Wärtsilä has been signed by Energy Developments Ltd to maintain the McArthur River Mine power plant. The 10-year agreement includes a guarantee for the plant’s availability to generate power based on pre-planned scheduled maintenance periods. [ + ]

ABB has launched a new service product for continuous hoist monitoring: the Hoist Performance Monitoring Service, which will allow ABB experts to monitor and analyse a hoist system remotely. [ + ]

IChemE has appointed engineering consultancy Vanguard Solutions as conference partner for the inaugural Hazards Australasia conference in Perth later this year. [ + ]

As part of an Asia-Pacific investment strategy, German lubricant manufacturer Fuchs has invested in a new state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Melbourne. [ + ]

NASA has deployed MATLAB and Simulink to the International Space Station as part of its SPHERES project, MathWorks has announced. [ + ]

An optical sensor technology start-up has stuck to its guns and will continue to work from Australia, despite an appealing $10 million offer from Chinese investors to move offshore. [ + ]

JBS Australia, the country’s largest producer of meat products, has engaged Wiley to project manage the $8.7 million upgrade of its wastewater treatment system. [ + ]

ESCHA Bauelemente GmbH and Micromax Sensors & Automation have entered into a sales partnership, extending ESCHA’s sales operations and enhancing its market position in Australia. [ + ]

Service Pack 2 is offered free of charge to users with InduSoft Web Studio v7.1. Alternatively, the entire SCADA software package can be downloaded for a free trial. [ + ]

A new research facility that combines Monash University and CSIRO research could transform manufacturing in areas such as biomedicine, transport, aerospace engineering and mineral processing. [ + ]

Smith Flow Control has changed its Australian distribution methods, appointing WA company Teksal Controls as its exclusive Australian distributor and systems integrator of its valve interlocking and control and process safety products. [ + ]

Shell, ExxonMobil, Santos, PTTEP Australasia and Woodside, represented by the APPEA, were recently named as the first IChemE Safety Centre industry partners. [ + ]

While increasing automation in mining tasks can improve safety, it may jeopardise on-site jobs, a new report from the UQ’s Centre for Social Responsibility in Mining has found. [ + ]

Pressure Dynamics has been bought out by a consortium, commencing trading as a new entity on 26 July. The company appointed PPB Advisory as receivers and managers on 7 June. [ + ]

The NSW EPA’s new Compliance Policy is now available on its website. The EPA says the policy will provide additional transparency to the public about the way it regulates industry in NSW. [ + ]