Manufacturing Technology

Manufacturing industry crucial to the country’s economic future

The New Zealand manufacturing and technology industry is actively urging the Government to listen to and support the engine room of New Zealand’s economic recovery. The call comes after the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce hosted the country’s first Manufacturing and Technology Forum, focusing on economic recovery from COVID-19. Over one hundred manufacturing and technology industry representatives across the Wellington region came together to share their views and highlight areas where support was needed to foster economic growth from these industries. The Minister of Finance, the Honorable Grant Robertson attended the forum and opened the event, which was part of October’s 2020 Wellington Business Expo. CEO of the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, Helen Down, said government must support the manufacturing sector to reap the benefits it can offer to the COVID-19 response and our economic recovery. The forum is part of an ongoing programme of work by the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce to champion the manufacturing and technology industries and advocate for them to government. “It is not only industries most obviously damaged by COVID-19, like international tourism that needs support. Manufacturing and technology industries are pivotal to our recovery and our future, they are important employers in our communities and they need government support,” she said. A panel of industry experts from a variety of manufacturing and technology companies presented their inside perspectives. The panel included Sir Neville Jordan from Endeavour Capital; Martin Simpson from Fraser Engineering; Richard Latta from Leda Extrusions and Pikes Plastics; Derek Bradley from Aurora44; Terry Carter from NZ Tube Mills; and Shane Lowe from 360 Logistics. The General Manager of Fraser Engineering, Martin Simpson, said the manufacturing sector is the engine room of the economy and can no longer be ignored. Located in Wingate, Lower Hutt, Fraser Engineering employs 120 staff and […]

Ganley Engineering process control specialists

Khamal Ganley, Gill Ganley and Simon Ganley. Assisting New Zealand companies go forward with great technology. Ganley Engineering Ltd a family company, based north of Auckland, covers all of New Zealand. They are the country’s premier suppliers of manufacturing process controls systems and have been so for the past 25 years. The company consists of Simon, Khamal and Gill Ganley, all of whom bring levels of expertise to represent NDC Technologies, exclusively, for advice, sales and service. Ganley Engineering specialises in on-line and at-line process control. Process control places NDC Technologies sensors in a manufacturing line to measure and control moisture, oil, fats, protein, brix, caffeine, nicotine and colour in real-time. The sensors talk directly to the manufacturing machinery so that levels of moisture (and other components) are automatically and instantly adjusted to the top of the specification or yield. The sensors also display exactly what is being made on trending SCADA screens so operators and management can monitor the production yields. This means manufacturing companies save a lot on power consumption, staff time, scrap, downgrade and raw materials. They also save on not having to do repetitive lab tests and having staff to run them. Companies are now able to make products they could never have economically made before. The sensors can be placed above a line, into a fluid bed drier and in a variety of other locations. They have no recalibration or maintenance schedules so are basically fit and forget. NDC have tens of thousands of these sensors controlling a wide variety of applications world-wide, including NZ. NDC Technologies is the world’s largest manufacturer of process control sensors. They work in closely with multi-nationals to develop solutions to meet specific manufacturing needs. Ganley Engineering has in the past 30 years worked with many NZ companies and developed […]

Coffee shop workers standing at the counter

For a unique shopping world: igus low-cost robot in the design of your choice

Custom design robolink robot arm ensures fast automation and a new shopping experience. From industrial use, robots are increasingly finding their way into the retail trade. There they ensure rapid automation of processes and are also a real eye-catcher. Users place high demands on design and reliability at a cost-effective price. For this reason, igus is now offering its low-cost robot – robolink DP – consisting of high-performance polymers, in custom design. Shopping and ordering online has already become part of everyday life, be it for new trousers, an SLR camera for the holidays or the sushi for dinner. Within a few minutes or the next day, the delivery service or the parcel carrier is at the door with the order – convenient and simple. But the new buying behaviour is increasingly building up competitive pressure on the stationary retail trade. Intelligent automation systems for fast shopping are in demand, in the supermarket as well as in the furniture store. Solutions can be: automatic juice dispensers, bread slicers or self-service cash registers with weighing technology, in which igus motion plastics – such as lubrication-free iglidur plain bearings and maintenance-free drylin linear guides – ensure wear-resistant movements. At the same time, retailers such as fashion houses and restaurants can develop store and design concepts that offer customers a new experience. Robots are a popular tool of choice because they are not only a real eye-catcher, but also a practical automation solution. They can give out prizes from raffles, mix cocktails or even cover a pizza with toppings. So far, expensive fun that is rarely found in New Zealand. With its igus robolink DP, Treotham now offers a new cost-effective solution, which the customer can design individually. Low-cost robots in the desired outfit Last year, igus presented for the first time its […]

Mulcahy signs with Epicor to build digital manufacturing platform and turbocharge growth

One of New Zealand’s leading metal manufacturers, has signed a $1 million dollar deal with Epicor Software Corporation, a global provider of industry-specific enterprise software to promote business growth. The deal will see Epicor deliver a modern end-to-end digital manufacturing platform, allowing Mulcahy to further its digital transformation and be a leading adopter of Industry 4.0 technologies. Mulcahy is one of the country’s largest fabricated metals manufacturing company, partnering with clients in the food and dairy, materials handling, original equipment manufacturing, agriculture, horticulture, and architecture industries. From design to production, Mulcahy partners with product leadership companies helping turn their ideas and intellectual property into a reality, acting as a one-stop manufacturing partner. Innovative technologies from Epicor, which are already helping manufacturers around the world streamline their business processes and break down barriers to growth, will deliver an end-to-end manufacturing platform for Mulcahy to automate its business processes and truly embrace the benefits of the fourth industrial revolution. The solution will provide much greater visibility and traceability – from organisation wide capacity planning and scheduling, job tracking throughout the facility to scheduling machine total productive maintenance (TPM) – helping the organisation gain efficiencies. The Auckland-based, family-owned business, which celebrates 40 years this year, has grown from a small facility with five employees in Gleneden, to a 6,000 square metre plant in Avondale and a team of 140. Ongoing investment in technology is a key part of Mulcahy’s strategy, having invested in state-of-the-art machinery and boosted data capabilities to optimise business operations over the years. However, disparate legacy systems to manage finance, payroll and CAD capabilities developed over the past 20 years are limiting Mulcahy’s ability to gather consolidated data into its SQL database and draw actionable analytics from its connected machinery. With ambitious plans to […]

UX10 tablet performs in challenging work environments

Getac’ UX10 is a powerful, fully rugged tablet that’s built to thrive in challenging working environments, such as those found in the public safety, utilities, natural resources and manufacturing industries. Building on the success of Getac’s original UX10, this tablet delivers improved performance, storage, connectivity and rugged reliability in a stylish new chassis, all while retaining the same proven form factor of its predecessor. Key features include a 10th Gen Intel® Quad-core i5 or i7 processor and PCIe NVMe SSD storage technology, for up to six times faster speeds than SATA SSD, while the latest Intel® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 module ensures more stable and reliable connectivity in dense, congested environments. In addition, the UX10 boasts enhanced rugged protection, with MIL-STD-810H certification and drop resistance of up to 6-foot while in tablet mode, for added peace of mind. As well, the UX10-EX is designed to be a highly effective field services solution for engineers and technicians in the energy, natural resources and utilities industries. Incorporating the latest intrinsically safe technology, the device fully meets stringent ATEX/IECEx standards for use in Zone 2/22 hazardous and potentially explosive environments that field professionals encounter on a regular basis. Furthermore, extensive connectivity options make accessing remote tech support and uploading reports directly from the field fast and efficient, while the UX10-EX’s all-weather functionality means it can be relied on in every situation. Three key software utilities available for use alongside the UX10 are Getac’s KeyWedge Barcode Reader Utility, Getac Driving Safety Utility and Getac Device Monitoring System (GDMS)*.

The power of traceability for food and medical manufacturers

– Reinaldo Silva, Head of Digital Manufacturing and Automation at Facteon As food and medical manufacturers face stringent regulations, an ability to trace the movement of raw materials and finished product both within your facility and beyond is demanded throughout industry by manufacturers of all sizes. A variety of forces have highlighted the need for food and medical manufacturers to gain greater traceability of both raw materials and finished products within their facility and beyond. Risk One: Increasingly Globalised Supply Chains As it becomes more cost-effective and simpler to source raw materials from suppliers across the globe, manufacturers are relying on increasingly globalised supply chains. While this brings a range of benefits, such as proximity to raw materials, cost competitiveness and improved quality of raw materials, there are significant risks as the supply chain becomes increasingly complex. As a result, traceability requirements expand significantly. Simplistic supply chain approaches that focus on “one step back and one step forward” traceability become increasingly complicated and impractical when manufacturers are drawing on a globalised supply chain. Risk Two: Product Recalls Tyson Foods famously recalled 39,000 pounds of frozen chicken patties which were potentially contaminated with foreign matter in mid-2019. From business interruption and eroded profit margins to long-term damage to your brand, a product recall has the potential to harm consumers and cost manufacturers dearly. Research has also found that a mere 21% of food recalls across USA, UK and Ireland were detected by the manufacturer. In fact, regulatory bodies discovered 68% during routine or spot testing. This highlights the potential competitive advantage that can be unlocked by manufacturers taking a proactive approach to both raw material and product traceability. Medical device manufacturers are also at risk of product recalls. Research has found that a significant challenge for medical manufacturers in the event of a product recall is tracing each […]

Designing for Additive Manufacturing

Over the last six months, RAM3D have seen an unprecedented increase in both large and small companies interested in trying 3D metal printing as an alternative to other forms of manufacturing. This is possibly because they have had time to work on projects during the COVID-19 lockdown. RAM3D works closely with their clients offering them advice on how to alter the part’s design to make the part stronger, lighter, and therefore cost competitive using dedicated design for production, using additive manufacture. When designing a part for metal 3D printing, the biggest thing to consider is the material properties of the part you want to 3D print; if the mass doesn’t need to be there, get rid of it! Traditional manufacturing and design methods tend to be constrained by tool paths, machine time, material shapes and sizes. This means, if you can’t remove the material, it stays there. With AM you are less tied to these constraints allowing you to do cut outs, pockets, fillets, undercuts and even combine part assemblies, where traditionally you couldn’t. Some CAD programs even contain part optimisation for additive parts. This is a great way of reducing the part cost, while creating innovative and interesting looking parts. Where you cannot remove large surface areas or you need to keep a solid look to a part, there is the option of adding an internal lattice structure. Lattice Structures One of best ways to reduce mass without reducing too much structural integrity, is to add a lattice structure. The benefit of using a lattice over simply hollowing a part, is the lattice does not require internal support. When designed correctly, it can maintain good strength and performance. RAM3D can create a simple uniform wall thickness internal lattice structure using their Netfabb build software. This is great for those […]

Filtration face off: Melt-blown fibres versus electrospun nanofibres

New research into the effectiveness of melt-blown fibres and electrospun nanofibres has found nanofibre filter media provides significantly increased protection against bacteria and viruses such as Covid-19. The research, conducted by Dr Fabrice Karabulut from Revolution Fibres in New Zealand, contrasts and compares nanofibre filtration with traditional melt blown filters in light of increased global demand for PPE and the future need for more effective face masks. Dr Karabulut says melt blowing, a commercially successful and low-cost process for producing filtration microfibres, produces fibres with diameters in the range of 1-10 micrometres. “The structure of a melt-blown filter is like a non-uniform fishing net. Its pores are 1-3 micrometres in diameter which are much larger than bacteria and viruses which are just 0.1 micrometres.” He says the diameters of nanofibre range from 10 – 300 nanometres, which is 10 – 100 times smaller than conventional melt-blown microfibres, meaning they are very effective in protecting against viruses such as COVID, bacteria and other toxic particles. “Electrospun nanofibre is characterised by a very large surface area and small pore diameter which significantly increases the probability of particles in the smaller, submicron and nanometre range depositing on the fibre surface – thereby improving filter efficiency.” Increased breathability and reusable Dr Karabulut’s research is contained in the White Paper Melt-Blown Fibres vs. Electrospun Nanofibres as Filtration Media which outlines the differences between nanofibre filtration capability and melt-blown filtration. As well as increased filtration performance, he also found the breathability and reusable nature of nanofibre made it superior to melt-blown filtration. “The current pandemic has amplified the need for masks to be reusable but retain effectiveness,” he says. “A recent study testing the reusability of melt-blown and nanofibre filters when cleaned with ethanol showed melt-blown filters were only effective for single use due to the […]

The Interview: Greg Kushnir, Founder, Emrod

Greg Kushnir. How are you finding current business conditions?Challenging. But there’s really only two things one can do about it. Complain (which doesn’t help much) or get busy doing whatever possible to persevere. We have been very busy all through the Covid-19 turmoil and actually hired additional staff during lockdown. Do you believe that through adversity opportunities exist?Competition is important and so is having an incentive to those who “win” it. It provides the sense of urgency which is essential for turning a good idea into a great start-up. This virus is not going to go anywhere soon. Has Covid impacted on your business plans? It has, unfortunately. It’s rather hard to build things like electronic systems and antennas if you can’t access your lab and test facilities. We have also suffered from delays in supply of components from overseas. But we have been luckier than most and I’m very grateful to be living in a country that has dealt with Covid so well. We have colleagues and friends overseas that have been under lockdown for months now. My heart goes to them. I wish we could do more to help those who have been less fortunate in dealing with the pandemic. Is your company utilising government financial assistance? We are. We have been utilising an R&D grant from Callahan Innovation. It would have been very hard to get to where we are without the consistent support we have been receiving from Callahan Innovation which extends far beyond the financial support. What are your short and long term plans for Emrod ? Develop deep IP in New Zealand and make sure we are providing maximum value to Kiwi employees and investors. In the short term we will be developing and delivering wireless power systems to electricity distribution companies. I would […]

Investment in our manufacturing industry is a win-win for all

-Helen Down,Chief Executive, Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce. “The most important thing the Government can do in these turbulent times is to keep a strong manufacturing base in New Zealand. This will not only help solve the unemployment situation but it supports local supply chains and has a strong flow on effect to all society. “The Hutt Valley itself has a huge manufacturing base. There’s not a lot we can’t do in this valley and across New Zealand. “We have all the skills and resources as well as business owners motivated and keen to act with speed and manufacture things quickly,” said Helen Down, Chief Executive of Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce. Since March the Hutt Valley Chamber of Commerce, along with Hutt City Council and Upper Hutt City Council, has been running a Hutt Valley Covid 19 Business Support Programme through various levels of lockdown. It has been working to ensure local companies get all the support they can and has been raising the profile of the needs of the manufacturing sector with government. “Several of our local manufacturers instantly pivoted their business during lockdown earlier in the year and have proven they can very quickly adapt their products and services to meet sudden domestic demand changes. “We all need to see this sector for what it can be going forward, and not what it used to be decades ago.” One example came as a result of a significant downturn in business at Lockdown. Local packaging and supplies company Packaging Products partnered with local manufacturer Aluminium Extrusions to create and supply a pedal operated freestanding hand foam sanitiser dispenser which requires no batteries or sensors. Aluminium Extrusions quickly designed and manufactured the unit with Packaging Products supplying the hand sanitiser as well as some distribution. Together, with the Hutt […]

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Manufacturing Technology