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Disruptive technologies are helping leading manufacturers to boost productivity, attract and engage new consumers, inspire new market strategies and drive substantial business growth. Here's our pick of disruptive technologies to watch:

Drones: Deutsche Post, the world's biggest courier company, is using a drone to deliver medication to a remote German island. It’s been such a success the company is considering using the “parcelcopter” to make more regular deliveries.

‘Mobile-geddon’: mobile devices are making waves in the business world: think service delivery, worker productivity and customer experience.

Distributed manufacturing: is where the final product is manufactured near the final customer, so the raw materials, assembly and product fabrication are decentralised, potentially increasing customisation.

Advanced robotics: including human-machine collaboration.

Emergent Artificial Intelligence: is where machines can learn automatically by taking on large volumes of information; it has huge implications for productivity.

Self-driving vehicles: that could potentially move or distribute goods.

Internet of Things: has massive potential for business process optimisation, reduced downtime and waste, and increased quality overall.

Find out more about these disruptive technologies by reading the full story here.

Food & Drink Business

New research from RMIT University suggests saltbush could help food manufacturers improve protein quality and reduce the reliance on added salt in staple foods. The drought-tolerant shrub has been used as bush tucker by Indigenous Australians for thousands of years.

The Brewers Association of Australia CEO, Amanda Watson, has stepped down from the role. Watson, who became CEO in July 2025, said she was pursuing a different career direction.

Australian Food Pact signatories generated $12 million in additional revenue in 2025 by converting unsold food into higher-value outcomes, including new product development and commercial redistribution, according to End Food Waste Australia.