Could a ‘grey swan’ event bring down the AI revolution? Risks we should be preparing for
Cameron Shackell, Sessional Academic, School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology The term “black swan” refers to a shocking event on nobody’s radar until it actually happens. This has become a byword in risk analysis since a book called The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb was published in 2007. A frequently […]
Why strategy can feel stale
Jane Finlayson Strategic Doing Facilitator | Independent Consultant For some manufacturers, the last strategy they developed never got traction and didn’t survive the turbulent times we’ve been experiencing. For others their strategy lives in a document that no one’s opened since the last planning retreat. That’s not because people don’t […]
Before the Robots Roll in, is your system healthy enough to handle innovation?
NZ Manufacturer magazine Guest Article by Theresa Grainger, The Lean Hub & Productivity Excellence Academy. Every manufacturer is striving to lift productivity and much of the current focus is on investing in smarter machines, automated processes and AI. But the real question isn’t what we are going to […]
The hidden role of project engineering in NZ Manufacturing
Smart manufacturing is not just about advanced machines, data, or automation. It is also about how projects are delivered. In New Zealand, where margins are tight and downtime is expensive, project engineering is often the difference between a smooth delivery and one that struggles to get finished. Beyond the Plan […]
Beyond the roadmap: How Argus made people the engine of change
Adam Harvey, Business Performance Partner – Manufacturing, The Learning Wave Running operations today feels like living in two realities at once. On one hand, you know the plant has to modernise. The systems are creaking, customers want more for less, and digital tools promise the efficiency you need. On […]
Age-Inclusive Manufacturing: Making Flexibility Fair on the Factory Floor
By Shyamini Szeko, reflecting on Master’s research into ageing and work in New Zealand manufacturing (AcademyEx, 2025) Why Flexibility Matters “My 32-hour week lets me maintain a healthy sleep schedule and personal life,” one long-serving factory worker told me during my research. That small adjustment meant he could keep working […]
The Business Owners Exit Dilemma
David O’Connor, Platform 1 Many aging business owners have worked hard all their lives and are at a stage where they have built up a business that has given them a good income and lifestyle and it’s part of who they are. They know they should do something at some […]
From survival to strategy
Creating a business that runs without you Step into almost any Kiwi workshop at 6 a.m. and you’ll find the owner already there, fixing yesterday’s problem before the team clocks in. They’re signing off orders, juggling suppliers, answering calls and putting out fires faster than they ignite. By mid-morning they’ve […]
Could a laser-generated plume be the next biohazard scare?
By Ruth Nicholson, Laser Safety Officer and Director at NZ Laser Training Institute Ltd Lasers are an emerging technology used across various industrial applications such as precision cutting of metals, welding components with minimal heat distortion, or hardening to improve wear and corrosion resistance. Unlike ordinary white light, they emit a single wavelength […]
“We’re working really hard”
-Sean Doherty Across New Zealand’s Government and manufacturing alike, one phrase is repeated almost like a badge of honour: “We’re working really hard.” Yet, when you look at the numbers, it’s clear that hard work isn’t translating into higher productivity. Rising input costs such as wages, electricity, and raw materials continue […]
AI for Manufacturing Operations: It’s the bus you can’t afford to miss
Gareth Mitchell, Associate Partner, IRIS by Argon & Co Manufacturing globally faces relentless pressure for operational excellence, efficiency, and resilience. Over the past five years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a revolutionary innovation and a true economic engine reshaping modern manufacturing. As companies encounter supply chain disruptions, predictive […]
NZPO an impartial voice
Media Hawkes Bay Limited, publishers of this magazine, has founded and launched the New Zealand Productivity Organisation (NZPO) to assist in moving manufacturing and business forward. We understand that New Zealand companies may well have their own clients they communicate with regarding productivity. However, New Zealand Manufacturer is an impartial […]
New steel business exemplifies promise of more competitive building products landscape
The Government’s announcement of the new Building Product Specifications (BPS) document, designed to open the doors to thousands of additional building products and bring construction costs down, has been welcomed by the building industry – and one operator has already taken control of long-standing competition issues in the roofing sector. Roofbuddy, the roofing marketplace which brings together homeowners and qualitied roofers to transact, has launched its proprietary roll-forming steel business, Guardian Steel, to address lack of competition, improve service delivery, and offer an end-to-end service to homeowners with complete accountability and transparency. For years, roofers and customers have had to deal with monopolistic control of the steel sector. Historically, NZ Steel (owned by ASX-listed BlueScope in Australia) has been dominant, with over 80% market share. Since Guardian Steel launched – ahead of the Government’s announcement – to offer an alternative, the take-up has been significant: while Guardian Steel is open-market, the main clients initially have been Roofbuddy roofers. They have proved highly receptive to the new, vertically integrated offering, which delivered 48 roofs in its first two weeks on the market. There are 100 current, vetted Roofbuddy service providers all over New Zealand – each one is trade qualified with active Licensed Building Practitioner (LBP) certification and operative public liability insurance. Roofbuddy monitors the quality of their work and checks their performance benchmarks through the company’s on-site 65-point quality assurance framework. The new BPS document includes roofing and wall cladding systems, stating they are eligible when compliant with international standards outlined in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) guidelines. Guardian Steel’s product is compliant with these standards and the New Zealand Building Code. The Guardian Steel machinery is made in New Zealand for local conditions by Angus Robertson Mechanical, a Rangiora-based world leader in roll-forming machine manufacture. The […]