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Keeping a competitive edge with precise multi-level BOM planning

If you’re a manufacturer, you’ll know first-hand how inventory forecasting can consume your time and nag away at you. You’ll know all about variable lead times and how much of a headache they can become if not managed correctly; you’ve likely encountered the frustration of when your product’s ready to go, but it’s missing a vital component, or you can recall several times when your service reps got an ear-bashing because your product hasn’t been shipped on time. What you need is intuitive software that takes care of all of this for you, so you can get back to manufacturing, staying ahead of the competition and delighting your customers with your impeccable service. Multi-level BOM To stay competitive and in control, you need visibility of your entire manufacturing process. A multi-level bill of materials (BOM), also known as a nested or indented BOM, reveals all the raw ingredients, components, assemblies and sub-assemblies that goes into making one finished product. If a single level BOM is like one branch on a tree – one parent product and the parts that go into making it below – then a multi-level BOM considers the whole tree –the oversight of all the intertwined and interdependent processes and parts that contribute to the whole. Variable lead times from your supplier for each individual ingredient? Not sure how much of each raw material to order and when? Having difficulty communicating timeframes and details accurately with your manufacturing partners? StockTrim’s multi-level BOM feature allows you to manage these challenges with ease. Here’s how: If you’re already using StockTrim, or you’re keen to know more, here’s how you can regain control of your manufacturing: Import: Take advantage of all that precious historical data from your existing inventory management system, like Unleashed or Cin7. Predict: Working from the finished product backwards, StockTrim […]

Are you leaving productivity on the factory floor?

Gemma Stanbridge, ViAGO International Limited We all have heard how important it is to have workers who are engaged with their roles and motivated to put their best into what they do. Despite this, recent research reports only 12% of construction, manufacturing, and production workers worldwide are engaged in their roles.[1] Sixty-four percent of workers in this sector are not engaged, with 24% of workers actively disengaged. Manufacturing workers particularly struggle with engagement, and this is often due to a process-focus rather than an employee-centred focus that promotes engagement. Workers in production roles are less likely to have any say in determining how their day will be structured or what could be done to improve their job or workplace. In fact, manufacturing and production workers have the lowest rates of engagement among employees worldwide¹. And yet, the primary approaches to improving productivity in this sector focus on process optimisation. Why are we leaving productivity on the factory floor? The Problem with Process-Centred Approaches to Productivity Conventional management in manufacturing continues to put processes ahead of people, despite evidence that employee engagement is a significant factor in productivity. Discussions about increasing productivity focus on getting more out of resources using cost-cutting, efficiency and utilisation targets. Factories with this mentality often offer low wages for long hours, and although workers are expected to increase output and reduce lead times, their efforts are seldom recognised. Unsurprisingly, there’s little motivation for workers to do more than ‘the bare minimum,’ and workers may even act out due to feelings of frustration and the perception they are not valued by management. Management must consider that employees are an important element of any Productivity Journey, and a mindset shift from cost and efficiency measures can increase employee engagement and productivity. A Closer Look at the Impact of […]

Robotics Plus UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) Dr Alistair Scarfe (L) and Steve Saunders (R)

Robotics Plus wins ANZLF Trans-Tasman Innovation and Growth Award

Robotics Plus, a world-leading robotics and automation company developing innovation to unlock new levels of productivity in some of the world’s most labour-intensive food and fibre value chains, has won an ANZLF Trans-Tasman Innovation and Growth Award. The awards celebrate innovation, growth and impact of emerging businesses in Australia and New Zealand. Robotics Plus was founded in 2013 by Steve Saunders and Dr Alistair Scarfe with a simple goal in mind: to improving the quality, productivity and sustainability of the horticultural and other primary industry supply chains. The company’s R&D efforts focus on automation, vision, robotics and AI, to solve the growing challenges in the primary industry globally such as: labour shortages, sustainability for growers and producers, pollination gaps and yield security. Steve Saunders, Chairman and Founder of Robotics Plus, says: “It’s an absolute honour for the team to receive an ANZLF Trans-Tasman Innovation and Growth Award. It is validation of the hard work of a lot of people over a number of years and celebrates our innovation, culture and diversity. “Receiving such a prestigious award provides a valuable opportunity to showcase Robotics Plus to the world. We would like to recognise our fantastic partners and collaborators in the commercial, research and Government sectors, without them this would not be possible.” Robotics Plus CEO Dr Matt Glenn says the company is experiencing strong growth on the back of increasing demand for its world-first platform technologies. “Over the last 18 months Robotics Plus has launched two commercial products, entered the US and European markets, completed a US$10M Series A investment with Yamaha Motor Company and grown from a team of 12 to over 50. We also have a number of new products in the pipeline and expect our growth to continue at the same rate for the foreseeable future. “We’ve been able to […]

Low cost process monitoring for CNC transfer machines

Innovative new application software enables users of high throughput, multi-process CNC machine tools to implement process monitoring without incurring any additional hardware costs. The software is likely to be of especial interest to users of high-end production systems such as transfer machines, where even relatively small operating issues can rapidly escalate into much larger, more expensive problems unless proactive remedial action is taken. Through real-time monitoring of the power/current values of the electric motors on a transfer machine throughout its milling, turning or grinding processes, it is possible to minimise system downtime and maintain production quality by guarding against faults. Typically, these would include worn or damaged tools and undersize or oversize workpiece blanks. Known as NUMmonitor, the software initially operates in ‘learn’ mode to acquire the varying loads and drive currents of motors when the CNC machine tool is running at optimal performance levels and with a sharp new tool. Up to eight motors can be monitored simultaneously throughout the machine’s operating cycle, and the software accommodates up to 11 different error detection criteria per motor. In the case of multi-NCK systems, a further 8 motors can be monitored for each additional NCK. On transfer machines, it is generally sufficient to monitor just the load (power) of the spindle motors. Both the level and duration of each load event that occurs during the ‘learn’ cycle are measured and recorded, and the process can be repeated to obtain average values. There is no limit to the number of different load events that can be accommodated during a complete machine cycle. Minimum and maximum curves are automatically generated from the ‘learn’ cycles, with the user able to define the types of error detection and the logic (for combining different error criteria, if desired). These machine cycle-time related operating parameters form ‘known […]

AI can make a positive impact

AI technologies are beginning to have a major impact on New Zealand’s economy and society, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says. Reports show that changes brought by AI will be as significant as the ongoing changes that have brought computers and internet into all aspects of business, government and everyday life over the last 30 years, he says. Muller was commenting on the New Zealand AI Forum’s latest research report which highlights the importance of AI for New Zealand’s future growth. “Last year the AI Forum released a report that called for a national AI strategy, that would be nice, however technology is moving so fast we just need to get on with it. “It is excellent that this new report identifies we should immediately begin considering the role of AI to support all of the existing national strategies,” he says. “We need to consider AI in all sectors including health, education, agriculture and banking. AI will be useful in almost every way of life in New Zealand. “For example, how can AI reduce the road toll? According to this study, AI has the potential to save 64 lives a year, prevent 7200 injuries and more than $800 million in social costs. “The research clearly highlights the value of AI for achieving New Zealand’s wellbeing, sustainability and economic goals.” The report provides a showcase of AI case studies, analysis of what’s needed to boost acceptance and adoption and a first examination of Māori attitudes, perceptions of and engagement with AI. The research identifies that New Zealand urgently needs to increase its focus on areas such as investment in AI, skills and talent, research, trusted data, ethics and regulation. The report shows how AI solutions can be used to improve wellbeing, productivity and sustainability.

New equity deal announced for industry automation specialist

CR Automation managing director Peter Jenkins. An award-winning industry automation specialist is set to significantly extend its market reach thanks to a new equity partnership with a horticultural heavyweight. Following recent collaboration on a number of projects, CR Automation (CRA) has decided to sell a 50 per cent equity stake to Jenkins Group – a key industry player throughout Australasia’s horticulture post-harvest industry. With subsidiaries in New Zealand and Australia (Tauranga-based Jenkins Freshpac Systems Ltd and NSW-based J-Tech Systems PTY), Jenkins Group provides an extensive range of labelling, packaging and handling systems to the fruit and vegetable industry across both countries. Hawke’s Bay-based CR Automation provides automation, robotic and post-harvest solutions to a broad range of industries including food and beverage, water and wastewater, materials handling, cool storage, meat and wool processing and general manufacturing. Managing Director Peter Richards says the 18-year-old tech company has experienced exponential growth over the past three years and has been looking for an equity partner who could help sustain that growth and ensure longevity. “We wanted a partner founded on similar ideals who would add value and provide market access beyond our existing client base,” Richards explains. “Jenkins Group are an innovative, family-owned company with 136 years of success behind them. They are very client-focused and trade with a high level of integrity which is an excellent fit for us.” Innovation is at the core of both companies, and CRA won the “Most Innovative Solution” award for ABB robotics at the 2019 ASIA Value Provider Conference. Richards says he is immensely proud of the engineering capacity the CRA team has developed and recent growth was primarily due to a strategic initiative of developing bespoke material handling and machinery for a broad range of industry players. “Jenkins were very impressed by CR Automation’s engineering capacity […]

Innovative 3D solutions for AEC Industry

FARO, renowned for 3D imaging solutions for construction BIM, has an innovative set of 3D solutions specifically developed for AEC professionals. FARO Indoor Mobile Scanner As 3D Laser Scanning becomes more ubiquitous across various industries, there is an ever increasing need to make the scanning process and data processing more efficient. Conventionally, this has been addressed with a variety of mobile mapping solutions. However, these solutions typically have limitations in terms of accuracy and data fidelity. The Indoor Mobile Scanning solution enables kinematic 3D scans to be completed up to 7X faster than a series of traditional, fixed point scans over comparable areas. Thus, projects that took days can be executed in just a few hours. Additionally, as the Mobile Scanner includes fixed scan capability as a standard feature, users can simply switch to high-fidelity scan mode in real time for seamless integration with mobile scan data. The Indoor Mobile Scanner solution combines several leading technologies, including FARO’s patented Focus Laser Scanner technology, which have been optimised to operate in concert. Current owners of Focus Laser Scanners or ScanPlan products will have a simple upgrade path to the Indoor Mobile Scanning solution, which protects their original purchase investment. FARO As-Built Modeller FARO As-Built Modeler Software enables AEC professionals to leverage the smoothest Scan to BIM workflow in the industry to date. As-Built Modeler is specifically designed to minimise the effort and time required to create as-built documentation, which is the main task across AEC professionals in the building, facility and infrastructure design phases. This comprehensive and innovative platform automates many cumbersome processing steps that must be performed manually today. Powerful tools allow the easy creation of CAD objects that can be directly imported in any CAD system independent of the specific CAD software, dramatically simplifying the modelling workflow for FARO […]

Worried about artificial intelligence?

Productivity Commission Chair, Murray Sherwin, CNZM We’ve been asked at the Productivity Commission to explore the impact of technological change on the future of work. This month we released New Zealand, technology and productivity – the first of four reports on the topic. We’ve been assigned the task because Ministers are genuinely troubled about the potential for emerging technology, especially robotics and artificial intelligence, to replace workers, undermine the security of work and working conditions, and in doing so, disrupt the labour market and the social order, and undermine wider community wellbeing. There is certainly no shortage of pundits telling us that most jobs will disappear or change fundamentally and that we should prepare for a very different future of work. Our approach is to try to understand what is going on so that we can respond to developments that are real, rather than imagined or assumed. What are the channels by which new technologies enter and diffuse through the New Zealand economy? Adoption of new technology happens as the result of decisions made by individual firms – large and small – across an economy. The ambition for improved profitability and growth are key drivers. We know that adoption of new technologies requires access to capital and may require other complementary investments as well. It’s not usually just a simple case of buying a new machine or computer programme; firms may need to reorganise their business or change their business model. That’s quite an investment and most firms don’t take those decisions lightly. Firms will make decisions in the context of how well their industry and the overall economy is performing, and their owners’ appetite for risk. But we know that when firms adopt tech and improve their bottom line, the country’s productivity also improves, giving us higher income growth […]

Methven changes ownership, still the same quality product

Being acquired in April by Australia’s GWA Group will only create more opportunities for shower and tapware company Methven, one of New Zealand’s oldest and most innovative. Founded in 1886 in Dunedin as an iron and brass foundry, Methven still has its customer service function in that city today, with its head office and a factory in Auckland. Methven brand director, Matt Jones, says the company hasn’t always been about showers and taps either, with it even making ammunitions for the New Zealand Army during the war years. It wasn’t until 1896 that the company started making taps, as well as copper laundry vessels, and while it’s stuck with tapware, it’s expanded into valves and also shower products that are known for their innovation and design. As for what being acquired by GWA Group will mean, Mr Jones says simply a bigger offering for customers. “Methven becoming a subsidiary of GWA Group just makes sense. It brings a collection of strong, complementary kitchen, bathroom and laundry brands together that cover the commercial and residential markets, and clearly there are benefits in increasing our product portfolio overseas.” In 2018 Methven generated 31 per cent of its revenue domestically, 42 per cent from Australia, 25 per cent from the United Kingdom and the remainder from China and other Asian countries. Following the acquisition, GWA Group now has 143 staff in NZ, with the new parent company committing to keeping New Zealand as a design and innovation base. GWA Group also compete in sanitary ware, showers, tapware, sinks and tubs with the Caroma, Dorf and Clark brands. Mr Jones says that since 1995 when Methven launched FastFlow, its technology to address flow and solve water pressure issues in homes, it has cultivated a culture of innovation based on what its customers want. “Innovation […]

Refinery explores solar farm in Northland

Refining NZ, the owner and operator of the Marsden Point refinery is exploring the viability of a 26 MW solar farm to be potentially developed adjacent to the refinery to supply it with renewable electricity. The 31 hectare solar farm – New Zealand’s largest – would be situated on land belonging to the Company and is estimated to cost around $36-$39 million. The farm would be funded via a combination of non-recourse project debt funding and equity of around $12-15 million from the Company. Refining NZ Chairman, Simon Allen, said that progressing the solar farm is contingent on the Refining NZ Board being satisfied the project is economically viable. Early work shows that the solar farm would reduce the cost of the refinery’s electricity consumption and have a positive impact on shareholder value. Chief Executive Mike Fuge said that the potential to develop renewable electricity from solar would be a further step by the Company in the transition towards a lower carbon future. “This solar facility is one of a number of options being considered as part of the Company’s long-term business strategy, the potential benefits of which are exciting.” Said Fuge: “That transition to a greener future will be especially critical to the region and to the 600 Northlanders who come through the refinery gate every day.” As part of the Company’s exploration into solar, Refining NZ will be engaging with local stakeholders before lodging a resource consent application for the solar farm.

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