Manufacturing is at the centre of a new industrial deployment for Australian technology company Xefco, which has confirmed it has shipped its first commercial Ausora® system from its Geelong manufacturing base to Indonesia, marking what the company describes as the first commercial-scale deployment of a plasma-based, waterless textile dyeing machine globally.
In a statement, Xefco said the deployment represents the transition of its technology from research and development into international manufacturing supply chains.
The company said the Ausora® system has been developed to eliminate water use in textile dyeing and finishing, while reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions compared with conventional wet dyeing processes.
Xefco said the system is supported by a $4,999,122 grant from the Australian Government’s Industry Growth Program, which it said is aimed at supporting the manufacturing and commercial rollout of the Ausora® platform.
According to Xefco, the technology can reduce energy use by around 90 per cent, lower greenhouse gas emissions by up to 94 per cent, and eliminate wastewater output from the dyeing process. The company said these outcomes are intended to address environmental and compliance pressures in global textile manufacturing.
“The existing water-intensive processes used to put colour and functional finishes on fabrics carry the highest cost and compliance burden in the textiles supply chain,” Xefco CEO and Co-founder Tom Hussey said in comments provided by the company.
“That recognition from government reflects what we’re already seeing in the market — strong commercial demand, with twelve units already committed, and active installations underway in key manufacturing regions, including Indonesia and Vietnam.”
Xefco said Indonesia was selected as an initial commercial market due to its position as one of the world’s largest garment manufacturing hubs, employing more than 3.7 million people and supplying global fashion brands.
The company said manufacturers in the region are under pressure from rising costs, environmental regulation, and increasing demand from international brands for supply chain transparency.
The company said its Indonesian launch partner is a major garment manufacturer supplying global fashion brands, although it did not disclose the name of the company. Xefco said the installation is intended to demonstrate commercial deployment within a live production environment.
Each Ausora® system is manufactured in Geelong and uses what Xefco describes as Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD) technology operating at atmospheric pressure. The company said the system processes fabric in a continuous roll-to-roll format, embedding and fixing pigments while applying functional coatings in a single pass.
Xefco said the unit, which is approximately the size of a shipping container, is designed to process up to 2.2 million metres of fabric per year per module. It said the modular design allows capacity to be scaled across manufacturing sites.
“Twelve units are already commercially committed, and we have a strong pipeline beyond that,” Hussey said. “The industry has made its position clear. Our focus now is building the manufacturing capacity to keep pace with demand.”
The company said it will support deployments through Australian-engineered technical teams, including staff based in a locally registered Indonesian entity, as well as operations in Vietnam to support future installations. Xefco said it is also progressing additional deployments in China and the United States.
Founded on research developed at Deakin University, Xefco said its 47-person team operates across Australia, Taiwan, Vietnam and Canada.
The company said it is targeting 200 systems globally within five years and estimates this could support around 300 advanced manufacturing jobs in Geelong, alongside approximately $200 million in domestic manufacturing activity.
Xefco said it is also exploring further funding opportunities in the second half of 2026 as it scales production of the Ausora® system and expands international manufacturing deployments.
