Business News

      Finding skilled workers is set to prove a challenge for engineering companies. To meet supply, a new and innovative approach is needed to attract our youth into vocational careers.     One solution is to introduce gaming simulations to students before they leave school. Gaming and school work are not usually two activities you would associate together – but gaming is increasingly making a presence in schools as the new way to engage and educate. Coined ‘edutainment’ – combining education and entertainment – TIG Welder – Welding Wall of Death is a welding simulation game which teaches and inspires, but is also fun. The game was developed by Competenz, the industry training organisation for the manufacturing and engineering sector, and is available to play in Flash and as an iPhone-application. It supports the bid to increase the supply of tradespeople by exposing students to what a career in the welding trade entails. In the game, players simulate a series of TIG (tungsten inert gas) welds with the aim to join together a steel wall, strong enough to protect from a deadly swinging demolition ball. A quiz is embedded throughout the game, ensuring students learn as they play. While it’s not exactly The Sims, the game is scored on an accuracy basis and requires a fair amount of skill to weld to a standard worthy of a high score. Welding is one of the key trades experiencing skill shortages. Currently 444 welding/fabrication apprentices are in training on-the-job in engineering companies nationwide, but industry has said it needs 1,412 more welders/fabrication in the next two years. Becoming trade qualified takes up to four years, so supply and demand is at a sizeable imbalance. TIG Welder is set to roll out in schools early next year and online from late October. […]

ExportNZ is welcoming the changes the Government is making to the services offered by the New Zealand Export Credit Office (NZECO). Catherine Beard, Executive Director of ExportNZ, says “This move shows the Government recognises the vital role exporters have to play in boosting our economy and the challenges they face in the process of internationalising Kiwi companies. “The NZECO performs a critical function for exporters, helping both large and smaller companies to do business overseas. This includes selling guarantees covering risks of the buyer’s country, overseas buyer repayment risks, and New Zealand exporter performance/repayment risks. “This latest expansion to the support the NZECO offers comes at an opportune time. China is an increasing focus for NZ exporters and the ability to do deals in the RMB will be beneficial. “In addition, NZ exporters are increasingly using global supply chains and the move to be more flexible on the amount of NZ ownership allows companies to access the service for subsidiaries or joint ventures. It will also be helpful for companies simply wishing to increase diversification in their business.”  

Its great to see advanced manufacturing and the related high value sectors winning ever increasing government recognition, the Employers & Manufacturers Association said after today’s announcement of the new direction and expansion for IRL. “A transformed institute with the right resources and skills to serve New Zealand’s manufacturing and related high tech businesses is very desirable,” said Kim Campbell, EMA’s chief executive (pictured left). “A large part of our manufacturing base is extremely sophisticated and more of it needs to become so, so the proposed institute is welcome news. “When you consider the total income per worker on average in NZ manufacturing is $404,000 compared to $82,800 per person from tourism* you can see the huge potential from such an investment. Some are double that. “Its also very appropriate that some of the institute’s funding should come from the proposed new Future Investment Fund to build the new asset, as this is the sort of infrastructure the country urgently needs.”    

The innovation policy released by the Government today is the best single action that could be taken to grow high tech manufacturing and services in New Zealand, says BusinessNZ, Chief Executive, Phil O’Reilly. “The planned advanced Technology Institute will operate in the border between business and science, providing a welcome focus on the development side of research and development. “Exploiting untapped opportunities in the high tech manufacturing and services areas including ICT will be a major step forward for New Zealand’s economy. “The economy needs both agriculture and high tech manufacturing and services to succeed. The Government is saying both are critical for economic success. “Plans to transform IRL into a truly national facility with operations in our two largest manufacturing and exporting centres Auckland and Christchurch are entirely appropriate and will be welcomed by the manufacturing and exporting sectors,” Mr O’Reilly said. “Meanwhile consolidating operations in Gracefield, Lower Hutt is a vote of confidence in the existing important work done in the Wellington region. “The potential for the resulting Advanced Technology Institute to boost New Zealand’s economic growth is exciting. “This undertaking will squarely address issues that in the past have led to valuable New Zealand-trained scientists leaving this country for opportunities overseas. “Linking business and science is one of the most important issues for technology and productivity growth in New Zealand. It’s also in line with business thinking, as shown in the recent Deloitte BusinessNZ Election Survey, which ranked better connections between science and business as the number one issue needing more government investment. The Government is to be commended for this forward-looking policy,” Phil O’Reilly said. Mr O’Reilly said the rest of the Powering Innovation Report recommending further action in the education sector should be paid close heed. “It will be important that the Government continues to […]

Executive Director of ManufacturingNZ, Catherine Beard, said the three main themes for manufacturers were around building talent to drive innovation, increasing government and private sector investment in R&D and building bigger companies through increased participation of local firms in government procurement tenders. “Manufacturing is hugely important to the economy and all political parties should have policies to boost the sector. It is the sector with the second largest share of GDP, is the largest employer in Auckland, the second largest employer nationally and produces around 50% of our exports.“ “In addition, manufacturing has high productivity per employee, is increasingly high-tech and is scalable with a relatively small footprint. This is the sector that needs to grow if we want to catch Australia.” Catherine Beard says talent driven innovation is at the top of the list to keep New Zealand Manufacturers competitive, and the government of the day has a role in supporting this, through; High quality vocational education and training services that are turning out people with the skills required in the workplace. Clearer pathways from school into the workforce and a high quality career guidance service. School and University programmes in Entrepreneurship. Clear incentives to Universities (e.g. via the PBRF) to connect R&D efforts to commercialisation success with the private sector. Students graduating from the education system with the skills to grow the economy (science, technology, engineering, maths, literacy and people skills). A more business friendly immigration system to fill skill gaps quickly and efficiently. “In addition to talent, we need to boost our collective investment in R&D. Increased R&D leads to increased innovation and it is the innovators that will be successful globally and create high value jobs.” “Last but not least, we need to ensure that local manufacturers get a fair opportunity to win the bigger jobs […]

Adam Bennett, NZTE Director Specialised Manufacturing.   To remain competitive in international markets, New Zealand’s focus needs to be not just on primary production, but end-to-end manufacturing solutions. For this reason support and development for specialised, knowledge-intensive manufacturing and services is a priority for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE). Although we work with companies across a range of manufacturing sectors, our focus is on our Big Five; marine, aviation, geothermal, advanced materials, and building solutions. Working directly with companies to help find what makes them different and to attach the right value to what they do is an area where I believe we can really assist. Modularity continues to be the buzzword across manufacturing – demand for speed of design, lightweight and flexibility combine to provide some unique opportunities for us. Companies that have developed or adapted products to meet this demand and slot into global supply chains are the ones finding success in international niche markets. Successful companies also share certain characteristics such as high levels of technical expertise, market insight, significant investment in research, design and product development and excellent customer service. Generally New Zealand-s manufacturing exporters have a reputation for quality, design and performance – and this is paying dividends in various areas. In yacht design, for example, world-class yacht designer Ed Dubois now specifies products and designs using New Zealand companies. He will be a major influencer in almost $500m of global marine buying, so you can see it is worth New Zealand staying close to him. Sharing the stories of our companies with the world is part of the process of winning over these key decision makers. A recent seminar for the aviation industry held at The Cloud in Auckland encouraged companies to share stories with their peers, and to work together. This was […]

Peter Chrisp, chief executive, NZTE Since I joined NZTE last September, I’ve been inspired by the business people who are NZTEÕs customers. Napier firm New Zealand Frost Fans is one company that really captured my imagination. It has developed a four-bladed fan for keeping frost off orchards and vineyards, which is quieter and uses less fuel than its competitors. Driving these competitive advantages, the company is growing fast. It is now exporting 80 percent of its output to markets as far afield as Turkey and Italy – and is gaining good market share. The really interesting part of this is the source of its innovation – an America’s Cup aerodynamics expert based in Napier who, combined with the outstanding engineering ingenuity and trade skills of Frost Fans, was able to design and build a world first. American industry experts had said, ‘It can’t be done’ – except it was, in New Zealand! It is great to see a primary industry base (horticulture) using innovation from other industries (the marine industry, via the America’s Cup), supported by great New Zealand engineering and trade skills. Stories like this, and many others, make me optimistic about New Zealand’s future despite the challenges we face as a small country located far from the world’s major markets. NZTE has had a clear message from the Government that more is needed to grow exports, which provide the tradable income this country needs. To help deliver on this, during the past year we have undergone a review that has taken into account customers, leadership, culture and costs. This involved reviews by both the private sector and the Government’s Performance Improvement Framework. Based on this information we worked with our public and private sector partners to develop a strategy to boost performance and target our efforts in support […]

The Pirtek Group is an international success story specialising in mobile ‘on site’ service and replacement of hydraulic and industrial hose and fittings. We operate under a proven franchise system and enjoy continued growth both internationally and within New Zealand. Not only a respected industry name, but universally trusted for our commitment to service excellence and customer focus. High end quality products and systems, continued growth plans, customer demand, and greater brand awareness have paved the way for us to establish new franchise opportunities for astute customer orientated people. Our businesses are suited to someone with a mechanical trade or mechanical aptitude, a sound understanding of business principals, customer focus and a commitment to existing and established operational methodologies under a franchise model. We have opportunities for both greenfield locations and existing Pirtek businesses for the right people. You may foresee that a Pirtek franchise could blend or integrate successfully into your existing business. Provision of service excellence and a personal approach to each and every customer are key components to maintaining a successful and profitable business.  

  Technopak director, Henri Hermans with a part of the latest innovative machine.     Technopak Limited typifies the value-added proposition our commercial and political leaders dream about – and some. You could describe the company as a by-product of our milk industry, but there’s much more to that. Mateship, hard graft, lots of travel and calling on customers and prospects all over the world, brilliant design engineering and today being up there with the best in the world.If you need proof: they recently doubled their floor space, and have already reached bursting point again. Nearly all – certainly most – of the customers for their powder-bagging lines and equipment or their upgrade consulting services are abroad in just about every country where there is significant milk production and major industry giants such as the legendary Land O’Lakes giant in Minnesota, USA. Founding partner, Shane Reckin, director, R&D was – inevitably – away when NZ Manufacturer met with co-founder, Henri Hermans, director design & projects, at their East Tamaki operation on the day of yet another significant milestone for the 2002-established company. He flies all-around the world frequently advising clients and securing business. A project manager was en route to the Auckland International Airport to fly to Colorado, USA to meet-up with the recently shipped state-of-the-art milk-powder bulk bagging-line, which he will take charge of installing for the US$420-million plant for the biggest mozzarella cheese producer in the world, Leprino Foods, which provides DominoÕs Pizza and Pizza Hut with product. And Henri had just confirmed the appointment in the USA of that country’s top powder-packing industry broker, to represent them, primarily in North America initially. These guys are going places, faster-and-faster as they prepare to sail through the 10-year barrier, into the big time. Expect them shortly to be joined […]

Dr. Jeffrey Liker will be delivering a 2-day workshop on “The Essence of Toyota Way” on 3rd and 4th of Nov 2011 at Sorrento in the park, Auckland. This is your opportunity to learn from one of the greatest lean advocates and an authority on the philosophy of Toyota Way. Please  email Vishnu@pslglobal.net or visit www.pslglobal.net for further information.