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ppsland The stage is set for the Gip League Grand Final. Traralgon will be out to win its first s senior football premiership in i almost a decade, while Moe will be aim ming for back-to-back A Grade G netball flags. Prem miers have already been crow wned in the Mid Gippsland and Netball d North Gippsland Football-N Lea ague, and feature in today’s sho owcase coverage.
ELECTION PERIOD PAG GE 3
T 12 PAGE LIFTOUT INSIDE
Plans rocking on By PHILIP HOPKINS
more informed process control decisions from a single point of control. The system seamlessly connects and records data, further optimising operations,” Mr Wong said. With the growing demand for lightweight vehicles, the magnesium market is expected to double by 2030, and as the only new western producer coming onstream, LMG is positioned to meet this demand, with plans to expand operations. Following successful production at the 1000 tonnes per annum (tpa) demonstration plant, LMG plans to build a 10,000 tpa plant in the Latrobe Valley, and has completed a pre-feasibility study (PFS) for a 100,000 tpa international mega plant in Samalaju Industrial Park, in the state of Sarawak, Malaysia. Mr Wong said PlantPAx was designed with scalable, modular architecture that simplifies integration, accelerates time to market, and offers advanced scalable system capabilities like human-machine interfaces (HMI), batch management and data collection. “Recent updates to PlantPAx align
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LATROBE Magnesium has got a helping hand from a major US international industrial company while producing the first batch of magnesium oxide at its demonstration plant in Morwell, marking a big step towards the scaling up of its operations. Rockwell Automation, based in Milwaukee in Wisconsin and a leader in industrial automation and digital transformation, has a contract to provide Latrobe with a plantwide control system. Rockwell’s regional director in the South Pacific, Anthony Wong, said LMG’s ambitious plans required a scalable process and a plantwide control system capable of delivering a truly connected enterprise. “Rockwell Automation’s Connected Enterprise technology integrates plant-level and enterprise networks, securely connecting people, processes and technologies,” he said. “This approach leverages smart manufacturing and machine learning to enhance decision-making and streamline
connectivity - digital transformation from a single point of control.” LMG is pioneering a patented hydrometallurgical extraction process that converts almost 100 per cent ash - a byproduct of coal-fired power stations - and ferro nickel slag into valuable saleable products like magnesium metal, Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM), silica, char, iron oxide, and calcium carbonate. Latrobe is using ash from Energy Australia’s brown coal Yallourn power station, which alone can supply LMG with enough ash to meet production needs for more than 30 years. Magnesium metal, a critical mineral, is lighter yet stronger than both steel and aluminium, making it ideal for use in automotive, battery, die casting, electronics, and bio-absorbable stent applications. After evaluating potential solutions, LMG selected Rockwell Automation’s PlantPAx® Distributed Control System (DCS), combined with its Centreline Motor Control System (MCC). “PlantPAx allows LMG to make faster,
See page12 of today’s paper
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with digital transformation strategies, enhancing productivity and profitability whilst minimising operational risk,” he said. Mr Wong said the LMG process was ground-breaking. “Current magnesium production methods are more than 60 per cent more carbon emission intensive, but this new process eliminates waste products and tailings, offering a more sustainable solution,” he said. “Given LMG focus on reducing their carbon footprint, Rockwell’s Centreline low-voltage MCCs were a perfect fit, offering a smaller footprint and, energy-efficient industrial motor control solutions.” Rockwell Automation’s strength is its ability to meet tight deadlines and provide transparent timeframes. LMG’s chief operating officer, Ronan Gillen, said Rockwell’s support to help meet production goals had been outstanding. “They have gone above and beyond to find solutions and make sure everything works,” he said. Continued - Page 7
VALE KEITH BROWNBILL OBITUARY - PAGE 8
100 DAYS OF SCHOOL PAGE 38