Editorial

Time for economy to move to Alert Level 2

The EMA says the economy needs a return to Alert Level 2 on May 12 to get business back to work and kick-start the country’s economic engine. Chief Executive Brett O’Riley says what this week at Alert Level 3 has shown is that the vast majority of businesses are taking a responsible approach to health and safety practices in the workplace and we can expect that to continue under Level 2. “Unless there’s a compelling reason not to, the Government should announce on May 11 that we are moving immediately from Alert Level 3 to Alert Level 2,” says Mr O’Riley. He says that any extra time at Alert Level 3 will sink a number of businesses that have only just been holding on, with further detrimental flow-on effects for their people and the economy. “We’ve already seen a number of businesses going to the wall and a significant jump in the numbers of unemployed – we know that more businesses are certain to fold.” “With no sign yet of any cashflow assistance package from the government we’ll see many more SMEs and some larger companies make the tough decision to close if there is a further extension of Alert Level 3 restrictions, says Mr O’Riley. “The health arguments have rightly and understandably held sway in beating back this virus and businesses have complied well with Levels 4 and 3. It’s now time to trust them to continue work within Level 2 guidelines, allowing the bulk of the economy to get back underway while maintaining the required vigilance under the health guidelines.” “But it’s time for business to start recovering its health.” A quick online survey of EMA members showed that only eight per cent of those who took part did not have a health and safety plan in place […]

OnRobot Soft Gripper highly flexible

The new OnRobot food-grade Soft Gripper is able to pick a wide array of irregular shapes and delicate items in food and beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals production, as well as manufacturing or packaging Automation just got easier for food and beverage and other “clean” applications such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that need to handle items from eggs to fruit, to bottles or irregular-shaped containers. The flexible OnRobot Soft Gripper uses three interchangeable silicon-moulded cups in star and four-finger configurations to pick up almost any small object under 2.2kg with a delicate, precise touch. The electric Soft Gripper is food-grade certified (complies with FDA 21 CFR for non-fatty items and EC 1935/2004) and unlike traditional vacuum grippers, it requires no external air supply, so it can reduce both cost and complexity. “Our new Soft Gripper is challenging existing solutions for picking hard-to-grasp, delicate and odd-sized items,” says CEO of OnRobot, Enrico Krog Iversen. “Unlike proprietary solutions, the Soft Gripper offers seamless integration with most collaborative robots and light industrial robots through our One System Solution.” OnRobot’s award-winning One System Solution is a platform that provides a unified mechanical and electrical interface between leading robot arms and any OnRobot end-of-arm tooling (EoAT). The One System Solution has been newly expanded to include integration with robots from ABB Robotics and Hanwha Precision Machinery. Now, users of those robots can take advantage of the unified mechanical and electrical interface of any OnRobot product, for easier integration and faster ROI. While the Soft Gripper is ideal for food and beverage applications, it also provides flexible, delicate gripping for manufacturing and packaging. Soft Gripper Features: Up to 2.2kg payload based on shape, softness and friction of items to be handled Grip dimensions ranging from 10mm-118mm depending on cup used FDA certification Flexible, interchangeable silicon cups Ideal […]

Movac invests in Revolution Fibres to scale global growth

Auckland-based Revolution Fibres has raised $6m in a Series A funding round led by Movac, New Zealand’s most experienced technology investment firm. Founded in 2009 by Iain Hosie, Simon Feasey and Michael Perrett, Revolution Fibres has developed a unique technology to produce electro-spun nanofibres for use in a wide range of applications, such as filtration, skincare, sound absorption and composite reinforcement. Revolution Fibres has 15 employees and achieved early sales traction in several markets. Movac Partner David Beard comments “We have been targeting an IP-based business for Fund 4 for some time, and we were compelled to invest in Revolution Fibres because it had made a significant transition from R&D into scale volume manufacturing. With its applications spanning a diverse set of industries, it can adjust quickly and take advantage of a rapidly changing environment. We are delighted to have led this round which has included a diverse set of investors from NZ, US and Asia.” Revolution Fibres Chairman Andrew Turnbull comments “Iain and the team at Revolution Fibres have built a fantastic platform technology which is now ready, with the right team and funding, to be scaled. We’re very focussed on what we want to do with the business and sought an investor who understands what it takes to build a global deep tech business from New Zealand. Movac’s investment style and their experience in helping to grow value in companies with deep intellectual property meant a lot to us. Most importantly, there’s also a strong fit in terms of approach and aspiration.” The funding will be used to accelerate commercial opportunities in key offshore markets, and to invest further in production capability. Mr Beard will join the Revolution Fibres board. Phil McCaw, Movac Managing Partner commented, “We’re excited to have the opportunity to work with the Revolution Fibres […]

Bella, the Kiwi digital helper for times of crisis and need

Soul Machines – a leading innovator in the field of AI – is enlisting their technology to assist in the dissemination of information in times of public crisis, starting in New Zealand for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Bella, the Digital Helper aims to show how she can assist in New Zealand’s robust response to the ongoing public health crisis by providing a new, interactive channel to help the public receive easily digestible, up-to-the-moment information in a manner that frees up important resources for other relief efforts. As a company founded in New Zealand, Soul Machines designed Bella to be distinctively Kiwi, with an understanding and sensibility of the questions specific to the population. More than a standalone effort, Bella represents a reimagining of how technology and AI can serve as a robust and efficient crisis communications platform. Soul Machines is committed to a continued exploration of this mission on a global scale. Powered by the world’s first autonomous animation platform, Bella is a friendly and engaging digital helper available to answer questions based on data from a wide variety of sources. As New Zealand progresses to a phase of gradually reopening society, Bella could provide even more assistance, helping citizens to navigate the changing measures designed to contain and prevent the spread of the virus and restart industries and the economy. She can be updated daily to be able to provide the most accurate information in quickly changing times. Digital Helpers like Bella are already deployed with many of Soul Machines clients helping them to remain in personal contact with their staff and customers in different industries and different parts of the world. “When we started Soul Machines, creating engaging, personable digital helpers was an aspiration,” said co-founder and chief business officer Greg Cross. “Now, we are pleased to be […]

Covid-19: PPE register goes live

ManufacturingNZ has made live a national Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) register to help identify manufacturers that can assist in the fight against Covid-19. ManufacturingNZ Executive Director Catherine Beard says there is significant PPE manufacturing capability within New Zealand. “The Government was keen to get better visibility of what manufacturing capability we have in New Zealand to produce PPE, so we’ve provided this clear list that includes contact details for each business,” Beard says. “Many of the business reached out to say they could reconfigure their operation to do face masks and other equipment.” The launch of the register comes as more than 14,00 New Zealanders signed a petition calling on the Ministry of Health to follow overseas guidelines for every health worker caring for those with confirmed or probable Covid-19. Thousands of doctors and nurses from across the country are rallying the Government for more effective PPE in the fight against Covid-19. “New Zealand is an innovate little country and many of our manufacturers have quickly adapted to help in the response to Covid-19.” The register already includes more than 70 businesses and will be updated daily as new manufacturers put their hand up to unite against Covid-19. Manufacturers can text ‘PPE’ to 313 to get the link to register. The list can be found here: https://www.manufacturingnz.org.nz/resources-and-tools/covid-19-ppe

Team New Zealand

We work together. We share ideas. We recover the business base. We keep moving forward. In these challenging times we can recover and move forward, meeting the challenges that arise and benefitting from them. Ideas will present themselves…and the unthinkable become a reality. Companies and organisations are working together to share the information that we need in the time of the virus. EMA and ManufacturingNZ and Buy NZ Made are but three examples of the organisations making us aware of opportunities available to support the recovery. We are seeing businesses diversifying to lend a hand. Such as those who are manufacturing detergents in their plants which were initially started to produce wine. Let’s keep this activity going as we get back on track. If you have a story to share about how the virus is affecting your business or activities you are currently involved in to support others, we want to know. We will publish your story and assist your company to connect to others as a provider of a service or business opportunity in the current climate. Either in the magazine or on the website www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz And by the way, where possible, Buy NZ Made.

New B2B marketplace from NZTE

Connect with other New Zealand businesses that may need or have extra resources right now. This is for urgent or timely requests or offers that have come about due to disruption in the supply chain. The Marketplace is organised into sector/solution forums such as freight, temporary storage, supplies, business services and staff availability, and will adapt to show more categories as required.

Robot disinfects large areas

A robot capable of rapidly disinfecting large areas has been invented by a world-first solutions business to speed-up the fight against coronavirus. Forth Engineering in Cumbria is known for its innovations to solve complex industry challenges in the nuclear, oil and gas, renewables and other sectors all over the world. Forth managing director Mark Telford and his team have responded to the fight against COVID-19 by inventing a remotely operated disinfecting robot. “It’s an amazing bit of kit. I took it to one of our sites and it disinfected 68,000 square feet in just 20 minutes. It’s very impressive,” said Mark. “We’ve put together our tracked robot, vapour cannon, camera and lights, and developed the first one in a matter of days. “That’s how quickly we always work, it’s just that the sectors which need our help are different right now and this is a national emergency. “We have had lots of inquiries about it and we are now going into production. We will have to see how many robots people want us to manufacture.” The robot can be worked remotely, controlled from a safe distance, to help the NHS and other organisations keep areas clean during the coronavirus outbreak. “It can be used to sterilise ambulances, hospitals, shops and supermarkets, wherever it’s required,” said Mark. “It works in a similar way to a vapour cigarette in that it fires high pressure vapour which will settle in every part of a designated area. “It can also be used to disinfect factories and offices, schools and colleges, before people return to work and go back to education after the lockdown to make sure they are safe to use.”. In terms of the impressive speed of Forth’s response, Mark said it’s how he and his […]

New app traces contacts, retains privacy

Using digital data for contact tracing could be a powerful tool for containing the spread of COVID-19 and a new technology app in Singapore could help address fears of data privacy, says a digital data expert. Andrew Chen is a Research Fellow at Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures – the University of Auckland’s new think tank and research centre. Dr Chen’s research in computer systems engineering focused on camera-based person tracking, as well as how technology might be used to help protect people’s privacy. He now brings that technical lens to better understand how society can use digital technologies more safely. He says contact tracing using data from smartphones could be one of the most powerful tools in containing the spread of the pandemic, allowing governments to act quickly to contain infected individuals, keep an outbreak under control and effectively suppress virus spread. “We need contact tracing to save lives and using digital data could make that much more effective. But we also need to protect people’s privacy and minimise rights abuses that could have serious consequences,” he says. “But constant tracking of all people, whether they are infected or not, is a deep invasion of privacy. It is a use of the data that most people would not have known about, and users effectively cannot opt-out to retain their privacy.” However, an app called TraceTogether – used in Singapore since 20 March – could be a promising alternative, says Dr Chen. People install the app on their phones with Bluetooth enabled. When they are physically close to someone else with the app, the phones exchange Bluetooth signals and the encounters are logged in the app. It takes several seconds for the exchange – short enough to capture most interactions but long enough to ignore spurious connections. Anonymous IDs […]

New approach needed for economic recovery to begin

New Zealand business needs a new approach from Government to regulation, projects and procurement if the economy is going to start to recover. EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley has called for a new recovery playbook by Government to give businesses the flexibility to recover and thrive, and potentially increase their productivity. “As we prepare for moving out of Alert Level 4 we have an opportunity for changes to be made that can ‘fast start’ existing businesses and potentially expand employment in key sectors. We understand the Government is up for change and our discussions with businesses point to some quick wins, with sectors like manufacturing and construction poised ready to go,” says Mr O’Riley. Key initiatives the EMA are advocating to be implemented as we come out of Alert Level 4 include: – using fast track and streamlined RMA consenting for shovel-ready projects, with consenting led by the project entities. – consent and bylaw changes to enable businesses and projects to operate 24 hours a day with multiple shifts, to speed up progress and to encourage businesses to hire more staff to fill the shifts. – reintroduction of the 90-day trial period to enable businesses to trial staff seeking to enter new industries and roles. – use the acclaimed SCIRT and NCTIR project delivery models, developed for the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquake recoveries. – allow open book procurement by Government enabling lead contractors to be appointed to major projects quickly. – bring forward maintenance activity throughout New Zealand on roads, rail, hospital and schools, the latter while students are at home. – Re-purpose the Provincial Growth Fund to provide small local councils with the funding they need to kick-start those maintenance programmes. – change foreign investment rules and fast track OIO approvals to encourage private sector investment into new projects […]

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