• Seven years of eInvoicing in South Australia
• Terramin’s Kapunda copper project gets green tick
• New report finds significant growth in agricultural export value
• South Australian wine industry represented on world stage
• Eyre Peninsula connectivity project to support grain farmers
• The University of Adelaide partners with Deloitte for paid internships
• Elders partners with HCLTech
• Engineering firm Kadego-Cadgille rebrands as Ekium

Seven years of eInvoicing in South Australia

South Australian eInvoicing company Link4 marks its seventh anniversary having assisted over 5000 organisations including 50 government entities to adopt eInvoicing.

Since 2016, Link4 has helped small businesses and enterprises streamline their invoicing processes, reduce costs and improve efficiency. 

They have also presented to the Heads of IT and Finance for the Royal Household at Buckingham Palace.

The company was named Australian Fintech Start Up of the Year in 2018 and achieved ‘Built for NetSuite’ status this year.

“We are proud to have made a positive impact on businesses and people’s lives while building a reputation as eInvoicing leaders,” Link4 CEO Robin Sands said.

Link4 operates in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, and is closely monitoring eInvoicing standards in the United States and United Kingdom.

– Sarah Herrmann

Terramin’s Kapunda copper project gets green tick

Miner Terramin Australia has received key environmental approval from the state government for its copper project at Kapunda.

The government’s blessing means it can commence preparatory work for mining copper at Kapunda.

Terramin says tests will provide a range of data about copper dissolution, hydrogeological parameters and rehabilitation and will inform the next major stage of fieldwork.

The company’s Kapunda plans kicked off in 2017 when it entered into an agreement to potentially mine copper at the site approximately 90km north of Adelaide.

It is backed by Oz Minerals which invested $2.5 million into the project last year.

Terramin will use a process called in-situ recovery (ISR) to extract the copper, whereby wells or bores pump an acidic solution underground to dissolve copper from an ore body. The copper is then pumped back to the surface and sent to a recovery plant for treatment.

Terramin estimates nearly 120,000 tonnes of copper lies within 100 metres of the surface and could be recovered using ISR.

The SA mining company has a 25 per cent stake in the joint venture alongside Environmental Copper Recovery Pty Ltd, which is 30 per cent owned by Adelaide-based Thor Mining.

– David Simmons

New report finds significant growth in agricultural export value

Rural Bank’s Australian Exports Report 2022/23 found national export values reached record highs for a third year consecutively.

Head of Agribusiness Development Andrew Smith said the increased worth of some crops has contributed to the overall rise in value, although there is a predicted decline for the coming years.

“Growth in export value was primarily driven by rises in the value of broadacre crops and cotton, with consecutive years of record-setting crops and high commodity prices driving the extraordinary level of export value seen in 2022/23,” Smith said. 

“The value of Australian agricultural exports in 2023/24 is forecast to fall below the records set in the past two years but will still be the third most valuable year on record.

“The anticipated decline will be primarily due to a reduction in crop area planted and yield, with current estimates suggesting a 34 per cent decline in winter crop production compared to last season.”

The report found that South Australia’s export value has risen by 19.4 per cent to $8.9 billion in the past year.

The state’s exports are mainly driven by cropping, which increased by 35.6 per cent to $5.2 billion. 

Despite being SA’s second biggest export, wine saw a decrease in export value for the fourth consecutive year. 

 – Clem Stanley

South Australian Wine industry represented on world stage

Nine representatives from across South Australia’s wine regions will travel overseas with the Outbound Knowledge Exchange Bursaries. 

The bursaries are granted through Adelaide’s membership to the Great Wine Capitals Global Network (GWCGN). 

Each bursary gives representatives $6000 to travel overseas and exchange knowledge with the other 11 wine regions in the GWCGN such as Bordeaux in France and the Napa Valley in the United States. 

While only three bursaries were originally planned, additional funding was granted due to the high standard and volume of applications.

Tourism Minister Zoe Bettison said she is not surprised by the calibre of the applications and is thrilled more bursaries were granted. 

“Not only will they go abroad to learn and bring valuable knowledge back to make our industry even stronger, they will be spruiking South Australia and our position as a world-leading wine destination on the global stage,” she said. 

The representatives undertake their travel between now and May 2024. 

– Clem Stanley

Eyre Peninsula connectivity project to support grain farmers

A test project at a grain producer’s farm on the lower Eyre Peninsula is laying the foundations for future connectivity in a collaboration between Grain Producer’s SA (GPSA) and AgriFutures Australia.

After a successful wireless network extension project, GPSA received funding through AgriFutures Australia’s ‘Producer Technology Uptake Program’ for a project delivered by agricultural connectivity specialist, Connected Farms.

GPSA Chief Executive Officer Brad Perry said the project will provide the large non-contiguous Eyre Peninsula grain property with a fully integrated connectivity system.

“After completing the Zetifi Wi-Fi project through funding support from AgriFutures Australia, the Connected Farms pilot takes farm connectivity to the next level,” Perry said.

“All too often our grain producers, who contribute more than $4 billion to the state’s economy, are left without reliable mobile phone coverage or internet connection when their business relies on it.”

– Anastasia Savvas

The University of Adelaide students Hard Patel, Nicole Almeida and Eva McKean with Deloitte CEO Adam Powick. Photo: supplied.

The University of Adelaide partners with Deloitte for paid internships

The Academy by Deloitte is a 150-hour paid internship program for undergraduate students from the University of Adelaide that launched on September 30 last year.

During their internships, students are placed across all Deloitte Business Units to work alongside professionals solving real client problems, job-shadowing and immersing themselves in the workplace.

The Academy is open to students studying arts, business, law, economics, health, sciences, engineering and technology, with this year’s cohort comprising 258 undergraduate students.

Deloitte Australia CEO Adam Powick said with the program’s success so far, he is excited to continue providing the experience to help students become industry-ready alongside the university.

“Our aim is to help tackle the skills shortage across Australia while also creating diverse career pathways for talented young people,” Powick said.

“This is a tangible example of our commitment to supporting the South Australian economy by attracting local and national talent, investing in the region and providing young people with opportunities to grow and develop.”

– Anastasia Savvas

Elders partners with HCLTech

Elders has selected leading global technology company HCLTech for an Adelaide IT services partnership to accelerate digital evolution across business operations in a “rapidly evolving agribusiness market”.

HCLTech will provide services including AI, cloud migration, application development and management, digital workplace capabilities, infrastructure, cybersecurity, and data management.

“Delivering reliable IT services to our staff across Australia is a key priority,” Elders Head of IT Operations Scott Placentino said.

“[HCLTech] has been integral in supporting our business and our transformation journey, so it was a straightforward decision to engage them for our next phase.”

– Sarah Herrmann

Engineering firm Kadego-Cadgille rebrands as Ekium

Cadgile and Kadego Engineering will now operate as the Australian arm of Ekium after being acquired from Groupe FIVA last month.

Ekium managing director Gavan Doyle said establishing the company as a single entity was the natural next step in the formal collaboration between the companies.

“We bring the energy, creativity, and can-do attitude of a start-up, but with decades of experience and a reputation built on high-quality results,” Doyle said.

“Whether it’s an innovative widget, a special purpose machine or a proposed architectural makeover, our virtual and augmented reality solutions enable you to make better decisions at those critical points in your projects to save time and money.”

Ekium will continue to provide engineering design, project management and prototyping services to all industries, including mining and resources, defence, aerospace, automotive, building and construction, medical, food and beverage, and utilities.

– Sarah Herrmann