says is the world’s first quantum satellite from the Gobi Desert on Tuesday. If successful, it will allow for global hack-proof communications.

During its two-year mission, the QUESS satellite will establish “hack-proof” quantum communications by transmitting uncrackable keys from space to the ground.

Quantum technology uses photons to transmit encrypted messages. This form of encryption is secured against any kind of computing power because the information encoded in a quantum particle is changed as soon as it is measured, which means it cannot be cloned. This in turn makes it impossible to wiretap, intercept or crack the information transmitted through it.

QUESS will utilise high-speed coherent lasers to connect with base stations 1,200km apart, in order to test long-distance communications. There have been past experiments looking to achieve this, however they struggled with the loss of photons in transmission and therefore quantum communications could only be achieved over a short distance (no more than 500km).

If successful, the QUESS project could result in the establishment of a ground-to-satellite quantum communication system, enabling global scale quantum communications.

“This newly-launched satellite marks a transition in China’s role – from a follower in classic information technology development to one of the leaders guiding future IT achievements,” said Pan Jianwei, chief scientist of the project, in a comment to Xinhuanet.

Pan believes that if more quantum satellites are sent into orbit, the global quantum communications network will be established in the next 15 years.

The Future-Proof mining plant

Globalisation, competition, material and resource pricings, aging workforces and regulatory pressures are just some of the challenges facing Australian mining companies. Some of these challenges grow more daunting by the day. But Australia has always been an innovative force in making the best of difficult situations, particularly in the mining sector.

The external factors that affect mining are so volatile that it is difficult to pin down with absolute certainty what the industry will look like in a year – let alone five years or a decade. To combat these unknowns mining companies are using Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies to more effectively control their own assets and in-turn, creating future-proof mining plants with modern process automation at its core.

The Future-Proof Plant helps mining organisations in three ways: keeping pace with accelerating business and operational requirements; evolving with changing technologies; and attracting the right people, then supporting them with the required knowledge.

The Speed Challenge

Over the last decade, critical business variables associated with industrial production has fluctuated. For example, today the price of the electricity that a mining operation consumes might change every 15 minutes. This increase in speed has also impacted the frequency in variation of the production value and material costs of an operation.

Now, the speed of business is so fast that industrial operations must be able to respond to market changes in real time, including many traditional functions that industrial operations have performed in transactional business systems. Real time business functions such as performance measures, activity-based accounting and profitable safety and asset performance management, will need to operate succinctly in process automation systems.

These systems must be designed right from inception to be extremely agile, adapting to process changes quickly and easily. As these process changes are implemented, object-based industrial service-oriented architecture (SOA) can help industrial companies to adapt flexibly. This future-proofs the operation while maintaining the operational integrity of the mining plant.

Tightly integrated, resource-to-market, data-driven businesses allow advanced Supply Demand Optimisation (SDO) systems to be implemented. These systems provide real-time visibility and predictive capability, allowing businesses to overcome the challenge of complex interlocked operations. In turn, this enables ‘lean’ production that meets market demands whilst mitigating bottlenecks.

The Technology Challenge

As well as helping companies meet business challenges by future-proofing operations, modern process automation systems embody all the characteristics essential to keeping ahead of ever-evolving technological developments by future-proofing their technology as well.

Control room components such as operator consoles and engineering tools have much shorter lifecycles than process-connected components such as transmitters and control hardware. There is also an increased use of mobile technology, with two out of three businesses in a recent Schneider Electric IoT survey planning to implement the Internet of Things via mobile applications in 2016. No single computing architecture will monopolise these systems. Instead, IoT will flourish across systems, both at the edge and on premise.

This in-part reflects ongoing security concerns, with cybersecurity threats related to IoT a critical challenge for future business. Making information available across heterogeneous computing environments will help end users adopt IoT solutions in the way that best suits their security and mission-critical needs while also offering those with legacy technology infrastructures a logical and manageable path forward.

Industrial businesses can protect their engineering investments and in many cases, use emerging technology to drive more value from their automation solutions. From an architectural perspective the key features of such an automation system are threefold: providing a distributed software architecture that operates in standard operating system environments, utilising open industry standards and building a distributed object-based communication infrastructure.

In recent years, the concept of continuously-current technology has been taken to a new level by extending the basic system design to become an industrial service oriented architecture (SOA).

Looking at Schneider Electric technology as an example, clients found they could continually evolve to the latest state-of-the-art technology – while preserving existing hardware, software and applications. This enabled clients to protect their engineering investments and in many cases to use emerging technology to drive more value from their automation solutions.

This approach means Process manufacturers have the flexibility to continuously upgrade smaller components to meet emerging business needs, without having to upgrade everything at once, thereby minimising downtime.

Increased use of open standards, with a transparent data-driven approach is based on the desire among industrial companies to have common approaches, allowing systems to integrate and interoperate. Better integration enables the flow of data to information, knowledge and offers operational insight, encouraging efficient collaboration across mining plant operations.

The People Challenge

A final important issue facing industrial companies over the next few decades will be the changing workforce; retirements of the older workforce and training the next data-driven and more transitory generation. The processes of a Future-Proof Plant helps reduce the impact of these changes, primarily by using automation technology such as virtual reality to embed expertise into systems rather than people.

Properly designed automation software can help capture the intellectual property of engineers and operators before they depart, safeguarding important information and valuable processes. Software workflow engines at the system layer allow intellectual property to be embedded into the system environment. Therefore, critical information and knowledge can be passed on to new employees in the most succinct and efficient way. With these assets available on demand, operators and maintenance workers can be guided through unexpected and perhaps unsafe events via intellectual property embedded in automatically triggered workflows.

Automation systems with sophisticated design are also able to help facilities improve both safety and efficiency standards. Operator training simulators used in conjunction with contextualised virtual reality training systems can help new mining operators achieve certification levels in less than half the time of traditional methods. With the challenge often lying in training new operators how to respond to infrequent or unexpected events, simulation and augmented reality software can be programmed to effectively teach this.

Embedding lifetime training capability into the online environment through performance feedback mechanisms and performance prediction software ensures continuous worker development after certification. Since people learn by feedback control, providing the capabilities of the Future-Proof Plant’s operational insight environment drives workers to even higher levels of performance than that of their predecessors.

The future – tomorrow and beyond

IIoT automation system technologies cannot address every challenge faced by Australian mining. But creating Future-Proof Plants ensures that a company’s assets are used at their maximum capacity and efficiency and will continue to do so effectively in the coming years.

Protecting the operational integrity of plants, enhancing the operational insight of people and enabling plants to adapt easily and affordably to change are just some of the benefits local companies are already experiencing today. These benefits will help them remain competitive tomorrow and beyond.

New Curtin Uni facility unlocking ‘hidden’ gold

Scientists at Curtin University have uncovered gold nanoparticles in arsenopyrite using atom probing.

Curtin West Australian School of Mines (WASM) research associate in applied geology Dr. Denis Fougerouse and other researchers found metallic gold nanoparticles only nanometres in diameter within the mineral, a study which Fougerouse believes is the first of its kind.

According to Curtin University the study “challenges the understanding of nanoparticle formation and allowed the team to establish the main controls on gold incorporation in sulphides”.

Fougerouse explained,” The application of atom probe microscopy in geosciences is relatively new.”

“The technique is based on field-evaporation of atoms from tiny, needle-shaped specimens to provide three dimensional sub-nanometre scale information of the position and type of individual atoms in the specimen in the mineral,” he said.

“Typically the amount of material analysed is really, really small – a single grain of salt is more than a billion times larger than a typical analysis.”

Large amounts of these gold nanoparticles are ‘locked’ in gold-bearing arsenopyrite, a common iron arsenic sulphide.

“Arsrenopyrite is a very common mineral found in Australia and other mines, although not every arsenopyrite contains, it is common to find gold locked inside this mineral,” Fougerouse said.

“Our results show that gold can be hosted either as nanoparticles or as individual atoms in different parts of the crystal structure, and the different types of gold yield important information about the controls on gold deposition as the ore body forms.”

He went on to say this research supports the capacity of atom probe microscopy in geoscience.

“Our research shows the Geoscience Atom Probe has the potential to characterise gold deposition processes as the atomic level. In turn this could help unlock hidden gold resources in known deposits, and will enhance gold recovery.

“Nanogeoscience is a new, but rapidly growing research field; through this research and use of the Geoscience Atom Probe, we can show that tiny observations can yield big results that have potential economic importance.”

Affordable mill liner profile condition monitoring system

With volatility in commodity prices, it is critical that mines optimise the operating costs of the entire plant, and this need has seen an increased focus on achieving the desired grind efficiency in mills. While each mill liner profile is designed to provide the correct trajectory to achieve either impact grinding or attrition grinding depending on the specific application, wear on the mill liner profile will affect the grind efficiency.

Matthew Fitzsimons, Technical Manager of Multotec Rubber, explains that it is important to understand that the wear rate of liners is not linear, and that as the liners wear the increased slippage of the charge increases the wear on the liners.

“This can, in turn, rapidly decrease the grind efficiency of the mill due to the trajectory in the mill being sub optimal and the energy transfer for breakage is reduced,” Fitzsimons says.

It is for this reason that condition monitoring of mill liners, whether steel or rubber, is necessary. Regular inspection of the liner profile will allow historical data to be collated which will facilitate liner life predictions.

Fitzsimons says the only way to approximate the trajectory is to measure the liner profile and this can only be done when the mill is stopped.

“The correct procedure is to determine the profile at installation and then again at each subsequent inspection. This will allow the determination of the profile and the analysis of the trajectory of the charge.”

Most plants focus on throughput, however there are some that, due to economic conditions, are forced to focus on cost savings. This data, together with critical mill operating parameters, is used to predict the point where the liner becomes inefficient and it is at this point that the mill itself will become inefficient.

“Depending on the accuracy of the information available, the plant can make a critical decision as to whether to run the liners to the changeout point or change when the liners reach this point of inefficiency,” Fitzsimons says.

Describing how liner inspection has been done traditionally, Fitzsimons says that until recently there have only been two options available, one of which is the pin gauge method which is known to be time consuming and often inaccurate. Furthermore it requires that the mill be stopped to allow access for personnel to actually perform the inspection. At the other of the scale is very expensive sophisticated technology.

“Inspection using the pin gauge method is done during planned downtime, however it is essential that skilled and trained technical personnel take an accurate measurement because once the mill has restarted it is not feasible to stop it again,” he says. “This method does not allow live feedback and it is not possible to verify the measurement immediately.”

Fitzsimons confirms that Multotec Rubber recently introduced what he says is set to become the most affordable best practice mill liner profile condition monitoring system because it offers such high accuracy and immediate availability of information as such a reasonable cost.

“With the introduction of MultoScan it is now possible for plants to accurately measure the liner profile and using this information end users can easily and accurately predict the lifespan of the liner and the point at which the mill will become inefficient,” he says. The automatic measurement and display of the charge level is valuable in confirming that the operation of the mill is correct and this value is essential in calculating the trajectory.

Highly skilled technicians take the data acquired by MultoScan and leverage Multotec’s Hawkeye proprietary programme to interpret and analyse the data.

Significantly there is no time lag on the information analysis and the level of responsiveness possible using MultoScan has not been available to plants until now.

“It will allow customers immediate feedback on the condition of the liners and any immediate issues can be addressed on the spot,” Fitzsimons says.

Another very important advantage when using MultoScan is the repeatability of the results. This is considered an enormous benefit as there is virtually no room for human error.

In addition, MultoScan will allow plants to reduce the time spent in the mill taking readings and this will decrease the mill stoppage time, another significant cost saving for mines.

Having access to accurate information on the liner profile will allow maintenance crews to set the trigger point for the liner inventory. This will, in turn, allow plants to reduce the liner stockholding drastically optimising the inventory; another cost saving.

Fitzsimons explains that MultoScan has been proven in field trials in some of the most arduous milling conditions on the African continent and most recently the technology has been exported to Australia.

“The potential that MultoScan offers is enormous. Using key operating criteria on individual plants it will be possible to map mill key performance indicators versus the liner profile. This extends the capability of the condition monitoring system and will allow mines to select specific key criteria,” Fitzsimons says.

“Multotec Rubber is the only rubber liner manufacturer that has its own in-house condition monitoring system and by improving the way liners were traditionally monitored we will be able to take condition monitoring to the next level,” he continues.

“By having access to this level of input and technical assistance plants will be able to optimise mill performance,” Fitzsimons concludes.

New mineral extraction process developed

Scientists at South Australia’s Flinders University are developing a series of experiments to extract minerals from ore using environmentally friendly microbes usually found on mine sites.

Associate Professor Sarah Harmer said the next phase of the new technique – called bio-flotation – involves larger and more complex experiments.

“We’re making real progress in finding better ways to more sustainably separate valuable ores such as copper, iron, lead and zinc,” she said.

“At the moment we’re mixing together pure minerals of known quantities and purity and studying the effects.”

Harmer’s team used high-tech x-ray imaging and micro-spectroscopic methods to study the distribution of chemical species responsible for selective attachment of bacteria and the separation of metals.

They also used extreme light beams in synchrotrons to pinpoint the chemical mechanisms of bioleaching of copper ore, using soft and hard x-ray spectroscopies.

Harmer said it was critical to make the technology cost effective on a larger scale for commercial use in the mining industry.

“That’s what has really slowed the adaption of using microbes and different types of bacteria for minerals processing. They’ve only been done on a small scale in the past due to the cost,” she said.

She added that the new technology has the potential to replace toxic chemicals such as cyanide currently used to separate minerals from ore.

Another technology is being developed as part of the EU’s research and innovation program

The BIOMore project, part of the EU’s research and innovation program, is developing another extraction technology aiming to extract minerals from deep deposits. The process uses both hydro-stimulation and in-situ bioleaching, which extracts metals from ores using innocuous living organisms and sulphuric acid.

Plans for first commercial space mining venture gets off the ground

Deep Space Industries (DSI) has announced plans to launch the world’s first commercial extra-terrestrial mining mission.

The company’s Prospector-1 vehicle is slated to rendezvous with a near earth asteroid and appraise it to determine its value and potential resources.

“This mission is an important step in the company’s overall plans to harvest and supply in-space resources to support the growing space economy,” DSI said.

According to the company, when the vehicle reaches the space body, it will map the surface and subsurface of the asteroid, taking visual and infrared imagery and mapping overall water content, down to approximately meter-level depth.

When this initial science campaign is complete, Prospector-1 will use its water thrusters to attempt touchdown on the asteroid.

“Deep Space Industries has worked diligently to get to this point, and now we can say with confidence that we have the right technology, the right team and the right plan to execute this historic mission,” Rick Tumlinson, chairman of the board and co-founder of Deep Space Industries, said.

“Building on our Prospector-X mission, Prospector-1 will be the next step on our way to harvesting asteroid resources.”

The company recently partnered with Luxembourg’s Government to develop its Prospector-X technology.

The international mission, known as Prospect-X, is an agreement to explore, use, and commercialise space resources and builds upon Luxembourg’s earlier space mining initiative to become a technology hub for the fledgling industry.

Prospector-X is an experimental mission to low-Earth orbit that will test key technologies needed for low-cost exploration spacecraft. This precursor mission is scheduled to launch in 2017. Then, before the end of this decade, Prospector-1 will travel beyond Earth’s orbit to begin the first space mining exploration mission.

“DSI’s Prospector missions will usher in a new era of low cost space exploration” Grant Bonin, Deep Space Industries chief engineer, said.

Prospector-1, the first space mining mission vehicle, uses a water based propulsion system, as such “water will be the first asteroid mining product, so the ability to use water as propellant will provide future DSI spacecraft with the ability to refuel in space,” the company said.

“During the next decade, we will begin the harvest of space resources from asteroids,” Daniel Faber, Deep Space Industries CEO, said.

“We are changing the paradigm of business operations in space, from one where our customers carry everything with them, to one in which the supplies they need are waiting for them when they get there.”

The asteroids will be chosen by a team at DSI.

“Prospector-1 is not only the first commercial interplanetary mission, it is also an important milestone in our quest to open the frontier,” Tumlinson said.

“By learning to ‘live off the land’ in space, Deep Space Industries is ushering in a new era of unlimited economic expansion.”