Is digital the way to world class?
-Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon & Co I am pleased to say that over the last couple of years there has been a growing interest in the use of digital techniques and tools in NZ. However, it is imperative that we build this understanding rapidly so good decisions can be made. […]
Upper Hutt manufacturer investing in the future
-Rebecca Reed What started as a small operation out of a shipping container up the back of Kiwi Point Quarry in Ngauranga Gorge, Wellington, has turned into quite the success story for manufacturer Real Steel. Fast forward twenty years later, the company employs more than 100 people and proudly operates […]
NZ Manufacturer Media Kit 2023 now available
Planning for 2023 is well underway and if you would like a copy of the NZ Manufacturer Media Kit 2023, email publisher@xtra.co.nz There is a lot to focus on next year including cyber security, climate change, renewable energy, Industry 4.0 and the future of manufacturing.
How to successfully deliver your CRM project with Clarity, Simplicity and Certainty
This is the 4th in a series of 6 articles looking at how to successfully deliver your CRM project. The full series contains: The development of Business Requirements will, if done right, clearly dictate the functional definition of the solution. This however must be accompanied by an equally clear and […]
Industrial Tube celebrates a decade in the stainless tube market
Industrial Tube general manager Ian Foster. New Zealand’s leading tube manufacturer is celebrating another company milestone, achieving 10 years in the stainless precision tube market. Waikato-based Industrial Tube entered the stainless market in 2013 when it purchased machinery and stock from Stainless Tube Mill. Reflecting on the journey, Industrial Tube […]
New research to develop first overarching data connectivity standardisation
-Dr Troy Coyle, CEO, HERA Last month I shared the news of the Endeavour Fund’s support for HERA’s four-year research project focused on transforming the construction sector in Aotearoa New Zealand. Today, I wanted to introduce the key research themes and programs which will interact and interconnect as part of […]
Winstone Wallboards uses circular economy to reduce carbon emissions in plasterboard
-thinkstep-anz Circular economy thinking is helping Winstone Wallboards (WWB) reduce carbon in Aotearoa New Zealand’s built environment. Around 15% of our country’s greenhouse gas (carbon) emissions relate to our buildings. Knowing that construction waste contributes heavily to these emissions, WWB set itself a challenge. WWB manufactures plasterboard under the GIB® […]
How to successfully deliver your CRM project with Clarity, Simplicity and Certainty.
-Scott Fuller, Xception This is the third in a series of six articles looking at how to successfully deliver your CRM project. Taking the time to look past the functional capability offered by a company will determine if you want a Partner or a Vendor. There are very good reasons […]
Computer Recycling
If we want to create business solutions that better serve the environment, we need to shift our manufacturing mindset from take, make, waste – to reduce, return, reuse. This circular economy mindset, whereby products can be endlessly used through continuous business systems, is what gave birth to Computer Recycling. Computer […]
A powerful recipe for innovation & growth
Greg Balla, CEO, Aofrio. Adding software to hardware – AoFrio is a New Zealand technology leader that few local people know about. With deep manufacturing and hardware roots, the company has decades of experience supporting food and beverage companies around the world with their refrigeration. Now, the business has innovated […]
Major international collaboration at the forefront of Construction 4.0
Dr Troy Coyle, HERA CEO I was on leave in the middle of the Australian bush, koala spotting, when we got the great news that after years of work in the background, our Endeavour Funding bid for $10.3 million had been successful. The need for this project had been brought […]
Comvita’s Harmony Plan: sustainability strategy built on purpose and values
Comvita’s ambitious sustainability strategy, its Harmony Plan, is guiding the Bay of Plenty-based manufacturer to ‘leave the world in a better place’. The global market leader in Mānuka honey and bee consumer goods set out, almost 50 years ago, to work in harmony with bees and nature in New Zealand, […]
Election Year Excuses? Why Manufacturers Can’t Afford Them
From February issue, NZ Manufacturer magazine David Altena is Head of Growth & Partnerships at SmartSpace.ai & C0-Founder & Host of The Better SMB Podcast. david@altena.solutions We are entering a familiar three yearly cycle of hesitation. As we flip into another election year, a subtle but pervasive “hush” descends over factories from Penrose to Invercargill. Business cases for new CNC machinery get shuffled to the bottom of the pile. Recruitment for that much needed engineer is “put on hold until we know who is running the Beehive.” Election years tempt businesses to pause, waiting for policy clarity. But in manufacturing, hesitation is costly. Whoever wins, the fundamentals won’t change. Capability, capital confidence and innovation still matter. Waiting is the real risk. We have been waiting for the miracle decisions every three years for decades. It is no surprise that the MBIE and Foreign Affairs Long Term Insights Briefing released in December 2025 still describes New Zealand as being stuck in a low-productivity rut. Another report to feed the lack of progress on this subject over the last 40-years. “Wait and see” is not a strategy, it’s slow-motion surrender. (Ab0ve)Rob Bull is Director of The New Zealand Lean Academy. rob@nzla.nz Myth Busting: The “Pause Button” Election-year uncertainty is the ultimate security blanket. It’s the perfect, explainable excuse for inaction, but let’s look at the reality of the productivity gap. New Zealand has struggled with a tail of underperformance compared to our OECD peers[1] and according to The Economist, New Zealand’s economic performance is now ranked 33rd (of 37) in 2024[2] (we were as high as 3rd in the 1950’s!). That gap doesn’t take a holiday because there are billboards on the side of the road and policy ideas thrown about like a lolly scramble. The truth is sitting there right […]