Smart Manufacturing Today

-Ian Walsh Some of you may have read the NZ Productivity Commission’s report into frontier firms (the top 10% most productive firms in New Zealand) and compared our productivity to other Small  Advanced Economies (SAEs) such as Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands and Sweden. This is great research with various studies and benchmarks, and I highly recommend a read. The findings of the research were that our most productive firms have operated at around 53% of the best performing firms of those listed countries for over a decade, and there are no signs of this changing. The report identified several drivers behind this, including that we inefficiently utilise our allocations of labour, and that we don’t see benefits from technology diffusion (awareness and access to best technology that then diffuses through our markets). Contributing factors include our geography, lower levels of international trade, weak innovation system or low capital intensity to name a few. So what are the other countries doing that we are not? What can we learn from them? Firstly, they focus on internationally oriented companies, as they have a small domestic market, they are more focussed on growing and supporting organisations that are focussed on international trade. Secondly, they encourage and develop clusters of firms organised around areas of strength and capabilities. These clusters of related capabilities create scale, efficiency, and productivity gains, but more importantly they enable the innovation engine to develop. Consequently, this capability then attracts international engagement, which contributes to overcoming the technology diffusion issue. Thirdly, they invest in research and development. Most countries invest twice what we do each year as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) into R&D. New Zealand is the third-lowest R&D investor of all SAEs, which correlates with us sitting in the bottom three for productivity. New Zealand […]

George Harb, Regional Vice President APAC – Business Ecosystems During the pandemic, many industries quickly realised they weren’t as prepared for digitalisation as they thought. The manufacturing industry was no exception; the rapid shift to remote work was a challenge as the necessary digital infrastructure was not in place for many organisations. This impacted the workforce significantly by limiting information access. The manufacturing industry was already facing a challenging business environment with increased supply chain complexities and expanding regulation. COVID added new challenges to the mix forcing organisations to adapt to the ever-changing circumstances. The organisations that had sufficient infrastructure in place were able to easily transition to remote work. Advanced technologies allow for a more agile workforce however, they can only succeed when there is a proper foundation, which is an effective information management (IM) solution. Investing in an IM platform allows manufacturing organisations to be agile and pivot at a moment’s notice. This is because key stakeholders can access critical information regardless of where they are located. Organisations that fail to implement an IM strategy will fall behind competitors, given the business lacks agility and the ability to react to changing market conditions. So, how can an effective IM strategy help manufacturing organisations gain full value from the transformative technologies available today? The value of accessible data The manufacturing industry produces an astonishing level of data and the number of data collection tools is continuing to grow. For example, IDC estimated that connected Internet of Things (IoT) devices will generate 70 zetabytes of data by 2025. This increases visibility, control and efficiency, however these benefits are only achieved when useable data is created. When IoT is combined with data from other technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and blockchain, a real transformation can take place as there is […]

Heavy engineering research association HERA is at the forefront of the innovation march in an era of change. At its AGM on 19 May, HERA announced key initiatives designed to propel the industry forward as members focus on support for digital capability, transformation and innovation: the MetalMind app and the Fab4.0Lab for testing, implementation and research.  The MetalMind app is the digital home for HERA’s training services and all things heavy engineering. It is a platform where HERA will grow and engage its tribe of metal heads and where people can share open and transparent innovation. HERA CEO Troy Coyle says, “MetalMind is our proprietary private social platform to connect with members exclusively, hold open and important conversations about steel industry issues, gather feedback, solve problems, and give people maximum value. “The big driver for developing MetalMind was our Innovation READY programme, which has been completely digitised including 10 podcast sessions with supporting content, along with the Lean Startup four-week course. “Over time members will be given early access to training materials and tutoring preparation ahead of welding certification examinations. “The people on the platform will be new to our industry right through to the most experienced, a truly diverse group who all have something to gain from engagement. “Users are onboarded into main channels and then given the information and services they need around innovation, training, education and the foundry, a newsfeed which drives conversation and delivers targeted and curated information to the industry. There will be verticals of content and services that users will progress through.” HERA Fab4.0Lab (named for the Fourth Industry Revolution, or Industry 4.0 as applied to fabrication) is a laboratory space based at HERA House in Auckland where fabricators can test concepts, new product ideas and iterations on specialist machinery that may not otherwise […]

 By Femi Perumbally, thinkstep-anz Every woman in engineering and manufacturing has her own unique experience to share. To understand the role and experiences of women working in this area, ways of moving forward, and the benefits of diverse workplaces, we talked to some of the best sources we have: our female engineers at thinkstep-anz. Nicole Sullivan, Gaya Gamage, and Vi Kie Soo are three engineers from varied backgrounds who are applying their knowledge and experience to further sustainability efforts in New Zealand and Australia with thinkstep-anz. Women in engineering have struggled with many issues over the years, from unsuitable working conditions and unfair compensation, to limited recognition for achievements, and unequal advancement opportunities. Although women still face many of the same issues to a smaller degree, this is slowly changing over time, as mirrored by the experiences of our female employees. Nicole, Gaya, and Vi Kie have a combined experience in academia and industry, and in areas spanning civil, environmental, electrical, process, and chemical engineering. We look at their diverse experiences in occupying male-dominated careers and the sustainability glue connecting their narratives. Standing out in a sea of hard-hats Nicole joined thinkstep-anz in late 2020 as Head of Strategy and Impact, adding sustainability consulting to an already impressive list of roles. With a degree in Chemical Engineering and 18 years of process engineering experience, Nicole understands manufacturing at what she calls the ‘hard-hat level’. She also understands the experience of being the only woman in a hard-hat, having been in such a situation many times and in many contexts. Being the only woman among hundreds of people while working in environmental management on one of the biggest projects at BlueScope took this experience to another level. For Senior Sustainability Specialist Gaya, working with clients such as NZ Steel and Tasman […]