According to The Australian Financial Review, Mike Henry knew he wanted to work for BHP a decade before he joined the company. But as CEO, he will face some tough calls.
Mike Henry was 25 years old when he first came across BHP.
After a stint teaching English in Japan, where he met his wife of 30 years, Henry landed a job back in his hometown in Vancouver with the Japanese trading giant Mitsubishi.
"I still remember all the materials I was looking at, the people I was speaking with,” Henry recalled on Thursday. “I still remember now just how impressed I was at the time. I knew then that this was a company I wanted to work for.
“Almost 30 years on, to be afforded the opportunity to run BHP is pretty special."
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https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/mike-henry-s-30-year-journey-to-bhp-s-top-job-20191114-p53aoz

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp6522155 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, the Australian start-up makes products from construction rubble otherwise destined for landfill, which is retrieved from building sites and pulverised before being transformed into stone paper.
Karst has since 2017 produced a range of notebooks made from a material known as 'stone paper', which requires none of the tree-felling or intense water use of traditional wood pulp paper.
At $25 for a single A5 size notebook, the environmental savings make Karst costly compared to A5 notebook competitors, available at Officeworks for as little as $2.
However, Karst co-founder Jonathan Tse said that corporate gifting from clients keen to show an eco-friendly face, including Dermalogica, Facebook and WeWork, had become a major revenue driver.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/manufacturing/start-up-makes-paper-from-construction-rubble-20191113-p53a79

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/9373822 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, an Aussie tech company has won a key deal with a high-end Japanese apple exporter that will give end consumers the ability to trace the origin of fruit.
Brisbane-based Fresh Supply Co has penned a contract to provide its traceability system to Tokyo-based Nihon Agri and two of its apple packing facilities, after what co-founder David Inderias described as a tough process.
"It took a long time to get a yes," Mr Inderias said. "There was no wining and dining – it was me in a shed getting my hands dirty, understanding what they're all about."
The 35-year-old explained that to be able to build the relationship he had to spend time in northern Japan at the apple packing facilities that handle the fruit marketed and sold by Nihon.
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https://www.afr.com/technology/the-brisbane-start-up-making-sure-posh-japanese-apples-are-legit-20191017-p531ji

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/3046840 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Rio Tinto is entering a phase of elevated spending on new and existing mines in Australia's iron ore heartland, warning investors its mines are becoming deeper, wetter and generally more expensive to run after half a century in operation.
China's demand for iron ore has been stronger than expected in 2019, and Rio warned that depletion of mines would occur swiftly, meaning new greenfield mines would need to be built and perhaps even new greenfield iron ore provinces with expensive infrastructure, such as railways.
Rio approved a $US2.6 billion spend on the first phase of the Koodaideri iron ore mine in Western Australia last year, but it said on Thursday that "sustaining" spending to maintain its existing mines would also be $US1.5 billion higher than expected over the next three years.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/rio-tinto-warns-of-rising-iron-ore-spend-on-generational-renewal-20191101-p536ez

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/6165156
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According to The Australian Financial Review, infrastructure funds are brushing up on LNG plants, pipes and jetties, in expectation of a potential asset selldown in Queensland by global major Royal Dutch Shell.
As the big domestic infrastructure teams start thinking about assets up for grabs in the new year, it is understood their focus has turned to so-called "common facilities" at Shell's QCLNG venture, which is one of the big LNG exporters in Queensland.
Investment bank Rothschild is understood to be working with Shell to help consider its options at the project, including thinking about ways to release capital via the sale and leaseback of its infrastructure assets.
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https://www.afr.com/street-talk/big-infra-funds-set-sights-on-queensland-gas-assets-20191030-p535l1

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/1205245
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According to the Reuters, printing and technology services provider CSG Ltd said it received an offer from Japan’s Fuji Xerox Co in a deal worth A$139.3 million (US$95.46 million).
Under the proposed offer, Fuji Xerox Co will pay A$0.31 per CSG share, which represents a premium of 31.9% to CSG’s last closing price on Oct. 23.
CSG said in the statement it has entered in a preliminary deal agreement with Fuji, which is a unit of Japan’s Fujifilm Holdings Corp.
It also recommended shareholders vote in favour of the transaction.
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https://www.reuters.com/article/us-csg-m-a-fuji-xerox/australias-csg-receives-takeover-offer-from-japans-fuji-xerox-for-95-million-idUSKBN1X22OJ

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5575732 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, BHP's top executives have talked up the potential of copper as one of the company's most attractive long-term businesses, saying the company was well placed to respond to an expected demand surge of at least 500 per cent during the transition to a low-carbon world.
"If you look at whether it be solar power or wind power, the requirements for copper in both of those renewable energy technologies is significant” Chairman Ken MacKenzie told the company's London annual general meeting.
"I drive an electric car myself and it has four times the amount of copper in it than a fossil-fuel powered car. So we feel very good about our position in copper."
CEO Andrew Mackenzie said rising copper demand during the transition to renewable energy could stoke investment in copper production to between five times and 20 times today's level.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/mining/bhp-hopes-renewables-push-will-help-it-cash-in-on-copper-20191018-p531vd

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/bhp9085498
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According to The Nikkei Asian Review, Australian packaging maker Orora Ltd said Thursday it will sell its local fiber materials business to Japan's Nippon Paper Industries for A$1.72 billion (US$ 1.15 billion), simplifying its operations and sending its shares up 20%.
The deal is the latest in a crop of Japanese buyouts of Australian companies which includes Japan's Nippon Paint's takeover of the country's best known paint firm, DuluxGroup, for A$3.8 billion earlier this year.
The sale would be the third-largest Australian acquisition by a Japanese company this year, according to Refinitiv data.
Orora, which plans to return the bulk of the funds from the sale to shareholders, said it would focus on its higher growth Australasian glass and aluminum beverage and North American businesses.
"(The sale) fully values the fiber business and provides a streamlined opportunity for the Orora business going forward," Chief Executive Brian Lowe told a media call.
Shares of Orora surged as much as 20.2% and were set for their strongest one-day percentage gain since the stock's debut in 2013.
The deal highlighted renewed interest in businesses such as cardboard, which is now widely used by delivery services such as Amazon to transport product, and allowed Nippon to take advantage of a weak Australian dollar, said James McGlew, executive director of corporate stockbroking at Argonaut.
"With the Australian dollar at low levels at the moment, it means they're getting bigger bang for their yen out of acquisitions in Australia," McGlew said.
Australian Paper, a wholly owned unit of Nippon Paper, welcomed the sale.
"(The deal) will allow us to expand into new sectors such as box and carton manufacture along with paper bags and sacks ... bringing us closer to end markets," Peter Williams, chief operating officer of Australian Paper, said in a statement.
Orora said it expects a net gain of about A$225 million from the deal, which is set to close in early 2020, pending regulatory approval in Australia and New Zealand.
The sale will make net cash proceeds of about A$1.55 billion from an enterprise value of A$1.72 billion and Orora intends to return about A$1.20 billion of that to shareholders through capital management initiatives.
Orora also flagged some job cuts, saying there may be some reduction in roles going forward.
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https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Business-deals/Australia-s-Orora-to-sell-fiber-arm-for-1.2bn-to-Nippon-Paper

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/12002800450 
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Woodside Energy expects that large-scale hydrogen production will occur around the globe by 2030, with Australia needing to invest heavily to be at the forefront of a sector which has similarities with LNG almost four decades ago.
Shaun Gregory, executive vice president of exploration and the chief technology officer at Woodside Energy, said hydrogen currently cost too much compared with other sources of energy, but the potential was vast and rapid advances are being made.
Australia had abundant resources and was well-positioned to become a major player although heavy investment in infrastructure and capacity is required, along with the right regulatory standards to accelerate the industry. Consumer acceptance also needed to be cultivated.
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https://www.afr.com/companies/energy/woodside-sees-large-scale-hydrogen-output-by-2030-20191010-p52zg0

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/2030
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According to The Australian Financial Review, Australia is the most desirable market for investment in student accommodation, according to research from real estate agency Savills.
The Savills 2019 Global Living Report ranked how "investable" countries were according to factors such as university rankings, student numbers, average age, migration and affordability.
While student numbers had fallen in other developed countries, Australia was forecast to have the strongest growth in its student-age population, the report said.
Canberra was tipped to become the most youthful city, with people aged 15 to 39 expected to account for 37 per cent of residents by 2029, according to the report.
The value of education as an Australian export to international students has grown 16 per cent year-on-year to June 2019 to $37.7 billion, according to the report.
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https://www.afr.com/property/residential/australia-crowned-best-for-student-accommodation-investment-20191002-p52wvb

If you want to read this article in Japanese, please see the following link:
https://www.j-abc.com/jp-blog/5166215 
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