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EMA appoints John Fraser-Mackenzie as new Chief Executive

The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) has appointed John Fraser-Mackenzie as its new Chief Executive. EMA Board spokesperson David Welsh says the Board is delighted to have appointed someone of Fraser-Mackenzie’s calibre. “John brings significant senior leadership and commercial acumen to the EMA and has the experience we need as we continue to update our systems, processes and services to best support our members,” says Welsh. Fraser-Mackenzie has previously been Chief Financial Officer and Interim Chief Executive at Metro Performance Glass, Executive Director at Pacific Harvest Limited, Finance Director at Goodman Fielder, and Head of Finance Eastern Europe at HJ Heinz. During his time at Metro Performance Glass, Fraser-Mackenzie refocussed the business and oversaw an increase in revenue, implemented a new procurement structure and led strategic finance, investor relations and governance through a period of significant business growth. Fraser-Mackenzie says he is excited to have been appointed as the EMA’s new Chief Executive and is looking forward to taking up the role. “The EMA is New Zealand’s largest business association and has a long and proud history supporting businesses in the upper North Island,” says Fraser-Mackenzie. “It’s an honour to have been appointed the new Chief Executive and I am looking forward to getting started and helping build on the work done to date and strongly position the EMA to support and deliver the services businesses need.” Fraser-Mackenzie, who starts the role on 10 June, replaces Brett O’Riley, who is standing down after five and a half years as EMA Chief Executive. Welsh thanked O’Riley for his commitment and service to the EMA. “Brett successfully led the EMA through a period of significant change,” says Welsh. “The past five years have been some of the most challenging the Association has experienced, with a pandemic followed by a major economic downturn. […]

Mulcahy Engineering and Epicor comment on EMEX 2024

How did you find EMEX 2024? Kayne Mulcahy, Managing Director, Mulcahy Engineering Graeme Evans, Regional Vice President (ANZ), Epicor Kayne Mulcahy, Managing Director, Mulcahy Engineering: This was our ninth time exhibiting at EMEX, with our first being back in 2007. It is always great to reconnect with existing and potentially new customers, suppliers and business partners directly. Having the opportunity to share knowledge and experiences with industry peers is also an invaluable outcome of the show. Graeme Evans, Regional Vice President (ANZ), Epicor: We support manufacturers across Australasia to optimise their end-to-end operations through enterprise resource planning (ERP) solutions that deliver real-time intelligence. EMEX 2024 was a terrific opportunity for us and a wide variety of individuals and organisations to collaborate around the themes of engineering, manufacturing technology and electronics. As the largest trade show of its kind in New Zealand, it is integral for cultivating relationships and fostering a culture of innovation and growth, driving the entire sector forward. Was the energy positive, potential for sales? Mulcahy: There was a really positive energy amongst both exhibitors and attendees at this years show, which is pleasing considering the current economic conditions faced by many. A real sense that businesses are feeling that we may be past the bottom of the cycle and are looking forward to the climb back up to a more favourable trading environment. Evans: EMEX has now been in operation for more than 40 years – an incredible milestone. There were more than 200 exhibitors and an estimated 5,000 buyers in attendance. Naturally, there is always potential to drive sales at EMEX, but Epicor’s priority for the three-day event was to meet with our existing customers and establish new relationships with organisations that we can empower in the short and long term. How are you finding present […]

The Budget: More work to do

• A weaker economic backdrop has translated into a softer fiscal outlook, with a delay in the return to OBEGAL surpluses until 2027/28 and a higher profile for Crown debt. • Budget 2024 contained a fiscal policy pivot towards tax relief that was balanced by cutbacks in operational spending. The tax cut package was only modestly scaled back from earlier proposals. • Fiscal policy settings do not appear to be as contractionary and front loaded as in the December 2023 update. This will not be greeted fondly by the RBNZ, which is still battling to restrain domestically-generated inflation pressure. As was widely expected the Budget showed that the worsening economic outlook has delivered a fiscal hit. The return to an OBEGAL (Operating Balance before Gains and Losses) surplus will still be earmarked but not until 2027/28. Net core Crown debt is unlikely to fall below 40% of GDP by then. Gross government bond issuance over the 2024/28 period is expected to be $12bn higher than projected in the December 2023 Half Year Economic and Fiscal Update (HYEFU). Budget 2024 contained a fiscal policy pivot towards tax relief that was balanced by cutbacks in operational spending. The scale of the tax cuts was trimmed, but only modestly so. Moreover, the timing of the income tax cut package was only delayed by a month. The introduction of a tax cut package before spending cuts are instigated would not be helpful for the RBNZ which is desperately trying to rein in domestically-generated inflationary pressures. Moreover, the profile of the fiscal impulse suggests that fiscal policy was not as contractionary as the 2023 HYEFU, with the fiscal tightening occurring earlier. This will not be greeted fondly by the RBNZ. The risk is that OCR cuts we expect for early 2025 get pushed further […]

Harm reduction to take centre stage at EMEX 2024

From May issue, NZ Manufacturer magazine The Employers and Manufacturers Association (EMA) says it will be using its presence at EMEX 2024 this month to promote the urgent need for manufacturers to work together to help improve the sector’s health and safety record. EMA Head of Advanced Manufacturing Jane Finlayson says that the manufacturing sector has one of the country’s highest rates of workplace injury and there has not been the improvement in workplace harm that has been seen in other sectors such as construction and primary industries. “Simply put, too many manufacturing workers are being harmed at work. In fact, you are twice as likely to be injured working in a manufacturing environment in New Zealand than you are in Australia, and the economic and social cost is too high,” says Jane. “Every year there are about 30,000 injuries in the manufacturing sector and ACC pays out $50 million for acute injuries resulting in more than 240,000 lost workdays. But it’s not just about the economic costs. Each injury can have an impact on an individual, a family, and a community, “It also has a huge business impact, affecting productivity and morale. No one wants to see an employee, or a colleague, injured or seriously hurt at work. “That is why we’ve launched Project Whakahaumaru with support from ACC. This project aims to bring the sector together to develop a five-year action plan to reduce harm and improve the health, safety, and wellness of everyone working in manufacturing. Jane says the team are looking forward to engaging with manufacturers at EMEX to hear their ideas and encourage them to get involved in the project and share their experiences. “We don’t pretend to have the answers. The reasons for the high rates of harm in manufacturing are complex and, to […]

Improving workplace literacy skills: A key to unlocking staff potential and lifting productivity

From May issue, NZ Manufacturer magazine www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz -David O’Connor, Commercial Manager, The Learning Wave There is no shortage of evidence – both research-based and practical examples – that productivity continues to be one of the main challenges to the long-term growth and success of the Manufacturing sector here in New Zealand. Coupling this challenge with an aging workforce, and barriers to attracting new skilled labour means that many businesses have significant skills, capability, and capacity issues that are holding them back, or restricting their ability to adapt and respond to market opportunities. One of the constants that we hear from our clients is about how to address the underlying literacy challenges in both their frontline staff and supervisors. While many businesses might have ‘done’ literacy training (often in small numbers) in the past, they often have not seen the benefits of this training in terms of changes to the shop floor or seen any flow-on effect to productivity. Workplace literacy is more than just someone’s ability with basic reading and writing skills. Today’s workplace demands mean that workplace literacy needs to include comprehension of complex work instructions, critical thinking and problem-solving, strong verbal and written communication skills, numerical and analytical skills, and the growing need for everyone to have to digital mindset and skills to work in our ever-growing digitally rich workplaces. Misinterpretation of instructions, inability to comprehend safety guidelines, or errors in recording data can lead to costly delays and rework. Imagine a scenario where a worker misreads a critical measurement or mishandles a machine due to a misunderstanding of operating procedures. The repercussions extend beyond mere inconvenience; they affect the bottom line. According to the 2016 Survey of Adult Skills, around one in five people in the New Zealand Workforce have very low literacy skills and a further […]

Embracing the Future: How Digital Twin Technology Can Accelerate Manufacturing Operations

From May issue, NZ Manufacturer magazine www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz -Adam Sarman, Senior Partner, Dsifer In an industry in which flexibility, agility and innovation are no longer competitive advantages, but tickets to the game, the ability to make responsive, agile decisions, predict future requirements and innovate without impacting operations are critical. In this dynamic industry context, digital twin technology has emerged as an important but underutilised technology. Digital twins are software models that represent the attributes and operating behaviour of physical assets, product designs and/or processes. They support better decision making by simulating how these applications behave given certain inputs. A digital twin’s ability to enable progressive learning and capture tacit knowledge provides a key, differentiating benefit: it stores and structures information in a way engineers and operators can understand. Digital twins, are reshaping how products are designed, manufactured, and optimised across all process and design-drive industries. Three key applications of digital twin technologies are process optimisation through simulation, product design simulation, factory/operation design and predictive maintenance. Process Optimisation: Enhancing Efficiency and Accuracy Process simulation lies at the heart of manufacturing and supply-chain optimisation, and digital twins provide an unparalleled platform for achieving this. By creating virtual replicas of production processes, manufacturers can simulate and analyse operations in real-time, enabling them to identify bottlenecks, optimise workflows, and improve efficiency. For instance, in automotive manufacturing, digital twins are used to simulate assembly lines, allowing manufacturers to test different layouts and production scenarios before implementation. Moreover, by integrating IoT sensors and data analytics, manufacturers can collect real-time data from equipment and processes, feeding it into the digital twin for predictive maintenance and continuous improvement. Product Design: Accelerating Innovation and Iteration Digital twins play a crucial role in product design by enabling engineers to create virtual prototypes and simulate their performance under various conditions. This […]

What matters more, excellence or impact?

Are we happy with a process that potentially knocks out the most impactful science before it can even be considered? By Dr Troy Coyle, HERA CEO The Aotearoa New Zealand research, science and innovation (RSI) system is one that purportedly values and rewards research excellence and research impact equally. Despite this, the current system favours an approach that focuses on excellent research that has impact vs impactful research that is excellent. It is a subtle difference but let me explain how that plays out in practice and why there is an inherent bias. For me, this is an important discussion to have as it has flow-on impacts for industry-led research – which is mostly impact-led. The road to funding According to MBIE “the Endeavour Fund plays a unique role in the science system through an open, contestable process with a focus on both research excellence and a broad range of impacts”. The indicative investment in the 2024 investment round is $57 million per year (projects range 2-5 years). This makes it a key, if not the key, research investment mechanism for research organisations in Aotearoa. It is highly competitive, with most Universities, Crown Research Institutes and Independent Research Associations competing for this pool of funding. As a result, the success rate is very low (usually below 20%). The application process is onerous and it is run in set rounds, with only one round per year. Missing out on funding can have crippling effects for many organisations. The two main criteria for assessment are excellence and impact. However, excellence is assessed first and then only the top ranking submissions are progressed to the next step where they are assessed for impact. Essentially, this means that research excellence is given priority in practice. There could be an amazingly impactful research proposal that […]

Mark Devlin appointed Advisor to NZ Manufacturer magazine

We are delighted to announce that Mark Devlin of Impact PR is joining NZ Manufacturer as an Advisor. Mark has first hand experience with manufacturing in New Zealand and has the background to add to the magazine’s content, profiling businesses going forward. Having owned food manufacturing and distribution businesses for a decade, Mark consults to several New Zealand manufacturing firms including wool carpet brand Bremworth, aircraft exporter NZAero and cereal maker Sanitarium. Apart from all that, Mark is a great writer! –Doug Green, Publisher

As New Zealand CBDs evolve post-pandemic, repurposing old or empty spaces should be on the drawing board

Jose Antonio Lara-Hernandez, Senior Researcher in Architecture, Auckland University of Technology The COVID-19 pandemic and the hybrid work patterns hybrid work patterns it fostered have changed the way we think about office space, and central business districts in general. While fears of urban centre “ghost towns” may have been premature, many cities around the world still face dilemmas over how best to adapt. New Zealand is feeling this pressure too. Office vacancy rates, while dropping slightly, have remained above 12%. At the same time, there is demand for high-quality, modern spaces that fit new work and collaboration models. This isn’t an entirely new phenomenon. Throughout history, cities and buildings have been designed with specific functions in mind. As environmental and social needs change, however, these designs struggle to meet contemporary demands. So, what can be done with the empty buildings and unleased floors scattered through cities everywhere? In our new book, Architectural Exaptation: When Function Follows Form, we examine the process by which existing structures or features are re-imagined and re-utilised. In architecture, the concept of “exaptation” refers to this adapting of buildings and structures for new uses. It is becoming increasingly relevant as a transformative response to sustainable and resilient urban development. Buildings on Venice’s Grand Canal: more than a static relic of the past. Getty Images The benefits of adapting Exaptation in architecture requires us to view built environments not just as physical spaces, but as complex living systems that can adapt and transform. Reusing and repurposing existing structures also helps reduce waste, CO₂ emissions and energy use, supporting more sustainable urban growth. At the same time, by reusing rather than rebuilding, the historical and cultural fabric of cities is preserved, as well as their inhabitants’ sense of identity. A famous example is Venice, which has continuously adapted its historic structures to meet modern needs, […]

Decisive calls on Australian grocery sector bring New Zealand’s slow progress into the spotlight

Consumer NZ is urging our government to stand up and pay attention to the bold stance a Senate Select Committee has taken on supermarket activity in Australia. The Senate Select Committee on Supermarket Prices final report has recommended making price gouging illegal and introducing divestiture laws to create powers to break up Australia’s supermarket sector, if players misuse their market power. “We agree, price gouging should be illegal,” said Gemma Rasmussen, Consumer head of research and advocacy. “There’s no denying the supermarket sector in Australia has issues, but let’s face it, New Zealanders are facing a higher level of market concentration and our last robust study into the sector uncovered excessive profits. The question now is – has enough action been taken to address this historically problematic sector?” According to Consumer, the recommendation to give the Australian Federal Court the power to break up corporations if they abuse their market power or act unconscionably, is seriously worth considering in New Zealand too. “The big two in Australia have about a 65% market share, and here the duopoly enjoys about 90% market concentration.” On Monday a report released by the OECD recognised structural solutions, such as break-ups, could be warranted in New Zealand, given that market concentration in some sectors is so high that regulation will not be sufficient to improve competition enough. “There’s a reason this recommendation keeps cropping up, and it is because it’s going to take something drastic to create real change,” said Rasmussen. Consumer’s latest sentiment tracking confirmed that financial concerns relating to the cost of food and groceries have been steadily increasing over the past three years. Three-quarters of New Zealanders list this as their primary concern, trumping all other costs. A recent Consumer NZ grocery basket comparison between Australian and New Zealand […]

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