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Getting under the hood of Kiwi manufacturing

By EMA Manufacturing Programme Manager Sheenal Jokhan Industry 4.0 is reshaping the manufacturing landscape, offering New Zealand businesses tangible gains in efficiency, productivity and innovation. Yet despite its potential, some manufacturers remain cautious about adopting these technologies over concerns such as return on investment, workforce readiness, and a lack of clear guidance on the best way forward. As part of our ASB Manufacturers Workshops, which the EMA ran with facilitation by LMAC, we took factory tours and offered manufacturers a chance to see these technologies in action, meet with their peers in the industry and pick their brains on the best way forward. This real-world approach provided confidence in the relevance and value of smart manufacturing. Our recent tours of Hansa Products in Hamilton and Donovan Group in Whangārei were excellent examples of Kiwi businesses tackling challenges head-on while adapting to a fast-evolving global manufacturing landscape. But what’s equally important is how these visits reminded attendees that these companies didn’t begin as tech giants. They started small, experimented, made mistakes and kept going. Watching a robotic welding system in action at Hansa or hearing about Donovan Group’s journey toward file-to-factory automation provides insight that attendees can take back to their own operations. Hansa’s story particularly resonated with visitors to our recent workshop. A family-run business founded in 1980, it has grown into a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance wood and brush chippers. Its approach to lean manufacturing, smart inventory systems, and visual process management is a textbook case of innovation driven by necessity. Their bespoke information system didn’t come off the shelf, it was built to solve specific problems. That’s a critical takeaway: there’s no one-size-fits-all solution, but there is a pathway. Hearing how others navigated it helps demystify the process. At Donovan Group, the […]

Using tech to beat the ‘big guys’ in manufacturing

-Dominic Sutton, Stocktrim It’s crazy times for SME’s feeling overshadowed by corporations with deep pockets and established brands. But thanks to new technology, the playing field is finally leveling out. Tools like cloud-based software and smart inventory forecasting help smaller manufacturers run more efficiently, serve customers better, and even outpace much larger rivals. Using SaaS to cut costs and stay flexible One of the toughest challenges for small manufacturers has always been the huge upfront cost of enterprise software. Installing and maintaining these complex systems often requires big budgets and dedicated IT teams. That’s where more agile smaller & easier to set up Software as a Service (SaaS) comes in. SaaS lets you access powerful software through the cloud on a subscription basis. Instead of buying expensive hardware and managing everything yourself, you simply pay for what you use. This approach helps manufacturers achieve the following: Scale up or down quickly as your business changes. Access the newest features and updates without interrupting your work. Save on IT costs so you can focus on production. Integrate seamlessly with other cloud tools to build a connected system. For example, SaaS platforms for manufacturing execution (MES), customer management (CRM), and enterprise planning (ERP) can help you standardize processes, track performance in real time, and streamline workflows, all without the steep price tag of traditional systems. Using inventory forecasting to streamline supply chains Good inventory management is key to staying competitive. Having too much stock ties up money and warehouse space, while running out means missed sales and unhappy customers. Advanced forecasting tools can help you find the right balance. These tools use data analytics, machine learning, and historical sales trends to predict demand more accurately. With smart inventory forecasting (often part of SaaS solutions), you can: Plan production around actual demand. Avoid […]

EMEX is a big deal…

May issue, NZ Manufacturer includes our second Preview of EMEX 2024. Click on the link below to read. Because it is the premier trade fair in the country for the manufacturing sector. Where visitors can see the best of the best all in one place. An example of an exhibitor is Datum Machines Ltd of Wellington, a manufacturer, who has been designing and engineering over 18 months the Series One Gantry Mill CNC machine from the ground up. NZ Manufacturer May 2024 by Media Hawkes Bay Limited – Issuu This machine is for companies wanting to add CNC automation to their production workflow and increase productivity. At an extremely competitive price. A labour of love, devotion and lots of money, the machine, an example of great Kiwi ingenuity, is on display at EMEX 2024, on Stand 4115. As much as it is an event to discuss business – buying or selling, export opportunities etc – it also benefits visitors who want to discuss industry trends and share stories of success. New Zealand has a rich history of inventions and product development, something that became clear to me a little while back when I produced for this show’s organisers a History of Manufacturing in New Zealand document which went back as far as the early 1900’s. Today’s innovators, using different technologies and equipment, manufacturing for the needs of the times, have a rich history to fall back on, on the path to success. So, let’s keep manufacturing strong. We certainly do have our challenges in today’s environment. But they are only challenges. We adapt, we change, we keep moving forward. We keep making the next ‘big thing.’ -Doug Green, Publisher

Developing the manufacturing sector

By Jane Finlayson; Head of Advanced Manufacturing; EMA A lot has changed in recent months. Not only have we had a change of government, and with it a change in policy direction, but we have also seen the establishment of Advanced Manufacturing Aotearoa (AMA). Led by Catherine Lye, AMA is tasked with working with key sector partners - including unions, researchers, educational institutions, industry organisations, and Māori and Pacific manufacturers – to gather information and supply feedback on the practical steps that can be taken to further develop the manufacturing sector. The AMA is an important initiative that we hope will be supported by the new government. It is industry-driven and independent, representing manufacturers across Aotearoa New Zealand. This positions it to deliver enormous benefit to the manufacturing sector at a scale not realised previously. The EMA is proud to support the AMA, alongside our other partners across the country. As the newly appointed Head of Advanced Manufacturing at the EMA I am looking forward to working closely with Catherine and the AMA to advance the interests of the manufacturing sector. Since taking up my new role, I have enjoyed the opportunity to attend regional manufacturing action group meetings, in Waikato, Northland, Bay of Plenty and Auckland and I’ve met with a wide range of innovative manufacturers who have adopted technology to enhance their businesses and improve productivity. Clearly the past year has been challenging for many manufacturers. The global economic slowdown, rising costs, supply chain constraints and critical skills shortages have all combined to create a difficult environment for the sector. This has been reflected in the steady decline of the BNZ – BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI), which has sat below 50 since March. This indicates manufacturing activity in New Zealand has been contracting throughout much of […]

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OnRobot Soft Gripper highly flexible

The new OnRobot food-grade Soft Gripper is able to pick a wide array of irregular shapes and delicate items in food and beverage, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals production, as well as manufacturing or packaging Automation just got easier for food and beverage and other “clean” applications such as cosmetics and pharmaceuticals that need to handle items from eggs to fruit, to bottles or irregular-shaped containers. The flexible OnRobot Soft Gripper uses three interchangeable silicon-moulded cups in star and four-finger configurations to pick up almost any small object under 2.2kg with a delicate, precise touch. The electric Soft Gripper is food-grade certified (complies with FDA 21 CFR for non-fatty items and EC 1935/2004) and unlike traditional vacuum grippers, it requires no external air supply, so it can reduce both cost and complexity. “Our new Soft Gripper is challenging existing solutions for picking hard-to-grasp, delicate and odd-sized items,” says CEO of OnRobot, Enrico Krog Iversen. “Unlike proprietary solutions, the Soft Gripper offers seamless integration with most collaborative robots and light industrial robots through our One System Solution.” OnRobot’s award-winning One System Solution is a platform that provides a unified mechanical and electrical interface between leading robot arms and any OnRobot end-of-arm tooling (EoAT). The One System Solution has been newly expanded to include integration with robots from ABB Robotics and Hanwha Precision Machinery. Now, users of those robots can take advantage of the unified mechanical and electrical interface of any OnRobot product, for easier integration and faster ROI. While the Soft Gripper is ideal for food and beverage applications, it also provides flexible, delicate gripping for manufacturing and packaging. Soft Gripper Features: Up to 2.2kg payload based on shape, softness and friction of items to be handled Grip dimensions ranging from 10mm-118mm depending on cup used FDA certification Flexible, interchangeable silicon cups Ideal […]

Lessons in mass production

Socrates and his student, Plato, are a perfect example of how good leaders are shaped by observant students. Here, Darcy Simonis, industry network leader for food and beverage at ABB, explains what can be learned from global manufacturing leaders such as China. China, a leader in mass production, has firm plans to build upon its proud history by investing in the robotics and automation industry. However, because labor is plentiful, mass production is not always automated in China at present. Because China’s working-age population is falling significantly, labor costs are increasing by 15-20 per cent year on year, compared to only 1.6 per cent in the US. This opens opportunities for automation across all economies. In 2014, the International Federation of Robotics announced that China was buying more robots than any other country each year, partly due to government funds as part of China’s five-year plan to develop intelligent manufacturing. This trend has continued, in 2015 China bought more robots than every European country combined. Generally speaking, Chinese manufacturers are choosing to buy robots from the same global suppliers as other countries, including ABB, despite there being a number of small Chinese robot manufacturers. “This trend is driven by the Chinese Government´s 2025 initiative to support automation. The country aims to become a leader in automation globally,” explained Joe Gemma, President of the International Federation of Robotics, in February 2017. Given the clear manufacturing focus in several governments’ foreign policies, including UK and US policy, it’s clear that the progress China is making in automating mass production is something that many countries aspire to. But there is also a clear reciprocal relationship, just as there is with Plato and Socrates, which is allowing countries around the globe to benefit from technological advances. History Mass production became possible because technology and […]

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 […]

Konecranes adopts Internet of Things technology

Konecranes, specialising in the manufacture and service of cranes and lifting equipment, has implemented Siemens’ digital innovation platform to accelerate its product development process and connect product and performance data together. The company is using MindSphere, the open, cloud-based Internet of Things (IoT) operating system, and the Teamcenter portfolio, the world’s most widely used digital lifecycle management software, to leverage the digital twin and reduce the number of physical prototypes, which helps to increase efficiency and decrease product validation time. The Konecranes proof of value is one of the first implementations of IoT to develop a framework that connects and synchronizes the virtual (engineering design, analysis and simulation) and physical (testing and operational reliability) worlds. The product design process is currently based more on an engineer’s experience and generally shared assumptions than measured facts from existing products. These assumptions often lead to non-optimised designs that are over engineered. With an integrated digital twin platform, there is major potential in speeding up the product development process, reducing prototypes, increasing traceability and thus improving quality and reduce development cost. Today design, simulation and prototype testing organisations operate in their own silos, often using out of date processes for their work. At Konecranes, a digital twin was utilised as the communication approach between all three organisations to review data and provide feedback around engineering, simulation and testing intent. Using the Siemens platform for digital innovation, Konecranes has been able to connect the data from all of these organisations to create one 360 degree view of how prototypes are running and performing, and correlating requirements to, real world performance data. A closed-loop digital twin framework using IoT and product lifecycle management (PLM) technologies can lead to faster design issue resolution and shorter prototyping phases by leveraging virtual sensor data in product simulations to provide […]

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