South African steel water storage company SBS Tanks has been acquired by Australian contracting and manufacturing business Ahrens Group, extending the 124-year-old family-owned company’s international footprint into Africa.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal adds Durban-based SBS Tanks to an Ahrens water infrastructure portfolio that already includes Pioneer Water Tanks, Southern Cross Water and Altanks, strengthening the Australian group’s position across the global steel water storage market.

SBS Tanks will retain its existing brand, Durban headquarters and leadership team following the acquisition, with Group CEO Delayne Gray continuing to lead the business. Existing supplier agreements, contracts, subcontractor relationships, trading arrangements and banking relationships will also remain unchanged.

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A Strategic Entry Into Africa

For Ahrens, the acquisition provides an established manufacturing and operational base in Africa alongside its existing presence in Australia, the United States and Asia.

SBS Tanks has more than 70 employees working in site installation teams across Africa, alongside sales and project management offices in Johannesburg and Cape Town, Nairobi and Texas. Its experience in steel water storage and international exports complements Ahrens’ broader manufacturing and infrastructure capabilities.

Ahrens Managing Director Stefan Ahrens said SBS adds substantial capabilities to the group and strengthens its position as an international water infrastructure provider.

He pointed to SBS Tanks’ established reputation across Africa and export markets, supported by its engineering, manufacturing and installation operations, as a strong fit with Ahrens’ existing business.

The acquisition also gives Ahrens a significant African manufacturing footprint that complements its operations in Australia, Vietnam and the United States. Ahrens said the deal supports its longer-term ambition to become the world’s leading steel water tank business.

Beyond water infrastructure, Ahrens operates across construction, engineering, mining services and fabrication. Its activities include industrial and commercial buildings, structural steel, material handling, and grain storage and handling solutions.

Building on a Longstanding Industry Relationship

The transaction also reconnects SBS Tanks with a business that has links to its origins. SBS initially operated as a distributor for Pioneer Water Tanks, which is now part of Ahrens’ water infrastructure portfolio.

Gray described Ahrens as a natural partner for the next stage of SBS Tanks’ development, citing its understanding of the industry, customers and the company’s broader purpose.

He said the longstanding connection through Pioneer Water Tanks had already created familiarity and trust between the businesses, making the acquisition a logical progression.

Gray also highlighted the cultural similarities between the companies, particularly Ahrens’ approach to preserving established businesses and their people. As another family-owned company with a long operating history, Ahrens understood the importance of maintaining SBS Tanks’ legacy while creating opportunities for further expansion, he said.

Expanding a Global Water Infrastructure Portfolio

Ahrens has grown from its Australian roots into an international manufacturing and infrastructure group, with offices and factories across every Australian state and territory and operations extending into the United States and Asia.

The SBS Tanks acquisition now adds Africa to that network and gives the combined organization a global workforce of more than 2,000 people.

Ahrens said SBS Tanks’ manufacturing footprint, installation capabilities and established customer relationships will create opportunities to expand across new markets while strengthening the group’s existing water infrastructure operations.

For SBS Tanks, the transaction provides access to the financial resources, manufacturing scale and vertically integrated capabilities of a larger international group while allowing the South African company to maintain its existing identity and operating structure.

Australian AI startup Sophiie AI has raised A$5 million (US$3.56 million) in Seed funding to expand its platform for tradies and service businesses, as it looks to automate more of the administrative work involved in running field-service operations.

The round values the Gold Coast-based company at approximately A$30 million (US$21.36 million) and attracted investment from Archangel Ventures, Admiralty Capital Group, Antler, Gandel Invest and Aussie Angels.

Sophiie AI plans to use the fresh capital to accelerate product development, expand its team and enter international markets. The startup is preparing to launch in the US later this year as part of that expansion.

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Building an AI Operating Platform for Service Businesses

Founded in 2024 by Jacob Banks, Luke Kelleher and Juan Castro, Sophiie AI develops artificial intelligence tools designed to reduce the administrative workload faced by trades and service businesses.

Its platform helps companies manage customer enquiries, jobs and other routine office tasks that can consume significant time for businesses whose employees primarily work in the field.

Jacob Banks, co-founder and CEO of Sophiie AI, said the administrative burden faced by trades businesses is often a consequence of the volume and complexity of their daily operations rather than poor management.

A plumbing, electrical or HVAC company, for example, may be coordinating dozens of jobs simultaneously while managing field workers and responding to continuous calls, messages and customer requests.

Sophiie AI was created to automate more of that workload. Banks said the company is now developing the platform into a broader AI operating system capable of supporting the entire service journey, from the first customer enquiry through job completion and payment.

Funding International Expansion

The new investment will allow Sophiie AI to extend the capabilities of its platform while adding employees to support product development and commercial growth.

International expansion is another priority, with the company targeting the US as its next major market later this year.

The strategy reflects Sophiie AI’s broader ambition to position its technology at the centre of service businesses rather than operating as a standalone tool for individual administrative tasks.

By automating repetitive processes, the company aims to give tradespeople more time to focus on field work and customer relationships while reducing the hours spent managing paperwork and back-office operations.

Investors Back AI for an Underserved Market

Amanda Andriano, founding partner at Admiralty Capital Group, said Sophiie AI’s founders have consistently delivered against ambitious milestones since the firm’s initial conversations with the team.

She said the company stood out because it was not simply developing another AI application. Instead, the founders had identified a large but underserved market and developed a clear strategy for using artificial intelligence to change how trades and service companies manage their operations.

With the new Seed capital, Sophiie AI will focus on turning that strategy into a broader operating platform while testing its model beyond Australia.

Its planned US entry will mark an important step in that effort, giving the startup an opportunity to demonstrate whether its AI-driven approach to service-business administration can scale across international markets.

Canberra-based defence technology startup Seitec has raised A$4 million (US$2.85 million) in the first close of its Seed funding round as it looks to scale its software-based seismic sensing technology and expand into the US defence market.

The round attracted backing from Beaten Zone Venture Partners, Activate Capital and UNSW. Seitec said another A$1 million remains available as part of the financing.

The company plans to use the capital to increase its delivery capacity and convert existing trials and customer opportunities into longer-term commercial contracts. Expansion in the US will form a central part of that strategy.

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Building Seismic Sensing Systems for Defence

Led by CEO Daniel Stevens and CTO Bevan Fairleigh, Seitec develops software-based seismic sensing systems for defence and security applications.

The company operates as a dual-use defence technology business, developing sensing capabilities that can support military organisations while drawing on technology with applications beyond a single defence use case.

Rather than relying solely on conventional surveillance systems, Seitec’s technology uses seismic sensing to detect and monitor activity. Its software-focused approach is designed to turn seismic data into information that can support defence and security operations.

The startup has already begun working with allied military organisations, giving it an opportunity to validate its technology in operationally relevant environments before pursuing broader deployments.

Building Traction With Australian Defence

Seitec has achieved Australian Defence Force service entry for UXOTrackS, one of the company’s seismic sensing systems. The milestone gives the startup an established foothold within Australia’s defence ecosystem as it works to expand adoption of its technology.

The company has also secured paid trial contracts with the Air Warfare System Program Office (AWSPO) and the Australian Office of National Intelligence (ONI).

Those engagements provide Seitec with opportunities to demonstrate how its sensing systems perform against specific defence and intelligence requirements. The company’s next challenge will be turning those trials and other customer opportunities into recurring commercial relationships.

The new Seed capital is intended to support that transition by expanding Seitec’s ability to deliver its technology as demand develops.

Targeting the US Defence Market

Beyond Australia, Seitec is making its push into the US, where the company is progressing through the US Air Force Foreign Comparative Testing programme.

The programme evaluates technologies developed outside the United States for potential military applications, providing Seitec with a route to demonstrate its capabilities within the US defence ecosystem.

The startup plans to use part of its new funding to strengthen its presence in the market and pursue opportunities arising from its existing engagement.

For Seitec, the US represents a significant next step in moving from trials and early military adoption toward larger commercial deployments. Its progress there will also test whether technology validated with Australian defence organisations can translate into broader demand among allied militaries.

With A$4 million secured in the first close and another A$1 million still available, Seitec is positioning the Seed round around execution: increasing delivery capacity, expanding in the US and converting its growing defence pipeline into long-term contracts.