-Scott Adams, Argon & Co

Manufacturing companies in New Zealand are most often owned, managed, and operated by engineers and therefore they often lack artistry, passion, and flair.

 I readily, and happily, accept there are exceptions to this statement, but for every exception there are 10 more that focus on precision, performance, and cost.

Is this a problem? Sometimes it is, because we miss the opportunity of producing something wonderful rather than something utilitarian, but also because it limits opportunity and commercial outcomes.

If we build a low-cost focused, and therefore often automated, manufacturing capability without creativity then it is very difficult to be innovative with product design and it therefore limits our ability to adapt to a changing market or to create opportunity in a new market.

I frequently hear that the only reason a product has changed is because the client required it.

This is satisfactory for many of our smaller national or regionally focused manufacturing companies as there are significant obstacles to change: there is not enough space, inflexible machinery, or people are scared to try something different.

But if we were to examine a list of the NZ manufacturing companies that have been successful globally and nationally, it would be full of companies that have blended artistry with automation, admittedly in industry sectors where that combination is encouraged, which is generally high-value niche products. Another smaller list of successful companies will show they have primarily focused on the artistry.

However, we have very few low-cost automation manufacturing companies producing volume that have been successful, primarily because there are too many barriers to be globally, let alone nationally, successful due to our small population and high labour costs.

So, if there are benefits in blending automation with artistry then what steps would I take? I’d argue that it’s relatively straight forward.

Firstly, it is entirely dependent on your industry. It is much easier to be innovative with furniture than it is with plastic washers that must meet specific engineering requirements.

So, if you are making plastic washers for NZ you might want to skip to the videos at the end if you still have some time left in your lunch break!

Secondly, we humans need to recognise that we are in control of our destiny, and we need to recognise that we are very good at product design, innovation, defining goals, and reviewing quality and results.

If we are doing anything other than this, we should question the value we are adding. So you should assign the machines to the repetitive and back-breaking work, assign the IT Systems to the data-driven business management and process control, and assign AI to the complex and detailed analysis.

Thirdly, use all the recently created available spare time to consider whether you can reinvent your business to produce the most beautiful or best designed and made product, or even the most wanted product on the planet. Got it?

Regardless of whether you have got it or not these are the steps in the correct order to be applied.

1. Differentiate your product – recognising that you can still automate its manufacture to ensure precision and consistency, but will now blend in artistry to make the product unique, desirable and filled up with emotional value. Greenest country in the world if you don’t check too thoroughly.
2. Customisation of automated products is very feasible. It sounds costly and risky but if you have a product in high demand that can be tailored for your clients it will be very appealing.
3. Speed up your innovation process so that you can rapidly prototype new designs for testing in the market to always be a little bit ahead.
4. Balance efficiency with identity so that automation cuts costs and ensures production levels can be met, and is balanced with making sure the product is authentic and has a feel-good story like Patagonia clothing.
5. Shift your people from repetitive to higher skilled and creative roles where they can manage systems, processes, technology, and other people.
6. Focus on a sustainable and ethical approach to how you source raw material and manufacture.

With a will it can be done. We can leverage our New Zealand advantage for clean design, sustainability and craftsmanship, and enable it with efficient automated production.

For your interest

While researching for this article I found three YouTube clips that each offer a different perspective on this theme of blending artistry with automation. I particularly like the comment made that “we make the most beautiful guitar possible that will last forever.”

The first is the crafting of an ancient Chinese stringed musical instrument called the Guqin. It takes years to prepare the materials, and weeks to make, and reflects the patience, beauty, and effort to produce a beautiful work of art.

https://youtu.be/55sPrAWQiX0?list=PL4hpjSv16lVbbSTY4LnP2odSjEsBTz_0K

The second is the manufacture of guitars in South Korea. They have been making a standard acoustic guitar that has had good reviews for over 50 years. The manufacturing process is a mix of automation and manual with a focus on volume, and you will get the vibe without watching it all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JSnvUaBUTc  

The third is Taylor Guitars who expertly blend automation with artistry, but with a more modern approach using robotics where it makes sense.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_m1w7GRj_U