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Apprentice Simon Imlig Over its 50-year history, Rotorua-based Hayes International has always had a strong commitment to training apprentices. The company firmly believes they get back much more than they put in to apprentices and wouldn’t have grown to where they are today without them. This world-leading roll-forming machinery designer and manufacturer has machinery operating in 77 countries, and that number is growing. “As our export markets expand, it places greater demands on management,” says Marion Clarricoats, Human Resources Manager at Hayes. “And that means it’s harder for us to manage our apprentices. Plus, the cost of managing apprentices is reasonably high, in terms of resources, time and having a senior staff member mentor them instead of being productive.” One option to reduce the time committed to apprentices is by choosing not to employ or manage them. Instead, ATNZ, New Zealand’s largest employer of mechanical engineering apprentices, employs the apprentice and seconds them to work at Hayes. “Four of our apprentices are employed and managed by ATNZ. It removes a lot of the admin and paper work from the company so we can focus on core business. The account manager supports the apprentice from the get-go and keeps the apprentice on track with what they need to be achieving. “I like the transparency of the account managers. They are very open, very knowledgeable, and I know what needs to be done, is done. They always pop by my office when they have visited an apprentice so I’m in the loop. “And sometimes an apprentice will slack off or their focus will drift. Rather than their supervisor giving them a talk, often it’s better if someone outside the company is the one to say “you need to pick up your level. They listen.” As a company with growing exports Hayes needs […]

The Sustainable Business Council welcomes the Pure Advantage Report as a useful contribution to thinking on greening the NZ economy. “In fact, the greening of all sectors of the economy is important,” said Penny Nelson, Executive Director of the Sustainable Business Council (SBC). “SBC agrees with a number of opportunities identified and is working with its members in a number of these areas already. “SBC is introducing corporate training in identifying impacts on ecosystem services, with tools developed by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the World Resources Institute while working with the Department of Conservation on increasing business understanding of biodiversity and developing opportunities to partner. “Scaling up resource efficiency is another area of work. SBC members are focusing on how they can increase the resource efficiency of their operations and influence increased resource efficiency in their supply chains, while supporting other mainstream business in New Zealand to scale up in this area. “Where there are areas of focus in common, SBC will work with Pure Advantage to identify how our initiatives can be aligned to make a bigger difference for greening the NZ economy,” Ms Nelson said.      

Historic sweeping changes at the helm of China’s ruling communist party signals the beginning of a new era for the Chinese people and a once in a decade opportunity for New Zealand to consolidate its relationship with the emerging economic powerhouse. Mr. Xi Jinping has been confirmed as the man to lead China after being elected as the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese Military. PwC Partner and China sector spokesperson Colum Rice says, “The change in leadership happens only once every ten years, so the world is witnessing an historic moment. And just how Mr. Xi and his new team cope with the enormous responsibility of leading China for the next decade will be pivotal, not only for the Chinese people but New Zealand’s economic future also.” Mr. Xi’s father and predecessor, Mr. Xi Zhongxun, was one of the first leaders to execute the ‘Open China Policy’ which saw China surge ahead and become the world’s second largest economy, overtaking Japan in 2010. PwC Partner and Food and Agriculture sector spokesperson Craig Armitage says, “The success by previous leaders of the CPC means the pressure is on the new leaders to keep the economy growing at a similar rate. Yet, that isn’t going to be easy with growth already slowing from 10% a year to around 7 percent, which is the lowest rate since the start of the Global Financial Crisis.” In his first speech since being elected, Mr. Xi’s set out to allay any fears China’s economic growth is a thing of the past. He covered three key areas in his speech, all of which Mr. Rice and Mr. Armitage believe will be positive in advancing trade between New Zealand and China. Those included: * Improving Chinese People’s wellbeing. * Advancing the […]

  Where are the business opportunities currently for your company? Most of the growth opportunities for the manufacturing side of our business come from export, particularly in South East Asia, but our parent company has also recently made the move into the North American market.  How are you finding business conditions? In New Zealand currently it is a case of batten down the hatches and hold on to market share for our traditional manufactured products. The declining number of manufacturers, reduced maintenance spending, Government spending cuts and low rates of construction activity are making things difficult. What is the secret of your company’s longevity? We are fortunate to have good owners who have invested heavily in the company (not just during the good times) and allowed us to stay ahead of competitors with new machinery, manufacturing systems, tool design and quality. We have continued to invest in our brands and the relationships we have with distribution partners in New Zealand and around the world. What can be done – do you think – to assist NZ businesses in the present business climate? It would be easy to harp on about the New Zealand dollar and Government controls but we can’t go back to old protectionist days. Businesses need to adapt their own activity and products to stimulate growth. We would like to see some real effort to reduce compliance costs and generate more activity in the building and construction sectors but the fact is manufacturing in New Zealand has always been difficult and is unlikely to expand rapidly. Where do you export to? We export to Australia, South Pacific, Europe, and South East Asia. We are market leaders in Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. The future? There are many possible options for our future, we continue to improve our production equipment […]

Chief Manufacturing Executive, Peter Sutton, and long standing employee Neville Wyatt, Quality Control, unveil the 50 year anniversary plaque. Patience and Nicholson is a proud Canterbury manufacturer going from strength to strength. Employing a 120-strong local workforce, the company first opened its factory in November 1962, with the aim to manufacture a small range of jobber drills for the New Zealand market. Half a century later, the plant produces more than 60,000 drill bits every day and its brands Evacut, P&N and Sutton are market leaders in the New Zealand, Australia, South Pacific and several South East Asian markets. General manager Kevin Donovan says significant growth has occurred since 1994, when it was purchased by Australian Sutton Tools, one of the largest family-owned tool-cutting companies in the world. The heavy investment that came with the acquisition allowed the New Zealand business to transform into a modern, efficient facility which was able to in turn acquire its own import company in 2000. Mr Donovan says the company has had to overcome its fair share of adversity over the years, with several ownership changes, margin reduction, the introduction of a new brand and various recessionary periods. “Despite difficult market conditions the company’s future looks bright, with brand development, new concept machines and environmentally friendly oil recovery presses all on the horizon,” he says. Plans for a modern, new plant are also being considered- although the building sustained only superficial damage in the Christchurch earthquake, bringing it back up to building standards will cost more than $400,000. Mr Donovan says the way staff, and members of the company’s own engineering team were able to react quickly and get strengthening work done within days, almost certainly saved the factory from closure altogether. “It has been an unsettling time for staff, the ‘can do, will […]

The University of Waikato says it has capacity to take on at least 100 more engineering students in the five programmes it offers. Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce announced last week that he’d gained 1000 extra places for engineering students at universities and polytechnics next year which he hopes will go some way to address the shortage of engineers in New Zealand. In the 10 years Waikato has offered professional engineering qualifications, numbers have steadily increased to 350 but the School has capacity for 450 says Associate Dean of Engineering Professor Janis Swan. The Waikato degree offers five engineering disciplines – mechanical, software, chemical and biological, materials and process, and electronic – all accredited by IPENZ, the Institute of Professional Engineers. Engineering and information technology are the two occupations in most demand and Mr Joyce sees lifting student numbers in those areas as crucial to economic growth. “We’re conscious of the demand to produce work-ready graduates,” says Professor Swan. “To that end we’ve developed strong relationships with businesses so all our second and third year students have the opportunity to gain work experience while studying – we have a dedicated unit for finding work placements and work experience is usually the best way into a permanent job.”