Editorial

Fero committed to long-term partnership with Samoa

New Zealand’s leading wiring and assembly solutions manufacturer says it has a long-term commitment to Samoa and hopes it will lead the way to other New Zealand businesses setting up operation there. Fero is an Auckland-based family-owned business that manufactures wiring looms for local technology manufacturers, ranging from automotive and marine lighting, to air conditioning units, air quality sensors and aeronautical units. It is in the process of setting up operations in the premises formerly occupied by Yazaki EDS, which closed recently puttig more than 700 people out of work. Fero has already signed up 60 former Yazaki employees and plans to employ more once its Samoan operations begin later in the year. The company intends to expand to 200 people over the coming two years. General Manager Sam Fulton says the decision to relocate Fero’s off-shore operations from China to Samoa came about after the company analysed its long-term prospects. “We are always looking for ways of doing things better, faster, cheaper for customers and we want to be known for being relied on to deliver – no matter what the timeframe, quantity or specification. Growing challenges with China were making it increasingly difficult to live up to those promises.” Fero investigated several alternative off-shore options before learning of Yazaki’s intended departure from Samoa. It presented the perfect opportunity because, like Fero, Yazaki manufactured wiring looms and also had very high-quality standards and skilled employees. Mr Fulton says Fero had three major requirements of its new off-shore operation: quality, productivity and minimal impact on its New Zealand management resources. “Yazaki’s premises are perfect for our needs and its employees ticked all three boxes in abundance. Their quality standards were so high that they had gone four years running with zero production defects. Its former employees are therefore extremely knowledgeable, […]

Is your talent management strategy ready for the global skills gap?

By Alexandre Pachulski, Co-Founder of Talentsoft Our global economy has begun yet another transformation. We are in the early stages of a fourth industrial revolution that will bring major changes to our societies, driven by advances in connectivity, automation, and artificial intelligence. With that, has come a global gap in the skilled talent necessary to keep pace. As expert Klaus Schwab, puts it, “the changes are so profound that, from a perspective of human history, there has never been a time of greater promise or potential peril.” So how do we fulfill this great promise? A critical piece involves rethinking how we cultivate and manage the talent whom will be leading us forward; whom we will reply upon to innovate, deliver, and maintain these unprecedented developments in technology? The greatest promises of technology cannot be realised without human talent. For that technology to grow and for our economies to thrive, we must be aware of and work to bridge the widening global gap in qualified talent, particularly in manufacturing and STEM-dependent careers, which are central to this latest industrial revolution. There’s an exciting opportunity for forward-thinking leaders to be proactive—especially those in HR, as they are often at the centre of their company’s talent management strategy. The first step for leadership is to assess where they are right now and what changes need to be made to compete effectively in this new era. Leaders who can readily embrace new technologies and strategies will have a significant advantage over those who don’t. Key areas to assess are: Integration and Connectivity The pace of business and reliance on real-time data insists that companies embrace cloud-based technologies and software that can connect easily to existing solutions. Teams needs to be able to work from centralized data so decisions can made from up-to-date information; […]

10 ways automation could boost your business

Clive Hickman, chief executive of the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), and Jeremy Hadall, chief technologist of the MTC, outline the business changes they expect to see over the next five years as a result of automation. 1. Productivity will increase Think about the introduction of robots to a car production line. Volkswagen has gone from around 4,000 people working in this environment to nearer 150, while at the same time increasing overall employee numbers from 30,000 to 70,000 across the business. Business Impact: Improved productivity is good news, as businesses will get more bang for their buck. When you become more productive, you create more demand, and therefore more jobs. More jobs could also mean a higher skill level of employee. 2. Workers will be safer and happier We strongly disagree that people will be replaced by automation. Yes, people will be redistributed, but this will be one of the most important benefits automation brings. Wherever there exists a dirty, dull and dangerous job with humans exposed to risk, there exists the perfect opportunity for automation. Business Impact: Workers’ quality of life could be drastically improved as well as allowing them to move into a more highly skilled role including operating the robot. For businesses, this means a workforce with improved prospects, better morale, and a higher skill level. 3. Customer service will reach new heights Ocado is one of the best examples of how customers can benefit from a business adopting automation. To a large extent, they are only able to fulfil their promise of the faster delivery times that you and I have come to expect because so many of their processes are automated. Business Impact: Automation can be an invaluable tool for cutting down on errors, facilitating faster deliveries, and for speeding up processes such as restocking. […]

Engineering the exoskeleton – from aliens to mechanically enhanced humans

Inspired by the ‘power loader’ exoskeleton worn by Sigourney Weaver’s character in Aliens, Richard Little set out to design and build a pair of robotic legs. The resulting REX Suits are operated by a joystick that allows the wearer to walk, move sideways, turn around, climb stairs, and exercise. Exoskeletons are hyped up as devices that will allow the injured and paralysed to walk, elderly and stroke sufferers to remain independent for longer, the military to get more from soldiers, and even turn all of us into mechanically enhanced humans. They have captured the imagination of researchers across the world, from start-ups to NASA. A Scots-born engineer, Richard says he was motivated to develop the system after his childhood best friend Robert Irving was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Little and Irving co-founded Rex Bionics in 2003. Now NZ based, Richard is passionate about using technology and particularly robotics to help people. Little said it was hard to describe the experience of watching someone stand and walk after being in a wheelchair for years. “Every time – it doesn’t matter how many times you’ve seen it before – it’s very emotional.” Researchers have developed exoskeletons controlled by a non-invasive system linked to the brain, allowing an even wider range of wheelchair users to walk. What’s more, when combined with virtual reality and tactile feedback the systems even appear to promote a degree of recovery for people with paraplegia. It’s a development that excites Richard, whose team have also been exploring the possibility of thought control with their own device. Richards latest business, Exsurgo Rehab, has been formed with an experienced medical and technology team to deliver medical devices that will alleviate the suffering and improve the quality of life of potentially millions of stroke sufferers world-wide. Richard is a multi-award-winning inventor […]

Vote productivity

It’s all about to happen on Saturday. The government for the next three years will go forth with a whole new set of plans and ideas on how to make our lives better. We know there are serious social issues which are worrying, decidedly so, and there are business issues which affect the social issues…so let’s concentrate here on what the issues and this publication are all about. Better business and business opportunities for all manufacturers and businesses through increased productivity. The leaders have spoken a bit about improving productivity and it needs a determined focus to bring it up to speed. NZMEA, for example, is a focussed and committed organisation looking out for the better, they address this subject often…and now it is the new government’s turn. It’s a bit like the Minister for Manufacturing issue, it gets raised and put into the too hard basket; if this had been dealt with years ago we may not have a productivity problem as we have now. Initiatives for workers would be further ahead, streamlining of areas of study would see companies getting the staff they require earlier on. Productivity in the horticulture, agriculture and wine industries is ahead of ‘hard core’ manufacturing because the end – the order from the client overseas and locally is determined a long way ahead. Also having quality products in high demand helps. Increasing productivity comes at a cost as well, of course, as a benefit. Good workers upping their game and reaching targets for their employers deserve a decent wage. This becomes for many a real living wage. Increasing productivity means that as a country we keep on looking for the opportunities – with internal developments and infrastructure and overseas. But mostly productivity needs to be lived, to be way a thinking, a frame […]

Sweet success at University of Waikato’s Science and Engineering Open Week

In the picture: Secondary school students from Thames High School sorting different sized lollies without touching them was just one of the tasks encountered by school students at the University of Waikato’s Science & Engineering Open Week recently. Sorting different sized lollies without touching them was just one of the tasks encountered by school students at the University of Waikato’s Science & Engineering Open Week recently. More than 500 secondary school students from across the North Island came to the University’s first-ever Science and Engineering Open Week which offered Year 12 and 13 students the chance to attendi hands-on workshops and experience a day in the life of science and engineering students. The workshops covered the programmes on offer in the Faculty of Science and Engineering. They gave potential tertiary students a taste of the fun and varied subjects available to study as part of a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Science (Technology) and Bachelor of Engineering (Honours). The lolly-sorting workshop was just one of the tasks encountered by students during the Engineering sessions. The Chemical and Biological & Materials and Process Engineering session challenged groups of students to find a suitable strategy to sort a range of lollies using separation processes such as air classification, filtration and gravity. The project emphasised how engineers must separate materials such as plastics and synthetic fibres to recover useful product within them. Also on the programme for Engineering was a Mechanical Engineering workshop where students constructed and modified cars using different wheel sizes and gear ratios for delivering a bottle of water as fast as possible to an area on top of a ramp. A Civil and Environmental Engineering workshop showed students the importance of reinforcing materials, while an Electronic and Software Engineering workshop called for programming an electronic mousetrap. In Molecular […]

Editorial, December Magazine:Self-satisfaction is not all we have, can do better

Time to take a breather and get the work/life balance in order. To stop stressing about the business and turn the cell phone off. As 2016 becomes a distant memory, there is some decent wind in the sails of the NZ economy. On top of that, another unfortunate earthquake and Auckland’s development have guaranteed plenty of construction work for 2017. The challenge of course is to find enough skilled tradespeople to be part of all of this. This issue affects our national productivity overall and our export push into overseas markets. Productivity, as much as any other issue this year, is on everyone’s mind. From the Minister for Business Development, NZMEA, Manufacturing NZ, NZTE, the Productivity Commission, to the company bosses and the production manager on the factory floor. Lots is written about it. Analysis put forward. Suggestions made. And the grumpiness of under-performing companies is there for all to see. Some of what I have written about Productivity this year has included suggestions to make staff more inclusive in the decision-making processes, show them the plan and offer them incentives. Wages need to increase for the job well done and New Zealand cannot continue to be a low wage economy festering with resentment between the haves and the have nots. And there is my every year Christmas wish for a Minister for Manufacturing. We currently have enough diversification of activities that are truly bolstering our economy and the potential for a better way of life. If this financial boost cannot improve the livelihood of the population, then we need to think again. In all of this, we are embedded in isolation from the outside world – every day is Christmas on our islands – and in a mindset which is like theatre and politically orchestrated. If the government […]

The song remains the same: Buy NZ Made

New Zealand manufacturers are a sturdy, determined lot mostly pushing uphill against the surge of imported products that flood the country. Many of my conversations with them come down to this: We can’t make enough large volume products to be truly competitive with the same imported products. And imported products are difficult to compete against in price – not always quality. Small run manufacturers from around the regions have been describing their competitive advantage, or more accurately, how to find it. This matters because everyone wants to be successful. No company in New Zealand supplies an order for 100,000 widgets because the market just isn’t here. It comes down to: the right staff making the right product for the right market on a quality basis, at the right price. It also comes down to the (potential) New Zealand client buying New Zealand made. And when it comes to export markets locating the client, ‘sealing the deal’ is a real challenge. The world is full of options but sometimes through our quality we can make the products that make the difference. The world found that out recently with the All Blacks winning the world team of the year award. They performed…they were quality…they were the difference. -Doug Green, Publisher, NZ Manufacturer

Manufacturing never stands still

-Doug Green, Publisher, NZ Manufacturer www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz Revolutionary technologies are changing the face of manufacturing in New Zealand and around the world. Remember when the first mobile phones came out? They looked like bricks, were the weight (practically) of bricks and there was really no place to put them. Walking down the busy street talking on one – with lots of other people around you doing the same thing – took up quite a lot of space. And how it’s all changed. The phones we use now are so much better as is the technology we are using to drive our manufacturing environments. If you can get your head around the on-going, refined technology, there are loads of opportunities staring you right in the face. And you can do it all in one place. Design engineers with their own research and development departments are taking on the world, developing products that five years ago would have been pretty hard to comprehend. From Invercargill to Whangarei there are great examples of New Zealand companies finding success by rolling up their sleeves and getting stuck in – using the best of manufacturing equipment and technology. Manufacturers do need to focus on the TPP agreement. Currently sitting there like a very, very large pimple, this inter-arrangement may even see foreign workers in New Zealand performing jobs New Zealanders ought to be doing at cheaper rates. The control of many workforces using Orwellian pay rates in a time when the price of an ice-cream is way over the top! Ice-cream may be available using the latest technology – but who determines its price? Why should TPP serve us any better? Technopak and Nelson Honey are prominent in this issue of NZ Manufacturer, companies who have been making it for a number of years. They haven’t […]

Editorial August Issue: Clean and green with natural energy

Our Lead Story this issue is ‘The engineering of solar flight’, in itself a mystery a mere few years ago and now seemingly a positive step forward for positive use of sunbeams! However, it is not going to answer the issue of flying in very large planes. Solar Impulse is a one-off example of energy efficiency for a crew of two people. Amongst all the technologies we use today none can be sweeter than a natural technology…which really isn’t a technology at all. Governments around the world – including New Zealand – are still coming to grips with the best use of our natural resources. The best way of diminishing coal as an essential product and providing a cleaner and better environment for humankind. Should we all have solar panels on or houses? Can we afford to continue to pay exorbitant power accounts…which, after all, come from using a natural source of energy? We also face the issues of fracking and the cause and effect it has on our environment and the consequences of this method of energy extraction on the earth on which we live. USA has reduced its need to import oil from the Middle East; primarily because of fracking. Under Obama, America has become more self-sufficient. Their internal energy levels from fracking is causing consternation as to its effect on the environment and the quality of life. This form of energy extraction takes place in other countries and realises everyone’s dream of a doomed planet. Also in this issue, we are delighted to welcome Dieter Adam, chief executive, New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association to our Advisory Panel. Dieter, with his clear thinking and analysis, is already making a difference in the business community. And you can read about Emerald Foods, an East Tamaki country, who exports […]

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