Editorial

In 2019, HERA imbedded its new focus on automation and Industry 4.0 within its new strategy. In support of this, it was announced that we’ll build a new Innovation Centre. This will address the strategic need for the physical facility to facilitate technology transfer, prototyping, research and training to prepare our member companies for the Industry 4.0 transformation. This will also propel our NZ Welding Centre into the only Welding 4.0 facility in New Zealand – and support its rebrand to the Centre for Innovative Fabrication. Supporting the creation of the Innovation Centre was the appointment of our new Innovation Centre Manager, Greg Buckley. He will work closely with Holger Heinzel, our Industry 4.0 Engineer and will see him oversee construction of our Innovation Centre which will commence in early 2020, as well as enhance industry engagement in Industry 4.0, and create a community of practise around this thinking. Recognising the other underlying issues within the sector, we also created Kotahitanga, a HR Innovation Cluster (to address the skills crisis); Matauranga, the Digital Innovation Cluster; (to address industry communications) and Whakamarumaru, the Defence Innovation Cluster (to explore future pipeline opportunities within the Australian Defence program). We also launched “Stirring the Pot”, our new industry-focused podcast. Episodes include: “Ensuring you’re a ‘factory of the future’ in New Zealand”; “The future of manufacturing in New Zealand”; “Addressing the skills gap through diversity”; “The new breed of smart industry- advanced manufacturing”; and “Avoid death by a thousand cuts and automate!”. Improving productivity and capability Last year, we also initiated welding productivity and automation capability assessments for our members. This identifies improvement opportunities and benchmarks performance relative to the rest of the industry. Supporting this focus on improving productivity, we hosted world renowned international expert on the Theory of Constraints (bottlenecks), Arrie van Niekerk. […]

-Leeann Watson, Chief Executive Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce The last year has been– not quite the transformational 2019 that many expected – but as we head into 2020 and the general election, I think that will likely change. There was the release of a Government Budget focused on wellbeing, as well as the announcement of a $7.5 billion surplus, which may well be called upon – at least in part – as the political parties start to ramp up activity before the voting booths open. There was also the reversal on the tabling of a capital gains tax. There were various changes to employment legislation, with Fair Pay Agreements one of the more highly publicised issues through the year. Immigration too was in the spotlight with changes to employer-assisted temporary work visa settings to help address skills shortages, which are particularly prevalent in the regions. There were also the local body elections in October, with some level of movement across most electorates. Hopefully this will result in a fresh burst of energy for Councillors to really gain traction on key local issues to help enable our business communities. In the vocational education sector, the big news was the launch of the Reform of Vocational Education (RoVE) – one of the most significant changes in education for some time, which will redefine roles for industry bodies and education providers and establish a unified vocational education funding system. It was also good to see the Government’s support of literacy and numeracy training in the workplace through a new funding commitment of $14.5 million over four years – meaning the Government will contribute nearly $45 million to the employer-led workplace literacy and numeracy fund between 2019 and 2022. I am optimistic that this sector shake-up will encourage collaboration between the business community […]

Barbara Nebel, CEO, thinkstep-anz This year has seen a significant rise in consumer concern around environmental and social issues, and a corresponding demand for better information about products and business practices. Colmar Brunton’s Better Futures report[1] in February found that New Zealanders had the highest levels of concern about climate change in a decade, but also that how companies talk about their social and environmental commitments is confusing. The In Good Company report[2] in November – commissioned by the Sustainable Business Council, Porter Novelli and Perceptive – found that New Zealanders wanted more transparent communication on sustainability from all industries and considered sustainability in their purchase decisions. It is more important than ever for manufacturers to be able to tell the story of product sustainability. We look back at how government and businesses alike have stepped up to this challenge. Government changes  Single-use plastic bags were banned from July this year, signalling a watershed moment for plastics use. The Government has recently announced[3] the next steps to tackle plastic waste, starting with moving from single-use packaging and containers made of hard-to-recycle PVC and polystyrene, towards high-value alternatives like HDPE and polypropylene. In November, New Zealand made headlines overseas as the Climate Change Response Amendment Bill passed with cross-party support, committing the country to reduce carbon emissions to zero by 2050. The passage of this bill gives businesses certainty of the long-term framework for reducing emissions and will make it easier for them to plan their own transition. The Ministry for the Environment, accredited product stewardship managers and the Sustainable Business Network have collaborated on Fuji Xerox’s roadmap[4] to develop a product stewardship scheme. Companies and other organisations participating in accredited product stewardship schemes have diverted more than 1/3 million tonnes of waste from landfill to date. How are companies responding? […]