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How being open can give manufacturers the innovative edge

Tesla Motors’ decision last year to make all of its patents open to outside use has turned the industry on its head. By Stefano Picozzi, PaaS business development manager, Red Hat A/NZ Most industries are affected by disruption from technology so, to remain competitive, organisations need to keep up. Technology advances affect manufacturing, in particular. The industry is changing quickly, and the manufacturers that continue to prosper are those that keep pace with technology. Industrial solutions such as automation, resource management systems, and high-speed industrial design processes have helped manufacturers become far more agile and productive than they used to be. A manufacturer can only be as innovative and agile as the software on which these industrial solutions rely. However, not all software is created equal. The bulk of software solutions used in this industry is proprietary; owned, managed, and developed by a single company. This means new developments can be slower when it comes to innovation and best practice. Open source software, by comparison, is not owned by any single organisation; it is the result of a global community of millions of programmers. Because of the open and collaborative nature of this sort of software, with many minds contributing to its development, it can keep up with the agility and innovation that industry now demands. Organisations in many areas of business are increasingly seeing the value in the open source approach. The automotive sector is a good example. Digital design and automated manufacturing means developing a new car now takes a fraction of the time it used to. Tesla Motors’ decision last year to make all of its patents open to outside use has turned the industry on its head. Tesla made this unprecedented move in the hope that it would help drive the adoption of electric car platforms. […]

Company Profile: Nelson Honey

Around 85% of their products are destined for export, with China, Australia, South East Asia and the USA being some of their primary markets Nelson Honey is a family owned producer and exporter of high quality honey based goods, based out of Motupiko, 50km south of Nelson. Their focus is on producing high grade active manuka honey, although the larger section of the business revolves around high value bee venom and honey based cosmetic products. First opening in 1973, the company has ties to the industry and region stretching back much further – the business was formed by Philip Cropp, a third generation beekeeper whose grandfather started beekeeping in the Nelson region over 100 years ago. Nelson Honey employ around 60 people, many of which work to care for and maintain the 4000 beehives the firm has spread throughout the top of the South Island. Around 85% of their products are destined for export, with China, Australia, South East Asia and the USA being some of their primary markets. They also established a UK-based office to further expand their export markets, marketing their honey products throughout Europe, which has been most successful in creating interest and demand for their cosmetic ranges so far. One particular success for Nelson Honey has been their Royal Nectar brand, which is venom and honey based cosmetic range, with demand currently out stripping production. “As a pioneer of this market Nelson Honey has managed to cement a solid position for the brand worldwide in a relatively short space of time” said Rob Hawkes, the Chief Executive of Nelson Honey. Whilst the Royal Nectar range has a dedicated market following, Nelson Honey plan to continually expand and adapt the variety of products they offer as demand in certain markets changes. “All markets are continually evolving and […]

Manufacturing never stands still

-Doug Green, Publisher, NZ Manufacturer www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz Revolutionary technologies are changing the face of manufacturing in New Zealand and around the world. Remember when the first mobile phones came out? They looked like bricks, were the weight (practically) of bricks and there was really no place to put them. Walking down the busy street talking on one – with lots of other people around you doing the same thing – took up quite a lot of space. And how it’s all changed. The phones we use now are so much better as is the technology we are using to drive our manufacturing environments. If you can get your head around the on-going, refined technology, there are loads of opportunities staring you right in the face. And you can do it all in one place. Design engineers with their own research and development departments are taking on the world, developing products that five years ago would have been pretty hard to comprehend. From Invercargill to Whangarei there are great examples of New Zealand companies finding success by rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in – using the best of manufacturing equipment and technology. Manufacturers do need to focus on the TPP agreement. Currently sitting there like a very, very large pimple, this inter-arrangement may even see foreign workers in New Zealand performing jobs New Zealanders ought to be doing at cheaper rates. The control of many workforces using Orwellian pay rates in a time when the price of an ice-cream is way over the top! Ice-cream may be available using the latest technology – but who determines its price? Why should TPP serve us any better? Technopak and Nelson Honey are prominent in this issue of NZ Manufacturer, companies who have been making it for a number of years. They haven’t […]

Toyota invests $US 50 million in artificial intelligence research

Kiyotaka Ise, Toyota’s Chief Officer of its Research and Development Group. The opportunities to improve every-day living through artificial intelligence supported technologies are boundless. Toyota will invest $US 50 million in the research and development of intelligent vehicle and mobility technologies with an ambitious new collaboration with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, California. Joint research centres will be established at each university with Toyota investing $US50 million over the next five years. Dr. Gill Pratt, former Program Manager at DARPA (the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency) and leader of its recent Robotics Challenge, has joined Toyota to direct and accelerate these research activities and their application to intelligent vehicles and robotics. Toyota believes the opportunities to improve every-day living through artificial intelligence supported technologies are boundless, with significant breakthrough potential for the development of life-saving intelligent vehicles and life-improving robots. “We’re here to mark the beginning of an unprecedented commitment. We will initially focus on the acceleration of intelligent vehicle technology, with the immediate goal of helping eliminate traffic casualties and the ultimate goal of helping improve quality of life through enhanced mobility and robotics,” said Kiyotaka Ise, Toyota’s Chief Officer of its Research and Development Group. Combined research will be targeted at improving the ability of intelligent vehicle technologies to recognise objects around the vehicle, provide elevated judgment of surrounding conditions, and safely collaborate with vehicle occupants, other vehicles, and pedestrians. The joint research will also look at applications of the same technology to human-interactive robotics and information service, said Dr. Pratt. Both Universities already have computer science and artificial intelligence research facilities. Beyond Toyota’s longstanding work on autonomous vehicles and advanced driving support systems, the company has been developing robots for industrial use since the 1970s, and for Partner and Human Support Robot applications for […]

Unmanned helicopters to revolutionise agricultural industry

Yamaha Sky Division New Zealand represents the future of the agricultural industry. The introduction of the Yamaha RMAX unmanned helicopters will enable property owners, licensed operators and contractors to maintain the land and crops remotely, from the air, and without the hassles that come with more traditional farming methods. Weighing in at 99kg and at a total length of 3.63m and a height of 1.08m, each helicopter has a load capacity of 28kgs and runs on a 2 stroke, horizontally opposed 2-cylinder engine. The newest member of the Yamaha Sky Division is the ultimate piece of farm machinery for the 21st century. The versatility of this new technology means that operators can spray weeds, crops, or spread seed in a more cost effective and accurate manner. Because RMAX is completely airborne, terrain is no longer an issue. Spraying dangerous aquatic weeds or accessing uneven ground is all part of the package, and can be done in a time efficient way. Liquids and granules can be dispersed across a 400m range from the location of the operator, covering up to 2 acres in just 6 minutes depending on the target and payload. The Yamaha RMAX unmanned helicopter has become the first drone to be certified for flight in New Zealand under Part 102 of the Civil Aviation Rules. Coming into effect in August 2015, the new law establishes a framework for the safe operation of unmanned crafts in New Zealand. Yamaha Motor New Zealand received their operating certificate on the 1st August and wasted no time in conducting its first flight under the new CAA rule regime at its test site near Auckland. A high-performance Global Positioning System (GPS) combined with the Yamaha Attitude Control System makes operation incredibly simple. These sophisticated technologies, combined with a highly capable operator, ensure that […]

Business talent scouts looking for next superstar

Business talent scouts are looking for a startup with the potential to be New Zealand’s next global agritech superstar. Sprout, a national agritech business accelerator, is searching the country for eight budding entrepreneurs with embryonic agritech businesses for a new development programme. The chosen eight will receive a cash injection of $20,000 and be placed in a 20-week part time and remotely delivered programme that will see them flown around the country for mentoring from world-class business and technical experts. The programme will culminate in an opportunity to pitch for investment to a hand picked group of potential investors, business leaders and industry experts. Sprout Programme Manager James Bell-Booth says Sprout wants to grow businesses in their hometowns. “We’re looking for new businesses from around New Zealand that have big ideas but would benefit from the network, expertise and funding to grow globally. Those engaging in the programme have no need to move from their home locality. This initiative is about finding the next global stars, and boosting regional economies at the same time,” he says. Sprout is being supported and funded by a mix of public and private sector leaders in agritech and startup investment, including Callaghan Innovation, Massey University, Gallagher Group, Livestock Improvement Corporation, NZTE, Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1 fund, Enterprise Angels and Manawatu Investment Group. The Sprout accelerator programme was designed by BCC, a Palmerston North-based business incubator. Over the last two years BCC has helped establish four globally focused agritech startups, BioLumic, CalfSMART, CropX and Polybatics, which have raised in excess of $15 million in growth capital from New Zealand and overseas investors. Bell-Booth says lessons from those companies successful start up journeys have contributed to the Sprout programme. “Our focus is on helping entrepreneurs grow their startups from great ideas into investment-ready early stage companies,” […]

Got a Trade Week: connecting manufacturers with their future workforce

Opening their West Auckland plant to students to host a Competenz Discovery Tour during August’s national Got a Trade Week proved a good way for award-winning winemaker Matua Valley Wines to help young people learn about a career in their industry and connect with a potential future workforce. Matua winemaker Nikolai St George who led the tour says the company was pleased to host the students and help them learn about the career opportunities available to them. “I can remember being in the situation these students are in, and I know that getting the right careers advice early on is really important,” says Nikolai. “It gives you direction and something to work towards – and that’s motivating. Employers and schools need to do more of this.” Students from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori a Rohe in Mangere, Auckland were among those attending the tour. “Today was a great experience,” says student Ruhia Henare-Samuels. “I learnt the whole cycle of how wine is made and how it is put into bottles. I’d like to thank the staff at Matua for having me on this taster day.” Got a Trade Week was also a chance for students and jobseekers to hear from current learners, including apprentices, who are enjoying the benefits of training on-the job in their chosen trade. Trainees earn while they learn and finish their training with a job in their chosen field – not looking for one. They also gain practical skills they can use from day one and qualifications that are recognised by employers across New Zealand. Competenz customer Matua joined 18 other companies around the country in generously opening their doors to host a Competenz Discovery Tour.

Bringing youth into industry

-Ben Connolly Industry for me started when I was 16 with a part time job in a plastics manufacturing plant. The company had some fascinating processes. I wasn’t allowed to do any of the ‘fun’ stuff though, my job was to sweep the driveway and process production waste. At 16 I only had a few years left of school and needed to start making some plans for what I would do afterwards. The good old gap year tends to be well advertised towards the end of school. This was all pencilled in for me until I learnt about an engineering degree majoring in Industrial Management. The course was a good fit giving me the base skills to do the stuff I had been watching others do in the factory. I was the only person who enrolled that year for the course, and with no further enrolments in the following year or the year after, the course was cancelled. Why weren’t people enrolling? Lack of knowledge about industry is my best guess. Most youth won’t have an insight to the potential careers available in industry. I was fortunate that I was given a job in industry which gave me the inspiration to take my studies further and consider manufacturing and production as a career. The job opportunity was a gateway that led me to where I am now. I know few people who have followed a similar path into industry and even fewer who are getting the opportunities I got at the age I was. It is becoming a big issue in some industries that there is no young following through to take the positions of their elders. Should we be putting more effort into attracting young blood into industry as a contingency for the future? Could we be offering base […]

OCR Drop Positive Move

Today’s drop in the Official Cash Rate (OCR) has been hailed as the right move in the current economic climate by the Employers and Manufacturers Association. The Reserve Bank reduced the OCR by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent. Chief Executive Officer, Kim Campbell, says the much anticipated drop was in keeping with the EMA’s call to keep the country’s economy competitive. “We think this is good news for our members and keeps us on a steady economic keel,” says Mr Campbell. He says the economic fundamentals remain stable and he would expect it to continue in this direction – with growth at two percent and inflation still below target. “Obviously, today’s announcement is excellent news for our exporters. We’ve seen some sectors improve markedly over the past few months, as was evidenced in the most recent July trade figures, with meat and fruit leading the way. Tourism is also performing extremely well at present, contributing around four percent to our gross domestic product. “Imported goods rose in July by 4.8% compared with a year earlier. While there is some inflation being experienced, it’s manageable,” says Mr Campbell.

Exports sales boosted in July

The latest New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) Survey of Business Conditions completed during August 2015, shows total sales in July 2015 increased 2.48% (year on year export sales increased by 4.70% with domestic sales decreasing 0.18%) on July 2014. The NZMEA survey sample this month covered NZ$511m in annualised sales, with an export content of 56%. Net confidence rose to 12, up from 6 in June. The current performance index (a combination of profitability and cash flow) is at 107, up from 102.3 last month, the change index (capacity utilisation, staff levels, orders and inventories) was at 97, up from 96 in the last survey, and the forecast index (investment, sales, profitability and staff) is at 107.33, up on the last result of 103.33. Anything over 100 indicates expansion. Constraints reported were 80% markets, 12% production capacity, 4% skilled staff and 4% capital. Net 24% of firms reported a modest rise in productivity in July. Staff numbers for July decreased 1.78% year on year. Tradespersons, supervisors, managers, professional/scientists and operators/labourers all reported a moderate shortage “Export sales bounced back in July, moving back into expansion and improving 4.7% on July 2014. Domestic sales improved once again; however are still yet to break back into year on year increases, “says NZMEA Chief Executive Dieter Adam. “Manufacturers and exporters continue to feel more positive, with sentiment improving across the board, including confidence and all three index measures up on June’s result. Staff numbers fell year on year for the first time since February, however over the last two years trend staff levels in manufacturing have been positive. “The lower currency continues to be commented on as a positive for most, putting their margin and export competitiveness in a better position. Conversely, there are some who have seen input costs rise […]

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