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Strong shifts start with strong leaders: Inside Ashburton Meats’ investment in its people

Adam Harvey Business Performance Partner – Manufacturing, The Learning Wave You can feel it the moment you walk the floor. A strong shift hums. Clear direction, tight handovers, problems solved right then and there. A weak one? Well, we’ve all seen those too. Targets slip, rework piles up, and safety gets shaky. And when you’re there, no machine in the world can fix it. That’s why, when Ashburton Meats started gearing up for export readiness, a high-stakes shift for any plant, Plant Manager Karl Thin didn’t wait for cracks to appear. He knew the change would succeed or stumble based on how well his supervisors could lead. So, instead of hoping they’d “step up” on their own, Karl backed them with something many manufacturers leave too late: a deliberate investment in the people who hold the place together. These aren’t people sitting in offices with spare hours to “strategise”. They’re busy every minute of their shift running the floor, keeping product moving, quality high, and safety sharp, all while managing teams who want answers about where the business is headed. The stakes Change exposes the gaps. Missed handovers turn into production delays. Quality slips mean costly rework. Safety conversations happen only after something’s gone wrong. And when people don’t understand the “why” behind change, resistance grows fast. Karl knew that without strong leadership, the shift to export readiness would magnify every one of those problems. Why leadership was the lever Frontline leadership isn’t about titles. It’s about tone. The way expectations are set. The way conflict is handled. The way people feel when they walk onto the floor. Ashburton Meats’ leaders had the technical skills down pat. But export readiness needed more: Guide their teams through uncertainty without losing focus on performance. Hold the right conversations at the right time. […]

There are no Silver Bullets: Productivity, AI, and Sustainable Growth

NZ Manufacturer, November issue Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon & Co Over the last 30 years, the productivity landscape has undergone a dramatic transformation. Like many revolutions, its roots stretch back decades—indeed, to the 1900’s. The publication of “The Machine That Changed The World” in the late 1980s marked a turning point, crystallising the profound impact and untapped potential of innovative methodologies in manufacturing and, more broadly, organisational transformation. What followed was a period I call “buzzword bingo,” as terms such as TQC, TQM, Zero Defects, SQC, TPM, TOC, SPC, Lean, Six Sigma, and Lean Six Sigma emerged in rapid succession over 20 years. Each brought unique insights and some overlapping “nuggets,” yet amidst the flurry, the core principles of continuous improvement began to take root. Over the last 10–15 years, this wave of methodologies has stabilised, with businesses refining their approaches. However, the reality remains that few have unlocked the full promise of integrated continuous improvement. While many have seen notable performance gains, in New Zealand the adoption rate lags significantly behind other countries—a primary contributor to our national productivity deficit. As we step into 2025, we find ourselves on the cusp of the AI age. The dawn of Industry 5.0 promises a seamless partnership between humans and technology, delivering smarter systems, streamlined processes, real-time insights, comprehensive end-to-end visibility, and dramatic improvements in efficiency and capability. The vision is enticing, but it is crucial to remember: there are no silver bullets. As Deming wisely put it, “if you can’t describe what you are doing as a process, you don’t know what you are doing.” Mastery begins with clarity—being able to define and articulate your processes. But it goes deeper: everyone in your organisation who touches a process must understand it for true mastery to occur. This demands more than […]

How Trimax built export success through customer-first culture

NZ Manufacturer, November issue Bob and Michael Sievwright. Founded in 1981 in Tauranga, Trimax Mowing Systems has grown from a small New Zealand manufacturer into a globally recognised provider of commercial mowing solutions. Known for its focus on innovation, quality and export success, Trimax has become a case study in how a family-owned business can scale internationally while maintaining a strong customer-first culture. The EMA’s Nicholas Russell spoke with CEO Michael Sievwright about Trimax’s journey, its approach to growth and innovation, and how it is inspiring the next generation of Kiwi manufacturers. How has Trimax developed from a small Tauranga operation to a global exporter? Michael Sievwright: The journey really has a few phases. In the early years, our focus was on building a strong foundation: producing great products, establishing a solid brand, and laying down our footprint in international markets. My father, Bob Sievwright, emphasised customer-led innovation from day one, making sure our equipment was reliable, easy to maintain, and genuinely useful to those who used it. Then came what I’d call the ‘scale phase’. It wasn’t about constantly inventing new products; it was about asking: How do we sell what we already have? How do we leverage our existing footprint, build strong service and support, and make sure every customer receives the full value of a Trimax mower? That focus on sales, support and customer relationships has been as crucial as product innovation. How did Trimax build its footprint in offshore markets? Michael Sievwright: When entering a new market, our first step is to learn, not to sell. We observe how people buy, who they trust, and what their challenges are. We also maximise the domestic market in New Zealand. which is perfect for testing: grass grows year-round, machinery is put through rigorous use, and we can refine […]

Q & A: Stephanie Adding, NZ Business Manager, Brickworks New Zealand

NZ Manufacturer, November issue Stephanie Adding, NZ Business Manager, Brickworks New Zealand *Tell readers about Brickworks? Brickworks Building Products is one of the world’s largest and most diverse building material manufacturers. Our company has built an enduring reputation with our customers, we are loved for our innovation, professionalism and ever-dependable products and services. Brickworks began in 1930 in Australia and now has 2,500 staff worldwide, 45 manufacturing plants, 54 Design Studios, Display & Masonry Supply Centres, 2,000+ products and 17 brands. Brickworks has a strong presence in New Zealand and we have showrooms in Auckland, Hamilton and Christchurch. Our Austral Bricks brand has been available in New Zealand since 1997 and our products feature prominently across many residential and commercial buildings in New Zealand including The Greenhouse by Ockham Residential in Auckland, and the Northern Quarter, a 5,500m2 office and hospitality building in Tauranga CBD. *Where is the Brickworks headquarters? Sydney, Australia *What does your company produce? We manufacture and supply clay bricks and pavers, masonry and stone, roofing, building systems and cement. All our stocked 70mm bricks sold in New Zealand are curated by our local team here in New Zealand and are all manufactured to exposure grade. We offer bespoke designs and products and work closely with our clients to meet their specific building needs and vision. For example, for The Greenhouse project, we procured and manufactured custom green glazed bricks in 25 different shapes for Ockham Residential. In terms of new products for the New Zealand market, we’ve recently just launched a CodeMark-certified brick facings panel system called Thin Tech Plus®. This system is designed to speed up the construction process without the weight and space restrictions associated with traditional full brick veneers. Measuring in at just 43mm thin (a traditional brick has a thickness of […]

$50 Billion up for grabs thanks to new procurement rules

NZ Manufacturer magazine, November 2025 By Hon Chris Penk, Minister for Small Business and Manufacturing You may have seen the Finance Minister’s recent announcement about changes to how the Government buys goods and services. I want to make sure Kiwi businesses hear the good news because the new procurement rules, coming into effect on 1 December 2025, are designed to give small and homegrown firms a real chance to win government work. If landing a government contract has ever felt out of reach, now is the time to take a closer look. Government procurement is big business. Each year, agencies spend over $50 billion on goods, services, and infrastructure. That is a huge opportunity for local manufacturers, suppliers, and service providers. Until now, feedback from the business community showed that too many local manufacturers and small and medium-sized enterprises found the process complex, time-consuming, and costly to engage with. The Government has responded to that challenge with reforms aimed at making the system simpler and fairer. The number of procurement rules will reduce from 71 to 47, cutting duplication, streamlining processes, and making it easier for businesses to understand what is expected when bidding for government work. One of the most significant changes is a new rule requiring agencies to consider the economic benefit to New Zealand in every procurement. When evaluating bids, agencies must now give at least 10 percent weighting to how a supplier’s proposal will benefit the New Zealand economy. That benefit could include using local suppliers, creating jobs, supporting regional businesses, or investing in skills and training. For the roughly 20,700 manufacturers in New Zealand, this means the Government wants to work with businesses that help New Zealand thrive. The change will support local firms directly and also encourages international companies to show how they will […]

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Could a ‘grey swan’ event bring down the AI revolution? Risks we should be preparing for

Cameron Shackell, Sessional Academic, School of Information Systems, Queensland University of Technology The term “black swan” refers to a shocking event on nobody’s radar until it actually happens. This has become a byword in risk analysis since a book called The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb was published in 2007. A frequently cited example is the 9/11 attacks. Fewer people have heard of “grey swans”. Derived from Taleb’s work, grey swans are rare but more foreseeable events. That is, things we know could have a massive impact, but we don’t (or won’t) adequately prepare for. COVID was a good example: precedents for a global pandemic existed, but the world was caught off guard anyway. Although he sometimes uses the term, Taleb doesn’t appear to be a big fan of grey swans. He’s previously expressed frustration that his concepts are often misused, which can lead to sloppy thinking about the deeper issues of truly unforeseeable risks. But it’s hard to deny there is a spectrum of predictability, and it’s easier to see some major shocks coming. Perhaps nowhere is this more obvious than in the world of artificial intelligence (AI). Putting our eggs in one basket Increasingly, the future of the global economy and human thriving has become tied to a single technological story: the AI revolution. It has turned philosophical questions about risk into a multitrillion-dollar dilemma about how we align ourselves with possible futures. US tech company Nvidia, which dominates the market for AI chips, recently surpassed US$5 trillion (about A$7.7 trillion) in market value. The “Magnificent Seven” US tech stocks – Amazon, Alphabet (Google), Apple, Meta, Microsoft, Nvidia and Tesla – now make up about 40% of the S&P 500 stock index. The impact of a collapse for these companies – and a stock market bust – would be devastating at a global level, not just financially but also in terms of dashed hopes […]

Why strategy can feel stale

Jane Finlayson Strategic Doing Facilitator | Independent Consultant For some manufacturers, the last strategy they developed never got traction and didn’t survive the turbulent times we’ve been experiencing. For others their strategy lives in a document that no one’s opened since the last planning retreat. That’s not because people don’t care. It’s usually because the plan doesn’t really align to the culture of the business or how people actually work day to day and things just get “too busy”. The sector been through a few rough years — COVID, supply chain shocks, inflation, floods, staffing challenges. The latest Manufacturing Productivity Index from BusinessNZ tells a pretty clear story: output is down, confidence is soft, and many businesses are focused on survival, not growth. It’s understandable. But it also makes now an ideal time to reset and refocus strategy for the future. Strategy alone isn’t enough A well-crafted strategy can set direction. But culture or the way your people feel, think, and behave, to solve problems together determines whether that strategy produces results. When strategy and culture are aligned, the waka moves forward faster. Both need to be agile so you have the ability to change direction when needed. Manufacturers know this intuitively. You can feel the difference between a team that’s aligned and one that isn’t. On a shop floor, when things click, productivity hums. Collaboration is a strategic asset One of the most powerful things I’ve seen in projects over the years is how fast momentum builds when people collaborate, regardless of their roles, their tenure or their culture. People love being part of the winning team. What I like about Strategic Doing as a framework is it provides a structure to create shared ownership and accountability through regular check-ins and small, doable steps that keep the waka moving. […]

Before the Robots Roll in, is your system healthy enough to handle innovation?

NZ Manufacturer magazine Guest Article by Theresa Grainger, The Lean Hub & Productivity Excellence Academy. Every manufacturer is striving to lift productivity and much of the current focus is on investing in smarter machines, automated processes and AI. But the real question isn’t what we are going to automate, it is what state we are automating. Because if the system underneath is unhealthy, for example unclear processes, tired teams, neglected assets, then new technology doesn’t fix the instability, it amplifies it. One of the clearest indicators of system health and a direct driver of productivity is how well we maintain the discipline of improvement. In New Zealand, many manufacturers are pushing hard to stay competitive in a tough global economy, yet beneath the surface we are seeing an imbalance. While the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle is a core framework for improvement, in practice we tend to excel at the “Plan” and “Do” stages. However, the final two steps “Check” and “Act” are often overlooked, limiting our ability to learn, improve, and sustain gains. When productivity slips, our instinct is often to add capacity, new machinery, software, or automation. But more often, the real issue isn’t a lack of resources, it is that silos have formed and people, processes, and systems are no longer aligned or working together effectively. An asset might fail because it wasn’t serviced, but teams often miss their targets for less visible reasons, like unclear communication, blurred accountability, or lack of clear ownership. Just as machines need regular maintenance, so do our organisational systems and leadership. A regular check on system health and culture can reveal the early signs of misalignment before they impact performance. When we build a culture that pauses to reflect, learn and reset, we create the conditions for genuine improvement. It’s not just […]

Beyond the roadmap: How Argus made people the engine of change

Adam Harvey, Business Performance Partner – Manufacturing, The Learning Wave Running operations today feels like living in two realities at once. On one hand, you know the plant has to modernise. The systems are creaking, customers want more for less, and digital tools promise the efficiency you need. On the other hand, you look around the floor and think: “My people aren’t ready for this.” That’s where we see so many transformations stall. The roadmap is clear, the tech is lined up, the investment made, but the people who have to use it don’t feel confident, don’t trust it, or don’t see why it matters. And then the numbers don’t move. Dashboards gather dust. Automation creates frustration. The new machine sits there like an expensive ornament. Argus chose a different path. One that not only delivered the transformation but unlocked double-digit lifts in productivity and quality along the way. Technology set the stage, people made it work After engaging LMAC to run a SIRI readiness survey, their plan was clear: invest in digital tools, shop-floor intelligence, automation, and smarter integration. Dsifer built the data backbone. Design Energy explored automation. The roadmap was solid, and the tools were lining up. The Board and GM believed in the vision, but crucially, they also believed that the only way this transformation would stick was if they first invested in their people. They knew that tech doesn’t run the factory, people do. Dashboards don’t drive performance if no one looks at them. Automation doesn’t add value if the team doesn’t trust it. New systems don’t solve problems if people are too nervous to use them. That’s why Argus called us. “We need you to work with our people and get them ready for this transformation.” We built people’s confidence so they trusted the […]

Age-Inclusive Manufacturing: Making Flexibility Fair on the Factory Floor

By Shyamini Szeko, reflecting on Master’s research into ageing and work in New Zealand manufacturing (AcademyEx, 2025) Why Flexibility Matters “My 32-hour week lets me maintain a healthy sleep schedule and personal life,” one long-serving factory worker told me during my research. That small adjustment meant he could keep working instead of being forced to leave early. But not everyone is offered this chance. In my survey, 86% of manufacturing staff said flexibility is “very important,” yet almost half reported seeing no age-inclusive action in their workplace. The message is clear: older workers want to stay engaged, but workplaces are not keeping pace. Unless manufacturers change course, they risk losing valuable skills and knowledge just when they need them most. The Flexibility Gap On the office side of manufacturing, flexibility is common. Staff can work from home, adjust hours, or take phased retirement. But on the factory floor, older workers face rigid shifts, heavy physical demands, and inconsistent support. As one HR professional told me: “Flexibility simply does not work on the factory floor.” Yet my research shows that is not true. Even modest changes to duties or scheduling can keep people in the workforce for longer. The issue is not whether flexibility can work, but that it is unevenly applied, often depending on the goodwill of a manager instead of fair, transparent policy. Health, Shifts, and Real Lives Rigid shift patterns can take a toll. Fatigue, musculoskeletal strain, and disrupted sleep become harder to manage with age. When schedules are adapted, the impact is immediate. The worker who moved to a 32-hour week is one example. Others told me that reduced rotations or less physically demanding duties made the difference between staying on the job or considering early retirement. Flexibility is not about lowering standards. It is about sustaining […]

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