Developments

New Zealand in the grip of a major skills shortage (With a wide range of industries struggling to fill key roles.)

-editorial, April issue NZ Manufacturer. www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz This from the Lead Article (Page 1) by David Downs, Chairman of the High-Tech Trust. And now Trans-Tasman flights have resumed, we are in danger of losing people with key skills which piles on more pressure. Overseas fruit pickers who have been here since last year now have a way of leaving us behind and going offshore to Australia, which has suffered shortages just as we have. This issue is addressed by Ian Walsh in his article in Business News (Page 7) “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 ends up as worm food? What an incredible waste, and yet this is what the industry has faced. David Downs is particularly concerned for the large part of our population cut off from training and upskilling, at a time when we have a matched skills shortage of 5,000 jobs in the digital tech space, with similar shortages showing up across the advanced manufacturing sector. Post-Covid-19 we need access to the widest set of skills we can, to transform our country and maximise the country’s potential. D & H Steel managing director, Wayne Carson in Company Profile (Page 5) says his company had to change its recruitment model, which combined some local training with sourcing skilled staff from offshore. The company is now even more firmly focused on its apprenticeship training programme and upskilling local people. “It is extremely hard to find the right people, so we […]

Asmuss talks to NZ Manufacturer

Interview with Dean Brown, CEO of Asmuss Steel & Flow Control What does your business do? Asmuss Steel and Flow Control supplies steel and flow control products to some of New Zealand’s biggest infrastructure and construction projects; Asmuss Steel supplies the construction and manufacturing industry through to a large array of Civil projects. Our dedicated team are adept at providing solutions in what is regularly a demanding environment, requiring tight lead times, material integrity and competitive pricing. Steel is procured from the most reputable mills around the world, to certify product quality and traceability. Asmuss Flow Control supplies to the water and wastewater industry; supporting water distribution, pump stations, treatment plants, reservoirs and irrigation, and to the industrial field; supplying to chemical processing sites, power and energy generation, pulp and paper, oil and gas sites. The Flow Control side of the business also supplies to the building industry for heating, ventilation, and air conditioning, siphonic, sanitary, trade waste, chemical waste and fire protection. Every day we live out our purpose to create a stronger New Zealand by helping our customers, communities and people succeed. How long has Asmuss been in business? Asmuss is a 100 percent New Zealand-owned business, founded by H J Asmuss in 1920. It is one of the largest privately-owned companies in its field. Family-owned for four generations, with the fourth generation of Asmuss family members now shareholders in the business, the Asmuss family continue what their predecessors did – directing profits back into the business, making smart acquisitions and supporting the NZ economy. Asmuss is one of the few companies in New Zealand that holds such an intergenerational legacy and has stayed loyal to what it means to be a New Zealand owned and operated company. In 2020 we marked 100 years in business, however due […]

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 […]

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igus robolink IP44: a robot that defies wet elements

igus has developed a low cost automation solution made of polymer and stainless steel for environments with splashing water. Damp and wet environments can quickly degrade the mechanics of a robot. This prompted igus to launch a Low Cost Automation innovation on the market, which can easily and cost-effectively implement simple tasks and at the same time be allowed to come into contact with splash water. The new robolink, available from Treotham, makes use of the advantages of two materials: stainless steel and high-performance polymers. For the first time in an igus robot, the joining links are made of V2 or V4 stainless steel and the joints of the proven lubrication-free tribo-polymers. The user does not need an expensive additional covering, because the absence of lubrication in the joints means that no grease can be washed out and escape into the environment. The new robolink meets protection class IP44 at least, and is therefore resistant to splash water. It can carry up to three kilograms, has a range of 790 millimetres with five axes and can make 7 picks a minute. Thanks to the use of motors with encoders of protection class IP65, the robot can also be easily used for outdoor inspection. Further application scenarios are possible, for example, in the food and beverage industry, in the chemical and pharmaceutical sector, or even for tank and container cleaning operations.

Sustainability tools for a circular economy

By Barbara Nebel and Caroline Noordijk, thinkstep-anz The business value of sustainability is well-known today, but the value of a circular economy is perhaps still less known and certainly less understood. Businesses can build resiliency against the volatility of raw material prices, supply chain risks, and changing legislation by creating circular products and services and moving towards a circular business model. The aim of the game is to move away from a linear economy to a circular one that ‘designs out’ waste and pollution — keeping materials in a continuous flow. A circular economy is designed to be restorative and regenerative. Following the strategic framework for a circular economy forces you to consider not just the impact of the product itself, but also the service it provides, the supply chain that enables that service, and even the broader economic, environmental, and social impacts of the whole system. Transforming the concept of circular economy into action can be achieved with help of circularity tools such as the Material Circularity Indicator (MCI), and complementary life cycle based approaches, including: Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) Cradle to Cradle (C2C) Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). There are many tools and many approaches to assess the sustainability of your products — it can be overwhelming to know where to start. The good news is that many of the methods and tools out there are related and often inform each other. Fit for purpose — strategy first Before you engage with any of these methods or tools, it’s important to set out your objectives and have a sustainability strategy in place. Understanding what is important to your business and to your stakeholders is critical. You also need to think about what sustainability issues might affect your business and what your greatest risks are. This will help you build […]

Solving the tech sector skills shortage – How diversity and inclusion benefit industry and the N Z economy

By David Downs, Chairman of the Hi-Tech Trust New Zealand is in the grips of a major skills shortage with a wide variety of industries struggling to fill key roles. A recent report from NZ Tech (the technology industry group) shows the technology sector has a matched skills shortage of approximately 5,000 jobs in the digital tech space, with similar shortages showing up across the advanced manufacturing sector. Availability of skilled staff regularly features as one of the top growth constraints for New Zealand technology firms. But despite this dire predicament, a large part of our population remains cut off from training and upskilling as they are unable to access, or afford, the training ‘on-ramp’ to the high quality jobs the tech sector can offer. Regional New Zealand, lower socio-economic groups, and in particular, Māori, Pasifika and women are most affected. It’s shocking how few people from these cultural and demographic backgrounds are represented in the tech sector, despite years of handwringing and efforts to address the issue. As well as being socially just, increasing access and diversity is also economically smart. All the evidence shows that talent is evenly distributed across the population – but opportunity is not. We need to address the issues which stop full participation in technology careers and to maximise the talent pool. Imagine if we have our next Ernest Rutherford, Beatrice Tinsley or Peter Beck, living in New Zealand at the moment – but he or she is blocked from ever realising that potential because they can’t afford childcare, or the bus fare. Post-Covid-19 we need access to the widest set of skills we can, to help transform our economy and maximise the country’s potential. To this end the Hi-Tech Trust is putting its weight behind the effort to significantly boost inclusion and diversity, […]

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 […]

EcoStruxure solution meets Mataura Valley Milk’s requirements

Building the world’s best nutritional business is the ambitious goal that New Zealand dairy company Mataura Valley Milk set out to achieve in August 2016. Now the company’s milk production plant is an impressive accomplishment that comfortably justifies its early ambition. Mataura Valley Milk is now benchmarking innovation and performance for other milk plants. Situated north of Gore at the bottom of the South Island, the state-of-the-art facility was delivered on-time and within budget, an impressive achievement for a greenfield project. “To achieve our goal, we knew that choosing only the best people, partners, and infrastructure was crucial,” says Brent Robinson, Mataura Valley Milk’s Projects Manager. “The success of the project was a consequence of meticulous planning and strategy. We sought out and hired the most skilled staff; we chose construction partners with proven expertise; we purchased best-in-class plant and equipment; and we partnered with industry-leading suppliers and fabricators.” Schneider Electric was one such expert partner that delivered its EcoStruxure solution, tailored to Mataura Valley Milk’s strict requirements for a fully connected and integrated facility with real-time visibility of every process. Connectivity At Mataura Valley Milk’s core is its dedication to customers. “We must have agility around what we produce with no sacrifice of quality. Producing nutritional products is a complex, high reward approach so the plant must be nimble and our expertise unmatched. To confidently make these decisions, visibility and trust in our data is crucial” says Robinson. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Plant solution delivers and provides context to live, real-time data on every process at the plant through AVEVA’s System Platform, Batch Management and Manufacturing Execution System (MES) software. In short, Mataura Valley employees receive any data they require immediately and know they can trust it. Goal Mataura Valley Milk wanted to build a business that could quickly tailor production […]

Circular Economy Awards launched in Australia & New Zealand

A new awards program, The Circle Awards, will celebrate and unite the businesses, organisations, projects and people shaping the circular economy in Australia and New Zealand. Established by The World’s Most Rubbish (TWMR) in partnership with NSW Circular, The Bravery, and Urban List, The Circle Awards aims to spotlight products and services adopting circular practices that span all aspects of our day-to-day lives. It also aims to grow awareness of the sustainable options available to more people, not just the ones who are already looking for them. In contrast to our current ‘take-make-waste’ linear model, a circular economy is regenerative by design. It’s about rethinking the entire approach in order to design out waste and pollution, keep products and materials in use and regenerate natural systems. Keeping resources in use for longer, and in a perpetual loop, or circle, reduces environmental impact and protects precious natural resources. Nick Hoskin, Co-Founder of TWMR and The Circle Awards said, “Many consumers and brands are already contributing towards a more circular world, sometimes without realising it. While we’re hearing the term ‘circularity’ or the ‘circular economy’ more than ever, the understanding of what this means, both in theory and practice, is limited.” “The Circle Awards showcases tangible examples of circularity in action, demonstrating to people that we can consume more consciously without compromising on quality, cost or experience. In fact, circular design thinking is behind some of the most interesting products and services on the market as a driving force for innovation. The result can be a far superior experience because every aspect in the process has been carefully considered to deliver the best possible outcome,” explained Nick. Importantly, The Circle Awards is here to recognise and celebrate those making progress in this space, not just those doing it perfectly or on a […]

Revamped 2021 Diversity Awards NZ open for entries

Significant changes to the Diversity Awards NZ for 2021 recognise the increasing maturity in workplace diversity and inclusion programmes in Aotearoa. Entries are now open for this year’s awards and Diversity Works New Zealand Chief Executive Maretha Smit says the programme has a new format and new categories. “Over the past three decades, the conversation about workplace diversity and inclusion has matured to the extent that our collective perspective of excellence has become more refined, with multiple opportunities to showcase innovative approaches in respect of specific dimensions of diversity. “Through an extensive literature review over the past six months, Diversity Works New Zealand has developed a comprehensive framework of the specific organisational factors required to build inclusive workplaces. “We wanted to ensure our awards programme aligned with that framework.” The Diversity Awards NZ, now in their 24th year, offer organisations an opportunity to showcase a variety of innovative people initiatives and publicly commit to being held accountable for tangible progress in building work environments where everybody is safe to bring the best version of themselves. This year there will be four award categories for private and public sector organisations to enter – Leadership Award, Diverse Talent Award, Inclusive Workplace Award and Mātauranga Māori Award. The judges will be able to recognise large organisations with more than 100 employees and small to medium organisations with fewer than 100 employees in each category. All winners in these categories will be eligible for the Supreme Award. In addition, there will be an Impact Award open to private sector and charitable organisations whose core business it is to facilitate the provision of more equitable workplace opportunities. Previous Supreme Winners include the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Vector Limited, the New Zealand Defence Force, Real Journeys, New Zealand Police Winners are chosen by an […]

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