Developments

Women in Engineering: Helen Trappitt, Lewis Bradford, Christchurch

Why do you do what you do and do you enjoy it? I currently work in three main areas of structural engineering for different reasons. Seismic strengthening of heritage buildings is satisfying and challenging. I’m motivated to work on these projects as they are key to getting Christchurch back on its feet. I have also been involved with complex residential insurance claims following the Canterbury and Kaikoura Earthquakes. This work is not at all glamorous when compared to other structural projects, but it is vitally important to the homeowners who have been in limbo for many years. My other area of work does not feel like work. I lead a team at Lewis Bradford that help local creative groups with their structural engineering needs, usually pro bono. This ranges from the structural design of large scale permanent sculptures to assisting with the Festival of Transitional Architecture (FESTA), where the installations conceived by architecture students from around Australia and New Zealand are displayed for one night only. I enjoy the variety of work I do and in particular the ability engineers have to make a positive impact on society. Greatest challenges? The greatest challenges I have faced both professionally and personally occurred in 2011. It was a tough year for any engineer in Christchurch. I learnt that natural disasters don’t stop all the other stuff that happens in life. Most exciting project worked on? In 2012 I approached sculptor Neil Dawson about designing a temporary sculpture for Christchurch. This project was exciting as we had no client or budget. The structural design and fabrication was challenging. We brought together about twenty local companies to donate services and materials ‘in kind’. The resulting work named ‘Spires’ is currently installed in Latimer Square. Where did you study? University of Canterbury, School of […]

MJH Engineering gears up for a ‘Big is Best’ approach

The notion ‘think big’ is entirely applicable to MJH Engineering. The steel fabrication company, based in Seaview, Lower Hutt houses industry-leading automated machinery, and some of New Zealand’s largest building construction projects can be attributed to its name. Founded by Malcolm Hammond in 1982 as a factory and machinery maintenance firm, MJH Engineering quickly evolved into the construction industry and from one employee it has grown to over 100 today and now spans three sites and includes a 5,000sqm workshop. Fabricating for clients across New Zealand, on any given day the MJH team could be working on a range of structural steel works for industrial warehouses, commercial buildings, multi storey tower-blocks, steel art works, residential buildings and seismic strengthening projects. “Our experience and capacity ensures we can undertake multiple large scale projects safely, smoothly, and on time,” says Managing Director, Malcolm Hammond. A heavyweight when it comes to industry accolades as well, MJH has recently been named a finalist in the Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) Excellence in Steel awards for its involvement in Wellington’s Deloitte House (20 Customhouse Quay) and for the Rankine Brown Emergency Shoring for the Liftshaft. The landmark construction of 20 Customhouse Quay – a 15-level seismically advanced office tower featuring a diagonally braced diagrid perimeter structure with base isolation, represents a new generation of safety and resilience and meets up to 180% of the building code, says Hammond. “The diagrid structure is stiffer than conventional tower frames,” he said, “But it also uses about twenty percent less steel than conventional building designs.” The complexity of the project brought the skill of the MJH team to the fore as they created unique, precisely angled parts for components of the diagrid structure. Other notable projects the MJH team has been involved with include the iconic 32-meter-high Wellington […]

SYSPRO Australasia appoints new sales manager

Global ERP solutions provider SYSPRO, has appointed Greg Urand in the role of Sales Manager with immediate effect. Greg will be responsible for driving sales aimed at increasing market presence across Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Pacific Islands. Greg has over 20 years of sales management and business development experience in technology having worked for companies including Exact, CCH, Travelport and Targus. He is passionate about empowering multi-faceted teams to drive extensive revenue growth, performance improvements, and business expansion to exceed KPIs and corporate objectives. SYSPRO is a global, independent provider of industry-built ERP software designed to simplify business complexity for manufacturers and distributors. Focused on delivering optimized performance and complete business visibility, the SYSPRO solution is highly scalable, and can be deployed on-premise, in the cloud, or accessed via a mobile device. SYSPRO’s strengths lie in a simplified approach to technology, expertise in a range of industries, and a commitment to future-proofing customer and partner success. SYSPRO has more than 15,000 licensed companies in over 60 countries across six continents.

James Hardie appoints Jack Truong as CEO

Louis Gries and Dr. Jack Truong. James Hardie has announced that Dr Jack Truong, currently the Company’s President – International since April 2017, will succeed long-standing CEO Louis Gries as the incoming CEO of James Hardie Industries. Dr Truong who continues to be based out of North America, will be formally appointed to the CEO role toward the end of the company’s 2019 fiscal year, at which time Mr Gries will step down as CEO and from the Board. The Board has determined that a structured transition is in the best interest of shareholders and an approximate six-month handover period has been established, during which time Mr Gries will remain in the CEO role and Dr Truong will become President and Chief Operating Officer with the responsibility of running the Group’s global business. He currently has responsibility for the operations of the Asia Pacific Fibre Cement business and the Europe Building Products business. Jack Truong offers the ideal combination of commercial expertise, operational excellence, and leadership in order to continue to grow the business and maintain the industry-leading performance, across multiple geographies, established by Louis Gries over a long period. Louis Gries joined James Hardie in 1991, becoming CEO in February 2005. During this time James Hardie delivered strong top-line growth and differentiated returns while increasing the market capitalisation from less than A$3.0 billion to A$9.21 billion.

A new kind of teacher

It’s back to school, and you know what that means — time to fire up the computer that teaches you! That’s what primary school students in New Zealand have to look forward to, anyways. They’ll soon be the first students in the world to learn from an artificially intelligent (AI) digital avatar. Meet Will Auckland energy company Vector teamed up with AI company Soul Machines to create the avatar, which goes by the name Will. The AI is now part of Vector’s Be Sustainable with Energy program, which it offers free-of-charge to schools to which it provides electricity. Will’s there to teach children about energy use. Students interact with Will — essentially just a face on a screen — via their desktop, tablet, or mobile device. He teaches them about different forms of renewable energy, such as solar and wind. Will can then ask the students questions about what they’ve learned to ensure the lessons stick. According to Vector’s Chief Digital Officer, Nikhil Ravishankar, students seem particularly taken by Will. “What was fascinating to me was the reaction of the children to Will. The way they look at the world is so creative and different, and Will really captured their attention.” He went on to add, “Using a digital human is a very compelling method to deliver new information to people, and I have a lot of hope in this technology as a means to deliver cost-effective, rich, educational experiences into the future.” An education crisis Ravishankar isn’t the only person who thinks robots — in the form of AI software programs like Will, or actual humanoid machines — will soon play a major role in education. In February 2017, futurist Thomas Frey predicted that learning from bots will be commonplace by 2031. Meanwhile, British education expert Anthony Seldon thinks […]

ZW3D for one man operations, SMEs and corporates

Affordable CADCAM must deliver: • Enterprise-level mechanical design and engineering system. • Cost effective ownership. ZW3D CADCAM is truly integrated. It’s core objective is provide unified environment from concept design to final manufacturing. This is achieved with a powerful proprietary hybrid 3D CAD and CAM kernel. Not only is complex surface generation and manipulation at the centre of the design, the modelling database is object oriented improving speed and providing flexibility. ZW3D does not distinguish between solid, surface or wireframe methodology. All ‘objects’ are usable as a source for developing geometry. The edge of a solid can be used as the profile for a surface or solid extrusion in any direction, as a path for a sweep, the edge of a loft, part of a UV curve set, the path for a distributed pattern of any other object from points through to components. Even if the resulting surface or shape is non sensible in the real world, ZW3D will accept this as a valid object and allow you to continue modelling without a hiccup. CAM users benefit massively from having ready access to high level modelling capability. Comprehensive translators are standard. Some common file types can be used directly. ZW3D Point cloud tools, including STL manipulation can handle millions of points, reduce data and apply complex smooth surface meshes. Resultant surfaces are then used as part of the solid model for shape generation. No additional software or plugins required. AutoCAD users use existing drawings to develop 3D models. One user is currently migrating 2,500 2D sketches to 3D parts. Assembly anomalies have been discovered and resolved. Now they can build and document assemblies with drawings, cross sections, BOM and even instructional explode and unexplode videos. Sheet metal, weldments, morphing , patterning and direct editing tool suites are also standard within […]

Farra positions itself for the future

Evolution in industry is inevitable and keeping up with the engineering impact is vital for survival. Cast your mind back to the skills, tools and processes from your own beginnings and change is obvious. How we machine, weld, prepare, fabricate, protect and maintain has changed radically without even mentioning manning levels and skills shortages. So what are some of New Zealand’s founding engineering companies doing to stop becoming a dinosaur statistic? The Maintenance Engineering Society (MESNZ) took the opportunity to find out more when it brought its Kaeser Compressors Network Evening series to Dunedin’s Farra Engineering. With a 100 year history, Farra Engineering is well represented locally and globally with some impressive engineering feats and capability. New Zealand industry however has little respect for history and successive governments have made an art form out of ignoring industries future needs, leaving businesses to look after their own futures and the human infrastructure required to support the business. From the markets it participates in, to the age and capability of its plant and the people that it brings into the business, Farra are working hard to remain a force for the future. The moment you walk through the door the evidence is inescapable; in house built architecture, staff-created artwork and modern layouts open out to a sprawling complex mixing traditional large capacity machining plant with digital sheet metal centres, high technology powder coating line and massive fabrication capacity. The skills shortage experienced throughout the country is no different in Dunedin although the key issue for CEO Gareth Evans is not the smart skills but the core apprentice trade skills that are paramount in the area. Here too, Fara is taking a leading role in solving the issue, participating with a local manufacturing group in an initiative to promote trades careers to school […]

University of Auckland welcomes world renowned 3D Printing researcher

Multi-award-winning product design developer and engineering researcher Professor Olaf Diegel will join the University of Auckland’s Faculty of Engineering in early 2019. The University is delighted to welcome Professor Diegel, its third appointee under the Government’s Entrepreneurial Universities programme. He is a New Zealander returning to take up a new role as head of the Creative Design and Additive Manufacturing Laboratory (the Lab) which aims to significantly change the way Additive Manufacturing (AM) is implemented in industry. AM uses a layer upon layer process rather than the conventional manufacturing processes which subtract material to carve out the finished product. Because of this, AM can produce parts that are infinitely more complex than is possible with conventional manufacturing and, if designed for, can be both cost effective while adding tremendous value to products by make them lighter, more efficient, customised, or adding to their functionality and sustainability. It has had an impact in a number of industries including aerospace, automotive, medical, fashion and has had some application in construction. Deputy-Vice Chancellor (Research) Professor Jim Metson says the University is delighted to welcome Professor Diegel back to New Zealand to take up his new role. “Additive Manufacturing is one of the fastest moving areas in a sector that is increasingly important to the country. Securing his leading-edge expertise will enable research and industrial applications that are game changing.” Professor Diegel has been leading the product development department and AM lab (the third he has founded) at Lund University in Sweden since leaving New Zealand in 2014. During his career he has developed over 100 new products for companies in New Zealand and worldwide including several home health monitoring products, security and marine products and lighting products. These include the Spengler SCVL cardiovascular lab, a monitoring technology that gives a comprehensive picture of […]

Eight myths about AI’s effect on the workplace

The interplay between technology and work has always been a hot topic. While technology has typically created more jobs than it has destroyed on a historical basis, this context rarely stops people from believing that things are “different” this time around. In this case, it’s the potential impact of artificial intelligence (AI) that is being hotly debated by the media and expert commentators. Although there is no doubt that AI will be a transformative force in business, the recent attention on the subject has also led to many common misconceptions about the technology and its anticipated effects. AI is going to be a seismic shift in business – and it’s expected to create a $15.7 trillion economic impact globally by 2030. But understandably, monumental shifts like this tend to make people nervous, resulting in many unanswered questions and misconceptions about the technology and what it will do in the workplace. Demystifying myths Here are the eight debunked myths about AI: 1. Automation will completely displace employees Truth: 70% of employers see AI in supporting humans in completing business processes. Meanwhile, only 11% of employers believe that automation will take over the work found in jobs and business processes to a “great extent”. 2. Companies are primarily interested in cutting costs with AI Truth: 84% of employers see AI as obtaining or sustaining a competitive advantage, and 75% see AI as a way to enter into new business areas. 63% see pressure to reduce costs as a reason to use AI. 3. AI, machine learning, and deep learning are the same thing Truth: AI is a broader term, while machine learning is a subset of AI that enables “intelligence” by using training algorithms and data. Deep learning is an even narrower subset of machine learning inspired by the interconnected neurons of […]

Food container has long life

Sæplast has extended its range of rugged and hygienic reusable plastic containers for the food processing industry with the introduction of a further size. The new Sæplast 300PE is a square 800x800mm container with a height of 770mm giving it a net volume of 268 litres. This can be increased to 298 litres with the removal of the handle openings. For ease of access and transportation, the container features fork lift entry on all four sides. Like all Sæplast containers, the 300PE offers important hygiene, safety and convenience benefits to ensure the highest food processing standards. The one piece, seamless triple-wall design and closed cell core provides excellent durability, meaning Sæplast PE containers last on average between five to seven times longer than single wall bins. The solid inner core prevents absorption of liquid and the tubs do not have easily broken joints or hard-to-clean crevasses, preventing the harbouring of harmful bacterial growth and making them easy to clean, maintain and repair. The avoidance of splintering, metal tearing or corrugated boxes collapsing delivers safe and easy handling for users. The Sæplast 300PE is available in a variety of colours. Company logos can be incorporated for individual branding, and tracking options include barcode, QR code and RFID technology.

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