Editorial

Airport evening takes off

The chance to poke around an international airport is not to be missed so it was no surprise the full house sign went up in record time when the Maintenance Engineering Society (MESNZ) was invited to bring its Kaeser Compressors Network Evening Series to Auckland International Airport in July. Building on the 2016 visit where the attendees were treated to an up close and personal view of the push back preparations for an international flight, Kevin Ingle and his team extended this year’s tour through the baggage handling and service sections of the facility, providing an insight into the complexities of maintaining and constantly improving a facility that is a player on the world stage. With CAA clearance, the party of 50 plus were bussed in from the Maintenance Depot to the International Apron to view a world seldom seen by the general public. Receiving, processing, servicing and turning around a gigantic 500-ton A380 requires a symphony of separate actions and interactions as well as impeccable plant reliability. Even something as simple as an airbridge can have catastrophic effect if it malfunctions or fails to function. On the tarmac, a huge amount of effort goes into getting passengers, baggage and refreshments on board, communications established, pre-flight checks, etc. From here the group split up for a dual tour of the baggage loading hall and the impressive service area featuring the teams latest HVAC plant. The amount of effort that goes into making a passengers experience effortless is amazing. Kevin Ingle and his team are responsible for a 1500ha mini city that demands uninterrupted major infrastructures 24/7 including buildings, services, HVAC, wildlife, terminals and runways. Failure is unthinkable, and the demands are high. Yet the team are the most well balanced affable people you could meet and somehow you get the […]

Micro credentials welcome addition to industry training

The Industry Training Federation welcomes the announcement that micro credentials will be recognised as part of the New Zealand Qualifications Framework. Industries have been looking for new and more flexible ways to recognise skill sets developed in response to changing technologies, employment structures and work requirements. “If anything is certain about the future of work it is that people will need to upgrade skills throughout their careers” says ITF Chief Executive Josh Williams. “Qualifications will remain important, but micro credentials will help people have their additional skills recognised and will be a more efficient way to recognise additional skills and specialities, especially those gained through the workplace.” “Industry is enthusiastic, and the industry training sector is looking forward to more flexible and efficient ways to develop workforce skills through micro credentials.” Mr Williams says.

ACA holds Corrosion Under Insulation workshop

The economic impact of corrosion and its degradation of infrastructure and assets is estimated to be 3 to 5 per cent of GDP, which for the New Zealand economy is more than $10B annually. Companies require effectively trained staff who have an understanding of the numerous types of corrosion that affect their industry, the impact of dangerous and expensive damage that corrosion causes to structures such as pipelines, towers, bridges, oil rigs, buildings, water systems, and the preventative and remediation technology available. The Australasian Corrosion Association (ACA) regularly hosts special technical events for members and others working in the corrosion management and prevention sector, designed to provide attendees with information and guidance about ways to combat and manage corrosion. As part of this program, the ACA ran a two day Corrosion Under Insulation (CUI) workshop in New Plymouth at the end of last month. Presented by internationally renowned CUI consultant Peter Bock from Houston, USA, the workshop was dedicated to the design, specification and inspection of corrosion control systems to prevent CUI in new or aged equipment. Topics covered included causes of CUI, current state-of-the-art CUI coating systems, inspecting and evaluating aged CUI in the field, as well as suitable CUI repair coating systems. Bock has more than thirty years’ experience in elevated temperature coatings and CUI, and has published numerous articles on CUI issues. In addition, he has spoken at NACE, SSPC, ICC and other national and international conferences regarding CUI problems and solutions. Allied to this as CUI has an impact on durability, the ACA hosted a one-day seminar entitled ‘Designing for Durability in the Built Environment’ in July, in Parnell.. The seminar covered a range of topics including Fastener Durability in Timber Structures, the Role of Stainless Steels in Architecture and Using Metal as a Cladding Material. […]

Chamber welcomes Small Business Council announcement

The Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce welcomed the announcement by Minister for Small Business Hon Stuart Nash of the appointment of the Small Business Council, says CEO Leeann Watson. “We are pleased to be involved with the Small Business Council. In today’s fast changing world where small business face increased complexity, digital disruption, a changing trade environment and increased costs and compliance, we are very keen to work with government to ensure that policy acts as an enabler for small business and supports strong outcomes for business and the wider community,” said Leeann Watson. Around 80 per cent of the members of The Chamber are SMEs, and recent statistics have shown 97 per cent of New Zealand businesses are SMEs. “The Chamber in Canterbury has been operating for 159 years, and we are keen to ensure that the existing networks of small business support with extensive track records in the sector are a key part of the discussions around opportunities to improve the performance of small business in New Zealand.” The Chamber is a not-for-profit membership-based service organisation that has he home and voice of business in the Canterbury region since 1859. Comprised of over 2900 members, The Chamber actively provides advisory and consultancy support in employment relations, human resources and health and safety, and training and development in many areas including employment relations. “One of The Chamber’s key focus areas is of course providing support to small business to help them do business better and we look forward to continuing our work with government to do that,” said Leeann Watson.

Alternative protein reports published

The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) and Plant & Food Research have released their joint report: The evolution of plant protein – assessing consumer response. The report was commissioned to assess consumer responses to protein and highlight the potential impacts to the New Zealand agricultural industry. New Zealand’s social, environmental, and economic well-being is linked to New Zealand’s ability to supply the rest of the world with protein. New Zealand’s animal-based protein export revenue alone accounts for 60% of New Zealand’s total primary exports. This demand will grow as the global population is set to increase to 8.1 billion by 2025. “This is the very first exploratory piece of work MPI has done in this area. The report explores how consumers have become more aware of the long-term impacts of food production and signals change for traditional animal protein producers. “The findings will inform our work programme to support primary sector resilience in the face of these impacts and changing consumer habits. “The report also includes opportunities to create value through a point of difference for traditional New Zealand products,” says Jarred Mair, acting deputy director-general for policy and trade. “In order for New Zealand to retain a competitive edge in our primary exports, we want to ensure we are looking ahead at what the future consumer might demand in our products and what opportunities are available for our sector,” says Dr Jocelyn Eason of Plant & Food Research. To assess where markets are heading in the next 5 years the report analysed consumer responses to plant-based proteins released in the United States and consumer attitudes to proteins in China. Our research has shown that wealthy western economies such as the US will require an innovative product that meets consumer needs. Key findings of the report include: Progress towards new protein […]

What do field service workers have to do with manufacturing?

Companies that deliver outstanding service and repair experiences include KONE or Fisher & Paykel. -Paul Baptist, Senior Director, Solution Engineering, APAC, Salesforce We’re seeing manufacturers increasingly invest in their customer service and field service teams as customers demand the types of experiences companies like Airbnb provide. Anytime, anywhere, frictionless and personalised experiences are what customers demand. The lines between B2C and B2B customers have also blurred, meaning your experience must match the very best that’s out there, no matter your end buyer. The stakes have never been higher. The Salesforce 2018 State of the Connected Customer report, revealed 66 per cent of buyers say they are likely to switch brands if they are treated like a number instead of an individual. Every touch point a manufacturer has with a customer has to deliver the best possible, personalised experience. In-between buying cycles, field service is often your most important and regular touch point with customers. That’s why we’ve seen our manufacturing customers like KONE, Schneider Electric and Fisher & Paykel invest in their customer service experience. What’s the impact of field service workers in manufacturing? A good example of investing in your field service team is KONE. It is working towards a future where the operating condition of more than 1.1 million of its escalators and elevators is linked with real-time customer information and maintenance schedules. This will be provided to its team of 20,000 field service technicians around the world. By owning the quality of service and empowering its field service technicians, KONE is turning a service request or product break down into an opportunity to provide an outstanding customer experience. What is the ‘customer experience crisis’? Customers judge your business based on their most recent and best interaction. Think of the companies that deliver outstanding service and repair […]

Boosting your bottom line with a safer workplace

Authored by Helen Masters, senior vice president and general manager, Asia Pacific, Infor It’s the sound you dread: a bang, crash or shout heralding that one of your employees has been injured. In that moment, you know that many things have been lost — a person’s wellbeing (and possibly their life), the morale of other employees, and possibly, their confidence in the safety of their workplace. Underlying it all, the productivity, cohesion, and workflow you depend on to deliver a competitive, profitable product may also be impacted. The effects are a serious drain on companies and on the wider economy — work related injuries and fatalities cost the nation $61.8 billion in 2012, nearly 5 percent of GDP. Safer operations mean higher productivity The old line about prevention being better than cure has never been more important than when talking about workplace safety. A safe workplace is essential to ensuring reliable, uninterrupted operations. With strong safety programs, companies can significantly improve their productivity, while reinforcing their bottom line and not only boosting morale and wellbeing among their employees but also having a positive impact on the families and close friends of their employees. There are no accidents The question for many businesses is how to get from here to there. In the transport industry, there is an assumption that there are no accidents, just collisions that could have been prevented with foresight and planning. It is hard to think of a sector where that basic principle does not apply. An end-to-end approach to workplace safety begins with a dedicated effort to keep equipment in safe working order, develop workplace procedures and rigorous training plans, and deploy sensors that set off alarms or simply shut down equipment when it is being misused. A safer workplace with enterprise asset management Most companies have […]

Kiwi insurance provider introduces comprehensive manufacturing cover for emerging threats

With the manufacturing sector experiencing strong growth and exports exceeding NZ$49 billion, the industry is in good shape. However, with the global trend for increased innovation and efficiency, new challenges and risks face the industry in relation to quality control. For Delta Insurance, this trend highlights the need for manufacturing companies to continually assess and minimise these increasing and evolving risks and they have developed what they believe to be a New Zealand-first – liability coverage specific for the needs of manufacturing companies, giving them comprehensive cover for risks such as product defects and related financial losses. Senior underwriter and casualty lines manager Dinesh Murali elaborates: “events such as product recalls or pollution incidents, can be prohibitively expensive and seriously impact a manufacturer’s bottom line.” The manufacturer’s liability package takes a modular approach and carries some unique coverage sections which are usually not addressed in such policies. “It can be a tedious and expensive exercise for typical SME businesses when they need to purchase several insurance products independently” says Mr. Murali. “Multiple insurance covers usually make the cost prohibitive. We have put everything under one package at a more affordable premium.” According to Mr. Murali, the cover addresses the risk of product recall and product defects unique to the manufacturing sector, as well as cover for financial loss, slow and gradual pollution, crisis management and consequential loss. It can also be packaged with other cover such as cyber liability. With a 62% increase in recall rates for food products last year and a trend that looks set to continue, manufacturers need to ensure they are covered for such an event. Delta’s policy covers a range of scenarios that result in a product recall, including accidental contamination from pathogens, undeclared allergens and other foreign matter, malicious product tamper and incorrect labelling. […]

A circular future with stewardship at the centre

Adele Rose – 3R Chief Executive Mention the term ‘product stewardship’ to the first person you bump into on the street and chances are you will be met with a blank look. The truth is, it’s not a widely known concept in New Zealand. It also is and isn’t a simple one either. Suggest that manufacturers and retailers should take responsibility for the products they make and sell throughout the lifetime of those products (the definition of product stewardship), and the blank look will probably turn into a puzzled one. Fast-forward to the year 2050 and this will be a different story. The terms ‘sustainably produced’, ‘fair trade’, ‘organically grown’ and the like were little known or not even coined 20 or 30 years ago but are now part of everyday life. In the same way talking about product stewardship will certainly be common place 32 years from now. The reason for this is product stewardship is a cornerstone of the circular economy – another little-known phrase which will certainly become common place long before 2050. The circular economy is the economy of the future, and ironically also one from the past. Circular principals In generations past there was a far higher value placed on things. When your TV broke you didn’t immediately throw it away, you had it repaired if possible. Things like children’s toys were more durable and weren’t bought on mass. We generally had less stuff, and the stuff we had lasted longer, was repaired and reused. Simply getting rid of something and buying new wasn’t the knee-jerk reaction it is today. Moving to a circular economy isn’t about nostalgia or an ideologically nice thing to do. It’s also not because it’s the environmentally responsible thing to do, but rather because the linear economy and its […]

Tooling up to manufacture a circular economy

James Griffin leads the Sustainable Business Network’s Circular Economy Accelerator (CEA) to hasten the adoption of a circular economy in New Zealand. He says the challenges awaiting manufacturers are both significant and exciting. Circular economy thinking is already producing real world tools to change the way we make things. In the process we could remake our world. We need a fundamental transformation in design, manufacture, procurement and supply chain management. Otherwise humanity will find itself pumping waste and pollution around its economic system for aeons to come. The principles of this shift are well-established. If we are going to design the waste and pollution out of our way of life, all products need to be designed for longevity. They must incorporate the ability to repair, upgrade, reuse and disassemble them. And at the end of their life precious materials must be harvested and re-cycled in closed loops. This requires careful design thinking from the outset and throughout the manufacturing process. Otherwise we tend to lock ourselves into linear pathways and approaches. Think renewable energy. Think recycled and recycled materials. Think manufacturing for leasing and product stewardship rather than sale and disposal. The potential benefits of this approach have been clearly identified. And they are enormous. In May we released a ground-breaking economic study completed by Sapere Research Group in partnership with ATEED. We discovered that Auckland could be up to $8.8 billion better off in 2030 if the city adopted a circular economy approach. To make this happen, and reap the rewards, leading manufacturers will need to partner with system thinkers and academic institutions. This is what is driving the development of the CEA’s Institute for Innovation in Remanufacture & Reuse. Once established, this will bring together business people and academics, working together to address the many technical and systemic […]

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