Editorial

Good as gold: Waste in a circular economy

By Barbara Nebel and Femi Perumbally https://www.thinkstep-anz.com/ There is no waste in a circular economy, only resources and opportunities to use them to their full potential. Unlike a linear economy, a circular economy or ōhanga āmiomio, proposes a model in which economic growth is not connected to an increased use of limited, natural resources. Instead, growth in a circular economy relies on designing products and systems for longevity in their first life and recyclability and reusability for consequent lives. Therefore, we can keep resources in use for as long as possible and reduce the demand for raw (virgin) material — getting the most value out of existing materials and reducing the costs of material extraction methods in the process. However, we currently live in a linear economy with a take-make-dispose model in which waste is inevitable. While there is still a way to go before we reach a truly circular economy, some businesses are leading the transition with innovative approaches to create value with waste-based products. From galvanising to paint to IT equipment waste, we look at some of the local businesses creating golden opportunities with waste. Zincovery — Creating a waste free industry The galvanised steel industry produces a waste acid with a high concentration of zinc — an eco-toxin that is essential for humans in trace amounts but toxic to aquatic life. Generally, this is disposed of via wastewater and landfill after treatment. However, this results in the loss of zinc, a useful mineral, and its incomplete removal from wastewater degrades most sewage treatment processes and causes environmental damage to waterways. Zincovery tackles these issues by taking the waste acid and recycling it while also recovering zinc. While extracting valuable materials from waste is certainly circular economy friendly, it does not necessarily have to be climate friendly. Zincovery […]

Competenz appoints new director

Industry training organisation Competenz has appointed Amanda Wheeler to the newly created role of Director, to lead the organisation through its transition into Te Pūkenga, The New Zealand Institute of Skills and Technology and beyond. Ms Wheeler is the current General Manager of Industry Training within Competenz and will commence in her new role on 02 August 2021. Competenz Board Chairperson George Adams said the board were excited by her vision and commitment. “Amanda’s passion for industry training is clear in everything she does. She is a vocal and proud champion of the mahi the team at Competenz does and is extensively versed in the intricacies of the 38 industries they serve. “We know Amanda will be a strong advocate for vocational education and Competenz within Te Pūkenga, at all levels, as the organisation navigates the changes ahead,” Mr Adams said. Ms Wheeler is an extensively experienced leader, having held chief executive and senior roles for the past 18 years in medium-sized corporate and non-government organisations. She understands the demands of New Zealand’s industries and is passionate about helping Kiwis build skills, careers and businesses through qualifications that make it easy to learn on the job. She joined Competenz in 2017 in a stakeholder management role and has led the core field-facing team since 2018. During this time, Ms Wheeler has worked hard to cement the connection between the training advisory, forestry, and customer teams and businesses across the 38 industries they work with. “I am proud to be entrusted with leading the new Competenz Business Division within Te Pūkenga – it’s a truly thrilling opportunity and one that I will relish,” Ms Wheeler said. ’I’m particularly excited to help shape the future of vocational education: the bringing together of work-based, online and classroom learning will bring massive benefits to […]

Gold Coast trade soars in NZ

A unique bond between New Zealand and Australia’s Gold Coast is flourishing as demand for trans-Tasman trade builds on the back of the quarantine-free travel bubble. Capitalising on this relationship are local Gold Coast businesses accelerating the city’s economic recovery. In 2019-20, Gold Coast exported $4.88 billion in products and services internationally, led by the rapidly growing manufacturing, health care, transport and education sectors. “Our city’s economy is driven by small businesses with around 66,000 registered today,’’ Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said. “New Zealand is an attractive market for many businesses. We share so much through sport, education and social connectivity given the high New Zealand ex-pat population here in our city.” Trade and Investment Queensland Director Business Development New Zealand, Richard Simpson, said the Gold Coast was an attractive trade destination given its diverse range of businesses and industry sectors. “Market diversification is critical. There are tremendous opportunities coming out of Covid that can be capitalised on,” Simpson said. “As a result of the close, long-standing relationship between New Zealand and the Gold Coast, the economic opportunity has never been greater. “Collaboration is key, and there are programs and initiatives here on the Gold Coast and across Queensland that can help businesses break into the New Zealand market.” Senior Business Development Manager at the Australian Trade and Investment Commission, Philippa Hawken, said there were unique benefits for Australian businesses looking to trade with New Zealand.“A long-standing free trade agreement signed in 1983, and the subsequent single economic market agenda, allows Australian products to enter duty free – a huge financial incentive for Australian businesses trading to New Zealand,” said Hawken. “Australia and New Zealand have a mutual recognition of skills and occupations, so there’s no need to retrain or practice in the same skill or occupation in New […]

A manufacturing first: how the pandemic has paved the way to a flexible work model

By Kevin Piccione, President, Sealed Air Asia Pacific Flexible working is here to stay, and it doesn’t discriminate by industry. In fact, recent research by Microsoft estimates that, across a range of industries in APAC, 73 percent of workers want flexible remote work options to continue, while 67 percent are craving more in-person time with their teams. A flexible set-up is all well and good for those of us tethered to laptops, but not necessarily an option for those in industries like manufacturing, right? Not quite. The Covid-19 pandemic forced non-location dependent peoples across Asia Pacific and the world into their homes for months. This created a need for all businesses, including those that provide essential goods and services, to swiftly adopt a new way of work where adaptability – and sometimes ingenuity – has been a means to survive and provide business continuity. Re-thinking factory work The pandemic has caused businesses at large, including manufacturing companies, to rethink location-dependent work versus non-location dependent work. The contract between employer and employee has fundamentally changed and companies that fail to rethink the workplace risk being left behind by employees in pursuit of a more flexible arrangement. From the office to the shop floor, businesses are experimenting with new operating models that do not require everyone to be physically present. Many companies eased into the transition by implementing temporary flexible work options, with long-term arrangements that prioritised and normalised flexibility. This requires a shift away from the time and attendance tradition toward more performance-based work. Where and how the agreed upon output is delivered is now open to discussion. Employees are more empowered to meet set workplace expectations and adjust schedules to better manage their own work and personal lives. For some companies, that decision is a bit more nuanced. At Sealed Air, for […]

Transforming plant maintenance with laser cleaning

If you have seen clips of lasers removing rust on YouTube you probably found them quite compelling to watch – it’s almost hard to believe. Read on as we de-mystify laser cleaning technology and give you a sense of where it can be a helpful option for plant maintenance. Portable lasers have only recently become commercially available as a tool for surface cleaning of rust, oxides, and films such as grease and oil. A focused beam of light vaporises the surface contaminants while leaving the main substrate such as steel, aluminium or stone intact. The laser can remove paints but it does depend on the paint colour and type of coating. There are different power and optical patterns that influence how the laser performs. Lasers are well suited to heavier castings but can transfer some heat into the substrate so care is required on thinner surfaces. Heat transfer can be managed by adjusting the power of the laser and how quickly it tracks across the item. The package of equipment required for laser cleaning easily fits within a van and can be wheeled into site relatively easily. The laser is a hand-held gun at the end of a long flexible hose which makes it versatile within a variety of spaces. Relative to other cleaning options the laser is very safe to use with only ventilation, laser safety glasses and gloves required during operation. A helpful aspect of the laser is light conforms to the surface where it is pointed making it a lot easier to clean complex shapes with a lot of angles and curves. Importantly laser cleaning minimises secondary effects associated some surface cleaning options. There is no blast media or chemical residue to contend with. The vaporised contaminants are simply captured by a vacuum system alongside the laser […]

Podcast: Featuring Dave Christie from Tainui Group Holdings – talking to the Ruakura Superhub.

Episode 8 – The Ruakura Superhub: with Dave Christie. In this episode Redefining Trade is joined by Dave Christie, Supply Chain Strategy Director at Tainui Group Holdings, New Zealand. Dave talks to host Peter Foyston about the long-term journey that the Ruakura Superhub (Waikato, NZ) has taken, from just an idea full-scale construction underway on the first 92 hectares of inland port and logistics hub. Dave talks about how the Ruakura Superhub will help de-carbonise the supply chain of New Zealand’s ‘golden triangle’ of Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga that generates around 65% of the country’s import and export cargoes. The episode is available on YouTube now (in video format) as well as on podcast streaming platforms (Spotify, Google, Apple) YouTube video: https://youtu.be/AKSuH5E1pSo Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0EESOGEVLAIPpWMy9NqntD?si=l7GEthSUR0Grap9g8_Hdsg&dl_branch=1 Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/nz/podcast/the-ruakura-superhub-with-dave-christie/id1532140588?i=1000524861665

Get an edge over your competitors with video

Why Manufacturers are at an advantage Filming Foodstuffs new Distribution Centre building. A big shift in marketing and communications has taken place in 2021. Industries who may have never needed to explore new avenues beyond their traditional marketing practices have been forced to innovate. Auckland-based video production company, One Day Video, has seen a new trend in manufacturers who are using video to stand apart and maintain a spot in the marketplace. But not your stock-standard, warehouse footage type videos with some graphics whacked on top. A new style of video has emerged. Fast-paced, engaging videos that tell a story through the use of a clever script and humour. Why manufacturers are at an advantage: Video has been a key part of the marketing toolkit for a while now, but manufacturers are at an advantage. This industry in particular hasn’t utilised video in the same way that other brands have. So, by investing in regular video creation now, manufacturers and distributors will leave their competitors in the dust. Here’s an example The Metal Company is a stainless steel supplier in New Zealand and recently commissioned One Day Video to create an engaging explainer video to feature on their website and LinkedIn page. The company saw huge social engagement directly after posting it, but more importantly the video became an incredibly useful asset for explaining their business to prospective buyers. All the key features and benefits were presented in such a way that their competitors were scrambling to replicate what they had just done. This is just one example of companies using new channels to communicate with their customers. Live action isn’t the only way, animated videos are another effective means of telling a story or explaining a product that can’t be shown in real life – like tech innovation […]

NZ economy: constraints to growth

Indicators during the June quarter show the economy bouncing back, although with constraints building. The BusinessNZ Planning Forecast shows GDP figures holding up well, BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says. The BusinessNZ Economic Conditions Index sits at 12 for the June 2021 quarter, up 6 on the previous quarter and up 26 on a year ago. Mr Hope said the latter increase was expected, given Covid’s impact on the economy last year. “But constraints to growth are rising. The longer we face border restrictions and staff shortages, the greater the threat of a two-speed economy with some businesses and sectors going from strength to strength while others continue to lag. “Other challenges include supply constraints, infrastructure gaps, and business expectations of price rises, alongside a general increase in inflationary pressures,” Mr Hope said. The BusinessNZ Economic Conditions Index tracks 33 economic indicators including GDP, export volumes, commodity prices, inflation, debt, and business and consumer confidence. The BusinessNZ Planning Forecast for the June 2021 quarter is on www.businessnz.org.nz.

Dr Wolfgang Scholz, Honorary Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit

This Queen’s Birthday award was for services to engineering and the metals-based industry. Dr Scholz is known by many across New Zealand business and has contributed to the New Zealand and global metals-based industry for 35 years. He set up the New Zealand Welding Centre in 1987 as a division of the New Zealand Heavy Engineering Research Association (HERA). He developed an extensive program of welding engineering education and research and over 14 years he grew this HERA division into New Zealand’s centre of excellence for welding engineering. He has produced comprehensive national training material and courses for welding to meet the requirements of NZQA and international organisations. Through membership of the International Institute of Welding (IIW), he has helped develop Australasian and international technical standards and guidelines. Dr Scholz was HERA Director from 2000 until his retirement in 2018 and is currently Trustee and Secretary/Treasurer of the HERA Foundation charitable trust. As Director he oversaw research programmes in structural engineering research, development of design standards for steel buildings and for fabrication as well as sustainability assessment. This research strengthened the competitiveness of the local industry and preserved local jobs. His ‘HERA Position on Public Policy’ document formed the basis of many productive engagements with stakeholders from industry, government and NGOs. Dr Scholz has made a major contribution in coordinating, integrating and helping to develop metals industry sub-groups, especially in structural steel engineering and fabrication. “Being recognised for services to engineering and the metals-based industry means that some former industry colleagues must have thought I am worthy of receiving such a recognised Honour, he said. “It is great to see the award going to someone in a strategically important, but not so sexy, metals engineering industry niche. But also, that it was awarded across New Zealand’s multicultural landscape to a […]

Climate 101: Let’s talk about carbon

By Barbara Nebel, CEO of thinkstep-anz In the rising conversations around climate change and climate action, carbon is one of the most significant — and ambiguous — words that can be heard. More terms are quickly coming out of the woodwork — carbon offsets, scope 3 emissions, science-based targets — but what do they all mean? While the attention on climate action is encouraging, the buzz around climate terminology can become a little hard to follow. We break down some of the most common and confusing climate related terms to cut through the fog — starting with the puzzling carbon. Are carbon emissions the same as greenhouse gas emissions? Carbon can refer to many different things depending on the context. At its simplest and most accurate, carbon is a chemical element. Carbon combines with oxygen to make carbon dioxide (CO2) and combines with hydrogen to make methane (CH4) — both are greenhouse gases. Greenhouse gases contribute to global warming because they form a layer around the earth that acts like a glass house by trapping the heat from incoming sunshine. Since carbon is present in many greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and methane, carbon and carbon emissions are used as blanket terms to talk about the different groups of greenhouse gases and their emissions. It doesn’t hurt that carbon also features noticeably less syllables. However, some of these gases such as nitrous oxide, refrigerant gases, and sulfur hexafluoride don’t have anything to do with carbon, but are still sometimes covered under the slightly liberally used term ‘carbon emissions’. This is not only because it’s just easier to use — the standard unit for measuring the impact of greenhouse gas emissions is carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e). CO2e expresses the global warming potential of each greenhouse gas in terms of how much […]

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