Editorial

Why haven’t construction companies demonstrated any notable improvement over the last 20-30 years?

-Stephanie Pretorius, Intent Group Globally, labour-productivity growth in construction has averaged only 1 percent a year over the past two decades, compared with growth of 2.8 percent for the total world economy and 3.6 percent in the case of manufacturing. McKinsey Report – Reinventing Construction through a productivity revolution.https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/operations/our-insights/reinventing-construction-through-a-productivity-revolution The construction industry has been quite resilient to the continuous improvement philosophy that has made large inroads in manufacturing. The pattern that emerged from the McKinsey report of lagging construction productivity will continue until the industry takes productivity improvement seriously. The industry cannot keep growing the way it is with more resources being tipped in to create poor or suboptimal outcomes, often for all of the parties involved. Striving to be the best is a wide-open field in construction and is going to generate huge opportunities for those who take action in coming years. What are the impacts if construction don’t make a significant change? The costs of an inefficient construction sector are already becoming more burdensome, for all parties including society in general. Poor planning processes create and enable disruption which affects large communities. The workforce who are working in an environment that accepts poor performance and is inefficient, or doing things because they have always been done that way, creates a workforce that is not engaged and not able to perform at their best. Infrastructure is not on time to meet the needs of the population. Value add delivery is constrained by mis-aligned processes, inadequate contracts and dysfunctional organisational relationships. Sub-contractors struggle to survive. The project mentality of ‘just get it done and move on to the next project’ means an ongoing cycle of reliving the same performance – different projects; the same issues. Why is the sector so resistant to improvement? From procurement through to planning and delivery, […]

Launch of Aisle Master Order Picker: Aisle Master-OP

Combilift’s new Aisle Master-OP (AME-OP) is a pioneering stand-on electric powered model that combines the advantages of a narrow aisle articulated forklift and an order picker for versatile operation in warehousing applications. The development of this model was influenced by customer feedback – as has often been the case with Combilift’s innovations – as well as the recent soaring growth of e-commerce. “Customers already using the Aisle Master for space saving, storage and efficiency in their warehouse asked if we could redevelop the Aisle Master to meet their ever-growing demand for order picking customised orders”, said Combilift CEO Martin McVicar. Research & Development carried out in 2019 & 2020 has created the Aisle Master-OP. The main feature of this unit is the step-through operator compartment which has design copyright protection (European Design Registration No. 002676809-0001) across multiple markets worldwide. The low floor height of just 280mm (11”) enables convenient, single step access from both sides of the truck which speeds up order picking compared to the operator having to get on and off from a seated position. The AME-OP truck has all the key advantages of the conventional Aisle Master – indoor/outdoor, for loading/offloading and for stock replenishment at other times during shifts when order picking is complete. The Aisle Master-OP is available in a number of variants, with lift capacities from 1,500kg to 2,500kg, lift heights up to 12.1m and can operate in aisles as narrow as 1650mm. It features a patented chain steering system (EU Patent No. 3008008), which allows the truck to articulate more than 205°, with an inline drive motor and front drive axle assembly, all of which enable narrower aisle operation. The multifunctional programmable joystick control lever in the operator compartment, which includes controls for the hydraulics and traction, is adjustable to enable comfortable and ergonomic working conditions for operators of all sizes. The Operator Presence Detection floor pad engages the parking brake automatically when the operator steps off the truck to carry out Order Picking. The AME-OP is now a production model within Combilift, with units currently in build for customers in the United States and in New Zealand – one of which is Sorted Logistics based in Christchurch New Zealand, a third-party logistics provider and freight forwarder who will be receiving eight AME-OP units shortly. This is a major innovation in the warehousing sector and the versatility to use the one Aisle Master for multiple applications – narrow aisle operation, truck to rack handling, bulk picking and item order picking – will result in strong demand for this new product […]

The best things come in small packages

Transponder-coded guard locking for small doors and flaps Treotham’s new, compact Euchner CTM transponder-coded guard locking provides process and personnel protection in the smallest of spaces, making it the perfect solution for securing small doors and flaps. The real bonus is that, at only 120 x 36 x 25 mm in size, the switch is especially easy to integrate into packaging machines. Typical applications include case packers and dosing, filling and sealing machines. The innovative ball actuator supported on an elastomer bearing can even secure doors with extremely small pivoting radii. What’s more, it also guarantees the highest degree of protection IP69. The switch’s special hygienic version makes it particularly suitable for the demanding food and pharmaceutical industries. The CTM provides reliable Cat. 4/PL e safety door protection according to EN ISO 13849. Thanks to its different product variants and interfaces, the switch offers the right solution for every user and is well-suited to Industry 4.0 applications because of its IoT-compatible communication with IO-Link. Maximum safety throughout the packaging process The diverse Euchner safety solutions can be perfectly integrated into modular systems to protect people, machines and products in the packaging sector. The product range comprises guard locking devices and access management systems as well as products such as door detectors, door locking systems and pendant stations. For all of its products, Euchner guarantees exacting quality far exceeding the requirements in standards and laws. Customers can rely on Euchner products with over 60 years of safety engineering expertise.

NDC sensors control manufacturing at the front line

-Simon Ganley Most customer food complaints relate to colour. Too dark is considered to be over cooked or baked. Too light is perceived to be underdone. You wouldn’t believe just what people complain about. But businesses have to take complaints seriously and it costs to deal with them. So now a lot of food manufacturing companies are adding colour to the other parameters they measure and control, saving a lot of money by doing so. There is a good chance that a biscuit you buy in NZ will have had the manufacture controlled by colour rather than moisture. The measurement was developed in NZ with NDC and is being rolled out world-wide. This saves a manufacturer a fortune in power consumption, scrap, waste, staff time and raw materials. And dealing with complaints. Next time you eat fries at top quality franchised restaurants, they will have had the manufacture controlled with moisture, oil, colour, bed depth and temperature – all on the one NDC sensor that sits above the fryer. Coffee is another application. The top brands of coffee have NDC sensors controlling the colour, moisture and caffeine. They also control tea. Sugar is another application that is being developed at the moment. NDC controls the manufacture of pretty much all the sugar made and sold in NZ. “Wet” sugar moisture can be controlled to 0.1% on-line and dry sugar to 0.006%. But customers are alert to shades of brown that creep into refined sugar. Strangely the colour we see in sugar isn’t brown. It is actually in the blue/green part of the spectrum. Lactose is another product that downgrades with shades of brown and manufacturers of quality products build NDC sensors into the fluid bed driers to maintain top yield prices. When we talk about product control with colour, we […]

Get your carbon diet on track: 5 steps to carbon reporting

– Barbara Nebel, CEO thinkstep-anz Is reducing your carbon emissions on your list of New Year’s resolutions? Want to put your business on a carbon diet, but not sure how? Whether you are new to carbon measurement or looking to make an ambitious pledge to further reduce your emissions, the following five steps offer inspiration for tackling your carbon in 2021. This can be taken as a step-by-step guide or a reference for your company’s next carbon initiative. The reality is that reducing your carbon emissions is no longer an option — it’s as essential to a healthy planet as good nutrition is to a healthy body. The 2015 Paris agreement united 195 of the world’s governments in committing to limit global warming to well below 2 degrees Celsius. At thinkstep-anz, we believe the actions of businesses will be instrumental to achieving this goal. Keep in mind that the carbon strategy you choose will depend on your business goals and who you share your carbon reduction plan with. 1. Start with a no-frills approach If you are new to this, we recommend starting with a no-frills approach. Internal carbon reporting should be your first step. Focus on aligning the actions you take with your organisation’s values and be carbon conscious. At the early stages, there is no need to communicate externally, nor is it necessary to get your targets externally verified or reviewed. However, it is always a good idea to follow best practice and get guidance from internationally recognised standards. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHGP) provides the most widely used greenhouse gas accounting standards in the world. 2. Demonstrate best practice If you want to gain some recognition, stand out among your peers for your carbon reporting, or even fulfil a membership requirement, you will need to demonstrate best […]

Swim school purpose-built for champions

New Zealand’s prestigious AquaGym facility was purpose-built in 1988 by two of New Zealand’s leading Elite Swim Coaches: Brett Naylor and Clive Power. Brett and Clive have for many years coached New Zealand Swim Teams to Olympics, Commonwealth Games and World Championships. Until Brett’s retirement from National Swimming in 2000, AquaGym has placed a swimmer and coach on every International, Commonwealth and Olympic Games Team. AquaGym is now fully owned by Brett and Colleen Naylor, and whilst the competitive swimmers are still showing strength at all levels, an enormous amount of energy has been put in to its Learn to Swim Program. Top of the range instrument controller The Naylor’s needed a reliable, high-quality automatic controller that would help maintain hygienic water for their new 16m x 10m water babies and pre-schoolers swimming pool. “We required remote off-site access via the internet along with a low maintenance automatic chlorine and acid testing solution,” Colleen explains. “The entire system also needed to be sealed tight to withstand the harsh environment of the equipment plant room where temperatures fluctuate and there’s high levels of humidity and chlorine.” Waterco’s Chemflo PRO is equipped with the capability to connect up to four sensors of any type with appropriate analogue outputs and relays. Equipped with data logging as standard and multiple PID loops as options, the Chemflo PRO is able to control complex water treatment processes at a fraction of the cost of other controllers. Key product features and benefits include: Free chlorine, total chlorine and hydrogen peroxide reading through amperometric sensors. Chlorine range goes from 0.05 to 10.00ppm and hydrogen peroxide from 5 to 500 ppm Open overflow flow cell for sensors Superior patented gel-filled glass pH electrode Large easy to read colour LCD screen Capabilities for 4 inputs (expandable up to 16) and 4 outputs […]

mWL.cs mechatronic calotte loader unveiled

A fully automated stand-alone system for transferring wafers between cassettes and calottes, the mWL.cs provides integrated device manufacturers (IDMs) an opportunity to increase yield and improve process traceability at a high throughput. Evaporation process tools often utilise spherical carriers and rings to meet uniformity and defectivity targets. However, the design of these tools has made it challenging to introduce automated wafer handling in this step of the manufacturing process. IDMs invariably default to manual wafer loading, which has resulted in yield degradation and an increased risk for misprocessing. Automating the wafer loading and unloading system for evaporation type metal deposition is a step that bears much potential. By eliminating human error from the equation, the system enables manufacturers to achieve higher yield and reduce damage to wafers. Enhanced process traceability also supports quality improvement measures to meet the conformity requirements of critical customer industries. Key features of the mWL.cs mechatronic calotte loader include: Superior handling accuracy and repeatability — hand-off position measurement and auto-teaching capabilities (<50µm) Improved process traceability — host notification of Wafer ID, Cassette ID, Segment ID, and position in the segment Redundancy — 2 loading areas for continuous processing Impressive transfer times — high throughput of up to 240 wph that enables ROI within two years Dual size handling — customizable to handle 4”, 6”, 8”, or 6” & 8” (dual size) Small footprint — less than 7 m2 A specialist in fully automated handling systems for non-standard substrates and handling requirements, mechatronic recognizes and addresses the semiconductor industry’s need for the handling of ultra-sensitive substrates used in modern new wafer fabrication technologies. The company’s deep expertise and proprietary technologies provide manufacturers with safe, reliable systems that handle non-standard substrates with ease and confidence.

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 […]

WelTec graduate gets dream engineering job

WelTec graduate gets dream engineering job Philip Moore has long loved learning the mechanics of how things work, and as a child was always taking things apart and putting them back together. When he completed his engineering degree at WelTec in 2019 he was offered his dream role doing just that – as his first job after study. Philip grew up in Picton. His drive to learn about engineering was so strong that when he was in Year 11 he moved schools so he could take a class focused on this subject area. “I always knew that I wanted to study engineering, so when I finished college I enrolled in an engineering course at a university,” explains Philip. “I think, like a lot of teenagers, I had it drilled into me that I had to go to university to be successful, but I soon realised that it wasn’t for me.” “I found the course was too theoretical and it was honestly a bit boring. I asked around and heard good things about WelTec so I decided to drop my university course and enrol there.” The change in course did the trick and Philip hasn’t looked back. “The hands-on approach of the WelTec course was definitely more what I wanted out of my degree. I found the course work challenging and engaging and there was a good balance of theory to go alongside the practical work. I think what I found so useful about the course was the fact that the tutors were very good at showing us the practical implications of what we were learning for later in our careers. It made it feel relevant and worthwhile.” After completing his degree Philip applied for a position at Omeo Technology on the Kāpiti Coast. He impressed the Omeo team and was […]

When EMEX 2021 comes to town

-Doug Green, Publisher, NZ Manufacturer In the 1860’s – way back then – New Zealand entered the world market as a trader, primarily through the agricultural sector. Growing things. Since that time, a lot has happened. Now, in 2021, we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of EMEX, the prime manufacturing trade fair in New Zealand being held at ASB Showgrounds, Geenlane from 15-17 February. Over those 40 years New Zealand manufacturers have appeared at the show all with enduring stories of success to share. These include Addington Engineering, Tait Electronics, Buckley Systems, Gallagher Engineering, Fletcher Steel, Brown Brothers Engineering, A & Price. Suppliers of equipment such as Techspan, Enerpac, Weldwell, Total CNC, Lucas Machinery, Tasman Machinery, Chevpac Machinery. Industry support has come from Callaghan Innovation, HERA, The Manufacturers Network, MBIE, EMA and the Chamber network. All groups working with the shared passion of making business better for their members. Exhibitors have come from Australia, Asia, Europe and the United States. Trade representatives from countries such as Australia, Germany and China work closely with XPO Exhibitions Ltd to share information and provide opportunities for trade between their countries. The strength of EMEX – apart from the enduring support of manufacturers and suppliers – is also seen in the speaker series which provide valuable insights and discussion into trends in the marketplace, regulations and assistance for manufacturers, forward thinking and vision- building pictures for the future (and direction) of manufacturing in New Zealand. And, of course, to inspire aspiration. In these times of the virus, we look at the future of manufacturing and what it means for a country like New Zealand, parked just above Antarctica and Stewart Island. It is essential that manufacturers, suppliers, decisionmakers have an EMEX to focus on, make business connections and working together to build on the […]

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