Recent News

-Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon & Co ANZ As I have covered previously, New Zealand’s GDP has been declining relative to other OECD countries for over 40 years, sitting at 21st out of 38 countries as of 2021. This concerning situation affects our quality of life, our ability to invest and the provision of the services and amenities we have come to expect. The root causes for this have been provided over many years: geographical separation, access to capital and, of course, productivity. To quote American economist Paul Krugman, ‘productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run, it’s almost everything’. We currently lag significantly behind many OECD countries in output and hours worked. It is simply not possible to work more hours. We are now in a tight labour market, with lack of skills and availability of resources and rising wages as a result and we can no longer rely on the number 8 wire, she’ll be right and just harden up attitude. To keep up with the Irish we would need an extra 10 hours a day! This is our climate change moment. The house is burning and throwing a bucket of water at it won’t fix it. A frontier study comparing us to similar countries in size and scale, and allowing for the geographic differences, found that the key shortfalls are: Industry, government and research/university collaboration Focus on key sectors which there is a natural advantage or capability Support through appropriate technology and capital investment Development of human capital through training, mentoring and adoption of best practices The outcome of having these things has been outstanding performance for Scandinavian countries, Singapore, Ireland and Denmark, amongst others. By contrast, in NZ we have: Underinvested in capital, as it is easier to use flexible labour and avoid the spend Underinvested in […]

-Dr Troy Coyle 2022 was possibly the most successful year for HERA in its over 40-year history. This was certainly the case for research grant success and strengthening our research capability for the manufacturing and construction sectors. Decarbonisation In 2022, we at last launched our zero carbon steel program Hōtaka Whakakore Puhanga Waro (mo te Hua Rino). This program allows zero carbon steel to be specified, with credible offsets certified by Ekos. The offsetting requirements are based on credible life cycle analysis and Environmental Product Declarations and offer additionality (i.e. they reliably lead to reduced net carbon) through nature positive offsetting via planting and regeneration of native forests that offer biodiversity and local employment benefits. This program offers zero carbon options for most steel products used in New Zealand, including stainless steel, rebar, roofing and cladding, light gauge and structural steel. This comprehensiveness, reliability and independence makes it a first of its kind globally. We also commenced development of Australasia’s first material passport. This work will see steel re-use at end of life be supported and we hope that once developed, this can be rolled out across many building materials. This will make buildings become “banks of materials”, where materials can be “withdrawn” and re-used. This has obvious carbon benefits. Manufacturing industry support I continue to be engaged with key developments in the manufacturing sector, joining the Advisory Board for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Transformation Plan and co-sponsoring the Innovation and Sustainability workstreams. I also was re-elected to the role of Co-Chair of Hanga-Aro_Rau, the Workforce Development Council for Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics. HERA was also one of only two international partners in the newly created $260 million Australian-based Sovereign Manufacturing Automation for Composites Capability Cooperative Research Centre (SoMAC). Leading the way for Construction 4.0 HERA was awarded $10.3 million […]

-Scott Fuller, Xception This is the third in a series of six articles looking at how to successfully deliver your CRM project. Taking the time to look past the functional capability offered by a company will determine if you want a Partner or a Vendor. There are very good reasons to purchase your CRM solution from a Vendor, implement it asap and then just pay the Licence Fees for the term of the Agreement. Full Stop!! There are however more and far better reasons to look ahead to see how your full CRM ecosystem (Refer to Article 2 in this series) will support the evolution and growth of your business in the long term and how valuable a Partner can be. The behaviours of your Partner, vs a Vendor, are highlighted in Table 1 below. In short, a Vendor will give you exactly what you asked for and how you can leverage the generic capability and services. A Partner will take the time to understand your business, as well as technology, requirements and use them to drive out the right solutions. Project Factors Partner Vendor Shared Vision Drives the program Fits it to the tool Detailed Requirements Designs solutions Presents capability Functional Fit Customises for purpose Allows configuration Acceptance Testing Fully involved Facilitates how-to Training & Support Personalised / Periodic Modular / Static Resources – Time & $$$ Quoted / Evolves Fixed / Inflexible Table 1 – Partner vs Vendor So before starting your search for the right CRM, start by deciding the characteristics of your Partner, or Vendor. Will you deal directly with Vendor or via an implementation Partner? Either way, how do want to engage, what involvement do you expect, what services will you require to compliment your in-house resources? Is it more cost effective to pay an […]

If we want to create business solutions that better serve the environment, we need to shift our manufacturing mindset from take, make, waste – to reduce, return, reuse. This circular economy mindset, whereby products can be endlessly used through continuous business systems, is what gave birth to Computer Recycling. Computer Recycling is Aotearoa’s leading electronic waste recycler, recycling more that 4.8 million kilograms of waste since it was bought by Managing Director, Patrick Moynahan in 2018. Patrick took out a loan and used his personal savings to purchase and consolidate Computer Recycling into what it is today. The company’s goal is to eliminate electronic waste from the country’s landfills by actively engaging in sustainable recycling and reuse practices – a mission focused on driving Aotearoa’s circular economy. The average Kiwi produces 20kg of e-waste per year, which is one of the highest amounts per capita on Earth. That’s around 80,000 tonnes of e-waste per year – estimates suggest that a mere 2% of it is recycled. A lot of people don’t consider what happens to electronics, or waste in general, once it’s in the bin. It’s trickier for e-waste given it contains toxic plastics and metals which can harm our environment. That’s why it’s important e-waste is properly disposed of, and where applicable, recycled. For businesses, it’s one thing to manufacture and sell a product, but there needs to be equal consideration for what happens to that product at the end of its life. Businesses need to be responsible for a product’s entire lifecycle. It’s their responsibility to ensure products are disposed of / recycled properly, and they need to educate customers on appropriate disposal habits as part of that. At Computer Recycling, e-waste is both refurbished and recycled. Once the e-waste is gathered, it’s then brought back to Computer […]