ESPRIT 2015 to Increase productivity and automation
In the picture:The new ESPRIT 2015 5-Axis Chamfering strategy chamfers edges lying along a 3D curve. ESPRIT helps increase productivity for a full range of machine tool applications by generating more efficient toolpaths while also saving time by providing substantial improvements in computer numerical control […]
The world’s most flexible, lightweight tabletop robot
Industrial automation specialists Design Energy, has announced the launch of the new UR3 robot from Universal Robots into the New Zealand Market. The UR3, which went through a three-year development phase, is an affordable tabletop robot that has a payload of 3kg and weighs a mere 11kg. It allows for […]
Apprentice program benefits Rachael Smith
The TGM Creative team (Rachael Smith positioned second-from-right and Andrea Leadbetter positioned middle). New Plymouth-based TGM Creative has made a rewarding entry to PrintNZ training programmes, with its print specialist/graphic designer Rachael Smith being named as one of five finalists in this year’s Apprentice of the Year Awards. With judges […]
AGGAT Global Conference at end of month
After four years of effort and support by a lot of different people in industry and academia, HERA has finally reached the stage where they can showcase the work they have been doing in the Above Ground Geothermal and Allied Technologies (AGGAT) programme with the first AGGAT Global Conference to […]
EMA Owner Manager Programme
This is a practical programme to equip busy business owners with the tools, skills and support to run, improve and grow their business. Equip is hands-on training in the areas owner managers have to juggle, e.g. business planning, employee management, cash flow, systems and efficiency, sales and marketing, KPIs and […]
How are you going for serious news?
-Doug Green This latest noise going on about Campbell Live has, quite rightly, a lot of people up in arms. The show is a bastion of strong support for community and political issues and of John Campbell keeping an eye out for the little guy. The program has never pretended […]
Innovation funding a boost to competitiveness
Incentives for firms to invest in innovation are welcome, says BusinessNZ. An $80 million increase in funding for Growth Grants announced today will provide more incentives for companies to increase their research and development, BusinessNZ Chief Executive Phil O’Reilly said. The Growth Grants, administered by Callaghan Innovation, are allocated to […]
Budget boost to R&D funding welcome though underwhelming
Boosting New Zealand’s business investment in R&D and innovation is a top priority and today’s announcement though welcome is not entirely persuasive, says Kim Campbell, chief executive of the Employers and Manufacturers Association. Science Minister Steven Joyce has just announced business R&D funding will rise in this year’s Budget by […]
ManufacturingNZ and ExportNZ welcome increased funding in R & D
Executive Director of ManufacturingNZ and ExportNZ, Catherine Beard welcomes the increase in R&D funding from Government. “We have been urging the Government to keep on increasing investment in R&D. It’s one of the key ways our businesses will be globally competitive. New Zealand has lagged behind in this important area […]
Sustainable development for a sustainable world
PICTURE:Sustainability concept in chemistry involves replacement of toxic chemical components with bio-compatible analogues in attempt to produce environmentally friendly materials and technologies. Principles of Green chemistry and Sustainability concept have largely influenced research and development in chemical sciences. These principles include convenient degradability and minimised toxicity. It is a well-known […]
Nuplex beefs up investment plans across Asia
Nuplex Industries, the specialty chemicals manufacturer, is exploring more investment opportunities across Asia, having shifted its businesses away from the firm’s traditional markets in Australia and New Zealand. The Auckland based company officially opened a US$35 million plant in China’s Changshu, and is already considering expansion plans for the site, […]
Inaugural lecture to explore organisational challenges in an outsourced world
A Victoria University of Wellington professor will provide insights from over 25 years of research into how information technology has changed the way we view and work in organisations, in his upcoming inaugural lecture. Professor of Information Systems, Benoit Aubert, says the trend of organisations contracting some of their services […]
Manufacturers have unique opportunity to bank talent
With forecasts from the Hanga-Aro-Rau Workforce Development Council showing the manufacturing, engineering, and logistics (MEL) sectors will need to fill over 157,000 jobs over the next 5 years, existing recruitment strategies need to be widened to include those with transferable skills from other industries. As NZ Manufacturer business advisor and director of Auckland public relations agency Impact PR Mark Devlin has found, recent government cost-cutting measures could provide an opportunity for manufacturers to access a resource critical for the sector’s future growth. With thousands of government and private sector workers made redundant during the recession and from public sector cuts in recent months, the opportunity exists for the manufacturing sector to create a talent bank of skilled workers. This could help futureproof the sector by accommodating thousands of new employees in manufacturing firms nationwide. A large proportion of the 6,000+ Government workers who are losing their jobs as a result of public sector cuts have highly transferable skills that are in short supply and could be absorbed by a wide range of manufacturing firms that contribute directly to the country’s economic growth. What we know of government workers is that they are well-trained in many of the key competencies in desperate need within the manufacturing sector. This includes people from government departments with an existing relationship with industry such as WorkSafe, NZTE, ACC, and MPI. With Māori and Pacific Peoples expected to make up a growing proportion of the workforce the sector needs to be looking to bring in greater diversity and more cultural awareness – and the Government workforce has an abundance of expertise in this area. As a nation, we have invested heavily in developing our government workforce and it is critical we move to retain these skills, many of which are unique to our ethnic and demographic […]