Manufacturing Technology

The Interview: Heidi Hannonen, Vice President, Markets, Kemppi Oy

How do you define success? I define success as being able to offer a solution to a customer need or problem that exceeds their expectations. Tell readers about your role at Kemppi? As the Vice President of Markets, I am responsible for global sales here at Kemppi. How is everything at Kemppi, what does tomorrow hold? Kemppi is doing well and we are quite happy about how far we have come. Next year marks our 75th birthday and it has been a journey filled with both challenges and rewards. We are now at the start of a new strategic period where we can take stock of our core competencies and build on these. We are also fortunate to be able to partner with world-class dealers and distributors to sell our innovative, top quality welding equipment and safety gear, so the future looks very positive in our eyes. How is Kemppi finding the present environment for doing business? As with any other company at the moment, Kemppi recognises the volatility within today’s markets. Europe is struggling to produce growth and the slowdown of the Chinese economy is also of concern. However, Kemppi is still recording healthy growth figures and these remain sound for 2024. Where are growth regions for Kemppi? Well, we have had very strong growth figures in Australia and New Zealand in recent years. The United Kingdom, Norway and Poland have also been doing really well, thanks to active investment schemes in these markets. Technology – how does it assist with better products? Technology assists with the development of better products in so many ways. It propels the continuous development of better hardware which is more precise, reliable and efficient. It has also given rise to welding software which can be combined with hardware to ensure quality welding processes […]

Sean Doherty on Advanced Manufacturing

From November issue of NZ Manufacturer www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz Sean Doherty is an Industry 4.0 Product Owner at Callaghan Innovation. How can Advanced Manufacturing take NZ forward? Advanced manufacturing involves the use of technology to supercharge the manufacturing sector. Already an incredibly pivotal part of our nation’s economy and operations, there is real value to be found in unlocking the full potential of our manufacturers. The implementation of smart products and processes such as artificial intelligence, robotics and 3D printing are just some of the key ways we can look to automate, digitise and further develop operations. New Zealand hopes to reach the level of manufacturing represented by Industry 4.0 – a blueprint made up of a series of government initiatives from around the world. As a nation, reaching this goal would propel the nation forward in several critical ways. Manufacturers can harness new technologies to revolutionise their products and processes, effectively increasing their quality of output, and driving productivity forward. Economically, this creates an increase in profitability, enhances market competitiveness, and helps to generate higher-value jobs by automating lower-level tasks. Fostering innovation, this strengthens our supply chain resilience, and reduces our dependence on foreign sources. We can also work towards realising our full potential as a ‘clean, green New Zealand’, by encouraging resource-efficient, environmentally friendly practices. We are not a country rich with natural resources, except for dairy, horticulture and agriculture. We once made cars and TV sets. When that stopped it couldn’t be started again. So where can Advanced Manufacturing help to turn things around? Market demand, competition, global economic conditions and access to raw materials play crucial roles in the ability for a country to operate in a highly competitive industry – which is largely why dairy, horticulture and agriculture are particular strengths for New Zealand. However, advanced […]

Steel awards showcase local industry’s strength and innovation

Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) is pleased to announce the results of 2023’s SCNZ Excellence in Steel Awards. The winners were announced on 27 October in Queenstown, where more than 200 structural steel industry leaders and specialists gathered to celebrate the best of the best at an event that showcases the sector’s commitment to innovation, best practice and collaboration. Each year, the task of judging becomes increasingly difficult. This year, 21 finalists were selected from a pool of 32 impressive submissions, which demonstrate the remarkable design and execution possible when steel is used as the primary construction material. “The high calibre of entries is testament to the industry’s ongoing commitment to raising the bar,” says SCNZ Chair David Moore. He notes there has been widespread emphasis on best practice amongst structural steel contractors and a drive to adopt global initiatives such as Industry 4.0. “Our local industry has also maintained its programme of investment in new cutting-edge plant, machinery and technology. These advances in technology have made it possible to construct highly complex steel structures that were previously out of reach,” says Moore. “The high standard of projects is also a reflection of the professionalism demonstrated by the fabricators, builders, architects and engineers that collaborate to bring these projects to life.” The 2023 winners are: Supreme & Over $3M Category Winner: MJH Engineering for One Whitmore Street Occupying a full city block, One Whitmore Street is a landmark 12-storey office tower in Wellington. The 17,500sqm building with its 1,420sqm floorplates and soaring three-metre-high ceilings will be the new home of the BNZ. The structure is designed to withstand Wellington’s unpredictable weather, with a convex profile and rounded corners that help to counter the city’s strong winds. The diagrid structure, with its diamond-patterned exterior, provides structural integrity while eliminating the need […]

Tony Browne and Yang Ming, the Board Secretary of TUS-who signed MOU on behalf of TUS

World’s largest science park owner to explore opportunities within NZ

The development of a new technology park here, similar to the Cambridge University facility, could represent a significant opportunity for the expansion of New Zealand’s science and tech sectors. The arrival of the world’s largest technology park developer to explore opportunities within NZ is set to boost the country’s scientific research infrastructure and support business growth through the commercialisation of innovations in the bioscience, agritech and healthcare sectors. Chinese owned Tus-Holdings, manages international assets of $48bn, operates 300 start-up incubators in 70 science parks in 100 cities around the world. The organisation has also partnered with over 200 tertiary education providers, including Cambridge University, to support the growth of thousands of companies over the past 30 years. A newly signed memorandum of understanding, signed by the company and New Zealand’s former ambassador to China in his current role as chairman of the Council of Next Federation, Tony Browne, could lead to a multi-million dollar local incubation facility established to help Kiwi food, health and other technology businesses access the Chinese market. As part of the agreement, Tus-Holdings will explore the joint construction of science and technology industrial parks in New Zealand, Australia and China to promote and commercialise innovation. Browne says if established, the development of a new technology park here, similar to the Cambridge University facility, could represent a significant opportunity for the expansion of New Zealand’s science and tech sectors. He says the company has a focus on the provision of facilities and opportunities for scientific research and its commercialisation. Browne says the potential benefits for New Zealand lie in the development of new research facilities, enhanced international connections, and the chance for startups and other companies to benefit from networks and guidance in developing and growing science-based initiatives. “Through its incubation and funding ecosystem, Tus-Holdings has helped […]

RS launches NZ warehouse

Launched in November, RS will stock 500+ products in their new Auckland warehouse for next-day delivery across New Zealand. RS have further committed to the New Zealand market, leveraging the Group’s logistic partnerships with the opening of a state-of-the-art warehouse facility in Auckland. This commitment will ensure that customers can expect shorter delivery times with next day delivery available on many selected products. Established in New Zealand in 2013 RS, a global omnichannel product and solutions provider, has forged valuable partnerships with prominent industrial customers by augmenting their procurement, inventory, and maintenance operations. This recent expansion exemplifies RS’s dedication to minimising costly downtime for its clients. Customers can now readily access industry leading brands such as Schneider Electric, Fluke, TE Connectivity, Honeywell, and Amphenol Industrial through this facility, along with RS PRO, RS’s own brand which offers customers a price competitive advantage. It is expected that RS over the short term will expand the number of brands available directly through this warehouse, offering customers more locally sourced options. “The team at RS in New Zealand are excited to have leading brands locally available to enhance our service offering to New Zealand customers,” explains Angie Shears, RS’s New Zealand Sales Manager. “We’re particularly looking forward to being able to provide our customers at short notice with a wider range of products including dangerous goods such as lithium batteries, adhesives, and silicon, as well as brands previously unavailable in New Zealand. “ This new warehouse is another reason manufacturers and other industries throughout New Zealand should have RS as their preferred MRO supplier. Cost incurred through forced down time is a major issue for business in New Zealand, RS works diligently with its customers to minimise these. RS also builds efficiencies in their customers’ procurement through helping them consolidate their supplier base […]

Helping Proline Steel gain new sustainability certification

www.thinkstep-anz.com The challenge Proline Steel was seeking to become one of the first businesses to be certified by the Australian Steel Institute (ASI)’s new Steel Sustainability Australia program (SSA). They approached the thinkstep-anz team knowing that they had helped ASI develop the new program. About SSA certification SSA certification independently verifies a company’s social, environmental and health processes. The certification, which replaces the ASI’s Environmental Sustainability Charter (ESC), recognises fabricators that have lower environmental impacts, are reducing carbon emissions, are transparent about their supply chain, respect human rights and are moving towards circular solutions. About Proline Steel Proline Steel fabricates structural steel in their factory in Padstow, New South Wales, and has nine staff. The manufacturer is a member of ASI. The company wanted to gain its first SSA certification to support its construction customers in the green building market. The certification contributes points to rating tools like Green Star. It also wanted to maintain industry leadership. As a smaller business, Proline needed help to document the good work it currently does, refine some of its processes and show it complies with SSA requirements. What thinkstep-anz did They worked with Proline to develop systems that support good business governance and manage its Environmental, Health and Safety (EH&S) activities. They held two workshops to help Proline document these systems and also helped the business better understand its supply chain. thinkstep-anz then worked with the Proline team to develop ten documents that met the SSA requirements. Once the documents were complete , they supported Proline with its submission to the SSA, and guided the company on how to best present the information to the assessor. Proline received the Level 1 SSA certificate in May 2023. It will aim for Level 2 next year. Helping Proline Steel to succeed sustainably thinkstep-anz’s work is helping […]

Tanaka develops first high-entropy alloy powder of only precious metals

Enabling proposals tailored to customer needs through the establishment of five or more different precious metal alloy powder production methods TANAKA which develops industrial precious metals products as one of the core companies of TANAKA Precious Metals, has succeeded in creating a high-entropy alloy powder composed of precious metals with a fine particle size of 10µm or less high crystallinity and excellent composition uniformity. This product is the world’s first high-entropy alloy powder composed of only five precious metals: platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), iridium (Ir), ruthenium (Ru), and rhodium (Rh). TANAKA has already established a mass production process for this product and began providing samples in October. TANAKA has established five or more precious metal alloy powders and their production methods, which are used in this product, and obtained a basic patent in June 2023 (Patent No. 7300565)[1]. The precious metal alloy powders in this product are alloys composed only of five or more precious metal elements that maintain the corrosion resistance, electrical conductivity, and other excellent properties of precious metals. They are micro-order[2] alloy powders that are easy to use in industrial applications. Unlike conventional nano-order precious metal high-entropy alloys, micro-order alloys are stable as alloys due to their large crystallite size, and they satisfy the original requirements of alloys, such as improved mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, and controlled thermal expansion. They are also expected to contribute to the improvement of the functions and properties of precious metal alloys, whose properties vary greatly depending on the composition ratio of the alloy. High-entropy alloy powder The precious metal alloy in this product is in powder form, and in addition to modeling using a 3D printer and rod forming (forming rod-shaped material by solidifying powder), it can also be used in paste form, which is often used in various circuits and […]

Survey closing Friday 6th October: Call for construction sector insights

HERA is calling for participants in the construction sector to complete its survey on low-carbon design, to better understand trends around sustainable design skills and interests and the barriers and initiatives to more sustainable outcomes. As Aotearoa New Zealand moves towards a low-carbon economy, the building and construction sector accounts for 15-20% of our total carbon emissions. To assist the sector, HERA has embarked on a project to develop a design framework to reduce construction waste, lifecycle embodied carbon, and to enhance the circular economy for construction materials. A pilot will be done for low-rise buildings. You can find out more and complete this confidential online survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/JC6BSW5

A data-driven approach to reducing operating costs

-Adam Sharman, Senior Partner, Dsifer In New Zealand these cost pressures are compounded by high shipping costs and unfavourable exchange rates that impact New Zealand manufacturers’ price competitiveness and/or margins. All of which is contributing to a contracting in manufacturing performance in New Zealand and most of the world. In challenging times, most organisations look to reduce production costs and non-essential spending. However, too often we see organisations making knee-jerk approaches to cost cutting, resulting in short-term decisions that constrain their ability to improve or accelerate when the economic environment improves. Whilst it may seem paradoxical, challenging cost environments can be the foundation of future growth, if managed through an evidence-based, future-focused approach. In this article we will explore three key ways a data-driven approach to managing through challenging economic environments can help balance the need for short-term cost reduction with long-term performance. Understand the true drivers of production costs Most organisations already collect a huge amount of data at multiple stages of the manufacturing process. However, a significant proportion do not use this data to inform process efficiency, asset optimisation and waste reduction. A data analytics approach that identifies trends in process, machine and people data can identify correlations between multiple factors that explain the drivers of production efficiency, bottlenecks or opportunities to optimise. Having identified these drivers, scenario modelling can then be used to play out different combinations of variables identifying the optimal combination. For example, identifying the root cause of systemic asset failures, and modelling out an optimal maintenance schedule to mitigate future unplanned downtime. Evaluate the true impact of cost reduction decisions Building on the ability to understand the drivers of production costs, a data-driven, evidence-based approach allows for the interrogation of cost reduction strategies to understand their true impact on production and prioritise them accordingly. […]

Showcasing the marvels of modern manufacturing

By Catherine Lye Head of Advanced Manufacturing and Export Communities EMA Manufacturing in New Zealand is full of clever, practical people solving complex, challenging problems with ingenuity and relentless hard work, making something from nothing and then making it better. There is some really smart stuff being made and we have got to get better about telling the stories that will inspire the next generation and greater diversity into this incredible, innovative sector of the NZ economy. The future of work was on display last week at the Canvas Careers Expo in Tauranga. Secondary school students saw innovation in action including high-end titanium road bikes produced through 3D Printing machinery, and the intricate and complex designs that are not possible with traditional manufacturing methods. The EMA and seven Tauranga manufacturers collaborated in a joint effort to build awareness, shift perceptions, and raise the profile of the manufacturing sector with students, educators, parents, potential and current workers. Manufacturing offers interesting and diverse opportunities to all people. Advanced Manufacturing has been prioritised for industry transformation due to its scale and potential to significantly increase productivity, higher wage jobs and a globally competitive low emissions sector. “Advanced” manufacturing refers to the use of modern technologies and processes, rather than whether the final products are high tech or not. The vision of the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Transformation Plan is “a thriving Aotearoa NZ manufacturing sector of world-class creators, innovators, and makers, delivering quality products, sustainable solutions, and intergenerational well-being.” One of the priorities developing and attracting a diverse high-skilled and high-wage workforce and showcasing the industry at events like the Canvas Careers Expo highlight the possibilities. The EMA had the support of twenty representatives from manufacturing companies Trimax Mowing Systems, Bluelab, Powerglide Elevators, Florentines Patisserie, Bay Blinds, RAM3D and Oasis Engineering. The expertise and capability […]

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