Connect with other New Zealand businesses that may need or have extra resources right now. This is for urgent or timely requests or offers that have come about due to disruption in the supply chain. The Marketplace is organised into sector/solution forums such as freight, temporary storage, supplies, business services and staff availability, and will adapt to show more categories as required.
A robot capable of rapidly disinfecting large areas has been invented by a world-first solutions business to speed-up the fight against coronavirus. Forth Engineering in Cumbria is known for its innovations to solve complex industry challenges in the nuclear, oil and gas, renewables and other sectors all over the world. Forth managing director Mark Telford and his team have responded to the fight against COVID-19 by inventing a remotely operated disinfecting robot. “It’s an amazing bit of kit. I took it to one of our sites and it disinfected 68,000 square feet in just 20 minutes. It’s very impressive,” said Mark. “We’ve put together our tracked robot, vapour cannon, camera and lights, and developed the first one in a matter of days. “That’s how quickly we always work, it’s just that the sectors which need our help are different right now and this is a national emergency. “We have had lots of inquiries about it and we are now going into production. We will have to see how many robots people want us to manufacture.” The robot can be worked remotely, controlled from a safe distance, to help the NHS and other organisations keep areas clean during the coronavirus outbreak. “It can be used to sterilise ambulances, hospitals, shops and supermarkets, wherever it’s required,” said Mark. “It works in a similar way to a vapour cigarette in that it fires high pressure vapour which will settle in every part of a designated area. “It can also be used to disinfect factories and offices, schools and colleges, before people return to work and go back to education after the lockdown to make sure they are safe to use.”. In terms of the impressive speed of Forth’s response, Mark said it’s how he and his […]
Using digital data for contact tracing could be a powerful tool for containing the spread of COVID-19 and a new technology app in Singapore could help address fears of data privacy, says a digital data expert. Andrew Chen is a Research Fellow at Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures – the University of Auckland’s new think tank and research centre. Dr Chen’s research in computer systems engineering focused on camera-based person tracking, as well as how technology might be used to help protect people’s privacy. He now brings that technical lens to better understand how society can use digital technologies more safely. He says contact tracing using data from smartphones could be one of the most powerful tools in containing the spread of the pandemic, allowing governments to act quickly to contain infected individuals, keep an outbreak under control and effectively suppress virus spread. “We need contact tracing to save lives and using digital data could make that much more effective. But we also need to protect people’s privacy and minimise rights abuses that could have serious consequences,” he says. “But constant tracking of all people, whether they are infected or not, is a deep invasion of privacy. It is a use of the data that most people would not have known about, and users effectively cannot opt-out to retain their privacy.” However, an app called TraceTogether – used in Singapore since 20 March – could be a promising alternative, says Dr Chen. People install the app on their phones with Bluetooth enabled. When they are physically close to someone else with the app, the phones exchange Bluetooth signals and the encounters are logged in the app. It takes several seconds for the exchange – short enough to capture most interactions but long enough to ignore spurious connections. Anonymous IDs […]
New Zealand business needs a new approach from Government to regulation, projects and procurement if the economy is going to start to recover. EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley has called for a new recovery playbook by Government to give businesses the flexibility to recover and thrive, and potentially increase their productivity. “As we prepare for moving out of Alert Level 4 we have an opportunity for changes to be made that can ‘fast start’ existing businesses and potentially expand employment in key sectors. We understand the Government is up for change and our discussions with businesses point to some quick wins, with sectors like manufacturing and construction poised ready to go,” says Mr O’Riley. Key initiatives the EMA are advocating to be implemented as we come out of Alert Level 4 include: – using fast track and streamlined RMA consenting for shovel-ready projects, with consenting led by the project entities. – consent and bylaw changes to enable businesses and projects to operate 24 hours a day with multiple shifts, to speed up progress and to encourage businesses to hire more staff to fill the shifts. – reintroduction of the 90-day trial period to enable businesses to trial staff seeking to enter new industries and roles. – use the acclaimed SCIRT and NCTIR project delivery models, developed for the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquake recoveries. – allow open book procurement by Government enabling lead contractors to be appointed to major projects quickly. – bring forward maintenance activity throughout New Zealand on roads, rail, hospital and schools, the latter while students are at home. – Re-purpose the Provincial Growth Fund to provide small local councils with the funding they need to kick-start those maintenance programmes. – change foreign investment rules and fast track OIO approvals to encourage private sector investment into new projects […]
Adopting Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies may help businesses achieve sustainable growth. 4IR capabilities create higher top and bottom line value through faster design, novel products, reduced risks, elimination of waste and so on. But while growth is clearly a vital objective for any industry, is it the ultimate motive for rushing into such technologies? The world’s ever-growing population is increasingly digitised, affluent, ageing – and seeking sustainable solutions. Today, three billion people have mobile access, with a 10% annual growth rate. Innovations such as voice assistants and the Internet of Things are redefining the whole shopping experience and disrupting retail, blurring the lines between when and how consumers learn about products, decide on a purchase and actually transact. As a result, e-commerce is growing globally at 18%, with a broadening scope from fashion and electronics to beauty, cosmetics, pet care, pharmaceuticals and sporting goods. P&G’s e-commerce business grew by 30% last year, accounting for nearly $4.5 billion of sales – about 7% of total business. Low prices, free shipping and price transparency are challenging the economic model of traditional retail. New business models are forming to embrace emerging needs for the last mile in business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer delivery, creating space for new players. There is no doubt that the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry is undergoing massive disruption. The best way to rise to the challenge is transformation through leveraging technology in every corner of the business. We need to integrate product innovation, manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sales into a smooth and holistic business model. It should be fast and flexible so that it can follow constantly evolving needs. Modelling and simulation need to be used widely to design products, consumer experiences and manufacturing systems, and to optimise supply chains. P&G has tripled its use of robotics over the last […]
Today’s announcement of a new $200,000 Business Support Subsidy package to help Christchurch businesses impacted by COVID-19 is welcomed by Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson. The ChristchurchNZ Business Support Subsidy offers eligible Christchurch businesses up to $1000 each to seek professional advice to help navigate the economic and resourcing impacts of COVID-19. Over the past three weeks, The Chamber has engaged with thousands of organisations through their adviceline, webinars and website. Ms Watson says the majority of enquiries have been around seeking clarity on the wage subsidy and essential services, as well as businesses seeking human resource, employment relations, and health and safety advice. “During such uncertain and challenging times, it is essential that businesses have access to the right expertise and support to guide them through these complex issues and help them navigate and effectively apply general guidelines to their specific situation. Support provided through the Business Support Subsidy package announced today will continue to ensure that businesses can access that support.”
— The EMA in partnership with ATEED and the Regional Business Partner Network has this week launched a free web series to help all businesses get through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The combination of videos and live webinars this week featured mental wellbeing for employers, retention and redeployment, employee leave and payroll. Each week the EMA will be adding three 20-minute sessions to the series on its dedicated COVID-19 site on topics businesses are most asking about. The EMA’s AdviceLine, is still fielding an unprecedented number of calls – up to 600 a day compared to the usual 120 – but is coping with the extra resources that have been added. In the wake of the Government’s Business Finance Guarantee Scheme announced on Wednesday, the EMA has added an additional session to its web series for this week. The Government scheme aims to help businesses with their cashflow and operating expenses in particular, and applies to those with annual revenue between $250,000 and $80 million. They can apply to their banks for loans up to $500,000, for up to three years, with the Government guaranteeing 80 per cent of the risk, and banks 20 per cent. Today the BNZ’s Karna Luke GM Growth and Performance, Partnership Banking at BNZ talks people through the scheme and how banks can help businesses and their people through this time. One of the sessions in the web series next week features the EMA’s Head of Legal, Matthew Dearing, on restructure and redundancy and keeping your people at the heart of this process. Available to all businesses, the web series will continue to respond to what businesses most want to know to help get them through the COVID-19 pandemic.
Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle are seen as interchangeable terms by some, and totally separate concepts by others. As is the case with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. A life cycle approach Figure 1 A life cycle approach looks at all stages in the life cycle of a product. There are similarities between Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle (C2C), which causes some of the confusion. However, they are different concepts- albeit with a shared approach to sustainability and problem solving within sustainability. The common link is a ‘life cycle approach’ which considers a number of different environmental impacts such as carbon footprint and use of resources. These environmental impacts occur across all stages of a product’s life cycle, from when the raw materials are grown or gathered to where the product ends up after it has been used. The life cycle approach highlights the bigger picture of environmental impact and can act as a great starting point for identifying and improving on environmental hotspots in the manufacturing industry. Avoid ‘burden shifting’An LCA study avoids ‘burden shifting’ – solving a problem in one area of environmental impact while creating a problem in another. ake the example of cucumbers. Removing plastic wrap around cucumbers results in lower packaging impacts, but vastly increased food waste downstream. An LCA would look at this information together – and would inform you that wrapping cucumbers in plastic actually results in better outcomes for the climate. Rethink material use The C2C concept takes a similar life cycle approach to products but goes one step further to ensure that all materials used in production can be reused as a nutrient. These nutrients stay in either a biological cycle where they are returned without harm […]
The Government is keen to get better visibility of what manufacturing capability we have in New Zealand to produce personal protection equipment (PPE). This could be face masks (hospital grade or for people on the street) ventilator equipment, gowns, hand sanitisers or anything else that could be useful. We have had some manufacturers contact us to say they could reconfigure their operation to do face masks etc, so we are starting a capability list to pass onto Government. Text ‘PPE’ to 313 If you don’t fall into this category – but still want to ensure you are visible in one central place – send us your info to go on the Contract Manufacturers list here. Catherine Beard 027 463 3212 or cbeard@businessnz.org.nz
Container owners frustrated with the costs, delays and anxiety of using cranes to deploy their containers can at last breathe a sigh of relief. A new container deployment system from BISON means they can now take complete control over container movements. “We have found a way for companies to safely and rapidly deploy containers anywhere. Now, one operator can get a container onto a chassis and deploy it at the destination without relying on a third party,” says BISON CEO Greg Fahey. Currently, most owners of modified containers pay a lifting service to place the container onto the chassis at the start of the journey, and then pay again to get it lifted off the chassis at the destination. BISON’s new C-Lift T-Series, on the other hand, eliminates this entirely. “Organisations are losing critical project hours while they wait for a crane or traditional container handling equipment to be available to lift a container off the truck. Others are resigned to the fact that the container will stay on the chassis. “But keeping the container on the chassis makes it harder to move in and out of the container, and it stops the chassis being used on other jobs.” says Fahey. The BISON C-Lift T Series retrofits to any standard height ISO container. It is easy to remove and use on other containers and has a lift capacity of up to 20 tonnes (44,000 lb). Battery-powered hydraulics and intelligent self-levelling software provides a controlled lift and compensates for uneven weight distribution. “We have given control and independence back to the container owner,” says Fahey. “Companies can now decide when a container needs to get on site and have the confidence that it will be there on time, at a reasonable cost.”
