Editorial

Sistema Plastics Ltd has committed to reducing its carbon emissions by achieving Certified Emissions Measurement And Reduction Scheme (CEMARS®) certification. CEMARS certification is a recognised greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions measurement and reduction scheme administered by Enviro-Mark Solutions (a subsidiary of Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research). It is the first of a two-step process towards achieving carboNZeroCertTM certification in New Zealand. As one of the largest manufacturing facilities in New Zealand, Sistema recognises it has a responsibility to ensure it is producing its products in the most sustainable way possible, from the design process through to manufacturing and distribution. Drew Muirhead, Chief Executive Officer at Sistema Plastics Ltd, says it will be proactively working with suppliers, distributors and customers to achieve its goals, but also with a large focus on sustainable, innovative new products. “We are taking the impacts of climate change seriously and are committed to adapting the business to reduce our carbon emissions. “We’d love to encourage other main players in the manufacturing industry to do the same,” he says. Sistema has developed a GHG emissions management plan and reduction targets that will be achieved through initiatives intended to manage and reduce freight, electricity and travel emissions. Exporting to more than 80 countries around the world, Sistema’s biggest challenge is developing smarter solutions to reduce emissions from road, rail and sea freight. Muirhead says it has set reduction targets and identified a number of specific projects to ensure it meets them. “We’ve set a goal of reducing freight and shipping emissions by 15%, electricity emissions by 40% and we are aiming to offset all emissions from long haul travel by 80%, by 2021. “This will see us investigating possible enhancements and changes including solar power options for our office and factory and offsetting all carbon emissions from long haul […]

A multi-million dollar retail development has provided a significant boost to the local economy with suppliers running 24 hour shifts to manufacture materials for its construction. Furniture and homewares retailer Nido, will cover a 31,000 sqm area in West Auckland, significantly larger than any other store in the country. Managing director Vinod Kumar says the sheer scale of the $60 million development has put pressure on their suppliers to meet their demand for locally made materials – which has lead to further job growth. He says the logistical considerations of the project have also meant much of the work is being done in off-peak hours. “To ensure there is no disruption to local traffic in transporting the 9,000 cubic metres of concrete being poured, 1,800 truck loads will be delivered to the site in the middle of the night. “In addition, 1,800 tonnes of structural and reinforcing steel has been ordered. While an order of this size has been a significant boost to our suppliers, they are running in 24 hour shifts to get it manufactured in time,” he says. Kumar says the New Zealand owned company is proud to have been able to provide work for more than 450 locals on the construction phase of the development as well as employing a further 200+ when the store opens in the coming months. He says the project is now 40% complete and expected to open some time towards the end of Spring this year. Kumar says the project will also see the installation of more than 15,000 sqm of roofing, 1,600 piles and 12,600 lineal metres of purlins and girts.  

-Brian Low, HERA conference organiser. HERA to launch Future Forum series The third industrial revolution changed the way previous generations worked – and very soon, the fourth industrial revolution will do the same again for us. Inevitably, we’ll have the ability to access powerful resources previously unavailable or uneconomic. Our members in the engineering and manufacturing sectors now need to innovate and change to understand and counter or utilise those resources. Why the need to care? The rise of technologies – such as machine learning, automation, augmented reality and virtual reality looms over the horizon. In other words, ‘business as usual’ will soon be ‘business no longer’. But we get it. Some of these technologies seem too far out of reach to ever affect our industry. Or just plain overwhelming, expensive or impractical to uptake. And although innovation can be promising, it has several aspects which makes it challenging to be implemented in different systems or organisations. What we can say, is that Industry 4.0 and digitalisation are the future of manufacturing. Companies may not survive in a competitive and fast-changing market if they aren’t agile and flexible. That means understanding these concepts and eventually finding ways to adopt them is critical. Governments and some academic institutions are already struggling to keep up with the changes Industry 4.0 is bringing. In order to cope, our members need to step up and be more agile. Be they fabricators, consultants, product suppliers or services providers. The Fourth Industrial Revolution will affect strategies, structure, business models and operational processes in the engineering sector. Even we at HERA have aligned our vision and mission to keep up with changing contexts. Our structure, training and research have and will continue to adapt as well. Especially as we find ways to serve our membership meaningfully and […]

BusinessNZ endorses the New Zealand Initiative’s report ‘Why Fair Pay Agreements would be bad for labour,’ and agrees that compulsory sector-wide bargaining would not be a suitable system for New Zealand. BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope says the report accords with the employer views expressed during the Fair Pay Agreement working group. “Having Fair Pay Agreements centrally negotiated by unions and industry reps would mean businesses losing the freedom to set wage rates appropriate to their own workplaces. “This kind of approach in past years led to wage inflation, higher prices and strikes.” Mr Hope said the NZ Initiative report identified other policy approaches that would better serve productivity and growth and cost of living issues, including improving education outcomes, addressing housing affordability and continuing to make New Zealand an attractive investment environment. “As an alternative to Fair Pay Agreements, we would encourage the Government to consider these policy approaches.”