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 […]
The most expensive decision you signed off
Why not investing still shows up on your P&L Not many of us would say it out loud at the next networking event or Friday drinks. The biggest barrier to growth in New Zealand manufacturing isn’t the banks, isn’t the government, and it isn’t Donald Trump. It’s us. […]
Focus on: Quanton
Garry Green, Managing Director and Founder Tell readers what your company does Quanton is an AI, automation and operational excellence business founded in 2016 with a clear purpose: empowering humanity for tomorrow’s technology, today. We help ANZ organisations navigate digital transformation by making AI and automation work for people, not replace them. Our approach is pragmatic and technology-agnostic – we partner with Microsoft, Google Cloud and leading ai and automation platforms to deliver solutions that generate real business value. We’ve delivered over 120 intelligent automation and AI programmes, releasing more than five million hours of benefits for our customers. Our expertise spans financial services, manufacturing, infrastructure, utilities, government and logistics – anywhere organisations need to drive growth, productivity and profitability through smarter ways of working. How are you currently seeing the transformation of business? Business transformation today requires a layered approach. We see value delivered at three distinct levels: individual productivity, team performance and organisational capability. At the individual level, AI tools are transforming how professionals work – meeting capture, document preparation, research and analysis. At the team level, we’re seeing AI turbocharge sales performance, customer service and operational processes. At the organisational level, AI enables enterprise-wide compliance, quality assurance and strategic capability. The organisations succeeding are those treating AI as business transformation, not just technology implementation. The technology rarely fails – it’s strategy, governance, change management and skills development where projects stall. We consistently see that 70% of success comes from people, process and cultures with data foundations and technology accounting for 30%. AI – how will it change what we do? 2026 is the year AI agents move from experimentation to production. Gartner predicts 40% of enterprise applications will embed AI agents by year-end, up from less than 5% in 2025. These aren’t chatbots – they’re systems that […]