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By Barbara Nebel and Femi Perumbally https://www.thinkstep-anz.com/ Supply chains have become a focal point of conversations around a company’s performance. Organisations and their stakeholders now want assurances that their values are reflected throughout the supply chain. A responsible procurement framework helps companies to mobilise positive change through the different tiers of their supply chain. By prioritising suppliers that align with their environmental and social values, they can encourage a much wider range of companies to shift the dial on those issues. This means working with companies that have similar values and are willing to put in the work to comply with the preferred supplier requirements — not just companies that already meet the requirements. We look at the companies putting responsible procurement frameworks into action and the three core components required for success: stakeholder engagement, screening, and supplier code of conduct. Stakeholder engagement: Understand the priorities of your company and stakeholders The first step is to understand the areas that are most important to your organisation. A materiality assessment can help you identify and prioritise the issues that are most important to your organisation, based on feedback from a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. If you are not able to undertake a full materiality process right now, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on the benefits of stakeholder engagement. You can still engage with your internal and external stakeholders on a smaller scale to understand the high priority areas and market expectations for your organisation. This can feed into your responsible procurement framework and the overall process for supplier selection. To determine priority areas related to their sustainability values, premium lighting solutions company, Eagle Lighting (formerly known locally as Fagerhult NZ) looked to the UN Sustainable Development Goals framework for inspiration. An SDG workshop run by […]

In recent years it has become common for Kiwi companies to outsource work to virtual staff in places like the Philippines and India, but the toll of Covid-19 is shutting down even these options for local businesses. BetterCo Business Advisors and Chartered Accounting firm director Peter Prema says Covid-19 is ravaging traditional outsourcing markets for New Zealand companies, causing stoppages or unrealistic delays in the fulfilment of service businesses like accounting, IT, call centres, construction and professional services. “The New Zealand Labour Government’s determination to squeeze immigration, tightening competition for local talent and limited options to outsource overseas are just the tip of the iceberg – wait until Australia, and other countries start poaching our talent. “The Government is clear that they want to reduce, even cut off, so-called low skill immigration, but I think they have it wrong – New Zealand is going to need to replace a mix of skills.” Prema says the nurses strike is one indication that many skilled Kiwi workers are dissatisfied with current conditions, making them highly poachable by other countries. “Local companies are struggling to attract even so-called low skilled workers because I think most people who want to work, or can work, are already working. “I believe this idea that New Zealand is somehow more attractive because of our Covid-19 record is nonsense. “When the vaccinations kick in, we are going to have to compete for talent like everybody else, and the reality is that we cannot match Australia and others dollar for dollar.” He predicted that the Government’s immigration strategies and the realities of Covid-19 induced competition for labour internationally would eventually drive the country into recession. “Most SME owners are powerless to influence Government decision making – it is literally out of hour hands, but as business owners, we have […]

by Rebecca Reed What does your company do? We have gone from a manufacturer of raw tube and exhaust systems to a manufacturer of steel tubular trellising solutions. Founded in Seaview, in the Hutt Valley, the company was forced to shift its focus from the automotive industry to the horticultural market when its work in manufacturing exhaust systems for cars dried up in the late 90s after New Zealand’s car assembly plants slowly disappeared. We are one of one only two steel tube manufacturing plants in New Zealand. We buy coil, predominantly from N Z Steel, and make them into tube and up until 2010 we basically made tube for other people to make things (furniture etc). Some clever engineers at the time came across an opportunity to create tubular steel innovative trellising solutions for the horticulture industry for both new vineyard and the replacement of damaged wooden posts. Promoted under the ECO TRELLIS brand, these vineyard posts have proven to be a great sustainable option. In the picture: Helen Down and Terry Carter. More recently the development of two other trellis systems (one for orchards and one for Berries) called the Eco V & VP and ECO BERRY. What sort of state was NZ Tube Mills in when you first started and how did you turn it around? When I came on board in late 2012 the company was in trouble. They had a great product, but sales were down – in fact they were losing money hand over fist, and it was only a matter of time before they would be forced to shut shop.  My brief from the then Australian based Group CEO was ‘the business is struggling and needs volume’ as sales revenue was declining year on year. When I started there was just one salesperson […]