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New app traces contacts, retains privacy

Using digital data for contact tracing could be a powerful tool for containing the spread of COVID-19 and a new technology app in Singapore could help address fears of data privacy, says a digital data expert. Andrew Chen is a Research Fellow at Koi Tū: The Centre for Informed Futures – the University of Auckland’s new think tank and research centre. Dr Chen’s research in computer systems engineering focused on camera-based person tracking, as well as how technology might be used to help protect people’s privacy. He now brings that technical lens to better understand how society can use digital technologies more safely. He says contact tracing using data from smartphones could be one of the most powerful tools in containing the spread of the pandemic, allowing governments to act quickly to contain infected individuals, keep an outbreak under control and effectively suppress virus spread. “We need contact tracing to save lives and using digital data could make that much more effective. But we also need to protect people’s privacy and minimise rights abuses that could have serious consequences,” he says. “But constant tracking of all people, whether they are infected or not, is a deep invasion of privacy. It is a use of the data that most people would not have known about, and users effectively cannot opt-out to retain their privacy.” However, an app called TraceTogether – used in Singapore since 20 March – could be a promising alternative, says Dr Chen. People install the app on their phones with Bluetooth enabled. When they are physically close to someone else with the app, the phones exchange Bluetooth signals and the encounters are logged in the app. It takes several seconds for the exchange – short enough to capture most interactions but long enough to ignore spurious connections. Anonymous IDs […]

New approach needed for economic recovery to begin

New Zealand business needs a new approach from Government to regulation, projects and procurement if the economy is going to start to recover. EMA Chief Executive Brett O’Riley has called for a new recovery playbook by Government to give businesses the flexibility to recover and thrive, and potentially increase their productivity. “As we prepare for moving out of Alert Level 4 we have an opportunity for changes to be made that can ‘fast start’ existing businesses and potentially expand employment in key sectors. We understand the Government is up for change and our discussions with businesses point to some quick wins, with sectors like manufacturing and construction poised ready to go,” says Mr O’Riley. Key initiatives the EMA are advocating to be implemented as we come out of Alert Level 4 include: – using fast track and streamlined RMA consenting for shovel-ready projects, with consenting led by the project entities. – consent and bylaw changes to enable businesses and projects to operate 24 hours a day with multiple shifts, to speed up progress and to encourage businesses to hire more staff to fill the shifts. – reintroduction of the 90-day trial period to enable businesses to trial staff seeking to enter new industries and roles. – use the acclaimed SCIRT and NCTIR project delivery models, developed for the Christchurch and Kaikoura earthquake recoveries. – allow open book procurement by Government enabling lead contractors to be appointed to major projects quickly. – bring forward maintenance activity throughout New Zealand on roads, rail, hospital and schools, the latter while students are at home. – Re-purpose the Provincial Growth Fund to provide small local councils with the funding they need to kick-start those maintenance programmes. – change foreign investment rules and fast track OIO approvals to encourage private sector investment into new projects […]

Why strive for Industry 4.0

Adopting Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies may help businesses achieve sustainable growth. 4IR capabilities create higher top and bottom line value through faster design, novel products, reduced risks, elimination of waste and so on. But while growth is clearly a vital objective for any industry, is it the ultimate motive for rushing into such technologies? The world’s ever-growing population is increasingly digitised, affluent, ageing – and seeking sustainable solutions. Today, three billion people have mobile access, with a 10% annual growth rate. Innovations such as voice assistants and the Internet of Things are redefining the whole shopping experience and disrupting retail, blurring the lines between when and how consumers learn about products, decide on a purchase and actually transact. As a result, e-commerce is growing globally at 18%, with a broadening scope from fashion and electronics to beauty, cosmetics, pet care, pharmaceuticals and sporting goods. P&G’s e-commerce business grew by 30% last year, accounting for nearly $4.5 billion of sales – about 7% of total business. Low prices, free shipping and price transparency are challenging the economic model of traditional retail. New business models are forming to embrace emerging needs for the last mile in business-to-consumer and consumer-to-consumer delivery, creating space for new players. There is no doubt that the consumer-packaged goods (CPG) industry is undergoing massive disruption. The best way to rise to the challenge is transformation through leveraging technology in every corner of the business. We need to integrate product innovation, manufacturing, marketing, distribution and sales into a smooth and holistic business model. It should be fast and flexible so that it can follow constantly evolving needs. Modelling and simulation need to be used widely to design products, consumer experiences and manufacturing systems, and to optimise supply chains. P&G has tripled its use of robotics over the last […]

Christchurch package welcomed by local business community

Today’s announcement of a new $200,000 Business Support Subsidy package to help Christchurch businesses impacted by COVID-19 is welcomed by Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce Chief Executive Leeann Watson. The ChristchurchNZ Business Support Subsidy offers eligible Christchurch businesses up to $1000 each to seek professional advice to help navigate the economic and resourcing impacts of COVID-19. Over the past three weeks, The Chamber has engaged with thousands of organisations through their adviceline, webinars and website. Ms Watson says the majority of enquiries have been around seeking clarity on the wage subsidy and essential services, as well as businesses seeking human resource, employment relations, and health and safety advice. “During such uncertain and challenging times, it is essential that businesses have access to the right expertise and support to guide them through these complex issues and help them navigate and effectively apply general guidelines to their specific situation. Support provided through the Business Support Subsidy package announced today will continue to ensure that businesses can access that support.”

Proven and new at the same time: tribo-polymer iglidur E7 for energy-efficient plain bearings

Treotham expandS its plain bearing range with the very abrasion-resistant igus material iglidur E7. With specifications such as low coefficient of friction and excellent vibration dampening, the tribo-polymer iglidur E7 has already proven its strengths in the sliding elements of the drylin linear technology from igus. Now the plastics specialist has also included the material in its plain bearings catalogue range. This also allows users to benefit from iglidur E7 mechanisms with rotating or pivoting movements. The low coefficient of friction of the material ensures smooth movements, reduces the required drive energy and saves additional costs. In times of advancing automation of the industry, durable, cost-effective and above all energy-efficient machine components are called for. Since 1983, the motion plastics specialist igus has been developing tribo-polymers for plain bearing technology that are free of lubricants and therefore free of maintenance. igus has a total of 57 iglidur materials in its product range for various applications. iglidur E7 is among them. The tribo-polymer has been used in the sliding elements of drylin linear systems since 2012 and has been available in dryspin lead screw nuts since 2018. iglidur E7 has already proven itself in many applications such as camera lenses, train doors and even 3D printers. Above all, the vibration-dampening specifications of the tribo-polymers convince the user. Therefore, igus has now further developed the material for its plain bearing range. The iglidur E7 is specifically designed for low to medium loads in pivoting movements and withstands surface pressures of up to 18 MPa in motion. Due to the very low coefficient of friction of the iglidur E7, the drive energy is reduced, saving costs for the user. The new plain bearing material is suitable for flap or sensor bearings. Further applications are found in packaging, textile machinery and furniture technology. Tried […]

Free web series to help businesses get through

— The EMA in partnership with ATEED and the Regional Business Partner Network has this week launched a free web series to help all businesses get through the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond. The combination of videos and live webinars this week featured mental wellbeing for employers, retention and redeployment, employee leave and payroll. Each week the EMA will be adding three 20-minute sessions to the series on its dedicated COVID-19 site on topics businesses are most asking about. The EMA’s AdviceLine, is still fielding an unprecedented number of calls – up to 600 a day compared to the usual 120 – but is coping with the extra resources that have been added. In the wake of the Government’s Business Finance Guarantee Scheme announced on Wednesday, the EMA has added an additional session to its web series for this week. The Government scheme aims to help businesses with their cashflow and operating expenses in particular, and applies to those with annual revenue between $250,000 and $80 million. They can apply to their banks for loans up to $500,000, for up to three years, with the Government guaranteeing 80 per cent of the risk, and banks 20 per cent. Today the BNZ’s Karna Luke GM Growth and Performance, Partnership Banking at BNZ talks people through the scheme and how banks can help businesses and their people through this time. One of the sessions in the web series next week features the EMA’s Head of Legal, Matthew Dearing, on restructure and redundancy and keeping your people at the heart of this process. Available to all businesses, the web series will continue to respond to what businesses most want to know to help get them through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cradle to Cradle, Life Cycle Assessment and Circular Economy: A love triangle

Life Cycle Assessment, Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle are seen as interchangeable terms by some, and totally separate concepts by others. As is the case with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle. A life cycle approach Figure 1 A life cycle approach looks at all stages in the life cycle of a product. There are similarities between Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, Circular Economy and Cradle to Cradle (C2C), which causes some of the confusion. However, they are different concepts- albeit with a shared approach to sustainability and problem solving within sustainability. The common link is a ‘life cycle approach’ which considers a number of different environmental impacts such as carbon footprint and use of resources. These environmental impacts occur across all stages of a product’s life cycle, from when the raw materials are grown or gathered to where the product ends up after it has been used. The life cycle approach highlights the bigger picture of environmental impact and can act as a great starting point for identifying and improving on environmental hotspots in the manufacturing industry. Avoid ‘burden shifting’An LCA study avoids ‘burden shifting’ – solving a problem in one area of environmental impact while creating a problem in another. ake the example of cucumbers. Removing plastic wrap around cucumbers results in lower packaging impacts, but vastly increased food waste downstream. An LCA would look at this information together – and would inform you that wrapping cucumbers in plastic actually results in better outcomes for the climate. Rethink material use The C2C concept takes a similar life cycle approach to products but goes one step further to ensure that all materials used in production can be reused as a nutrient. These nutrients stay in either a biological cycle where they are returned without harm […]

Can you manufacture personal protection equipment?

The Government is keen to get better visibility of what manufacturing capability we have in New Zealand to produce personal protection equipment (PPE). This could be face masks (hospital grade or for people on the street) ventilator equipment, gowns, hand sanitisers or anything else that could be useful. We have had some manufacturers contact us to say they could reconfigure their operation to do face masks etc, so we are starting a capability list to pass onto Government. Text ‘PPE’ to 313 If you don’t fall into this category – but still want to ensure you are visible in one central place – send us your info to go on the Contract Manufacturers list here. Catherine Beard 027 463 3212 or cbeard@businessnz.org.nz

Gripper excels in handling cylindrical objects

OnRobot’s 3FG15 three-finger gripper with a 150mm stroke is a powerful alternative to bulkier and less-flexible three-finger grippers currently on the market – a unique solution. The new gripper excels at heavy-payload machine-tending applications that require high precision and flexible handling. The 3FG15 makes previously hard-to-automate precision handling of cylindrical parts easy to program and deploy and provides flexibility for a wide range of part sizes. It was developed as a response to existing pneumatic three-finger grippers that are bulkier and less flexible. OnRobot has long defined the market for electric parallel grippers with the RG2 and RG6 series, and this three-finger gripper allows users to deploy applications faster with highly accurate, fixed positioning. The 3FG15 gripper has a maximum stroke of 150mm that can easily handle multiple processes. The innovative three-finger design with a 15 kg (33 lb) payload provides a strong, stable grip for both form fit (internal) or friction fit (external) gripping, adding flexibility to any implementation. Ideal for CNC machine tendingThe gripper’s design, specifically developed for machine-tending tasks, automatically centres workpieces, resulting in a strong, stable grip and precise placement in machine chucks. With a gripping force from 10 N to 240 N, the 3FG15 competes with much less flexible finger grippers. The gripper is also ideal for packaging and palletising applications, and is seamlessly compatible with any major collaborative or light industrial robot arm through OnRobot’s new award-winning One System Solution, the platform that provides a unified mechanical and electrical interface between the robot arms and any OnRobot end-of-arm tooling (EoAT). 3FG15 Features: Precise stable grip with automatic centring Large 150mm stroke for parts from 20mm to 150mm Form fit (internal) and friction fit (external) gripping 15kg payload Weight 1.15kg, gripping force 10-240 N Fast, flexible deployment The EoAT market in Asia Pacific, excluding Japan, […]

New container deployment system gets the thumbs up

Container owners frustrated with the costs, delays and anxiety of using cranes to deploy their containers can at last breathe a sigh of relief. A new container deployment system from BISON means they can now take complete control over container movements. “We have found a way for companies to safely and rapidly deploy containers anywhere. Now, one operator can get a container onto a chassis and deploy it at the destination without relying on a third party,” says BISON CEO Greg Fahey. Currently, most owners of modified containers pay a lifting service to place the container onto the chassis at the start of the journey, and then pay again to get it lifted off the chassis at the destination. BISON’s new C-Lift T-Series, on the other hand, eliminates this entirely. “Organisations are losing critical project hours while they wait for a crane or traditional container handling equipment to be available to lift a container off the truck. Others are resigned to the fact that the container will stay on the chassis. “But keeping the container on the chassis makes it harder to move in and out of the container, and it stops the chassis being used on other jobs.” says Fahey. The BISON C-Lift T Series retrofits to any standard height ISO container. It is easy to remove and use on other containers and has a lift capacity of up to 20 tonnes (44,000 lb). Battery-powered hydraulics and intelligent self-levelling software provides a controlled lift and compensates for uneven weight distribution. “We have given control and independence back to the container owner,” says Fahey. “Companies can now decide when a container needs to get on site and have the confidence that it will be there on time, at a reasonable cost.”

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