Business News

Using single-use packaging in your business – read on

– Natalie Martin, 3R Group Materials Innovation Manager Rightly or wrongly, single-use plastic packaging gets the lion’s share of attention in terms of sustainability and waste reduction. While much of this is focused on consumer goods, it’s far from a problem faced exclusively by retailers. Single-use plastic packaging is so pervasive throughout supply chains that just about all industry members deal with it in some way or form. As a result, they will all be affected by regulations aimed at reducing plastic waste, increasing recyclability and getting an industry-funded, regulated product stewardship scheme off the ground. In July 2020 single-use plastic packaging was declared a priority product under the Waste Minimisation Act 2008. This means it’s one of the six product categories that must have regulated product stewardship schemes established. Product stewardship sees scheme members contribute towards the collection of their products at the end of life so they can be reused, recycled or properly disposed of. Why single-use plastic packaging? This product category is by far the widest ranging of those declared priority products, covering thousands of products. Plastic also isn’t simply ‘plastic’ but is split into seven different types depending on its chemical makeup. That makes recycling it, or even establishing collection systems much more complicated. Its negative environmental impacts when littered are well documented and are most frequently in the public eye. Despite this, single-use plastic packaging has an important role to play in reducing waste by keeping food fresh and safe and preventing goods from being damaged. It’s low weight and durability means it can also offer a lower carbon footprint than other materials when it comes to transport. In line with circular economy principles, the key is to ensure its use is minimised, that it’s used as effectively as possible and then recovered and recycled. […]

Sustainability and productivity: happy bedfellows

-Dr Barbare Nebel, CEO thinkstep – anz It’s good news for local manufacturers: investing in sustainability makes your business more productive. In this article, we look at how sustainability is helping New Zealand manufacturers achieve more with less. The traditional approach: more productive, less sustainable Many people view productivity and sustainability as yin and yang – connected, but opposite. Over the past 150 years, productivity has often grown at the expense of the natural environment, people and communities. For example, to increase output, many businesses have depleted natural resources like water and dumped growing amounts of waste in landfills. On the social side, greater productivity has often meant making people redundant or disrupting communities as factories expanded. It doesn’t have to be like this. Your sustainability programme can make your manufacturing business more productive too. Today’s approach: more sustainable, more productive too As a manufacturer you know the drill. To increase productivity, you need to generate more output for your inputs. In practical terms, this can mean using your raw materials more efficiently or ensuring your supply chain runs smoothly to avoid outages. In economic terms, it can involve reducing the costs of your inputs and cutting staff turnover. Here are six ways your sustainability programme can boost your productivity too. Use your raw materials as efficiently as possible Get more from your raw materials and you’ll be more productive. The circular economy is your go-to here. Your aims: to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. Food manufacturer Sanford ensures that even low-value parts of its raw materials do not go to waste. Sanford partners with Auckland-based nanotechnology manufacturer, NanoLayr who use the collagen from the skins of Sanford’s sustainably caught hoki to make nanofibre facemasks. Tackle your carbon emissions and […]

Productivity Training: The Missing Link?

-Ian Walsh, Argon and Co As I have raised previously there are a number of elements required to achieve a productive economy and the benefits that affords us as a country. These include: Collaboration between business, government, and educational institutions Access to best practice knowledge Access to funding to support trial and learning Examples, beachheads and benchmarks For those business leaders contemplating adopting best practises to transform their performance, there are a few key questions to answer: What is involved? Who else has done this? What does it cost in terms of dollars, resources? What can be achieved, and is it worth it? How long will it take? On the face of it these questions might appear to be simple enough, however the ways in which to answer them accurately, and to then use those answers to develop a plan for productivity improvement, are complex and highly specialised. For context, the body of knowledge around applying best practice to business is over 100 years’ worth of industry experience and learnings. Yet I still meet business owners who decide to give it a go themselves in true NZ style, only to waste years and countless dollars going down blind alleys, learning what is already known, through a process of self-inflicted trial and error. The roadmap to world class will vary depending on the business, process type, size, and structure. Not everyone has an assembly process like Toyota, but some elements might be applicable. The key to navigating your way through the task of developing a roadmap for your organisation is to engage an expert to help you. By doing so you are making the most diligent use of resources and giving yourself the best chance of success. You wouldn’t attempt to climb Everest without a guide, someone experienced, who knows the […]

Who is exporting?

NZ Manufacturer, June 2023 A mere 30 New Zealand companies, according to the Productivity Commission, account for over half of all exports. They say focus really needs to be on innovation and moving away from volume to value-added products. So, what are overseas trade visits for? Do business legations need to be vetted to determine that the ‘fact finding trip’ is not just an overseas holiday? Do they bring back business for the country? How much money has government invested over the years in trade visits that result in absolutely no return? Dairy is New Zealand’s biggest export earner – worth about $19 billion a year. The largest increase for the year ended December 2022 was for milk powder, butter, and cheese. This is New Zealand’s largest export commodity group, making up 28 percent of total exports over the year. This industry group, with a proven track record, doesn’t need to justify the trip; they have established markets and maintain them very well. To get more than 30 companies contributing to our export success, we need to increase productivity which needs: a positive attitude and involvement of management; proactive employees; good working conditions; tools and equipment available to raise productivity and the availability of input supplies. The four determinants of a nation’s productivity are physical capital, technology, human capital, and natural resources. Technology is a decisive factor in productivity, along with physical capital (equipment used to produce products), human capital (the knowledge of labourers), and natural resources. Now all of this sounds logical but obviously is not being put into practice(properly) if only 30 companies generate most of our export revenue. What are the restraints? At present, the shining light for export growth appears to be the gaming industry. What is everyone else doing? We are in a constant state of […]

Q&A: Keren Cook, NatureBee CEO and Global Consumer Advocate

Q: How are you finding current business conditions? A: Continued talk of a recession and the rising cost of living is reducing consumers’ discretionary spending, which naturally makes sales growth tougher. For us, this means working harder to position our product in a crowded marketplace where price is king for many. Q: Where do you see future growth opportunities for your company? A: We see some positive future growth opportunities offshore presently, specifically with a focus on the United States and United Kingdom markets. Q: Business success – what’s it all about? A: For us, business success is about customer-centric thinking and actions; having products that people both need and want. The key is to continually adapt and find ways in which to communicate the key benefits of our products and the drivers that really cut through a noisy marketplace. Q: How do you measure success – money or satisfaction for the task at hand? A: At NatureBee success is about having happy customers, which leads to business growth and customer retention! As such, success is measured by the lifetime value of our customers. We currently have over 29,000 loyal, returning customers and over 55,000 customers who we communicate with regularly, and we are always growing. Q: How are you finding staff retention in the current environment? Is it hard to keep them? A: Because of the way we’re set up as a business, the staff retention issues others are facing aren’t an issue for us at NatureBee. We tend to work alongside our long-term partners in a contract capacity and are fortunate that this creates consistency as well as flexibility. Q: What one thing would make business easier for you? A: Great question. I think finding the magic button for Amazon would be it for me! We have been […]

Major international summit to boost Kiwi healthcare, tech & food exports

A major international healthcare summit to be hosted in New Zealand is set to boost export access for Kiwi health, tech and food product manufacturers into over 10 nations with a combined GDP of US$33 trillion. A number of foreign dignitaries will be among the projected 10,000+ international and domestic attendees at the event, which is also expected to benefit the tourism sector and the local economy. Guests include health policy specialists from United Arab Emirates, China, Indonesia and Singapore. Government and industry representatives from Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Egypt, UK, Germany and Kazakhstan are also expected to attend. A number of the country’s healthcare organisations and largest food exporters including St Johns, Fonterra and Zespri have also confirmed they will use the event to promote their products to buyers from countries with a population of over 2 billion. In addition, buyers from China’s largest e-commerce platforms including Alibaba, JD.com, Meituan and Kuaishou are also set to attend – as they look to grow the number of their New Zealand suppliers. Tony Browne, former New Zealand ambassador to China and chairman of the Council of Next Federation, the event organisers, says the High 5 “Post Pandemic” summit, will include a series of seminars, forums, workshops and exhibitions focusing on economic recovery, mental health, telemedicine, ageing wellness, PPE and education. “The event will provide attendees with the opportunity to engage with industry leaders as they share industry policy research and market insights dealing with challenges facing the health industry. “We will also provide a centralised procurement platform for exhibitors to connect with international buyers and health experts. “While New Zealand has established trading relationships for food and beverages there is an increasing opportunity for us to look at growing health supplements and health tech exports. “The event will enable participants to […]

Empower Software celebrates 21 years in business.

Empower Software have pioneered engineers’ and manufacturers’ use of labour productivity software using touch screens on the workshop floor, since commencing business in 2002. Empower Software is cloud based, an Add On and an App; manufacturing clients interface to their accounting software. Empower is supplied and supported as SaaS (Software as a Service), low cost monthly fee based. They currently have 240 manufacturing and engineering clients, mainly throughout Australia and New Zealand including US, Canada, UK, South Africa and the Philippines. There are an estimated 80,000 SME based manufacturing and engineering businesses throughout Australia and New Zealand, 80,000 businesses an estimated 30% still use manual time sheets “today” for workshop staff to manually record their jobs and times worked on each job. An estimated 60% do not track their workshop staff time on their jobs at all because manual time sheets produce information that is “too little, too late, too inaccurate and too costly to produce”. Manual time sheets cost approximately $80 per workshop staff member per week to produce; in comparison the Empower Software App is approximately $15 per staff member per week – so it is an obvious substitution to adopt technology and use the Empower Software App. Empower Software suits manufacturers and engineers who wish to replace manual time sheets, as well as those manufacturers who wish to commence tracking time on jobs for the first time, using technology. Lean manufacturing, Digital Manufacturing, Industry 4.0 are all being heavily promoted to Australasian and NZ manufacturers by government and industry groups as the means to be labour cost competitive and Empower Software “rides that wave”. Touch screens on the workshop floor and Empower deliver for 90% of manufacturing clients a 20% to 40% reduction in labour times on jobs and 20% to 40% reduction in labour cost […]

Kayasand receives backing from NZGIF to reduce carbon emissions from concrete

Kayasand, a distributor of premium sand manufacturing technology, is opening its first V7 high-technology manufacturing demonstration plant in New Zealand, which uses waste products such as recycled glass, concrete and slag, and turns them into premium sand for concrete. Kayasand has received the backing of New Zealand Green Investment Finance (NZGIF) via a $3.5 million equity investment. The green investment bank was established to accelerate investment that helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A further $1.8 million of private investment has been secured alongside the NZGIF investment bringing the total raise to $5.3 million. Natural sand supplies are becoming harder to access and traditional concrete manufacturing processes, including the impacts of sand dredging on coastlines such as Pakiri, 100km north of Auckland, are not sustainable over the longer-term. Dr Bram Smith, Kayasand General Manager, says “Our technology can reduce or in cases eliminates the need for natural sand dredging. It uses by-products and recycled materials such as quarry crusher dust and recycled glass to manufacture a sand of such quality that it makes stronger concrete than natural sand when mixed with cement. Our goal is to reduce carbon emissions from concrete production by up to 20% using this method.” Kayasand technology is used in over 300 plants across Japan, China, India, and Australia. NZGIF Chief Executive, Craig Weise, says the deal is an important step and is a boost for the construction sector and consumers who are eagerly looking for more sustainable building materials. He says, “Auckland’s infrastructure requirements alone are projected to be $26 billion over the next decade and if New Zealand is going to meet its CO2 emission reduction targets, we need to find alternative manufacturing and building methods. We are delighted to invest in Kayasand to help deliver its services to the construction sector and to support […]

Matahio Energy completes acquisition of onshore assets in Taranaki

Matahio Energy has completed the acquisition of a portfolio of six onshore oil and gas licenses in the Taranaki Basin, NZ. Matahio will be the operator of these licenses, holding 100% participating interest in four licenses, and 70% interest in the remaining two licenses. Of the six licenses, three are currently producing. The sale and purchase agreement between the parties was signed in March 2022. All required approvals for the relevant New Zealand regulatory authorities have been obtained to complete this transaction. Key highlights of the transaction: – Operatorship of two fields, namely Cheal and Sidewinder, which are currently producing a total of 1.4 Kboepd (thousand barrels of oil equivalent per day), net to Matahio. Cheal and Sidewinder are well-established, prolific fields, which have produced over 5 MM bbls (million barrels of oil) to date, since the first oil in 2008. – Matahio is adding 2 MM boe (million barrels of oil equivalent) 2P reserves (Net, effective date 1st January 2023). At prevailing oil prices and contemporary OPEX rates, the Cheal and Sidewinder fields are expected to generate positive cash flow until 2030. The New Zealand business’s EBITDA for the calendar year 2022 was NZD$29 MM. – The transaction also includes full technical and operational teams, based in New Plymouth, who have a track record in delivering strong health, safety & environment (HSE) and production performance. Most notably, recent production optimisation efforts have resulted in production rates returning to 2015 levels without drilling any new wells. – Matahio has crafted a multi-year development programme consisting of infill and step-out drilling as well as the appraisal of newer fields in the Puka license (which was 100% acquired by Matahio) to be tied back to existing operated infrastructure. This organic growth programme targets an additional 3.8 MM boe and, if successful, will […]

Women in Business: Marina Rajic, CEO BioViros

Tell readers what it is that you do? At BioViros, we make special tools called viral vectors to help fight cancer. Imagine these as tiny delivery vans. We take a harmless virus, remove its contents, and put in a special package instead. This package has instructions that can teach our own immune system to recognise and fight cancer. We produce these viral vectors in large quantities so they can be used in cancer treatments. It’s a bit like running a factory that makes special delivery vans, but these vans are 0.000000001 meters in size, and their cargo is to equip our white blood cells. So far, we have established a laboratory for production in Lower Hutt, and hired key people to do run the process in NZ. As we expand in 2023, we are prioritising communication with our investors, understanding that their partnership is crucial for the team growth and production scale up to enable production of viral vectors for clinical trials in NZ and beyond. Where are the opportunities in Bio Tech? In the last couple of years, we’ve seen a growth of FDA approved drugs for cell and gene therapy. We have decided to dive deeper into this and place our bets on viral vector manufacturing. I hope to see New Zealand attracting a lot of talent in the field of cell therapy in the very near future. Globally we will also probably see a shift towards personalised medicine, driven by genomics and bioinformatics where precise algorithms can tailor the treatments for individual patients. Does BioViros have overseas markets? A large portion of BioViros market will be overseas. We’ve talked to people from Australia, US and will look into Asia as well. Customers are mainly interested in sourcing a high-quality product without the fear of delays, because that […]

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