Dieter Adam, The Manufacturers Network

The Manufacturers’ Network is coming to SouthMach 2019 in a new context. We have recently joined forces with the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce and the EMA (Northern). To our members that means that they can now also access the wide range of services provided by these organisations. To us it means that we now have a much wider reach into the community of New Zealand Manufacturers.

Apart from that, we’ll stay on-course with our own work. Our members are telling us that skills shortages and keeping up with the increasing rate of change in manufacturing technologies remain as key concerns, and that’s where our work is focused.

SouthMach 2019 again is a great opportunity for manufacturers to gather hands-on experiences with new technologies. At our stand, we’ll be available to share with you our own impressions on where manufacturing technology is going, especially in the area of digital technologies / Industry 4.0.

A number of our members have now started on their own journey towards harnessing the benefits of these technologies, and The Manufacturers’ Network provides a platform for its members to share their experiences with what works, and what doesn’t.

When you visit our stand, we’ll also be able to tell you about other services the members of The Manufacturers’ Network enjoy, including our latest addition – the Productivity Benchmarking service.

As well as holding a stall at SouthMach, we will be reporting on our recent work on getting a better understanding of current and future skills shortages in manufacturing in New Zealand. Come and listen to my presentation on Skills shortages and the move towards more advanced manufacturing technologies on Wednesday.