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Alex Waislitz claims his ex-wife ‘abdicated’ her responsibilites as a director.

Waislitz claims ex-wife Pratt ‘abdicated responsibilities’ as director

Billionaire Alex Waislitz has filed a defence to a lawsuit by his ex-wife Heloise Pratt, who claims the billionaire “engaged in criminality” in the management of their joint investment vehicle.

  • Maxim Shanahan

This Month

New York-listed soft drinks group The Coca-Cola Company has bought the ready-to-drink spirits business of Billson’s Beverages, which collapsed in late July.

Coca-Cola buys collapsed Billson’s ready-to-drink spirits unit

The NYSE-listed soft drink giant has acquired the business from the administrator, with the Cowan family to retain the smaller cordials and soda operations.

  • Simon Evans
Downer's Spotless Laundries provides hiring, cleaning and delivery services for linen and garments.

Macquarie Infrastructure circles Adamantem’s laundry business

Street Talk understands one of Macquarie Infrastructure’s entities is weighing an acquisition of Linen Services Australia.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Malcolm Broomhead will retire from Orica in 2025.

Orica chairman Malcolm Broomhead to step down

A veteran of some of Australia’s most powerful boardrooms has announced plans to step down from his last major corporate directorship.

  • Peter Ker
Loscam previously attempted to hive off its Australian business via Goldman Sachs and UBS.

Brookfield in advanced talks to buy Loscam Asia-Pacific division

While there have been plenty of false starts in the efforts of Loscam’s owners to exit the business, sources said the transaction was on track to sign soon. 

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
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Who Gives A Crap donates 50 per cent of profits to building toilets.

Who Gives A Crap lawyers up against Singaporean mutt

Who Gives A Crap is on a crusade for global bum domination, but a Singaporean street mutt may have flushed the Asian expansion plans down the toilet.

  • Myriam Robin
Bundles of steel tubes at a trading market in the outskirts of Shanghai. A glut of Chinese steel has meant more exports.

Westview plans $750m steel mill for Brisbane as Gupta woes worsen

The privately owned supplier of reinforced steel rods is concerned about being too reliant on Chinese imports, and wants the new plant to be operating by 2027.

  • Simon Evans
For the love of cars: CarExpert co-founders Paul Maric and Alborz Fallah with their Porsches.

Car sales disruptor widens choice for Australian new car buyers

Until recently, the online automotive sales space in Australia had been dominated by the same few players – and for decades. Their focus has been used car sales.

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by CarExpert

Arbor looks to Sydney’s northern beaches for first acquisition

Street Talk can reveal the private equity upstart inked a deal for the manufacturer and distributor of materials handling products, East West Engineering, on Monday. 

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Livingbridge bought Waste Services Group from The Riverside Company and The Silverfern Group in 2021.

Carlyle in exclusive talks to buy Livingbridge’s Waste Services Group

Carlyle is led in Australia by managing director Geoff Hutchinson. The dealmaker has had the bit between his teeth to land his maiden deal at the helm.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Sanjeev Gupta at one of InfraBuild’s Melbourne plants in 2017. The collapse of his main financier has sent the industrialist scrambling to pay down big debts.

InfraBuild woes worsen as Gupta moves cash around stricken empire

Confidential documents circulated among bondholders show the industrialist’s local steel assets fell deeper into loss and paid $28.8 million to related parties.

  • Simon Evans

November

Sanjeev Gupta is the British industrialist behind GFG Alliance, which owns a string of steelmaking assets.

Administrators called in to probe Gupta’s troubled European empire

A UK court backed ArcelorMittal’s bid to launch an administration process for the parent company of six steelworks owned by Whyalla boss Sanjeev Gupta.

  • Hans van Leeuwen
The imposing HMAS Adelaide docked in Townsville.

Brisbane military supplier sailing with a tailwind

Being portside ready to stock military ships is a niche sector that takes strategy and sharp negotiation skills to win the race.

  • Nina Hendy

Meet the skincare company with 460pc growth

Identifying a niche is easy. Filling it – at scale – is the challenge, as these successful founders discovered.

  • Lauren Sams
Scale Facilitation CEO David Collard in New York.

David Collard paid for Rolls-Royce as staff woes mounted

It’s the latest tightening rope around the flashy businessman, who had plans for his multinational business to build electric “gigabatteries” in Geelong.

  • Myriam Robin
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Heloise Pratt alleges ex-husband Alex Waislitz falsified board records

The two billionaires had been on amicable terms after splitting in 2015 until a stoush started over the control of Thorney Investments.

  • Max Mason
Alex Waislitz.

Heloise Pratt sues former husband Alex Waislitz over Thorney

Visy Industries scion Heloise Pratt is suing her billionaire ex-husband Alex Waislitz in a fight over their joint-owned business, fund manager Thorney Investments.

  • Max Mason
Amcor’s former chief executive Ron Delia and his successor, Peter Konieczny, have landed a transformative deal for the company.

Inside Project Spirit: Amcor’s $13b deal to become a global giant

The mega-merger with rival Berry Global is a transaction that will transform the Melbourne-founded group into a company with 75,000 employees and 400 production plants.

  • Simon Evans
AML3D founder Andy Sales.

3D printing outfit AML3D in $25m raise via Bells, Shaws

The $87 million market cap company kicked off the $25 million placement on Wednesday morning.

  • Sarah Thompson, Kanika Sood and Emma Rapaport
Packaging group Amcor is good for a big deal every decade. This decade is its biggest yet.

Amcor’s whopper $76b tie-up shows it’s ready to rule the world

It’s one of the biggest deals of the year – and the financial numbers are eye-catching. Imagine $US650 million in synergies.

  • Anthony Macdonald
Amcor is undertaking a mega-merger with NYSE-listed Berry Group.

Amcor in massive $13b buyout of Berry Group

The dual-listed packaging group is undertaking a mega-merger with New York-listed Berry that will create a company with 75,000 employees.

  • Simon Evans

America got the world driving. Now it’s going home

The US car industry is turning inwards again for the first time in a century. Detroit got the world on the road. BYD will inherit the earth.

  • David Fickling
Trump’s pro-growth policies will be good for ASX firms with US operations.

This ASX giant is primed for a Trump bump. Australia is already losing

In the last few years, Orica, an $8.6 billion company, has invested $2 billion in the US that should have been spent in Australia. Could that capital flight get worse?

  • James Thomson
Orica’s BlastIQ platform is designed to optimise blasting outcomes.

Orica profit jumps on demand for explosive technology

The chemicals and explosives maker boosted its margins by selling digital blasting technologies and premium products to miners.

  • Mark Wembridge
Sanjeev Gupta bought the Whyalla steelworks in South Australia in 2017 after previous owner Arrium went into administration.

Sanjeev Gupta strikes deal to stay afloat. For the fifth time

The embattled industrialist and Whyalla steelworks owner has offered his creditors yet another term sheet – one he says is necessary to save his UK operation.

  • Hans van Leeuwen

Original URL: https://www.afr.com/companies/manufacturing