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Transformation delivers priorities

On 1 October, Engineering New Zealand celebrated their first birthday. However, the pedigree stretches back far more than a year: previously known as IPENZ, there is a proud 100-year history representing engineers. Several years ago, members were asked what they wanted from their professional body, and they said greater recognition, influence, credibility and connection. So, transformation took place to deliver these priorities. Recognition means appreciating the value that engineers bring. It’s not about fame or boosterism – it’s about our society genuinely recognising engineers for the work that they do and the genuine difference they make to everyone’s lives and to New Zealand. Credibility for Engineering New Zealand means doing the right thing, doing what you said you’d do, and doing the best job possible. For Engineering New Zealand credibility means standing up for quality, raising the bar for engineering professionals and making sure everyone is accountable. It also means having robust processes and systems, so that everyone knows where they stand. Connection means creating networks together to be more powerful – networks across industries, with like professions and between members. Networks fill in blind spots and help create movements for change. Influence means leverage: leverage to affect decision and policy in the areas engineers’ care about or think are important to New Zealand. This means not just central and local government but other spheres of decision making as well. As part of the new strategy, based on these four pillars, on 1 October 2017 there was the name change and a new, more inclusive Membership Pathway. This new pathway creates a professional home for engineers previously unrecognised by membership classes, including chief executives and other leaders who’ve stepped away from day-to-day technical work. It makes space for academics, and it genuinely recognises technicians and technologists, as well as engineering […]

Buteline/Ditron – an engineering excellence partnership

Ditron staff from left to right: Giovanni Diamante, Steve Graham, Dave Housley, Mark Clayton. Buteline is a household name in NZ and around the world, which develops and manufactures it’s innovative and acclaimed plumbing system used both in domestic and commercial building from its address in Highbrook. Buteline’s absolute commitment to excellence is evident by the outstanding durability that allows its products to be embedded inside building cavities around the world with confidence. What few people know is that standing alongside Buteline since 1980 is an equally diligent and successful company, Ditron Design & Engineering. Ditron is solely responsible for independently servicing all R&D, tool manufacture, tech support and product development, engineering and testing for the Buteline Group. By nature, Buteline polymer and metal fittings have to adhere to very precise tolerances and dimensions across multiple tools. Small variations in quality or consistency can have catastrophic consequences when the product is installed. As a result, the manufacturing processes behind the tools are critical and this is where skill and technology merge at Ditron. We asked Ditron’s Plastic Tooling engineer Mark Clayton, what are some of the real challenges faced? – Apparently most of the inserts are master/final impressions and these inserts have various sizes so being able to accurately model these in CADCAM has been essential. Tool quality and precision is always at the highest level. Ditron have used ZW3D CADCAM 4-5 axis software for five years to construct and model a CNC machine fixtures to accommodate all the variants in size and form. ZW3D is used to drive the primary machining centre, a Victor Taichung Vcenter – A72 with 4th axis. Mark is responsible for taking the IGES and STEP files sent to him for tool development and building the tools around them. Typical machining will cover materials such […]

Aurecon appoints CSIRO leader to manufacturing practice

Will bring advanced technical capability and strategic thought leadership to Aurecon’s manufacturing business. Global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Aurecon has appointed Dr Ingrid Appelqvist as its new Client Director for Manufacturing. The appointment of Dr Appelqvist, effective September 17, comes as Aurecon grows its manufacturing work in response to Australia’s and New Zealand’s growing importance as a food supplier to Asia. The Australian Trade Commission says that by 2050, 60 per cent of the global demand for food will come from Asia. Dr Appelqvist is a distinguished food scientist with a strong track record as a leader. She joins Aurecon from CSIRO, where she led the Food Structure group at the Agriculture and Food Business Unit – a position that saw her working on healthier foods that retain palatability and nutrition-uptake in the body. Her expertise in food design includes advanced food manufacturing processes and technologies, an expertise she will facilitate for Aurecon’s agri-food clients. Dr Alex Wonhas, Managing Director – Energy, Resources and Manufacturing at Aurecon, said the hiring of Dr Appelqvist will bring advanced technical capability and strategic thought-leadership to Aurecon’s manufacturing business at a time when Australia’s and New Zealand’s agri-business industries are gearing up for growth. “There is growing demand for high-quality and innovative food products from Asian markets. The ANZ agri-food-dairy industry has an opportunity to capture the most lucrative segments of these value-chains,” said Dr Wonhas. “Dr Appelqvist will help our clients implement leading-edge technologies and processes to give them an advantage in these growth markets.” Dr Wonhas said advanced manufacturing techniques – underpinned by new innovative process technologies, sensors, automation and machine learning – could enable higher quality and higher margin products. Aurecon’s food manufacturing practice takes a supply-chain view of the industry and focuses on quality of the product, food safety […]

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Good tax policy reflects business voice, enhances innovation

New research and development tax incentives announced by the Government earlier this morning are an encouraging start to help lift productivity for business in New Zealand, says the EMA. New Zealand’s research and development (R&D) investment levels are about half of the OECD average, with investment in innovation and new technology identified as a key driver of increased productivity. New Zealand also lags OECD equivalents in its productivity from the work force. EMA chief executive Kim Campbell says the new scheme also reflects a partnership approach between Government and business, with the original proposals being significantly modified to reflect feedback from the business community. “Business has been listened to in regard to the help it needs to innovate, resulting in good public policy on tax incentives, says Mr Campbell. The new R&D tax incentive scheme proposed to be introduced on April 1 next year matches the EMA’s submission on behalf of its 8500 members with a lift in the incentive and lowering of the expenditure threshold. We are especially pleased with these aspects of the coming R&D Tax Incentive legislation: – A credit rate of 15 per cent, up from the earlier proposed 12.5 per cent; – A minimum R&D expenditure threshold of $50,000 per year; – A more user-friendly definition of R&D that ensures the credit can be accessed more easily across all sectors, including the technology sector; – Small business in particular will know in advance of conducting R&D that their application for the tax incentive has been approved, rather than waiting on the outcome of their tax claims at the end of the year. Mr Campbell says, “These key aspects of the scheme are close to what we believe will encourage more R&D in New Zealand firms. “As a country we suffer on the global stage from […]

Government has listened to small business about innovation

Government has listened to the views of smaller businesses in designing its research and development tax credit scheme, says BusinessNZ. Chief Executive Kirk Hope says for many smaller businesses, the problem with a tax credit scheme was that without sufficient expenditure on R&D there would be no way to claim back a tax credit. “The Government has listened, and halved the amount of R&D investment required from $100,000 to $50,000. This will place the incentive in the reach of many more smaller businesses. “Raising the credit itself from 12.5 percent to 15 percent also makes the policy more attractive to more businesses. Along with a broader definition of research and development, these improvements should increase New Zealand’s rate of investment in innovation. “Businesses surveyed in today’s Mood of the Boardroom survey also showed support for the Callaghan Innovation grants-based system of innovation support, so it is positive to see that both forms of assistance will be available. “The mission to raise New Zealand business’ investment in innovation is a critical one, as it is only through innovation that businesses and therefore the economy can grow.”

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Ministers to meet world energy leaders at premier Wellington event

Government Ministers and energy sector leaders from around the Asia Pacific will meet at a Summit in Wellington later this month. The BusinessNZ Energy Council (BEC) and World Energy Council (WEC) will host their second Asia Pacific Energy Leaders’ Summit from October 31 to November 1 at the Museum of New Zealand, Te Papa. New Zealand Minister of Energy and Innovation the Hon Megan Woods and Minister of Climate Change the Hon James Shaw (pictured) will host a Gala Lunch and Networking Event to discuss the economic transition faced by countries that are moving to decarbonise their economies. The event will also feature Prime Minister of the Cook Islands the Hon Henry Puna. The New Zealand Government is attracting international attention for its ambitious climate change goals, says WEC Secretary-General Dr Christoph Frei. The targets – 100pc renewable electricity, in a normal hydrological year, by 2035 and a net zero emissions economy by 2050 – commit New Zealand to a long-term transition away from fossil fuels and towards renewable energy. “Climate change is a global issue, and one that necessitates leadership and collaboration between countries if action is to be effective,” Dr Frei says. “The Summit is an opportunity to showcase our respective country capabilities in the provision of renewable energy and to demonstrate leadership on climate change action.” The programme features international speakers from Amazon, Bloomberg New Energy Finance, Daikin, Uber and innovators from Silicon Valley. They will share insights on how to accelerate innovation, design new customer-centric business models at a time of rapid change, and create the future rather than predicting it. “The 3D vision – New Energy Perspectives Summit is a must-attend event for those who want to be better equipped to understand and deal with the changing energy landscape,” says BEC Chair David Caygill. “The […]

Manufacture like a boss

Every part manufactured has a story – the story of how something is made, how much something costs, how much something can be sold for, and if you make it again. A good manufacturing story will be filled with precise detail, perfect accuracy, and guide your future based on a truthful history. And this means your customers will want more. Why? The answer is simple – if you are manufacturing like a boss it means you: Master the four key transactions: Purchasing Receipts, Issuing Material, WIP to FG, Shipping/Invoicing. Know your costs (freight, labour, outside services, overhead, other, material) with accurate precision. Price your parts competitively and profitably. Quote your jobs correctly with speed and accuracy. Reduce your risk by knowing and not guessing. When you are doing the above you are making parts faster, making parts better, watching it all in real time, and knowing exactly what everything costs – otherwise known as “manufacturing like a boss”. Prepare to win Manufacturing can be won or lost in how prepared your company is, not just a person. Employees must be well trained to accurately capture data. Garbage in, garbage out. Employees must hold each other accountable. If you see something, say something. Employees must understand daily processes and how each action impacts costing. If you do not know, ask first. Accurate bills and routers When a work order is generated to drive how much and how long it will take to make the parts, the accuracy of the bill of materials and routers impacts runtime, setup, lead times, and quantities. If the lead time is incorrect, it will tell purchasing to order material at the wrong times, leading to overstock of product or expedited fees to get product in. Realistic due dates If the due date on a work order […]

‘ED’ the Chatbot Joins the DunedinNZ Team

DunedinNZ.com has welcomed ‘ED’ the chatbot as the newest member of its customer service team, the first destination marketing organisation in New Zealand to adopt this form of Artificial Intelligence technology. ED will act as an extension of the iSITE visitor centre by assisting website visitors with questions, serving the most relevant information and helping visitors plan their visit. John Christie Director Enterprise Dunedin said the project was another step towards enhancing the user experience and providing a comprehensive and intuitive customer service in the growing online marketplace. “A good experience during online travel research is a golden opportunity to convert ‘dreamers’ and ‘planners’ into visitors to our city. With ED, we wanted to evoke the welcoming spirit and helpful nature of Dunedin’s people, which is a key part of our identity. “The process of finding the right ‘on brand’ persona for ED posed some interesting challenges for the marketing team, but we are really pleased with the result,” he said. Developed by international web technology company Squiz, ED runs on existing DCC web platform, powered by Google’s machine learning and natural language processing. “We know that a percentage of intending visitors prefer to source information using a virtual customer assistant (VCA), and this will grow as VCAs such as chatbots become more common and people get familiar with using them,” Squiz NZ Managing Director Patrick FitzGerald said. “By adopting this emerging technology early, Enterprise Dunedin and Dunedin City Council will gain learnings relevant to further improving customer experience for visitors as well as residents, and to applying Artificial Intelligence more broadly in council services online” Research firm Gartner recently predicted that 25% of customer service and support operations will integrate virtual customer assistant (VCA) or chatbot technology across engagement channels by 2020.

Kongsberg unlocks a world of profit

Installing a Kongsberg XN24 cutting table, from Fuji Xerox, has helped Auckland’s I Print On Demand understand how much more it can achieve. Pete Mills, managing director at I Print On Demand, says, “The Kongsberg table has us thinking about making a profit from printing in a whole different way. This makes all of our other printing equipment relevant. It’s that old saying: ‘The job is not over until it is finished.’” The company performs a large amount of work for other printers. He says, “We don’t advertise but about 80 per cent of our work is trade printing. We are not in the mass market. We work in the area where people need smaller runs and more on demand jobs; often jobs that other companies can’t do or don’t have the time or equipment.” “The Kongsberg table unlocks the world of wide format and short run finishing. We can do a run of 10 boxes and make a profit. It’s about tying all of your machines into a cohesive print operation and getting the sales. You have to work out the best way to employ the equipment you have for each job; how you can make it work best. “If you get the right equipment, you can do the work you need to do to make a decent profit. It is impossible to do these jobs without a cutting table. A lot of printers get asked to jobs they can’t do; we can do those jobs and we complete a huge variety of work and, with the Kongsberg, we haven’t found anything we can’t do yet. It cuts a range of material, textiles, ACM, corflute; you name it.” New applications The Kongsberg cutting table has unlocked new applications for I Print On Demand. Mills says, “We have been […]

Skills Shift – Research and Pilot Programme

-Dieter Adam, Chief Executive, The Manufacturers Network Skill shortages continue to be one of the top problems facing manufacturing businesses, holding them back from growing and reaching their potential. Not only this, but with changing and increasingly accessible digital technologies such as automation, AI and networked manufacturing, the skills required in manufacturing are likely to change into the future – this is the Skills Shift. While the topic of changing skills needs has been widely discussed, we do not yet have any concrete answers as to what it may mean for our sector and how we can best make sure training institutions can effectively respond and we make the necessary changes to our own practices. The Skills Shift represents a challenge for all sectors of New Zealand and all parts of our economy and society – how can people obtain the skills they need to succeed and get or keep well-paying, productive jobs? How can people gain both the soft and specialist technical skills that set them up to adapt to any change? How can companies, education providers and Government work together create a system where these skills challenges are address? And, in particular, how can employers and employees work together to train and up-skill while remaining employed, and with minimal impact on productive time? To answer these questions, The Manufacturers’ Network has put together a pilot programme and associated research projects focused on the Skills Shift in manufacturing. This programme has been endorsed by the Future of Work Tripartite Forum, and we will seek funding support to undertake the work. What we want to do is provide quality research into the Skills Shift in New Zealand so that manufacturers and tertiary and training providers understand what the Skills Shifts will look like and mean for them, and what measures […]

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