Business News

NZ food industry benefits from leading-edge portable drying technology

Drying Solutions Ltd founder Robert and wife Paulette Barnes with their Rexmoi dryer, a unit that services the food and pet-food industry. When Robert Barnes was asked by a friend to build a dryer to dehydrate macadamia nuts 25 years ago, he never thought it would be the start of his own drying machine business. Robert, an electrician and refrigeration engineer by trade, set up his own refrigeration and air-conditioning company in 1989, attracting Port of Tauranga as one of his clients. Since 1995 he has also been using his skills to develop highly innovative Rexmoi Dryers. He sold the refrigeration and air conditioning business five years ago to focus solely on Drying Solutions Ltd. Now Robert is gearing up to exhibit a Rexmoi dryer, at his fourth Foodtech Packtech show next month. Robert says he is proud that his dryers enable people to turn ordinary products, in some cases waste material, into high-quality, high-value finished goods for the ultimate benefit of New Zealand. Rexmoi dryers use a refrigeration system, rather like a heat pump, to create a warm, dry enclosure where the products are dried. Warm, dry, filtered air flows over the product to remove the moisture which is then condensed and drained out through a small pipe. The product is laid out on stainless steel trays mounted on trolleys for easy handling. Several different types of tray are available to suit the various products such as wet slices, nuts, raisins, pet-food and bushy material. The dryers use much less energy than other drying systems and are totally enclosed so no smells or gases are emitted into the atmosphere. They are covered by several patents and trademarks. The drying process is controlled by a programmable controller which Robert sets in conjunction with the client to provide an optimum drying […]

A Green Building on the White Continent

The colour of the new Scott Base may not be decided, but one thing is clear – the building will be green. Antarctica New Zealand, together with the New Zealand Green Building Council, has developed a custom Green Star tool to measure the sustainability of the new Scott Base. “Antarctica New Zealand is committed to minimising its environmental impact in Antarctica and upholding the principles of the Antarctic Treaty System,” says Antarctica New Zealand Chief Executive Sarah Williamson. “We have chosen to have an independent review of the Scott Base redevelopment so that we can maximise the opportunities to design, construct and operate the new base in an efficient and sustainable way.” Antarctica is the coldest, windiest, and driest continent on the planet. The new sustainable accreditation scheme for the rebuild factors in the harsh realities of building and operating in the Antarctic environment. Antarctica New Zealand is aiming for a five-star, New Zealand excellence, rating. “An independent accreditation of sustainable design and construction is a key requirement of the redevelopment project. This validates the commitment Antarctica New Zealand has to protecting the environment”, says Simon Shelton, Scott Base Redevelopment Senior Project Manager. “The new Green Star custom tool encourages the use of more sustainable materials, reduced waste, and more efficient systems designed to lower energy use. It promotes practices that would lower the new base’s contribution to climate change and enhances the health and wellbeing of the people living and working at Scott Base, some for up to 13 months before returning to New Zealand.”

uniVision 2.2: Image processing software receives PROFINET interface

Update strengthens uniVision platform with new features uniVision – the parameterisable standard software for two and three-dimensional image processing from Treotham – has been given an update. The latest release 2.2 enables Smart Cameras and control units to be integrated into controls quickly and easily via a PROFINET interface. New software modules and new functions for the visualisation of results also make this update particularly valuable for users. Thanks to the integrated interface in Smart Cameras and control units, the results of image and profile evaluations can now be transferred in real time via the established Industrial Ethernet standard. This makes seamless communication between the sensor, software and control even easier. As a future-proof technology, PROFINET stands for the digitalisation of production processes in line with Industry 4.0 like no other protocol. According to the Profibus association, the PROFINET standard experienced an enormous growth of around 25 percent once again in 2019! With a total number of 6.4 million recorded devices, it is the most used real-time interface in the world. “This is therefore an ideal opportunity for us to shape this development by integrating PROFINET in uniVision”, explains Wenglor Product Manager Martin Knittel. Process data can also be processed via other interfaces such as digital IOs, TCP/IP or UDP. Web-based visualisation increases user-friendliness Another feature of the uniVision update 2.2 is the new web-based visualisation function. This enables the results to be displayed as overlays (e.g. measurement points or lines) directly in the image or height profile. A “good/bad” display of the overlays in the signal colours red and green is also available, showing the user whether the test points are OK (OK) or not OK (NOK). All measurement results can thus be shown quickly and flexibly via a browser-based display. “The user wants to see at first glance […]

Investment in our manufacturing industry is a win-win for all

-Helen Down,Chief Executive, Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce. “The most important thing the Government can do in these turbulent times is to keep a strong manufacturing base in New Zealand. This will not only help solve the unemployment situation but it supports local supply chains and has a strong flow on effect to all society. “The Hutt Valley itself has a huge manufacturing base. There’s not a lot we can’t do in this valley and across New Zealand. “We have all the skills and resources as well as business owners motivated and keen to act with speed and manufacture things quickly,” said Helen Down, Chief Executive of Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce. Since March the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, along with Hutt City Council and Upper Hutt City Council, has been running a Hutt Valley Covid 19 Business Support Programme through various levels of lockdown. It has been working to ensure local companies get all the support they can and has been raising the profile of the needs of the manufacturing sector with government. “Several of our local manufacturers instantly pivoted their business during lockdown earlier in the year and have proven they can very quickly adapt their products and services to meet sudden domestic demand changes. “We all need to see this sector for what it can be going forward, and not what it used to be decades ago.” One example came as a result of a significant downturn in business at Lockdown. Local packaging and supplies company Packaging Products partnered with local manufacturer Aluminium Extrusions to create and supply a pedal operated freestanding hand foam sanitiser dispenser which requires no batteries or sensors. Aluminium Extrusions quickly designed and manufactured the unit with Packaging Products supplying the hand sanitiser as well as some distribution. Together, with the Hutt […]

Cheers to a good brew

Sam Wood (left) and Willy Cowper. -Aaldert Verplanke Brewing your own beer is a challenge for most people and more known for the disasters than the good ”batch”. This story is about Kiwi ingenuity, passion, perseverance, believing in the product and a “sustainability” philosophy. Ian Williams is a brew master and has travelled the world practicing his trade. Encouraged by his uncle to come up with a “fail proof” brewing kit for home brewers, Ian spent about 2 years developing the process and ingredients to produce high quality beer at home. When he finished his first prototype, it was time to consider manufacturing a saleable product. He took the design to Sam Wood at ATI engineering in Hastings to manufacture the brewing appliance. Sam was keen and thought, “great – all the design and development work is done; now we just have to make it.” However, to get to a sellable product it took another year and a half. Producing an appliance that involves heating, cooling and pressure, has lots of challenges. Keeping the cost down was one of them, and still is. The WilliamsWarn BrewMaster was finally created, capable of producing consistently good beer with ingredients supplied by WilliamsWarn. This would not have happened if it were not for NZ and overseas investors who believed in the product – Sam had also become a shareholder. However, the small number of appliances produced meant that costs were prohibitive, so the decision was made to design a lower cost product that could be manufactured offshore using mass manufacturing techniques not available here in NZ. A complete rethink and redesign by Sam resulted in the introduction of the BrewKeg™ that is now produced in four different brew batch sizes, from a small 10L homebrew kit up to 150L for the microbreweries. It […]

Can we grow our future leaders?

Ian Walsh, Managing Director, Intent Group New Zealand’s fall from grace in the OECD rankings over the past 50 years, and our poor productivity overall, is underpinned by factors such as our geographic location and lack of investment in research and development. The primary reasons though, are our poor performance and second level leadership, with studies exposing our lag in this regard. Kiwis work in a unique commercial situation in that 90% of our businesses are SME’s, typically with less than 50 people employed. In this environment, the ability of businesses to invest in talent development, provide mentoring and to create a culture of excellence, is limited. Many business owners and managers need training themselves to develop their skills in finance, business planning and suchlike. In an environment where they are building a business, developing new products or services, employing people, managing finances and capital plans, there is limited ability and understanding to grow the human capital as well. It’s a day to day struggle just to remain afloat, and even more so since Covid-19 hit our shores. In such an environment, every hire is a big decision. It is a serious commitment. So, when confronted with graduates, businesses are naturally uncertain, recognising that it will be some time before their investment pays off and aware that the employee may soon head off on an OE. All of these considerations make it tough for graduates to get jobs, and create problems for the entire system, with people rightly questioning the value of a university degree. Many large companies have stated publicly that a degree is not required for a great number of roles. The reality is that if you can demonstrate you can do the job without the degree, then your experience becomes more valuable than the piece of paper […]

Post-Covid-19 construction crunch – From survive to thrive

– Stephanie Pretorius, Intent Group New Zealand’s construction industry has been heavily disrupted since the arrival of Covid-19 to our shores. A relief package is now available, with the New Zealand Government investing heavily in the industry to the tune of $3B. Funded infrastructure projects include a significant amount of ‘shovel ready’ projects identified to support the short-term pipeline over the next 12 months. Despite extra funding, certain segments of construction are likely to still be negatively impacted. As an example, Auckland alone recently lost $500 from Council revenue budgets; the flow on effects are still to be determined. The funding pipeline may be affected for multiple years and there is risk of misalignment of capacity as funding may swing between years. The intent of the fast tracked ‘shovel ready’ projects is to quickly stabilise cashflow, as well as the pipeline for the industry, and to help construction survive in the short term. But how can we take this further and help construction to thrive in the long term? As a sector, construction has been ‘sailing close to the wind’ for a long time with tight margins and low productivity. The Construction Accord (Accord) has set the tone for the future, outlining goals for improved productivity, capability and resilience. Now is the time for industry players to take ownership of the direction for their own long-term sustainability. If improving productivity is an Accord goal – who will be the first to take bold action? Staking a claim to become excellent at what you do, and getting better every day, is going to pay dividends in terms of preferred supplier status, higher profitability, people retention and development, and ultimately long term survival. Many construction businesses took away lessons learnt from their Covid-19 experience as the ability to respond and adapt to […]

Manufacturers call for urgent decision on Level 4 operating

Manufacturers are calling on the Government for a pre‐emptive decision to allow all manufacturing (including exports) to remain operating if there is a move to Level 4. New Zealand Manufacturing Alliance* spokesperson Rachel Barker, CEO of Plastics New Zealand, says New Zealand cannot afford to shut down its manufacturing again and businesses need a decision now. “Another shutdown of our manufacturing businesses would be devastating not just for sector businesses but for New Zealand,” says Barker. “The Government has had months to work on a decision to keep manufacturing open during Level 4. “Our businesses are prepared, with proven safe work protocols in place for operating under Level 3, keeping thousands of Kiwis in jobs and safe. It would be a smooth transition into operations under Level 4. “We need to see a proactive and pre‐emptive decision now from Government to allow all manufacturing businesses to remain operating ahead of any possible move into Level 4.” “Keeping all manufacturing operating will be critical to keeping people in jobs, domestic and export supply chains moving and helping our economy keep ticking over.”

Businesses urged to adapt to keep trading

The Employers and Manufacturers Association is urging businesses to adapt to the restrictions of Alert Level 3 so they can stay open and keep trading. “With Health Minister Chris Hipkins more or less ruling out Alert Level 4 restrictions today it’s important for businesses to remember that they can open under Level 3 restrictions as long as they meet the conditions,” says EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley. “That means you can open if your staff can’t work from home, you can meet social distancing requirements of 1m within the workplace or 2m with customers, and you don’t have physical contact between you and your customers or deliveries. “Level 3 does not mean you have to be an essential service, it means you can function if you meet those conditions. It is a not a complete lockdown like Level 4.” Mr O’Riley says it was good to see how many businesses had adapted to Level 3 in the past couple of days in Auckland with many food service businesses trading on a click and collect basis or delivery only, and it is pleasing to see manufacturers and construction companies able to operate by adopting the Level 3 guidelines. “We didn’t see that last time but we have seen businesses adapt this time.” The EMA also had a message for Government to provide more notice and lead-in times for business to adapt to changing alert levels. “It’s understandable that the Government moved so quickly to go to Level 3 this time and it doesn’t look like Auckland or the rest of the country is going to Level 4 as some feared. But if, for example, the announcement at 5.30pm tonight is for Auckland to go to Level 2, then businesses will have no time to prepare for that overnight and it would […]

Treotham New Zealand merges with Automation Equipment

Treotham New Zealand is excited to announce the merger of their business operations to offer customers even more support as well as a larger range of products to provide a more complete solution. Treotham has acquired the Automation Equipment assets, staff and customer contacts and the merged business will operate under Treotham Automation. Treotham New Zealand, established in 2010, is a leading supplier of high-quality electrical components and products to a wide range of industrial markets. Its years of experience in industrial automation and long-term partnerships with key suppliers including igus, Kabeltec, PMA, Wittenstein and more, provide a market leading position. “Automation Equipment offers an exciting opportunity for Treotham to strengthen and expand its service offering in the industrial automation market”, explains Alec Stanley, National Sales Manager of Treotham NZ. “With their range of high-quality products and skilled staff, the acquisition of Automation Equipment supports Treotham’s strategy to provide customers with a total solution throughout the New Zealand market”. Wendy Garrett, Manager of Automation Equipment also commented “This is a very positive change for all our customers across New Zealand, expanding their product selection and support available to them”. Wendy will join Treotham as Business Development Manager. The expanded business will operate out of both Auckland and Hamilton, making it even more convenient for customers. With the introduction of the new range of products from suppliers such as Schmalz (vacuum technology), Pneumax (pneumatics), Interroll (conveyor components) and others, Treotham Automation is now able to offer customers across New Zealand a more complete solution. With their increased support and engineering staff, Treotham and Automation Equipment are able to combine their years of experience to offer even better customer service and greater opportunity for technical visits enabling stronger engineering support. The merger was effective from the 1st of August.

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