Data, Decisions, and the Drive for Productivity, A Digital Path to World Class Performance
Article 3: V2 –By Neil Robinson, a Senior Business Consultant with Argon & Co (Auckland) specialising in productivity improvement, Lean systems and capability building. If you’re reading this third article in the series, you already know that New Zealand manufacturers face a difficult reality: our productivity lags many of the […]
EMEX is with us again
From May issue, NZ Manufacturer magazine The latest version, EMEX 2026, is mere days away. The most focussed trade fair for manufacturing businesses in New Zealand continues to display the latest and advanced equipment and technology which our companies require to improve their levels of Productivity and to make […]
Business exit and the waiting trap
-Mike Warmington, Director, Platform 1 There has always been talk about a tsunami of businesses actively seeking an exit of some description. It has not come to New Zealand yet and with covid, tariffs, wars, high interest rates and fuel price concerns there is a lot of waiting going on. […]
World-First construction tech could cut building emissions by 80%
-Mark Devlin New world-first technology developed to prevent design errors from cascading throughout the country’s most complex construction project to date could reduce cost overruns in New Zealand’s $275bn infrastructure pipeline by millions of dollars, as well as cutting new building emissions by up to 80%, according to new data. […]
World class is not optional
From May issue, NZ Manufacturer magazine Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon & Co While there are industries — car assembly, for example — where the economic case for local production can be debated, food is different. Producing food is something we should be doing. More than that, it is something we […]
Free 60-minute webinar
$144K recovered. 18% more output. When literacy improves, performance follows. As an operational or HR leader, you see the issues every day. Downtime that shouldn’t have happened. Instructions that were acknowledged but not followed. People waiting around for instructions, not sure of what’s next. And a strange silence during […]
(I wonder) What is in the Budget for manufacturers?
Another Budget, another election year. Lots of hand wringing? I hope not. The business community needs government to invest more and assist to make life better for all of us. Through these challenging times, we are not hearing from Ministers, expressing concerns, or sharing ideas to address the difficulties businesses […]
NZ‑India free trade deal: were early fears about immigration and investment justified?
by Rahul Sen, Senior Lecturer, Department of Economics and Finance, Auckland University of Technology Depending on which side of the argument you listen to, the recently signed New Zealand-India free trade agreement represents either a huge economic opportunity for New Zealand or a risk to its economic sovereignty. In an election year, […]
Talking point from Mayor Wendy Schollum: McCain and Wattie’s closures
When a major employer closes and another downsizes, the impact doesn’t stop at the factory gate. In Hastings it affects workers, growers, contractors, suppliers, transport operators, local businesses, and families across our region – because when steady jobs disappear, it is felt around kitchen tables, in local shops, and across […]
Three Ministers for Small Business and Manufacturing in Three Years
Andrew Bayly, Chris Penk and Cameron Brewer have been the ministers for Small Business and Manufacturing in the past three years. How has this happened? Manufacturing in New Zealand requires a strong focus and a minister in the position for the long haul (or three years as the political term […]
Better thinking, better results: The two-day world class productivity simulation that builds capability
By Neil Robinson, a Senior Business Consultant with Argon & Co (Auckland) specialising in productivity improvement, Lean systems and capability building. Welcome back! If you joined us for Article 1, you’ll remember how the World Class Productivity Simulation gives teams a powerful, hands-on experience of what helps — and what […]
Making scope 3 manageable: how to use spend-based emission factors
Manufacturers need a clear view of emissions across their value chain to identify hotspots, manage risk and meet reporting requirements. The challenge is that supply chains are complex, with limited visibility beyond direct suppliers. This makes scope 3 emissions difficult to quantify. Unlike scope 1 and scope 2, they […]
New Zealand manufacturers leaving value on the table in functional foods
As global markets shift toward science-led, high-margin nutrition, New Zealand risks missing a significant opportunity in functional foods, reflecting a sector that has been slow to move beyond its traditional commodity mindset, writes Mark Devlin, director of Impact PR and NZ Manufacturer business advisor. New Zealand is sitting on a high-value food innovation opportunity that it continues to under develop, as global food markets move away from commodity nutrition and toward targeted, function-driven products. Much of the sector still exports raw ingredients, while higher-value product development, branding and margin are captured offshore. Reports out of the US suggest that up to one-third of people may have low levels of a specific dairy-derived fatty acid should be viewed in that context – as an example of a potential opportunity for New Zealand manufacturers looking to take advantage of a broader shift in how food is understood, valued and commercialised. The compound in question, C15:0 or pentadecanoic acid, is naturally present in dairy fat and certain fish and was historically overlooked in favour of broad classifications of dietary fat. Current research is examining how individual fatty acids behave in the body, with studies linking higher circulating levels of odd-chain fatty acids to improved metabolic outcomes and lower risk of conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. At the centre of that shift is Dr Stephanie Venn-Watson, a veterinary epidemiologist who previously served with the World Health Organization and the US Navy and has spent much of her career advancing understanding of this nutrient. Her research, including long-term analysis of ageing dolphin populations, identified C15:0 as one of the strongest markers associated with healthier metabolic profiles, lower inflammation and reduced metabolic dysfunction. Those findings are directly relevant in New Zealand, where dairy consumption is shifting at the same time as rates […]