Business News

Seequent’s strong growth leads to export award nomination

Seequent is helping customers in over 90 countries make better decisions about the world’s earth, environment and energy challenges. Shaun Maloney, CEO of Seequent, says the nomination is a fantastic acknowledgement for the team who have delivered some stunning achievements for the company over the past “really big” year. “We’ve continued to grow strongly – launching major new products for the civil engineering and environmental industries, as well as continuing to deliver new innovation for the mining and minerals and geothermal energy industries. We’ve also completed a major rebranding exercise to better reflect our capability in a wider range of industries, which has been driven by multi-million dollar R&D efforts each year for the past 6 years.” Seequent is known worldwide for its Leapfrog 3D geological modelling software, initially developed for the mining and minerals industry, to provide insight and confidence for important investment and environmental decisions. Today, civil engineering, environmental and geothermal energy industries also rely on Seequent’s software to better understand subsurface geology and manage geological risk on a diverse range of projects. Maloney says the company’s technology is involved in some of the world’s most important and challenging projects, including the first final repository for nuclear waste in Finland, multi-country vehicle and rail tunnel projects in Europe and water quality projects globally. “We were also recently amazed to hear our Leapfrog Works software had been used by a local team to create a 3D model of the Tham Luang cave system, where 12 boys and their coach were recently trapped, to help communicate the high-level geological complexity of the caves area to rescue teams.” The Christchurch headquartered company has people in 15 locations in its five territories: Asia/Pacific, Africa, Latin America, North America and Europe.

Women in Engineering: Alisha Baddock, Beca, Christchurch

Why do you do what you do? I love being able to find a solution to a problem and create tangible ways to fix them. I’m a people person and what gets me up in the morning is being able to work with my team to provide new innovative solutions to building a better world. Do you enjoy it? I really enjoy what I do, I love being around people and working in a team. I love the life cycle of a project and the adrenaline you get from working on site and thinking on your feet to solve a problem. I have a love hate relationship with a project life cycle – the initial client consultation process, the design, stakeholder analysis, project team meetings, the different personalities, site work – the chaos. Greatest challenges? Engineering is a predominantly male dominated industry, as a young female it is at times challenging to be taken seriously. The biggest challenge I find is asserting myself and backing myself to demonstrate my knowledge, experience, ideas and thoughts. Most exciting project worked on? Canterbury Engineering the Future (CETF) – Refurbishment of the University of Canterbury Engineering Laboratories and shared spaces post-earthquake. The exciting part of the project was being able to provide a solution which satisfied the multitude of stakeholders involved. Where did you study? University of Auckland. First work experience was at The Ports of Auckland where I refurbished electric drive motors for straddle carriers Do you recommend this profession for young women? Yes definitely! It’s such an exciting profession filled with some great people and loads of laughs. It is a fulfilling job where at the end of a project you can see the tangible rewards of your hard work. Favourite Book? Pillars of the Earth Series – Ken Follet Greatest inspiration? […]

CSST taps Planet to spur economic growth in New Zealand

In an exciting new venture, Planet, an integrated aerospace and data analytics company, and New Zealand’s Centre for Space Science Technology (CSST) have announced a partnership to help drive regional economic growth by distributing Planet’s daily, global Earth observation data and analytics. CSST will act as the distribution hub and R&D partner for Planet in New Zealand, making sure a breadth of industries and government agencies get efficient access to Planet’s data and analytic products. Together, Planet and CSST will localise analytics from Planet and jointly develop new solutions to serve specific verticals, including agriculture, disaster management, defence and intelligence, forestry, and maritime. “CSST is an important partner for Planet as they understand the applications and use cases of daily global imagery, and can enable us to bring our products to New Zealand. They will be the frontline consultants for commercial businesses and government agencies at all levels who seek our imagery and analytics,” said Shankar Sivaprakasam, Vice President of APAC and Japan, at Planet. Planet’s global daily imagery and analytics will improve decision-making in key sectors of the New Zealand economy, including disaster preparedness and emergency management, agricultural monitoring, forestry and land use monitoring, water management, infrastructure monitoring, and intelligence gathering. “Earth observation data is becoming increasingly important in helping New Zealand address its biggest economic, environmental, and social challenges. The biggest advantage of Planet’s constellation is how frequently its satellites pass overhead, which is extremely important in the New Zealand context, particularly with disaster monitoring. For example, Planet imagery revealed close to 80,000 landslides in the wake of the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. Real-time disaster monitoring with Planet data will transform how governments and businesses target preparedness and relief efforts,” said Steve Cotter, CEO of CSST. Planet is an integrated aerospace and data analytics company that operates history’s largest […]

Industry calls for plan for waste management

Workers and consumers will be paying the price of reforms which drive up the cost of doing business if we don’t have a balanced debate on the management of the country’s waste stream, says Packaging New Zealand – one it says needs to be founded in fact, not just emotion. Packaging New Zealand’s Executive Director Sharon Humphreys says the industry’s current challenges lie in halting the hysteria whipped up over such issues as plastics bags, which presents a very real threat of being extended to packaging generally. “We can all find and exploit examples of poor packaging, but these should not be permitted to overshadow the industry’s strong track record of responding innovatively to customer demands and regulatory requirements, while meeting its waste management needs. “New packaging technologies and materials can be disruptive, evidenced by the impact of 3D printing technology or printing electronics directly onto packaging material. However, the focus on continuous improvement and efficiency gains provides for gradual advances which can be equally transformative in impact, such as the significant reduction in the amount of packaging material through ‘light weighting’ or re-design. Humphreys says the packaging industry will continue to react to the changing dynamics of trade, and the scale and speed of that change will be driven by factors which are largely outside its control. “In this context there has never been a more urgent need for a balanced debate, because right now facts and evidence are coming a poor second to emotive images such as pictures of divers swimming through society’s detritus, and sea-life consuming plastic bags. “Our organisation has long advocated for a broader discussion about the role of packaging alongside waste management and recycling, so it is encouraging to see that some commentators are also now seeing the merits of a more comprehensive approach […]

Ban on plastic bags another step towards a waste-free circular economy

The Sustainable Business Network welcomes the Government’s announcement today that single-use plastic bags will be phased out. It’s another positive step towards a circular economy for New Zealand. Rachel Brown, CEO of the Sustainable Business Network, says: “The environmental impact of plastic packaging, particularly single-use plastic bags, is now well-known. But what many people don’t realise is that there’s a massive economic cost involved too because of resource wastage. “The cost of packaging waste sits at around $80 billion globally and is rising as the costs of clean up are added. So the phasing out of single-use plastic bags is not only good for the environment, it’s good for the economy. The Sustainable Business Network (SBN) welcomes the New Zealand Plastic Packaging Declaration. This commits signatories to using 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging in their New Zealand operations by 2025 or earlier. However SBN advocates for greater collaborative and co-ordinated focus across business, government and the community. The Sustainable Business Network’s Circular Economy Accelerator (CEA) is leading work to shift New Zealand from a ‘take, make waste’ linear model to circular economy. This will be low carbon, waste free, and highly efficient. In a circular economy the lifecycles of materials are maximised. Their use is optimised. At the end of life all materials are reutilised. Legislation, such as phasing out single-use plastic bags, is an important way to make the circular economy a reality across the entire economy. James Griffin leads the Circular Economy Accelerator. He says: “To solve the plastics problem we need unprecedented co-operation and co-ordination across business, the community and Government. The CEA has started a process to identify issues across the plastic packaging system in New Zealand with support from Bluebird Foods, Coca-Cola Amatil (NZ), Countdown, Earthwise, ecostore, Freedom Farms, Lewis Road Creamery, My Food […]

Airport evening takes off

The chance to poke around an international airport is not to be missed so it was no surprise the full house sign went up in record time when the Maintenance Engineering Society (MESNZ) was invited to bring its Kaeser Compressors Network Evening Series to Auckland International Airport in July. Building on the 2016 visit where the attendees were treated to an up close and personal view of the push back preparations for an international flight, Kevin Ingle and his team extended this year’s tour through the baggage handling and service sections of the facility, providing an insight into the complexities of maintaining and constantly improving a facility that is a player on the world stage. With CAA clearance, the party of 50 plus were bussed in from the Maintenance Depot to the International Apron to view a world seldom seen by the general public. Receiving, processing, servicing and turning around a gigantic 500-ton A380 requires a symphony of separate actions and interactions as well as impeccable plant reliability. Even something as simple as an airbridge can have catastrophic effect if it malfunctions or fails to function. On the tarmac, a huge amount of effort goes into getting passengers, baggage and refreshments on board, communications established, pre-flight checks, etc. From here the group split up for a dual tour of the baggage loading hall and the impressive service area featuring the teams latest HVAC plant. The amount of effort that goes into making a passengers experience effortless is amazing. Kevin Ingle and his team are responsible for a 1500ha mini city that demands uninterrupted major infrastructures 24/7 including buildings, services, HVAC, wildlife, terminals and runways. Failure is unthinkable, and the demands are high. Yet the team are the most well balanced affable people you could meet and somehow you get the […]

Micro credentials welcome addition to industry training

The Industry Training Federation welcomes the announcement that micro credentials will be recognised as part of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. Industries have been looking for new and more flexible ways to recognise skill sets developed in response to changing technologies, employment structures and work requirements. “If anything is certain about the future of work it is that people will need to upgrade skills throughout their careers” says ITF Chief Executive Josh Williams. “Qualifications will remain important, but micro credentials will help people have their additional skills recognised and will be a more efficient way to recognise additional skills and specialities, especially those gained through the workplace.” “Industry is enthusiastic, and the industry training sector is looking forward to more flexible and efficient ways to develop workforce skills through micro credentials.” Mr Williams says.

NZ’s largest food manufacturing, technology and logistics Expo “Adding Value to NZ’s Food Chain”

More than 4,500 visiting industry professionals from both New Zealand and around the world will converge in Auckland to attend the sectors largest combined trade only industry event – Foodtech Packtech (FTPT) and the Materials Handling & Logistics Expo (MHL). Hosted at the ASB Showgrounds in September, this year’s event will be the largest show in decades – it’s certainly a must attend event for anyone in the food and beverage manufacturing and packaging or transport and logistics industries! Across the halls you will experience some 240+ exhibiting suppliers covering important capability issues – everything from food safety, processing and security technology through to industrial packaging and preservation solutions, and specialist product handling and logistics. Ngaio Diagnostics deliver the tools used to minimise any chance of microbial or allergen contamination. Their range offers simple, cost effective solutions suitable for companies of all sizes. In 2016, FTPT connected Ngaio to a major NZ company that was able to save them over 10% on their Gluten testing costs. Not only was Ngaio able to help with cost-effectiveness, but they were also able to implement a test with superior ease of use and accreditation, ultimately improving their entire food safety program. Integrated Packaging, a returning exhibitor in 2018, will tell you that “FTPT is the perfect platform to interact with groups of people from a variety of companies and be able to demonstrate first-hand what your company’s capabilities are”. At the 2016 show, Integrated Packing connected with a vast number of companies, saving one of them over $20,000 p.a. by improving their manufacturing processes. This year Integrated Packing will be showcasing a range of new solutions that are unique to this market. This will be of great appeal to companies including meat, poultry and small goods. With sustainability being such a hot topic, […]

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Internet of Manufacturing Trek, Chicago

– Kim Campbell, Chief Executive, EMA The trek, which took place in June, was organised in conjunction with Callaghan Innovation, who partly subsidised attendance, and the Manufacturers Network (TMN) of Christchurch. The anchor for the trek was the attendance at the Internet of Manufacturing Midwest Conference in downtown Chicago. Also trade visits were arranged to Haas (America’s largest machine tool manufacturer in California) and Trumpf Midwest based in Chicago. We also had a private seminar in Chicago and visited two business hubs, UI Laboratories and M Hub. The participants were a mixture of tech savvy New Zealand companies and one or two from Australia. Connected Manufacturing (IoM) 1. AI and robotics have been around for a very long time and, contrary to perceived wisdom, have been slow to be implemented and are not moving as fast as the protagonists of technology would like you to think. 2. The potential is large. Proprietary enabling technology available through Alexa, Siri, Watson, Microsoft Azure and others has brought the entry points to very affordable levels for certain kinds of data interrogation. Retro fitting older equipment and connectivity are now possibilities for all manufacturers. 3. Outstanding and unresolved issues affecting both very large companies (Caterpillar, GE, Boeing) are cyber security, legacy systems and industry standards; all problems for which no one has a ready answer and are definitely slowing implementation. Related but solvable problem is in systems latency. 4. Data is seen as the “new oil” and the stats are staggering. By 2020 there will be 50 billion connected devices in the supply chain eco system. By 2020 predictive maintenance will be the killer app across all equipment (Smart Grid, Smart Cities, Smart Networks). The supply chain optimisation through AI creates difficulties with vendor locking and creates tensions between proprietary and open systems. 5. […]

Chamber welcomes Small Business Council announcement

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce welcomed the announcement by Minister for Small Business Hon Stuart Nash of the appointment of the Small Business Council, says CEO Leeann Watson. “We are pleased to be involved with the Small Business Council. In today’s fast changing world where small business face increased complexity, digital disruption, a changing trade environment and increased costs and compliance, we are very keen to work with government to ensure that policy acts as an enabler for small business and supports strong outcomes for business and the wider community,” said Leeann Watson. Around 80 per cent of the members of The Chamber are SMEs, and recent statistics have shown 97 per cent of New Zealand businesses are SMEs. “The Chamber in Canterbury has been operating for 159 years, and we are keen to ensure that the existing networks of small business support with extensive track records in the sector are a key part of the discussions around opportunities to improve the performance of small business in New Zealand.” The Chamber is a not-for-profit membership-based service organisation that has he home and voice of business in the Canterbury region since 1859. Comprised of over 2900 members, The Chamber actively provides advisory and consultancy support in employment relations, human resources and health and safety, and training and development in many areas including employment relations. “One of The Chamber’s key focus areas is of course providing support to small business to help them do business better and we look forward to continuing our work with government to do that,” said Leeann Watson.

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