Covid-19

More sustainable and productive steel turning with new carbide inserts

A recent survey by OpenText found that 92% of manufacturers consider corporate social responsibility (CSR) to be important for their overall reputation in the markets. Even though steel turning is, by nature, a waste producing process, it is possible for manufacturers to improve their sustainability without compromising process security — even against the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. Here is a different approach to steel turning. According to the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development set out by the United Nations (UN), manufacturers are expected to minimise their environmental impact while going further than just optimising energy use. Although CSR is important to companies,manufacturers waste between 10% to 30% of material in their machining processes, with a typical machining efficiency of below 50%, which includes at the design, planning and cutting phases. So, what can manufacturers do? The UN’s goals recommend two main avenues that take into account such factors as a growing population, finite resources and the linear economy. The first is to address these challenges with technology. Industry 4.0 concepts — like cyber physical systems, big data or the Internet of Things (IoT) — are frequently cited as being the way forward for manufacturers seeking to reduce waste. Yet, this does not allow for the fact that most manufacturers are yet to apply modern machines with digital capabilities to their steel turning operations. Most manufacturers are aware of how important the choice of insert grade is for making steel turning more efficient and productive; and how this affects overall performance and tool life. However, many are missing a trick by not considering the whole tooling concept; everything from advanced inserts, tool-holders and easy-to-adopt digital solutions. Each of these factors can help to make steel turning more sustainable by reducing energy consumption and minimising waste. Reduced cutting speeds Manufacturers face […]

Q&A: David Moore, Managing Director of Grayson Engineering

HERA member Grayson Engineering is a recognised market leader with over 50 years in the steel fabrication industry. From large-scale stadiums to sculptures, bridges, towers, industrial sheds and everything in between, the organisation has completed a wide range of projects while continually investing in CNC equipment and technology. HERA spoke to Managing Director, David Moore (left), about the future of steel, the impact of Industry 4.0 and some of the challenges and opportunities the company is facing. How are you finding current business conditions? We are busy. We’ve got a lot of work locked in for this year and next year, but, like everyone in the industry, the price of steel is increasing and ongoing global supply chain issues are proving challenging. While there is a lot of construction activity, one of our biggest challenges now is ensuring we get what we need as every service provider, from steel merchants to paint suppliers, is having their own supply impasses. We’re optimistic that it won’t get worse, but realistically these pressures are here for a while yet. If you asked me before the war in the Ukraine, things were starting to stabilise, but now we are seeing prices on the move again. How much has your company been impacted by the pandemic? If we have an outbreak in our office-based team, they can work from home if they’re well enough. Our team can’t do what they do in the workshop at home – and just about everybody in our workshop caught COVID-19. It hit our business hard, particularly as the level of assistance from the Government was really limited to the wage subsidy. As other businesses know, there are fixed overheads that must be paid even when no revenue comes in during lockdowns. It will probably take two or three years […]

Getting back on track

It is very good news that the country is now in Orange and flexibility around people gathering allows business to breathe a sigh of relief. We can only go up from here! As a nation – as a business nation – we have been wrapped up in Covid cotton wool for so long that many businesses closed and others will not get back to previous levels of performance. And of course, we don’t have enough skilled people for the work at hand at present and the continual threat of OE and crossing the ditch for better financial reward means it will be years before New Zealand can get back on a firm financial footing. Into the black…if at all. Keeping all the balls in the air is a challenge for this small economy, with so much demand on government finances to maintain existing systems. Closing down the country during Covid may have worked for health and safety but certainly not for business. One could argue that an amount of money needs to be spent on skilled workers, both internal and from overseas, (some will come back) to help realign the economy. Decent rates of pay so that effort is rewarded and a real incentive for improving productivity and efficiency. Keeping in mind, of course, that supply chain issues affect movement of goods, affect productivity, just as it does the current demand for New Zealand products. Changing markets, changing times. This government is going to have to live with their decision to halt the good work of so many businesses for the rest of their lives. It will haunt them to know that those who had, suddenly, had not. To arbitrarily decide who trades and who doesn’t – not based on their own personal business experience – was always going to […]

Foster productivity growth for a strong recovery and better living standards

Strong government support to protect jobs and incomes in the face of the pandemic helped New Zealand recover rapidly from the severe Covid-19-induced downturn, but challenges remain to set the economy on a sustainable growth path, according to a new OECD report. The unemployment rate fell to its lowest level since 2007 while the employment rate rose to its highest level on record in the third quarter of 2021. However, inflation and house prices have picked up significantly and both household and government debt have increased. The latest OECD Economic Survey of New Zealand recommends that fiscal policy be adjusted in the near term to help stabilise the economy. Boosting productivity, particularly by making better use of digital technologies, would support further increases in living standards. Economic growth is expected to slow as capacity constraints bite and macroeconomic policies are tightened. Consumption growth is also expected to ease to a more sustainable pace as employment growth slows. After surging to 4.7% in 2021, New Zealand’s GDP is expected to rise by 3.8% this year before easing to 2.5% growth in 2023. “The near-term economic outlook is positive. The New Zealand economy has recovered strongly from the pandemic. The need for policy action is pressing in a number of areas to make economic growth sustainable. For instance, helping the digital sector to grow would help boost labour productivity.” OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann said, presenting the Survey alongside Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson and Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications David Clark. “Linking pension eligibility to life expectancy and adopting long-term debt-to-GDP targets would help address the projected increase in government debt.” With affordability for first homebuyers at low levels and a buoyant housing market, it is important for the government to complete reforms to increase housing supply and […]

Advanced NZ-made filter media kills coronavirus

A New Zealand company has developed and launched an innovative filter media for face masks and air filtration systems that kills bacteria and viruses, including the Human coronavirus 229E. Auckland based NanoLayr, a deep tech manufacturer specialising in nanofibre production at scale, has added manuka oil to its patented nanofibre filter product FilterLayr, to create a N95 rated filter media. The properties of the manuka as well as the high surface area of the nanofibres, means that FilterLayr is one of the most effective filter media in the market. NanoLayr testing has shown FilterLayr with manuka infused nanofibres kills >99% of bacteria as well as bacteriophage. Independent testing has also shown FilterLayr to be effective in killing/inhibiting the Covid-19 surrogate virus, Human coronavirus 229E and further testing on similar viruses such as Covid-19 is underway. NanoLayr CEO Ray Connor says the development is a breakthrough in the fight against future pandemics, as FilterLayr can be produced at large scale to help meet global demand for face masks. “The pandemic has highlighted the importance of providing effective protection for workers on the front line and the large numbers of people who wear masks daily. The beauty of this product is that it provides highly effective protection against infectious bacteria, viruses and airborne particles,” he says. NanoLayr is the first manufacturer to use manuka oil as a microbial agent in air filtration applications. The bioactive manuka oil is contained within a nanofibre fabric that stops viruses and bacteria from passing through it, meaning any bacteria or virus trapped in the nanofibre fabric are deactivated and killed. This delivers a far superior result to filters coated with bactericidal actives, where the active coatings can wear off and risk entering the users body. Connor says the bioactive nanofibre filters can be used in facemasks […]

Reconnecting plan positive but parts need to be turbo-charged

The EMA says the plan for reconnecting New Zealand to the world will be a relief to those in the business community needing to travel but pressing issues remain with the current system. Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says increasing access to vaccinations and ramping up the pace of the rollout makes complete sense and believes many EMA members will take the opportunity to vaccinate early. “Given the feedback we’ve had from our two Vaccinations in the Workplace webinars, people are ready and waiting for their call up to get it, so it is great news that everyone will be eligible sooner.” “Our members will also be pleased to see the self-isolation pilot and new testing and vaccine checking systems at the border, but we think that to really reconnect with the work this should be prioritised further.” Mr O’Riley says he has no doubt some of the EMA’s 7,400 member businesses will put their hands up to be part of the trial and looks forward to working with the Government to prioritise these. He cautions that while the pilot and the new risk-based border pathway would potentially ease some of the issues with MIQ, the booking system and capacity issues still need to be urgently addressed. “Lack of access to MIQ spots is hamstringing a number of businesses who need to either bring in critical staff or get their teams overseas and back. Most importantly the connection between people in New Zealand with their families globally and the ability of expatriate Kiwis to return and participate in the economy must be prioritised.” This does not do away with the need for other initiatives such as the overstayer amnesty, which as well as increasing the available workforce will also remove a significant case load from Immigration New Zealand, enabling it to […]

Northland students embrace online learning

Launch of Kiwi Can Online proves vital to Covid19 response In the world of grownups engagement is critical to getting the most out of people. It provides organisations with understanding around what they can do to support workers in their mahi. It ensures consistency of effort and job satisfaction among other outcomes. As it turns out, reality isn’t too different in the world of our tamariki. When Covid19 sent schools into lockdown, keeping students motivated and their learning morale high much resembled the challenges workplaces faced. Remote learning required whānau, educators, community organisations and businesses to step up. Enter Kiwi Can Online, which the Graeme Dingle Foundation launched in 2017 with support from Moana New Zealand. Kiwi Can’s preferred delivery method of kanohi ki te kanohi (face to face) isn’t always feasible in schools located in more remote areas. The online learning portal was created to meet the needs of these tamariki. It now helps 961 students across 11 Northland schools and many more around Aotearoa. Kiwi Can promotes life skills, values and learning programmes which are about respect, resilience and fun. Tracy Walker, Graeme Dingle Foundation Regional Manager – Far North, says during lockdown focus shifted quickly to online delivery. “We rolled out weekly activity sheets and filmed video lessons around the theme of resilience, then sent these out to schools to include in online classroom platforms. Taipa Area School loved having online Zoom lessons during level two when we were unable to run Kiwi Can in person.” The success of Kiwi Can Online has led to innovation in how the Foundation’s programmes are delivered not only in schools but also within local communities to a wider range of age groups. One example is Stars, targeted at students aged between 13-18. Recent reports from the Education Review Office showed […]

D&H Steel – manufacturing in the construction game

-by Lisa van Beurden D&H Steel Construction is an Auckland-based structural steel contractor with its fingerprints over many of the largest structural steel projects nationwide. For almost 50 years it has led innovation in the steel industry, from being an early adopter of welded beams and on-the-ground erection techniques to, more recently, driving quality management systems in fabrication. The company straddles manufacturing and construction. “While we are a structural steel fabricator for the building industry, we consider ourselves a manufacturing operation as 70 percent of our work is undertaken in our workshop facilities,” says D&H Steel managing director Wayne Carson. Looking ahead at the next 12 months, D&H Steel has a very strong order book, of which some is a function of pent-up demand spilling over from COVID-related lockdowns and slowdowns, says Carson. Beyond that Carson says that there is less certainty but COVID and other market influences have led industry players to focus more on financial sustainability. “The industry is giving greater consideration to risk and making firmer decisions,” says Carson. “We have a more robust market as a result.” COVID has had other impacts. For the last few months, D&H Steel has been very disrupted by the effects of COVID, more than expected, especially around the shipping and supply of product, says Carson. As a result, the company has had to take a more conservative approach to procurement processes. “Just-in-time procurement has been shown to be very high risk across all industries so we’re having to carry higher stock levels, and having to allow for longer lead times to procure job-specific materials. “It means we need to get started on projects earlier than previously, which, in turn, means an earlier commitment from clients to get the procurement process underway.” D&H Steel has retail customers that are accelerating new […]

Waste: The Enemy of World Class

-Ian Walsh, Managing Director, Intent Group Limited Most practitioners of continuous improvement and “lean” thinking will explain the approach to world class as making value flow by eliminating waste and continuously improving processes, practices and systems to support this value. Over the last few months, we’ve been made aware of the impending crisis in the horticultural sector – a crushing volume of produce languishing on the vine (or branch) due to a shortage of pickers. Can you imagine putting all your energy, labour, fertiliser, sprays, pruning and thinning practices over a whole year and then watching helplessly as some, or even worse, most of your crop ending up as just worm food? What an incredible waste, and yet this is what the industry has faced. Clearly, this was not the intention of the orchardists; had they known this would be the case, they would have managed their orchards to reduce the costs, efforts and waste. The problem stemmed from the lack of available labour to pick the crop. When we went into Covid lockdown last year the harvest was nearing or had reached completion. The emerging problem of lack of labour, due to border restrictions on Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers, was highlighted and well documented. Yet in a period of nearly 12 months we were unable to put a process in place to avoid this waste. The assumption appeared to be that there would be enough labour freed up from other sectors to fill the gap. With the unemployment rate climbing, mostly through cuts in the tourism and hospitality industries, surely there would be enough people crying out for any employment opportunity they could get? The reality is this was not the case. Firstly, you’d have to be willing and able to pick fruit. Our nation’s experience over […]

Is NZ’s Covid response world class?

By Ian Walsh, Managing Director, Intent Group Limited The re-emergence of Covid-19 in our community has got me thinking, as I am sure it has many of you. Of course, our normal reaction is to leap to solutions to ‘solve’ or eliminate the problem we’re facing, including measures such as shutting the borders, denying travel and so on. Upon reflection, I’m certain we are thinking the wrong way about how we manage returning New Zealanders. Is it our objective to fill the available managed isolation capacity to maximise the number of people per capita returning? If so, we’re probably succeeding. Great! We’re truly world class. But, if our objective is to ensure that everyone who leaves managed isolation is COVID free, then we’re not so successful. There is a significant difference between a world class mindset and the ‘also-rans’. A world class company identifies its core objective and aligns all systems and processes to achieve this objective. Inputs, variables and outputs are measured and anything impacting the goal is eliminated. All leading indicators of failure are addressed. A great example which springs to mind is Alcoa. Paul O’Neil changed the focus of the organisation from output, to safety, with a goal of zero incidents. He was relentless in leading this approach and transforming the organisation, and achieved outstanding safety improvements and exceptional business outcomes, as a result. This leadership lesson is inspirational. I had the privilege of visiting Alcoa’s centre of excellence in Davenport, Iowa, a few years ago, and their culture of safety clearly underpinned everything. It still does. We can think of managed isolation as a processing facility very similar to a manufacturing or processing plant. The goal is not to maximise capacity, but to deliver quality (by being COVID free). If you were producing food, let’s say […]

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