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Reducing manufacturing emissions

Hon Andrew Bayly, Minister of Manufacturing Manufacturing is a significant sector for New Zealand. It employs 230,000 people and accounts for nearly 10 per cent of GDP and 60 per cent of exports. I often describe it as a “sleeping giant” for New Zealand’s economy, because its significance is not well understood. When I travel around the country promoting the manufacturing sector, one of the things I often remind people is that a career in manufacturing is a career in a highly advanced, technical field. A lesser-known fact is that approximately a quarter of all New Zealand’s business-led research and development comes from the manufacturing sector, meaning manufacturing is a key driver of innovation. However, to support this innovation, manufacturers need the right tools and resources. I know from talking to manufacturers that access to information and expert guidance on how to upskill and improve productivity is challenging. Which is why I was delighted to recently launch a set of tools to help empower manufacturers to grow their business and reduce their emissions. Emissions and waste mapping The first is a report that identifies and maps the manufacturing sector’s emissions and waste patterns. Titled ‘Mapping Emissions and Waste Stream Profiles, and Opportunities for Achieving Net-Zero Circular Advanced Manufacturing’, the report is based on waste and emissions data from 2019 (the most recent data available). It provides a comprehensive picture of waste, emissions, and opportunities to improve sustainability across the seven main manufacturing subsectors: food and beverage, machinery and equipment, other manufacturing, metal and metal products, chemicals and refining, wood and paper, and plastics and rubber. The report details challenges and opportunities for the sector with a goal of helping manufacturers identify opportunities to adopt low-emissions technology and increase circular manufacturing practices which, in turn, will help us reduce our […]

Ten tips to make your business case for sustainability stack up

This information is based on a guide we wrote with the Sustainable Business Council and Kaitiaki Collective. It’s a situation we know many manufacturers face. You want to make your business more sustainable. (Bravo!) You can see the many benefits of manufacturing products that reuse resources, avoid modern slavery and create fewer environmental impacts. But – here’s the kicker – you’re struggling to get the business case for making these changes ‘over the line’ with your accountant or finance team. These ten tips will help you. Tip 1. See becoming more sustainable as an investment Sustainable businesses are excellent businesses. They create value in the short and long terms – economically, environmentally and socially. Treat your sustainability programme as an investment and manage it as one. Tip 2. Identify your stakeholders Consider the many people who have a ‘stake’ in your business succeeding sustainably. You will naturally think of your investors, customers, suppliers, team, local community and regulators. Think longer term and wider too. Include the environment and people who will live many years in the future. Tip 3. Confirm where to focus with a materiality assessment Your business case needs to reflect the views of all these stakeholders and your business too. Start with a ‘materiality assessment’. It’s a practical way, using interviews and surveys, to home in on the sustainability activities that your stakeholders and business care about and to prioritise the ones that matter most. A materiality assessment takes a broad view of sustainability and covers environmental, social and economic topics. Include your top priority topics in your business case. Tip 4. Understand who you need to convince Who do you need to influence to get your business case over the line? What are they interested in? What are they concerned about? Who else has their ear? […]

Embracing digital technologies without losing craftsmanship

NZ Manufacturer July 2024 by Media Hawkes Bay Limited – Issuu Adam Sharman, Senior Partner, Dsifer In an era where digital transformation is reshaping industries across the board, bespoke engineering and machine shops face a unique set of challenges and opportunities. These specialised manufacturers, known for their ability to create custom, one-off products, are now grappling with how to embrace digital technologies without losing the craftsmanship that sets them apart. As they step into this brave new world, several key considerations emerge, along with significant benefits. At LMAC and Dsifer, we work with a lot of custom engineering organistions, and recognise the unique challenges these shops face. At the heart of the digital transformation is the need to maintain and enhance customisation capabilities, whilst optimising production and front-end processes to remain competitive on time to deliver and cost. Bespoke engineering thrives on flexibility, and any digital system must be flexible enough to accommodate diverse client demands. Advanced product configuration tools and parametric design software are becoming essential, allowing engineers to quickly adapt designs while maintaining the personal touch that customers expect. Data integration stands as another cornerstone of this digital revolution. By connecting design, production, and quality control systems, shops can create a seamless flow of information from concept to finished product. Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software is increasingly becoming the central nervous system of these operations, ensuring that every stakeholder has access to the latest information. The adoption of advanced manufacturing technologies is reshaping the landscape, offering substantial benefits. With Computer-Aided Design (CAD) and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) systems well-established to significantly reduce design time and errors, additive manufacturing, opens new doors for prototyping and small-batch production, allowing for rapid iteration and reduced waste. These technologies enable machine shops to take on more complex projects and deliver them faster, increasing […]

The Tohu App – how cultural mapping can boost industry growth!

From July issue of NZ Manufacturer magazine www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz By Dr Troy Coyle, HERA CEO Our engineering, construction and manufacturing sectors are struggling to find talent. We need to be far more inclusive so we can unlock the potential of a diverse future workforce and all the benefits they bring to our mahi (work). I have for some time spoken about this based on my own experience, being female. I have fast realised that wāhine Maori are even more under-represented and indeed Māori generally. The reasons as to why women and Māori (and Pacific for that matter) are not attracted to these sectors are varied and complex. However, one key issue is that high school children (and even down to intermediate and primary) are not engaging with STEMM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Mātauranga Māori). They are not aware of the plethora of disciplines in STEMM or the future careers that are available to them. They don’t know how exciting, engaging and rewarding careers in these disciplines can be and how they contribute in so many different ways to inter-generational wellbeing. Importantly, they don’t know what will match with their own individual wants and needs from a future career. For Māori, this requires a matching process where rangatahi (youth) can identify careers that map to their values in a kaupapa Māori way. If there is one thing we have learnt at HERA over our years holding space for Matauranga Māori, it is that Māori need to be engaged in a Māori way. Prevailing career matching tools do not consider cultural differences and they don’t consider a person’s values either. They often simply match a person to a career based on their perceived academic aptitude. This fails so many of our rangatahi and leaves many behind. It also, likely, pushes rangatahi towards […]

Call for Entries -Master Electricians Excellence Awards 2024

The Electrical Contracting Association of New Zealand (Master Electricians) is putting out the call to its member businesses to enter their best projects and initiatives into the upcoming Master Electricians Excellence Awards 2024. The biennial competition and awards ceremony recognises excellence and achievement of its members within the electrical contracting industry. In addition to the top award of Master Electrician of the Year, there are excellence awards for industry champion, emerging business, innovation, lighting design, electrical projects, and sustainability. “The awards are great for the industry and provide a boost for businesses – they profile leadership and help with reputation,” said Shane Bell, Managing Director at Des Scott Electrical 2008 Ltd – winner of the 2022 Excellence in Innovation Award. “We found it a good way to showcase our work, to see where we sit in the market, and the awards help attract quality staff and build morale.” Des Scott Electrical created a mobile seed cleaner, an innovation that could transform the seed-cleaning process worldwide. Alex Feeney, NZ General Manager at KME Services, winner of the 2022 Excellence in Lighting Design Award and Excellence Award for a Project over $5 million, said “It was good to get recognition for some hard work and it helped with the perception of our business. The awards are 100% a positive for the industry and for the winners’ reputations. They helped with promoting the business and showcasing our abilities.” KME Services won the Lighting Design Award and Electrical Project Award – Over $5 milliion for its design, installation, and commissioning of the electrical supply and reticulation, general and emergency lighting, and control and lighting protection systems (seismic restraints) of the new Te Pae Christchurch Convention Centre. The Excellence Awards are the only awards of their kind for electrical contracting businesses in New Zealand to […]

Q & A: Catherine Jones, Chief Executive, Creative HQ

Q: How long have you been CEO at Creative HQ? A: I’ve been at Creative HQ for six-and-a-half years now and in the Chief Executive role for the last four-and-a-half. Being part of an organisation with such a strong track record of impact over the past 20 years is a joy and a privilege. Q: What does your role involve? A: As CEO, my role is to provide strategic direction and leadership to ensure Creative HQ continues to deliver high-impact programmes that support startups and innovators to unleash their potential. This is important because we’re helping to shape the future of the New Zealand economy. Creative HQ’s strategy is aligned with the UpStart Nation report presented to Government late last year. This report states that Aotearoa requires 5,000 active, thriving, high-growth startups by 2030 to drive our economy on a global stage. Creative HQ’s goal is to enable 400 of these. Tech companies are fast becoming the biggest export sector for our nation, and the entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs who will build these companies are everywhere. They live within public and private sectors, universities, and Crown Research Institutes; and they have expertise in sectors such as engineering, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, education, space, and medicine. Our expertise lies in teaching them to be entrepreneurs – helping them turn their ideas into scalable and investable businesses. In doing so, they create better economic, environmental, cultural and social outcomes for us all. At a B2B level, my team spends a lot of time helping organisations create a culture of innovation that is appropriate for the size and type of organisation we are working with, as well as building capability within existing members of that organisation to be able to innovate. Unlike traditional consultants who will come in and do that work for a business, […]

Schneider '25 Years Young' program launch

Schneider Electric Foundation turns 25, calling for projects around the world to apply for support

To mark the 25th anniversary of its foundation, Schneider Electric a leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, is launching a global campaign to celebrate both this key milestone and the next generation of young leaders committed to building a fairer, low-carbon-emissions society. Throughout 2024, the foundation is celebrating the world’s youth by raising awareness of their social and environmental impact and mobilising support from its employees. The high point of these celebrations is the ‘Youth Innovation For A Sustainable Future’ campaign, with a call for projects to be rewarded with funding. The campaign culminates in a €50,000 global prize awarded to the winning project during the COP29 climate summit in Bakou, Azerbaïdjan. Leading up to the global highpoint, each of five continents, including Australia and New Zealand in Asia Pacific, will also award five winning projects each with funding. All 25 winners will be eligible for the global €50,000 prize. The winning project for Asia Pacific will receive €30,000. Second prize is €20,000, third and fourth place will receive €10,000 each, and the final winning project will receive €5,000. Entries are open to young people aged 15-30 years old until 22 July and winners will be announced on 26 August 2024. The SE Foundation’s joint campaign with Ashoka is named ‘Youth Leading the Just Transition’ and is aimed at selecting the most innovative and impactful 25 youth projects across the world in the field of professional engagement as well as just transition. The joint campaign with Ashoka’s program Changemaker Companies will select 25 of the most impactful and innovative youth projects. The five continents include Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East. In addition to jury selection, projects have an opportunity to be rewarded with €2,000 as a local audience favourite of Schneider employees. […]

Transferable skills the key to unlocking productivity benefits

-David O’Connor, Commercial Manager, The Learning Wave Having had the opportunity to attend a number of industry conferences over the past few weeks and network with a variety of industry players, I can’t help but reflect on the role training plays in the Manufacturing sector. I find myself questioning whether there is a reset needed in order for the industry to see the desired value and outcomes from the training investment. Traditionally, the Manufacturing sector believed that ‘qualifications’ are the currency when it comes to training staff, and while there is a place for qualifications, we need to challenge ourselves on whether we are seeing the outcomes deemed so essential in the current environment through this means of training. The general feeling amongst the industry at the moment is that there is a need to lift productivity, create a more dynamic workforce and work on the softer skills which ultimately create a more engaged and efficient organisation. Unfortunately it’s commonly agreed that the current qualification based training is not hitting the mark. With increasing commentary about the need for NZ Manufacturers to invest and adapt to smart technology it has been encouraging to hear the conversation evolve into the importance of investing and developing in smart human capital as well. We need to start talking about how we create smart people, and in doing so create a NZ wide training approach that prioritises skills development and transferable skills , creating a team who are fully engaged and adequately equipped to meet the evolving demands of today’s work. Focussing on transferable skills in critical areas like leadership and problem solving, rather than task based, role specific skills is the step change the industry needs. Not only will this result in positive productivity and engagement benefits, but will no doubt improve employee […]

The Scope 3 ripple effect

From June issue, NZ Manufacturer magazine. -Insa Errey In the ever-evolving landscape of regulations, New Zealand manufactures find themselves connected to the regulatory frameworks of key trading partners such as the European Union (EU). The EU has positioned itself as a global leader in climate action, with ambitious targets set under the European Green Deal and the European Climate Law. As part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the EU has implemented regulations on Scope 3 emissions reporting through directives such as the Non-Financial Reporting Directive (NFRD) and the EU Taxonomy Regulation. Understanding the impacts of Scope 3 regulations in these markets is crucial for New Zealand manufacturing. Let’s delve into how regulations in the EU can shape the strategies and operations of New Zealand manufacturers. First what is Scope 3? Scope 3 emissions refer to indirect greenhouse gas emissions that occur in the value chain of a company, including both upstream and downstream activities. These emissions often result from activities such as the production of purchased goods and services, transportation and distribution, and waste disposal. For any EU customer this may just be your manufacturing sites Scope 1 or 2 emissions. Meaning the emissions your site emits from use of direct combustion (scope 1) or indirect emissions on site from purchased electricity (scope 2). What does this mean for NZ manufacturers? Market Access and compliance pressure to adhere to these standards is required for exporting to the EU which governs Scope 3 emissions disclosure and reduction. Failure to meet these requirements can result in barriers to market entry. In a global market increasingly, prioritising emissions reduction is becoming an advantage, as exporters can face competition from countries with lower carbon footprints. Failure to manage or measure emissions can put NZ manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage and could […]

Charitable trust urgently seeks business sponsors to sustain crucial science education in Hutt Valley

A charitable trust dedicated to improving science learning in the classroom for thousands of primary aged students in the Hutt Valley is launching an urgent appeal for business sponsors so it can continue to operate in the region. The House of Science’s Hutt Valley branch ‘Hutt Science’ is facing a critical funding challenge with the impending cessation of generous financial support from Hutt City Council and Upper Hutt Council. For the past nine years, Hutt Science has been dedicated to improving science learning in classrooms across the Hutt Valley by providing innovative and comprehensive curriculum-based science resource kits. These kits, distributed to 67 schools and 15,000 students in the region, have been instrumental in boosting resources and increasing teachers’ confidence in delivering engaging science lessons. Established in 2014, the House of Science concept was born out of the dire need revealed by an ERO report indicating that over 70% of New Zealand schools lacked an effective science program. Since its inception, founder and CEO Chris Duggan and her team have been empowering teachers to deliver captivating science lessons, ensuring that all children have access to quality science education. Chris Duggan emphasises the pivotal role of House of Science in primary school science education, stating, “Most primary teachers in New Zealand lack the expertise and confidence to teach science. The House of Science resource library has filled a gaping hole in the country’s education system and is making serious inroads in alleviating the issues above.” A 2023 House of Science survey of 350 teachers nationwide found 95% of teachers have increased their understanding of science thanks to House of Science and 97% of teachers reported most or all students are engaged as a result of using the science kits. “Our kits work because they are easy for teachers to use. It […]

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