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Construction sector forecast to remain a major economic contributor

New Zealand dwelling building activity to strengthen further post-Christchurch rebuild Driven by strong activity particularly in Auckland Amid housing demand from its population growth and a shortage in housing supply Infrastructure construction to be boosted by Accelerated Auckland Transport Programme The construction sector in New Zealand is forecast to continue to contribute positively to the country’s economy over the medium term, according to leading industry analyst and economic forecaster, BIS Shrapnel. While the sector will be led by a renewed surge in dwelling building activity to new highs in the second half of the five-year outlook period, overall non-residential and infrastructure construction activities are likely to remain at relatively high levels. According to the company’s Building and Construction in New Zealand 2016-2021 report, the value of building (residential and non-residential) is expected to peak in 2016/17, capping off a five-year upturn. However, following a modest decline in dwelling activity forecast for 2017/18, BIS Shrapnel expects reasonably strong rebounds in the activity level (led by Auckland) over the three years to 2020/21 to lift the value of new dwelling consents to a fresh high of around NZ$6 billion in real terms. The value of non-residential building consents (new, and alterations and additions) is expected to remain at relatively high levels, averaging NZ$3.3 billion per annum in real terms over the five-year outlook period – which is comparable to the level over the preceding five-year period. The next dwelling building upturn is likely to drive consents in New Zealand up to around 32,000 by 2020/21, which is comparable to the peak level during the 2003/04 building boom. “The ‘other’ dwelling segment (apartments, retirement units, town houses and flats) is expected to register strong growth, as high land cost especially in the Auckland region and the government’s plan to increase affordable housing […]

New innovations for NMW 2016

National Manufacturing Week, Australia’s largest, longest running manufacturing industry event, returns to Sydney (May 11 – 13), with industry ‘firsts’ to help propel the industry into the future. Key to this year’s program are co-located events, high profile industry figures presenting case studies and new ideas, as well as exhibitors from around the world with innovative products and services. To enhance the value of attending for industry professionals, NMW2016 will be co-located with headline events showcasing new possibilities for manufacturers, including the Safety First Conference & Expo. Safety First is Australia’s first one-stop safety event that provides a rare opportunity to see safety solutions and talk with leading safety thinkers. NMW will also co-locate with Inside 3D Printing Conference & Expo, the Australian education of the world-leading event that will bring new strategies, stories of success and more to help local companies make the most of game-changing 3D printing technologies. Inside 3D Printing will showcase next generation 3D printers and companies that can help businesses open up new worlds of possibility. The showcase will include Konica Minolta Business Solutions’, with 3D technologies that help companies create working prototypes, parts and custom-made products in a fraction of the time currently required, with industry leading service support by Konica Minolta’s national service organisation. The showcase will also include energetic local businesses – including Bilby 3D and Sydney 3D Printing – backing global technologies with advice and support for companies looking to leverage new opportunities from this game-changing technology. NMW to showcase innovations across the exhibition floor NMW will be home to over a thousand innovative products and services, from some 200 European, Asian and local companies. Among the new solutions on offer in 2016 will be – in the Welding Technology Product Zone – the latest in welding solutions from Kemppi. Kemppi […]

New sustainable business leader

Abbie Reynolds has been appointed as the Sustainable Business Council’s new Executive Director where she will continue to build its successful work leading sustainable business practices in New Zealand. The Sustainable Business Council has 85 members, including some of New Zealand’s largest companies. Its membership now accounts for about a third of private sector GDP. Abbie, who currently leads the Vodafone Foundation and is Head of Sustainability at Vodafone says she is looking forward to the challenge: “The Sustainable Business Council’s work has had a significant impact on supporting New Zealand businesses to be more sustainable. It’s a privilege to be able to build on the great work that has been done to date and to ensure we have the right environment to move further and faster in the future.” In her role, Abbie will champion the interests of businesses who are advancing their sustainability. This includes driving action on climate change, governance, social impact and ecosystem health. She will also continue to grow the organisation’s focus on mainstreaming sustainable business practices throughout New Zealand. Abbie brings with her a depth of expertise in social, financial and environmental sustainability within business. Previously she has led sustainability and regulatory work at Spark, the UK’s Cable & Wireless and as a resource management/environment solicitor for Bell Gully. She has a proven track record of delivering results in sustainable business development. The current Executive Director, Penny Nelson, is leaving to take up the position of Deputy Secretary, Sector Strategy at the Ministry for the Environment in late February.

Plastics economy report blueprint for a circular future

Applying circular economy principles to global plastic packaging flows could transform the plastics economy and drastically reduce negative externalities such as leakage into oceans, according to the latest report by the World Economic Forum and Ellen MacArthur Foundation, with analytical support from McKinsey & Company. The New Plastics Economy: Rethinking the future of plastics provides for the first time a vision of a global economy in which plastics never become waste, and outlines concrete steps towards achieving the systemic shift needed. The report, financially supported by the MAVA Foundation, was produced as part of Project MainStream, a global, multi-industry initiative that aims to accelerate business-driven innovations to help scale the circular economy. The new report acknowledges that while plastics and plastic packaging are an integral part of the global economy and deliver many benefits, their value chains currently entail significant drawbacks. Assessing global plastic packaging flows comprehensively for the first time, the report finds that most plastic packaging is used only once; 95% of the value of plastic packaging material, worth $80-120 billion annually, is lost to the economy. Additionally, plastic packaging generates negative externalities, valued conservatively by UNEP at $40 billion.[1] Given projected growth in consumption, in a business-as-usual scenario, by 2050 oceans are expected to contain more plastics than fish (by weight), and the entire plastics industry will consume 20% of total oil production, and 15% of the annual carbon budget.[2] In this context, an opportunity beckons for the plastics value chain to deliver better system-wide economic and environmental outcomes, while continuing to harness the benefits of plastic packaging. The New Plastics Economy, outlined in this report, envisages a new approach based on creating effective after-use pathways for plastics; drastically reducing leakage of plastics into natural systems, in particular oceans; and decoupling plastics from fossil feedstocks. Achieving such […]

IIoT and design engineers in the future

The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is furthering its reach into engineering and design. Connected machines will give plant engineering operations the opportunity to identify points of inefficiency, improve upon those points, and in turn, improve profitability. To further discuss how IIoT is impacting work for design engineers, Mark Duncan, segment manager of material handling and packaging machinery for Schneider Electric’s industry business. In the future, Duncan believes engineers will have to focus on existing machine designs and their communications standards, and monitor those standards as they progress. Some examples of this include Internet protocols such as Ethernet, which promote machine-to-machine connectivity, more plug-and play-use, and a smoother transition into a plant environment. Duncan also believes that, as they look to the future, design engineers must be cognisant of the developing standards in machine-to-machine communication. “We have a customer that makes a machine for the coffee industry, and that machine is really built to be modular, connected, and is also built to be self-aware of its own capability and how it’s performing,” he said. “It’s also a safe machine, designed with safety built in. It communicates with other machines in a production line.” An example of this would be the material and product that comes into the machine, such as the one Duncan describes. That product would be processed by the machine, put into a package, and then moved to another machine, with the product cartons eventually taken to a palletizer. Using communication standards, this complete process is simpler than previous practices, where end users would have to reprogram each machine, allowing the machines to work together. Duncan expects that because of machine language standards (such as those for packaging machines using a language called PACKML) machines will be able to instantaneously communicate information in consistent data sets that could be operated by a central […]

Time for Exporters to Shine

It’s time for exporters to shine and share their success stories. Judges of the Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ Awards 2016 – Auckland and Waikato, are looking for exporters from a range of sectors to enter into this year’s awards. Exporting is a vital component of New Zealand’s economy, and the day-to-day work of these companies often flies under the radar, says Catherine Lye, Executive Officer of ExportNZ Auckland. “The purpose of the awards is to celebrate the hard work of our exporters and give them recognition for their ingenuity, innovation and indomitable drive. “These companies have helped transform our economy. We are a trading nation, and we need to recognise how important and valuable our exporters are. What they do every day, impacts all of us.” Exports account for 29% of New Zealand’s GDP (NZ$49 billion). ExportNZ Auckland has been running the awards since 2009, as part of its mission to champion the value of exporting for New Zealand and New Zealanders. This year, members of the Waikato division of ExportNZ will also be eligible to enter the awards, effectively making it the most significant event for exporters to enter into. All entrants are members of the EMA. As part of EMA’s membership they are eligible to join ExportNZ. Entries for the awards are now open and close on March 18. Air New Zealand Cargo ExportNZ Awards 2016 Award categories: Westpac Exporter of the Year (export revenue over $25million) QBE Insurance Exporter of the Year (export revenue under $25million) BDO Exporter of the Year (export revenue $1million – $10million) Endace Services Exporter of the Year (export revenue $1million – $10million) TNT Emerging Exporter of the Year Baldwins Intellectual Property Best Use of Commercialisation for Export Quantium Solutions Best Use of Digital Strategy for […]

Rockwell Automation TechED comes to New Zealand

Optimise your production data, increase yield, reduce energy costs, build secure networks and much more in beginner to advanced training. New Zealand will host the global Rockwell Automation TechED event on 21-23 March 2016 at the Pullman Hotel in Auckland. This not to be missed event is the premier, ‘hands on’ education and networking event of the automation world. Rockwell Automation TechED is a premium event for end-users, systems integrators, partners and equipment builders. With more than 50 hands-on labs, technical sessions and discussion forums, attendees from around the country will gather to learn and be inspired by how their peers tackle day-to-day challenges. This year’s New Zealand event offers sessions over three days, which flow from higher level software topics and concludes with the finer points of motor control. Attendees can discover the latest techniques to efficiently deliver Manufacturing Intelligence to mobile devices and interact with the latest technology for improving manufacturing and production processes. According to Matthew Treeby, commercial marketing manager at Rockwell Automation, “The Internet of Things is providing new prospects for industry. Converging the IT and OT worlds offers new levels of visibility and flexibility for manufacturing, but is not without risk.” “With exclusive insights into the latest information and mobile platforms, intelligent motor control and secure networking, TechED presents an unmissable opportunity to discover how the Connected Enterprise is the future of high-performance manufacturing,” he said. Take advantage of the opportunity to network and exchange ideas with peers from various industry backgrounds and learn more about the innovative methods being employed by leading industry insiders. Attend all three days for the full experience, or come for only a day for a focussed day of topics that interest you. For further information please visit, http://www.rockwellautomation.com/en_NZ/events/RATechED-2016.page?

Currency remains uncomfortably high

While the New Zealand Dollar (NZD) has fallen back from record highs, it remains uncomfortably high for manufacturers and exporters, particularly against the Australian Dollar (AUD), say the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA). NZMEA Chief Executive Dieter Adam says, “Manufacturers and exporters have been pleased to see the currency fall back, but there is still a way to go. The NZD has reacted somewhat to today’s fall in dairy prices against some currencies, but has risen against the AUD. In recent months our currency has been failing to fall significantly, in spite of a series of dairy price decreases, reductions in our interest rates and an (albeit minor) increase in US interest rates. Unlike in similar situations of global uncertainty in the past, our dollar has also failed to respond to the recent negative sentiment and falls in equity prices globally. “Australia is one of our most significant trading partners, and is our largest export market for mechanical machinery and equipment. Against the Australian dollar, our currency has trended upwards since 2011, where it sat in the low 0.70’s. “Staying at the 0.94c – 0.92c range against the AUD is putting pressure on our manufacturers ability to be competitive and get the margins needed to re-invest in their businesses. Manufacturers need to invest in R&D, equipment, expanding markets and employees skills to grow and stay competitive into the future. “Manufacturers will be watching the Reserve Bank of New Zealand’s (RBNZ) next OCR decision and corresponding comments on the currency, for which they have continued to point to as uncomfortably high for some time. Inflation and inflation expectations remain low despite recent OCR cuts – we may need to start looking seriously at ways to give the RBNZ more tools and targets, to better balance outcomes for inflation, employment, […]

Domestic manufacturing sales robust, but weaker exports

The latest New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) Survey of Business Conditions completed during January 2016, shows total sales in December 2015 decreased 2.84% (year on year export sales decreased by 10.76% with domestic sales increasing 9.02%) on December 2014. The NZMEA survey sample this month covered NZ$226m in annualised sales, with an export content of 45%. Net confidence fell to 18, down from 24 in November. The current performance index (a combination of profitability and cash flow) is at 101, down from 106 last month, the change index (capacity utilisation, staff levels, orders and inventories) was at 100, down from 103 in the last survey, and the forecast index (investment, sales, profitability and staff) is at 107.33, down on the last result of 110.67. Anything over 100 indicates expansion. Constraints reported were 76% markets, 12% production capacity and 12% skilled staff. Net 12% of firms reported a modest rise in productivity in December. Staff numbers for December increased 0.36% year on year. Tradespersons, supervisors, managers, operators/labourers and professional/scientists reported a moderate shortage. “Domestic manufacturing sales have bounced back up, after two months of flat results and another good improvement in September. Conversely, it appears some exporters are going through a period of weaker demand over the last few months – this may reflect a more uncertain global environment. Overall we are seeing more evidence for a relatively strong domestic economy.” says Dieter Adam, Chief Executive of the NZMEA. “Accompanying this was a reduction in all of the index measures, however all three stayed in expansion mode. The forecast index, which indicates investment, sales, profit and staffing expectations, stayed high at 107.33, coming off the back of the most positive result recorded since 2004 in November (110.67) – there remains a fair chunk of optimism for the future. “The […]

Books: Talk Like Ted

-Carmine Gallo I am a fan of books on presenting, especially good ones, and this new book by Carmine Gallo, Talk Like TED – The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds, is a good one. The approach Gallo has taken is to analyse over 500 Ted talks, looking at the videos, interviewing the speakers, and working with the people involved in making it happen. The book highlights great Ted Talks, such as those by Hans Rosling, Amy Cuddy, and Amanda Palmer, and uses these to describe the lessons we can all learn from them. Gallo divides these lessons into three groups of three, and includes many of the well-known points about passion and storytelling. However, because TED talks are available via the web, we can read his descriptions and check out the videos – increasing our understanding of the points he is making, seeing them in action. No book is going to be a complete solution, and I could quibble with some of the advice. For example, I would like the book to focus a bit more on identify the needs of a specific audience, and in my professional world I often have to deal with speakers and/or audiences who don’t share a common language, which can produce a different balance of words and images. Most of the advice in the book is very sound and following that advice, watching the videos, and being more self-analytical would help any reader be a better presenter.

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doug

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