Developments

  Collaboration within industry is a key way for New Zealand’s manufacturers to successfully compete in a global market. And this was the motivation for a Lean Learning Hub which saw nearly 50 people from 21 companies including DB, Griffins and Fonterra, gather together last month to swap and share experiences. The hub was hosted by Tru-Test Group, the world’s leading manufacturer of livestock scales, milk metering and electric fence equipment, and Competenz, the Industry Training Organisation (ITO) for the Engineering, Manufacturing and Food & Beverage Manufacturing sectors. Back in 2006, Tru-Test Group embarked on a massive journey – removing the waste in its operations so it could continue to manufacture in New Zealand and compete with Chinese-made goods. And now five years on, the company is passing on the message that we can be lean and we can compete internationally. “To us, lean isn’t a project you start and finish,” says Jason Kiteley, Group Operations Manager at Tru-Test Group. “Our initial sole driver was survival. But after a period of time we saw that the real results were culture driven.” To guide their lean journey, the Tru-Test Group followed TRACC, a continuous improvement programme. In 2010 Competenz joined the party – offering staff the chance to achieve the National Certificate in Competitive Manufacturing. Now, after an average of 60 hours training per person, 122 staff have graduated. And the positive results of their training are clear to see, both in the attitudes of the staff and the physical manufacturing environment. A large expanse of empty floor space lies in the Tru-Test Group factory, after lean initiatives saw efficiencies in overall operation and inventory reduce by 50%. “We’re ready to support the company’s ongoing growth, both organically and associated with acquisition” says Jason. “We’ve increased our efficiency significantly, saving tens […]

  Thanks to FeatureCAM feature-based CAM system, Jeremy Cupp, owner of LC Fabrications, is able to combine his two passions – motorcycles and machining = into a successful business. The software makes it quicker and easier to experiment with novel designs, and gives high-quality parts. LC Fabrication was born in the corner of a machine shop.. Inspired by the craftsmanship of an era gone by, Mr. Cupp founded his business to keep his passion alive for motorcycles and machines. The company specialises in parts for Sportsters and modern Triumphs but also has the ability to undertake machining projects and custom fabrication work. Originally, all of the components were produced in the old-fashioned way, using manual machining, belt sanders, grinders and similar equipment. Despite some early successes, Mr. Cupp regularly found himself thinking “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could do this?” or “Something like that would be really nice.” The change came after he attended a free training course on FeatureCAM at the nearby Blue Ridge Community College. “I went over, took the course and realised it was definitely a good investment,” he remembered. “The big advantage of FeatureCAM is that now I can come up with a concept in my head and get an idea of what it will look like on the screen. Before, I could spend a half a day making the part and then decide I didn’t like it and throw it in the trash can. I’ve been riding motorcycles and fabricating all my life, and I just like to try things and see if they work. The software saves a lot of expense that way,” he said. “FeatureCAM has also drastically reduced the time it takes me to make a part,” he added. “I can go from a concept to a finished part in one […]

  An inspirational presentation from Professor Goran Roos, an expert on mid-size manufacturing excellence in Auckland recently focussed on how and why mid-sized manufacturers across Europe are so successful – despite the fact that they are not manufacturing in a low cost environment. Professor Roos says part of the reason that Australian manufacturers are finding the going so tough, is that they are still operating like they are in a low cost manufacturing country. That may have been true once, but it has obviously changed and unless manufacturers also change their mind-set, they will go out of business. These lessons from Europe are equally applicable to New Zealand. In a nutshell the European mid-size manufacturer is very successful and profitable because they focus at the high value, high quality end of the spectrum, they are also highly specialised on a niche market which they aim to dominate globally. They do this with a single minded focus on innovation and investment in R&D to keep ahead of the competition and their whole purpose is to serve their customer better than anyone else. They take the view that they can manufacture in their high cost environment because the advantages of having their R&D and innovation close to their manufacturing capability outweigh any advantages they would get by outsourcing to a lower cost manufacturing country. Because they have the attitude that they can manufacture, they have a very rich manufacturing eco-system to call on. They also have a very high level of management skills. One of his simple messages was that in a high cost manufacturing country you need to innovate, in a low cost country you compete on price. A competitive advantage we have in New Zealand if we chose to use it  is the ability to think laterally or ‘outside the […]

  Thirty-one top engineering students have been awarded Kick Start Scholarships from The University of Auckland. The scholarships, worth $2000 each, are awarded to outstanding first-year students studying at the Faculty of Engineering. Faculty of Engineering Dean Professor Michael Davies says the scholarships, awarded to students of academic excellence, are designed to help first-year engineering students get established. “The scholarships were set up to help alleviate some of the financial pressure for the students, in particular to help them pay for their textbooks, fees and accommodation costs.” There are four types of Kick Start scholarships: Affirmative Action, City of Sails, Edward Connelly, and Merit. Four students received Kick Start Affirmative Action scholarships this year. These scholarships are open to top academic students of Maori or Pacific Island heritage. The scholarships are awarded based on an applicant’s academic merit, personality and drive to make a difference. Ten students were awarded Kick Start City of Sails scholarships. To be eligible students have to be from outside the Auckland metropolitan area. The scholarships are awarded to students who have demonstrated academic excellence in their final year of study and outstanding all-round ability. Nine Edward Connelly Kick Start scholarships were awarded this year. These are given to students who demonstrate academic merit and all-round ability. The scholarships were established in memory of the late Edward Connelly, a former Faculty of Engineering employee, who made a significant bequest of his estate to the Faculty. Edward began his career as a janitor and moved his way up to store steward. Eight students received Kick Start Merit scholarships. These scholarships are awarded to the top scholarship applicants based on academic marks achieved in the final year of secondary school and their personal achievements.  Kick Start Scholarship winners: Affirmative Action: Emma McMillan, Wanganui High School; Ariah-Bella Peters, Kaitaia […]

Picture: The Centre for Entrepreneurship team at Otago University (left to right): Professor Brendan Gray, Dr Jodyanne Kirkwood, Mrs Ruth Matika and Dr Victoria Jameson. What do you get when you blend 30 years of engineering experience and a University of Otago Master of Entrepreneurship degree? In the case of Pat Maguire you successfully develop and commercialise a novel way of carrying luggage on mountain bikes. Pat Maguire is the founder of Freeload, a Dunedin- based design company, which has sold thousands of radically new bike carriers around the globe since the company was launched in 2009. Pat first got the idea for a new type of carrier when visiting the world’s largest bicycle trade show, Eurobike, in 2006. He realised that the new types of bicycle required a completely new style of load carrier to the traditional bent wire models which had not changed markedly in a hundred years. What was needed was a versatile rack that would adjust and attach to the 150mm clear sections on the front forks and rear stays. Because every fork and stay is so different in size, shape and angle, the challenge was to develop a universal attachment that would allow strong friction-grip fastening directly to painted tubular surfaces. The result is a patented quick release bracket that tensions webbing strap neatly and without marking the bike, but provides a universal attachment point that can receive a carrier to the front or rear of all bikes regardless of shape or size. Pat says he would not have been able to commercialise his idea if it were not for the business skills that he gained while doing a Master of Entrepreneurship degree at Otago University in 2004. “This enabled me to leverage my engineering and design skills to successfully commercialise an innovative technical solution”, […]

  A company that’s not putting at least 10 percent of sales revenue back into product development can’t possibly keep pace with technology. You want to buy software from a supplier thatÕs serious about having great products today and tomorrow. Good software suppliers update their software frequently, making new features and bug fixes available to resellers and customers. Software is one of the few industries where you can upgrade your product to the newest, hottest version for a fraction of the full price. Imagine being able to go to a car dealership and have all the features of this year’s model added to your existing car! With most products you have to buy an entirely new model or do without. A good software publisher will provide frequent upgrades at reasonable prices. Before you make a purchase, find out if your software publisher has a maintenance program in place that gives you access to frequent updates. For a reasonable price, usually about 15 to 20 percent of the purchase cost, you should be able to get an annual maintenance contract that provides a continuous stream of product updates and improvements. This demonstrates that the developer has an ongoing commitment to the product and to your satisfaction. If you’re not sure how well a system will accommodate your company’s needs as you grow, here are some key questions to help you find out. What are the maximum number of customers, vendors, BOMs, or inventory items that are allowed? What is the maximum number of users that can be working with a particular application at the same time? Can the software be customised to meet the changing needs of a growing company? Your system must be able to extract relevant information easily. A system using database files provides virtually unlimited reporting capabilities. Ask for samples of […]

Completing a high-level qualification while working fulltime requires a lot of dedication, yet every year several thousand employees in industry achieve highly with little public fanfare. Companies supporting their employees through on-job training are equally dedicated, investing in lifting transferable skill levels throughout New Zealand industry. To recognise the efforts of learners and employers, industry training organisation Competenz has published and distributed a ‘Roll of Honour’ handbook. The handbook celebrates all graduates who completed Level 4 or higher qualifications in 2011 within the engineering, baking, and food and beverage manufacturing sectors that Competenz works with. A total of 846 graduates from 536 companies nationwide feature in the Roll of Honour. Graduates completed their national certificates in disciplines ranging from mechanical engineering, locksmithing, baking and fire protection apprenticeships, to competitive manufacturing, business first line management, quality management, rail operations and maritime qualifications. “All of our graduates can be very proud of their achievements, knowing their skills will stand them in great stead for their career development,Ó says Competenz acting chief executive, Fiona Kingsford. “Achieving a high-level, industry-based qualification requires just as much focus as anything youÕd study at university or polytechnic, with the added challenge of juggling work priorities.” It’s a small way of recognising the time and effort learners put into completing their training, and the role of employers providing employees support throughout their on-job and off-job learning. “Companies also deserve to be recognised for their commitment to invest in training a more highly skilled workforce with transferable skills benefits both the company and our country’s economic future.” It’s a positive step toward meeting the skill gaps companies identified in research Competenz conducted last year on this issue. But according to the research, a further 3,600 skilled manufacturing workers will be needed by companies within these sectors by 2013. “The […]

Since their introduction quite a few years ago, it has become hard to imagine industry without robots. Their strengths – power, quickness and stamina. Their limitation – they can only flex their muscles in separate cells for safety reasons in most cases. The future – an increasing number of safety barriers will fall. The reason is that modern technology is providing such a high degree of safety that people and robots can work hand in hand. The development of “safe robots” enables a space-saving cell concept without rigid barriers on one hand. On the other hand, it opens the door to new applications involving people and robots, for example, in installation, medical technology and the service sector. Various colleges and institutes have worked out basic principles for this over the years, which link sensor technology with control and process control engineering as well as mechanics and consequently create new automation possibilities. The way into industrial practice is also being smoothed by the norm ISO 10218-1 with respect to the safety aspects of man-robot cooperation (also referred to as human-machine collaboration). This ISO contains safety requirements for industrial robots, so that people and robots can work together in a defined work area without spatial separation using safety barriers or light grids. The Fraunhofer Institute for Production Technology and Automation (IPA) in Stuttgart provides most of the active research dealing with the safety aspects of man-robot cooperation. Martin HŠgele, Department Head of Robot Systems, believes that enormous potential has become available with the standard: “Man-robot cooperation makes it possible to combine the strengths of people and robots and consequently to automate processes, which were previously not economically feasible. ‘People have high cognitive skills, are creative and can adapt quickly to complex situations. On the other hand, robots have untiring repetitive accuracy, even […]

The incoming Women In Engineering President for 2012 Lilly Sanderson is brimming over with enthusiasm. Read on… Women In Engineering (WIE) is an Incorporated Society of the University of Canterbury aimed at raising the profile of female engineers and providing members with support through education and social events throughout the academic year. Each year the club has a student and staff base of around 200 members, including females and males, with the potential to grow in size and in popularity. Lilly’s involvement with WIE began in her first professional year studying Civil Engineering at Canterbury when she decided to take on a leadership role within the University and applied for the role of ‘First Pro Rep’ on the committee of ten female engineers responsible for running events with help and support from the UCSA, the College of Engineering, and their sponsors. In 2011, Lilly became the club secretary and was voted in as 2012 president the following year. “Females are underrepresented in nearly all Engineering disciplines at Canterbury University,” says Lilly and she hopes to play a role in encouraging more to choose engineering as a career as well as supporting those already studying. As President in 2012, she aims to boost the membership base, raise the profile of the club, and establish bonds with organisations in New Zealand with similar goals to strengthen our society. The committee is currently in discussion about creating a new event targeting year 13 students and providing them with an opportunity to find out more about studying engineering at a tertiary level. WIE is a non-profit society and relies heavily on sponsorship and in-kind donations from companies to run events. Each year WIE hosts at least three Company Speaker Evenings and an Industry Connections Evening. These events provide an opportunity for students to meet […]