Smart Manufacturing Today

Decarbonising steelmaking

This article, one of many NZ Manufacturer will be sharing on the subject, comes as a result of conversations with companies in the steel industry who require information on decarbonising steel and steelmaking. Seventy five percent of steel is made from high-emissions plants Nearly three-quarters of crude steel today is made from iron ore in blast furnace–basic oxygen furnace (BF-BOF) plants. These plants release carbon when coking coal is burned and used as a reducing agent. One key decarbonisation action could be to replace blast furnaces with electric arc furnaces fed by scrap and/or H2-DRI; powering EAFs with 100 percent carbon-neutral electricity would eliminate energy-related emissions. Moving to low-emissions production would require $4.4 trillion spending over the next 30 years, with the top end spend coming between 2030 and 2040. In this scenario, three-quarters of investment will likely be on new hydrogen-powered DRI-EAF plants, and the rest to equip existing BF-BOF plants with CCS. Thirty percent increase in unit production costs for steel Costs for steel in the net-zero scenario could increase because of up-front capital spending and higher operating costs associated with CCS and hydrogen-based DRI-EAF production. Market opportunities The shift toward net-zero steel production would likely depend on a collaborative effort among regulators, governments, and industry stakeholders to change the economics of production, facilitate access to required capital, and stimulate demand. First movers that manage the transition risks well stand to gain the most. Sixty five percent of steel will come from plants with electric arc furnaces in 2050 and there will be a ten percent increase in global demand for steel compared with today. Getting all the way to net-zero steel Recent developments in regulations, along with commitment among some governments to reduce CO₂ emissions, have led many steelmakers to set high decarbonisation goals in coming years. While […]

Regulated product stewardship driving transition to a circular economy

By Trevor Tutt – GM Innovation, 3R Group Something which will affect almost all New Zealand businesses has mostly flown under the radar since it was announced during the covid pandemic. A swath of products are set to fall under regulated product stewardship for the first time in New Zealand after they were announced as priority products in July 2020. This means, for the first time in Aotearoa New Zealand, regulated product stewardship schemes are being established for tyres, electronic waste, single-use plastic packaging, synthetic refrigerant gases, agricultural plastics, and agrichemicals. So, if you rely on refrigeration, transport, electronics, or plastic packaging for your goods, you may be affected. It’s a big range of products, with more likely to be announced following government consultation on ways to accelerate product stewardship in new waste legislation. What is regulated stewardship? Product stewardship sees scheme members contribute towards the collection of their products at the end of life so they can be reused, recycled or properly disposed of. This usually means a stewardship fee is charged at the point of manufacture or import and is used by a scheme to achieve better environmental outcomes. The pay-off is improved environmental performance and brand reputation, as well as reduced risk from environmental harm. New Zealand has several voluntary stewardship schemes where participation is just as the name suggests – voluntary. These can suffer from limitations due to insufficient data and resources, and free riders – those who don’t contribute but whose products are stewarded through the scheme. Regulated stewardship sees all of industry required to participate. This provides a level playing field with no free riders. Schemes are therefore better resourced financially and through industry support such as knowledge sharing and collaboration. Data capture is also greatly improved. Regulated schemes are better equipped to reduce […]

Where to for sustainability in an economic downturn?

-Dr. Barbara Nebel, CEO, thinkstep-anz Is sustainability a ‘fair weather friend’ in your manufacturing business? Do you see it as something to cut back when recession calls? If so, you’re missing a business opportunity. Building a more environmentally and socially sustainable business can make your business more efficient and resilient and help you weather the storms ahead. The New Zealand government is forecasting a recession in 2023. This is difficult news for manufacturers already challenged by creaky supply chains and a tight market for skills. Make the most of the many opportunities sustainability offers. Business benefit: reduce your costs Understand your environmental impacts – and reduce them Everything that goes into making your product has an environmental footprint – and a dollar cost. Start by understanding your footprint. A Product Carbon Footprint study measures the carbon your products generate. A Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) considers other impacts too, including the water you use and the waste you generate. Food manufacturer Comvita’s LCA NZ Manufacturer October 2022 by Media Hawkes Bay Limited – Issuu will help the business understand the environmental impacts of its ‘honey in a pot’, from growing the mānuka forests the bees feed on to disposing of the honey’s empty packaging. Armed with information about your environmental impacts, look at whether you can cut some costs. Can you reduce the amount of energy you use? Use raw materials more efficiently? Cut the waste you generate and the costs of disposing of it? The beauty of LCA is that it shows trade-offs. It will help you understand how tweaking one aspect of your product (e.g. the energy you use) affects other aspects (e.g the waste you generate). Buy responsibly Purchasing goods and services produced in environmentally and socially responsible ways can save you money. For example, buying from local […]

EMA & Industry 4.0: Company Profile -RML

RML has been providing high-performance innovative robotic and automation solutions to their customers for the past 40 years. From robotic automation systems, cartoning, case packing, conveyor solutions, custom assembly, palletising, lidders, closers and components. RML has worked with large and small production lines throughout New Zealand and Australia. Problem or Opportunity As a machine builder, RML have identified key issues which were stopping their customers from maximising the value of their investments. Primarily, it was difficult to be connected to machines from outside of the customers’ plant. This led to site visits being required to provide customer support and delivering upgrades that increased customers productivity. The lack of network connectivity also meant that machines were generally standalone, with limited integration with the customers business systems, thus not delivering the performance data to the teams that are. The Solution RML identified that current PLC technology is great for controlling plant, but is lacking in the ability to fully control machines and harness the full potential of Industry 4.0. To make their products Industry 4.0 ready, RML moved to using Industrial Controllers (IC’s) about six years ago. IC’s are similar to a Windows computer. They have the ability to run real-time control and allow a suite of additional programs to be installed, beyond simple machine controls. This has also helped them bridge the common access or security issues which machine builders face with PLCs. Using IC’s, it is now easier to support customers in real-time while ensuring security needs are met. The IC’s allow for the remote adjustment of settings to help when troubleshooting, allowing remote support and troubleshooting, and allowing RML to train new operators online. This ensures machines are back up and running quickly, effectively maximising production. Also of benefit is the ability to collect real-time data using the PLC […]

SailGP Technologies delivers high performance sustainable innovations

Andrea Rosenbaum -SailGP Technologies Boat Builder and Tech Team member. SailGP Technologies is rooted in decades of experience at the forefront of cutting-edge sail racing. Having rebranded from Core Builders Composites in 2022, SailGP Technologies launches to deliver high performance sustainable innovations from sea to space. At their world-class facility in Warkworth, New Zealand, the team integrates state-of-the-art technology to enhance production efficiencies and increase overall accuracies, while reducing lead times. The in-house quality assurance and nondestructive testing processes ensure consistent high quality results. SailGP Technologies CEO Sir Russell Coutts and Managing Director Dave Ridley. SailGP Technologies produce composite prototypes and tooling and assists customers in developing efficient and cost-effective manufacturing systems. Expertise ranges from high end metal machining and fabrication, prepreg curing and tooling from Aluminium, Carbon Fibre and Graphite materials. The Warkworth facility houses six dedicated composite CNC machines, such as the MultiCam, 2D Eastman and the CMS Poseidon with a 5-axis CNC high speed gantry machine, and a working area of 18m x 6.2m x 3m and 6m x 6.2m x 3m. The Poseidon machine has been used extensively for large composite tooling, highly accurate appendage programmes, as well as architectural, industrial and film projects. The qualified technicians at SailGP Technologies are highly passionate with retained knowledge passed from one generation to the next through in-house training and apprenticeships. Coming from a strong heritage in the high performance marine industry, has seen the team lead in competitive composite racing yacht construction since 2001. This dedication to design innovation can more recently be seen in the development of the F50 boats used by the SailGP global racing championship, powering the world’s fastest growing, purpose-led, global racing league. “We are excited about the expansion and the opportunities that will come from delivering the same relentless innovation to customers across […]

A story of transformation

Long-standing East Tamaki business, Facteon, is a world leader in planning and building intelligent factories for the internet age. The genesis Facteon’s story begins 40 years ago as the internal engineering divisional capability of Fisher & Paykel Appliances. At the time, New Zealand and manufacturing in general were in a very different place. Fisher & Paykel, by global standards, was a relatively small appliance provider and had a diverse range of markets which required small batch sizes and a wide variety of products. To achieve this, they needed a more flexible approach to manufacturing. The equipment and systems suited to this were not easily purchased then, so Fisher & Paykel Appliances decided to establish their own division of experts, Fisher & Paykel Production Machinery. Over the years, the company became very specialised in appliance lines as well as work in other industries. This work was varied and included such projects as alloy wheel production lines for Ford’s New Zealand factory, building materials and production lines for roof tiles, and even the machinery for pulp thermoforming which is used to make fruit trays and egg cartons. In 2012, Haier Group purchased Fisher & Paykel Appliances, acquiring the Facteon business in the process. During the initial years of the relationship, Facteon and Haier worked together to improve the performance of Haier’s manufacturing function, with a particular focus on automated welding and production lines. In 2018 Haier Group was looking to set up a much wider Industrial Intelligence Division and Facteon became a cornerstone of that group amongst other Haier robotics and software companies. This was the birth of the Facteon brand. The company wanted a name that signified automation and connectivity for Industry 4.0 and didn’t want any confusion with appliances. “We have been here for such a long time that it […]

How good is your productivity?

-Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon & Co ANZ As I have covered previously, New Zealand’s GDP has been declining relative to other OECD countries for over 40 years, sitting at 21st out of 38 countries as of 2021. This concerning situation affects our quality of life, our ability to invest and the provision of the services and amenities we have come to expect. The root causes for this have been provided over many years: geographical separation, access to capital and, of course, productivity. To quote American economist Paul Krugman, ‘productivity isn’t everything, but in the long run, it’s almost everything’. We currently lag significantly behind many OECD countries in output and hours worked. It is simply not possible to work more hours. We are now in a tight labour market, with lack of skills and availability of resources and rising wages as a result and we can no longer rely on the number 8 wire, she’ll be right and just harden up attitude. To keep up with the Irish we would need an extra 10 hours a day! This is our climate change moment. The house is burning and throwing a bucket of water at it won’t fix it. A frontier study comparing us to similar countries in size and scale, and allowing for the geographic differences, found that the key shortfalls are: Industry, government and research/university collaboration Focus on key sectors which there is a natural advantage or capability Support through appropriate technology and capital investment Development of human capital through training, mentoring and adoption of best practices The outcome of having these things has been outstanding performance for Scandinavian countries, Singapore, Ireland and Denmark, amongst others. By contrast, in NZ we have: Underinvested in capital, as it is easier to use flexible labour and avoid the spend Underinvested in […]

Southland to be an industrial powerhouse

The Southland Engineering & Manufacturing Cluster, a newly established group, is on a mission to turn Southland into a collaborative industrial powerhouse for the engineering sector. The initiative is driven by the knowledge that the South is rich in talent, with engineers and manufacturers capable of excelling in diverse projects across a multitude of industries and fields. The primary objective is to ensure the sustainability of engineering in the Southland region by fostering a thriving environment for industry players to work together. The Southland Engineering & Manufacturing Cluster is committed to facilitating growth and the equitable sharing of opportunities. Over the next few months, they will be making contact and introducing the concept and advantages of collaborative pitches and projects. Dean Addie, Chair of the Engineering & Manufacturing Cluster, underscores the importance of building a collaborative industry, to showcase the incredible capabilities of the region. He explains, “This will effectively demonstrate to potential clients what we can achieve and the vast breadth of knowledge and skill we bring to the table. By working collaboratively, we will empower our regions to bid for large engineering contracts with confidence.” The vision is to enable international and national contracts to be fulfilled in the South, leading to the growth of industries, more job opportunities, robust regional economies, and the creation of additional skilled positions. Southland’s people are not only highly skilled but also remarkably adaptable, with world-leading technology and projects emerging from the region. Brendan Gray, the Southland Engineering & Manufacturing Cluster Manager, stated, “I am thrilled to be on the ground, getting to understand the needs and desires of the engineering community, to fully support their transition and growth into a new era of business opportunities.” By becoming a part of the Southland Engineering & Manufacturing Cluster, there is a team working […]

Seven good news sustainability stories in manufacturing in 2022

-Dr Barbara Nebel, thinkstep-anz As 2022 draws to a close, it’s time to spread a little Christmas cheer. Here are seven good news stories that show the progress the manufacturing sector made this year to become more sustainable. We have a national Emissions Reduction Plan In June the government introduced New Zealand’s first Emissions Reduction Plan (ERP). The ERP sets the context for sustainability in New Zealand. It contains the strategies and policies that will make our Zero Carbon Act 2019 happen and move all industries, including manufacturing, to a low-emissions economy over the next three decades. ‘Carrots and sticks’ will encourage (and require) manufacturers to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the products they make, the heavy transport, freight, energy and buildings they use, and the waste they discard. Our June article provides more information. NZ Manufacturer June 2022 by Media Hawkes Bay Limited – Issuu Manufacturers are measuring their products’ environmental impacts We’re encouraged to see more manufacturers, in more industries, investing in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) for their products and packaging. LCA measures a product’s environmental footprint: from sourcing (and maybe growing) the raw materials, to making the product, to using it and disposing of it at the end of its life. LCA can measure many impacts, including the energy and water used and the carbon released (the product’s ‘carbon footprint’). Food manufacturer Comvita has commissioned an LCA. The company wants to understand how to reduce the carbon footprint of its honey at all stages of the product’s life cycle. Manufacturers are communicating their products’ environmental impacts The list of registered Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for New Zealand-made products continues to grow strongly. An EPD is a verified, publicly available document that summarises a product’s environmental footprint. EPDs start life as LCAs. There are EPDs for many products […]

2022- A Year in Review for HERA

-Dr Troy Coyle 2022 was possibly the most successful year for HERA in its over 40-year history. This was certainly the case for research grant success and strengthening our research capability for the manufacturing and construction sectors. Decarbonisation In 2022, we at last launched our zero carbon steel program Hōtaka Whakakore Puhanga Waro (mo te Hua Rino). This program allows zero carbon steel to be specified, with credible offsets certified by Ekos. The offsetting requirements are based on credible life cycle analysis and Environmental Product Declarations and offer additionality (i.e. they reliably lead to reduced net carbon) through nature positive offsetting via planting and regeneration of native forests that offer biodiversity and local employment benefits. This program offers zero carbon options for most steel products used in New Zealand, including stainless steel, rebar, roofing and cladding, light gauge and structural steel. This comprehensiveness, reliability and independence makes it a first of its kind globally. We also commenced development of Australasia’s first material passport. This work will see steel re-use at end of life be supported and we hope that once developed, this can be rolled out across many building materials. This will make buildings become “banks of materials”, where materials can be “withdrawn” and re-used. This has obvious carbon benefits. Manufacturing industry support I continue to be engaged with key developments in the manufacturing sector, joining the Advisory Board for the Advanced Manufacturing Industry Transformation Plan and co-sponsoring the Innovation and Sustainability workstreams. I also was re-elected to the role of Co-Chair of Hanga-Aro_Rau, the Workforce Development Council for Manufacturing, Engineering and Logistics. HERA was also one of only two international partners in the newly created $260 million Australian-based Sovereign Manufacturing Automation for Composites Capability Cooperative Research Centre (SoMAC). Leading the way for Construction 4.0 HERA was awarded $10.3 million […]

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