NZ Manufacturer February 2023

www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz

How good is your productivity?

Andrea Rosenbaum -SailGP Technologies Boat Builder and Tech Team member.

SailGP delivers high performance sustainable innovations

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.

continued on Page 24

NEW VERSION

Sales and training—Aust/NZ Region enquiries@baycad.biz www.baycad.biz

NZ 0274847464 AU 64274847464

2023

E  P P CAD S B I O O I F 7 13 17 PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY 24-25 MAY

DEPARTMENTS

LEAD

SailGP delivers high performance sustainable innovations.

BUSINESS NEWS

Certificates of Origin issued for Australian market.

SMART MANUFACTURING

How good is your productivity?

New tool turns pdf drawings into clean CAD files.

Manufacturers can leverage sourcing to mitigate the hit of inflation.

Company Profile: RML

THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

Regulated product stewardship driving transition to a circular economy.

Where to sustainability in an economic downturn?

ANALYSIS

What does 2023 have in store for our sector?

ROBOTICS

Keep moving.

ANALYSIS

To lead the way on green hydrogen, find enough water.

WORKSHOP TOOLS

Exam seam placement in robot welding cells. Superclean hygienic plastic cable gland.

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING

Lydia Frater.

THE LAST WORD

How the role of the CISO is shifting.

Is

of

largest business advocacy body He has held a range of senior positions at Westpac and is a barrister and solicitor

Ian is a Partner, Argon & Co. NZ, a master black belt improvement specialist and global lean practitioner. He is passionate about improving productivity and helping to create world class New Zealand businesses.

Barbara’s passion is to enable organisations to succeed sustainably. She describes her job as a ‘translator’ – translating sustainability into language that businesses can act on.

Is Managing Director of Connection Technologies Ltd, Wellington and is passionate about industry supporting NZ based companies, which in turn builds local expertise and knowledge, and provides education and employment for future generations.

EMA chief executive Brett

has a background in technology and economic development.

actually grew up with manufacturing, in the family business, Biggins & Co. He currently holds board roles with Wine Grenade and Dotterel Technologies and is also on the NZ Film Commission board.

Kirk Hope

Chief Executive

BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s

Brett O’Riley

O’Riley

Brett

Ian Walsh

Lewis Woodward

Dr Barbara Nebel CEO thinkstep-anz

PUBLISHER

Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd, 121 Russell Street North, Hastings, New Zealand 4122.

MANAGING EDITOR

Doug Green

T: +64 6 870 9029

E: publisher@xtra.co.nz

CONTRIBUTORS

Holly Green, HERA, EMA

Business East Tamaki

Dr. Troy Coyle, Ian Walsh, Dr. Barbara Nebel, Oliver Stein

Trevor Tutt, Rebecca Lester

David Downie, Don Gunasekera

Wendy Timms, Geoff Schomburgk

ADVERTISING

T: + 64 6 870 9029

E: publisher@xtra.co.nz

DESIGN & PRODUCTION

:kim-jean:

E: kim.alves@xtra.co.nz

WEB MASTER

Julian Goodbehere

E: julian@isystems.co.nz

PUBLISHING SERVICES

On-Line Publisher

Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS

E: publisher@xtra.co.nz

Free of Charge.

MEDIA HAWKES BAY LTD

T: +64 6 870 9029

E: publisher@xtra.co.nz

121 Russell Street North, Hastings

NZ Manufacturer

ISSN 1179-4992

Vol.14 No.1 February 2023

Productivity

We need to talk about it - not in a “we need to talk about Kevin way” – because Productivity is front and centre for all the country needs, and stands for, to get ahead.

Let’s be clear, there are plenty of companies hugely invested in the technology and specialist staff to enhance their Productivity. And then there are those, unsure of the investment, unsure of return on investment. Too small to fail, too concerned to move ahead. Overcoming this fear can put the world at their feet.

The drive to place Productivity ‘front and centre’ is very much in the mission statement, of such organisations as EMA and HERA, and forward thinker Ian Walsh of Argon. These are all deeply committed to Industry 4.0 and assisting their members and clients to move forward with better tools and outcomes for the future.

The crises that have affected New Zealand’s business momentum over recent years are numerous – the Christchurch earthquake, the terrorist attack, climate change and the war in Ukraine. Supply chain issues, inflation and the relentless search for qualified staff to keep moving business forward.

Whenever money is needed for flood relief or a crisis, there is a scramble to find it. Whatever party is in power does not solve the reality: money will always be tight.

We are a nation that does well with Productivity in a crisis, when we need to clean-up. It is not a financial return!

Copyright: NZ Manufacturer is copyright and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher. Neither editorial opinions expressed, nor facts stated in the advertisements, are necessarily agreed to by the editor or publisher of NZ Manufacturer and, whilst all efforts are made to ensure accuracy, no responsibility will be taken by the publishers for inaccurate information, or for any consequences of reliance on this information. NZ Manufacturer welcomes your contributions which may not necessarily be used because of the philosophy of the publication.

Work with the specialists and experts who can assist move your company forward. If you need to form a conglomerate to share equipment and resources, do it. Do not get left behind without the technology and skilled staff so essential for success.

I still say we need a Minister for Manufacturing.

-Doug Green, Publisher

Aren’t you sick of talking about it? However, I need to ask “Is your company highly productive, or not productive enough?”

TradeWindow accredited to issue Certificates of Origin to Australian market

TradeWindow , a leading

Australasian TradeTech company, has

Subject to approval by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), TradeWindow Origin will be authorised to issue Certificates of Origin to the Australian market.

JAS-ANZ helps markets work better by providing internationally recognised accreditation services that create economic benefit, strengthening national, Trans-Tasman and international trade and commerce.

TradeWindow Origin Limited (TradeWindow Origin) is TradeWindow’s 24/7 data-driven platform for digital Certificates of Origin.

TradeWindow Origin is an Authorised Certification Body under section 435 of the Customs and Excise Act of 2018 with designated authority to issue Certificates of Origin to New Zealand exporters under the Agreement Establishing the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia¬-New Zealand Free Trade Area as well as under the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement.

Once approved by DFAT, the ability of TradeWindow Origin to issue Certificates of Origin will be extended to include Australian exporters, which has a total

been

accredited

by the

Joint Accreditation System of Australia and New Zealand (JAS-ANZ) Free Trade Agreement Certificate of Origin (FTA CoO) Recognition Scheme.

addressable market (TAM) for export documents of A$1.5 billion.

TradeWindow joins an exclusive group of only a few other issuing bodies servicing the Australian market.

The inclusion of the Certificates of Origin functionality will strengthen the value proposition of the existing TradeWindow Cube offering in the Australian market.

TradeWindow Cube enables organisations involved in global trade to securely share mission-critical data and collaborate with partners across the supply chain ecosystem and is designed to connect all parties via integration into incumbent systems.

It has taken over 18 months to become an issuing body in Australia which included a rigorous audit process to achieve the AS/NZS ISO/IEC 17020:2013. This standard certifies competence of bodies performing inspection activities.

“This is a critical step in enhancing the service we can offer our Australian customers as we continue to grow our presence in the market.

“Once approved, Australian exporters using our services will be able to generate digital Certificates of Origin in a timely manner, meaning that they can get on with what they do best, and move product to market at speed”, says AJ Smith,

TradeWindow

CEO.

TradeWindow joins an exclusive group of only a few other issuing bodies servicing the Australian market.

Creating opportunities for networking, learning, and engaging.

How good is your productivity?

-Ian Walsh, Partner, Argon & Co ANZ

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:

1. Industry, government and research/ university collaboration

2. Focus on key sectors which there is a natural advantage or capability

3. Support through appropriate technology and capital investment

4. 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:

1. Underinvested in capital, as it is easier to use flexible labour and avoid the spend

2. Underinvested in training and development (I was at a site last week that has done no training of its team in over 10 years)

3. A significant disconnect between our institutions and business, meaning many business leaders (especially SMEs) have

practices are and which tools and methodologies

I was recently asked if I could host some visits to world class companies in NZ. I declined as there are so few and limited examples that there is nothing to see. This does not mean that there hasn’t been progress; there has been, with many companies having made solid progress over the last few years. Most however, have not.

If we don’t accelerate the rate of adoption of better practices many companies will not compete with the disrupted supply chains, increasing labour costs, the advantages technology can bring, or their competitors who have adapted and invested.

This is already happening with Amazon, Costco, Aldi and others entering Australasian markets because they believe they can compete and win.

The need to be world class is no longer optional. Covid and its associated impacts have accelerated the curve so it’s now essential to have:

1. A roadmap to world class – what practices and capabilities do you need to remain competitive?

2. Understanding of the technologies you ought to invest in, and when to do so

3. The support and training you and your people need to support this journey

4. Knowledge of how fast you need to get there to stay ahead of the curve (or catch up)

5. The right help you can access

Years ago a number of folks didn’t believe in climate change, and I don’t think this is the case now. I hope in another few years’ time we aren’t wondering what happened to NZ?

Want to know more or need some help with your business… drop me a line ian. walsh@argonandco.com

As I have covered previously, New Zealand’s GDP has been declining relative to other OECD countries for over 40 years, sitting at

little or no awareness of what best

are appropriate

ADVISORS

is an expert in the field of technology development and commercialisation. His company Design Energy Limited has completed over 100 significant projects in this vein by consulting for and partnering with some of New Zealand’s leading producers. Among Mike and his team’s strengths are industrial robotics and automated production where the company puts much of its focus.

Sean O’Sullivan

Sandra Lukey is the founder of Shine Group, a consultancy that helps science and technology companies accelerate growth. She is a keen observer of the tech sector and how new developments create opportunity for future business. She has over 20 years’ experience working with companies to boost profile and build influential connections.

Has a B Com (Hons) Otago University. In 2000 - 2001 introduced PCs on the workshop floor and job and staff tracking and a productivity software App to Fletcher Aluminium Group and 100 manufacturers NZ nationwide.

In 2001 – 2022 Founding Director Empower Workshop Productivity & Scheduling Software App. 236 manufacturing and engineering clients mainly throughout NZ and Australia, also UK and US.

Sandra Lukey

Mike Shatford

New tool turns PDF drawings into clean CAD files

Five times faster

PDF2PARTS has been designed by ipCompute’s expert team, who have a combined 100 years in the laser industry, and who are now turning their attention to creating tools to save jobshops time and cost, to accelerate business growth.

“We’ve tested and compared PDF2PARTS with more traditional PDF to CAD converters, and found it can be five times faster, with a more accurate end result,” says Cooper.

“Comparing against a traditional PDF to CAD conversion is not really fair,” he adds. “Traditional convertors are great at what they are designed to do, but when you are trying to get to the data needed to work out the time to manufacture a part, they leave you with a lot to do yourself. You must manually clean up all of the ‘noisy’ elements such as dimensions, annotations, and extra views. PDF2PARTS does this for you in one click. This is where out true advantage lies.” he says.

PDF2PARTS automatically isolates all of the cutting geometries of a part (pictured in red), saving job shops time, and reducing errors

Manufacturing and fabrication jobshops are all too familiar with receiving PDF drawings from customers, and having to painstakingly extract only the relevant parts into a CAD program.

“Being able to extract the relevant parts of these drawings is essential to business growth, because the faster you can do that, the faster you can send a quote to a customer, and win their business,” says Ivan Cooper, CEO, Tempus Tools – part of the ipCompute group of companies.

As part of its expanding suite of time-saving tools, Tempus Tools is its new PDF2PARTS tool, designed to be the simplest and quickest PDF to CAD conversion tool available to industry.

“With a single click, PDF2PARTS allows the user to isolate all of the cutting geometries of a part. Unlike standard PDF to CAD converters, PDF2PARTS delivers a clean, scaled CAD file, with no need to make further adjustments and clean up the file after conversion – making it ideal for the laser cutting industry, for example,” explains Cooper.

Consistent part data

Another major challenge for manufacturing and fabrication workshops is keeping the right data associated with each part. With PDF2PARTS, while viewing the PDF, the user can enter data in a floating panel, and that data is delivered in a ZIP file along with the drawings at the end of the conversion.

Data captured includes:

• Part name

• Part height and width

• Material type

• Material thickness

• Material quantity

“Bending lines are delivered in a different layer to separate them from cutting lines. As we keep expanding this product, new secondary processes will be integrated as well,” says Cooper.

Broad industry relevance

While PDF2PARTS is ideally suited to the laser cutting industry, it is broadly applicable to any business that receives technical drawings as a PDF file, and wishes to focus on a cutting path as a CAD file.

Industries that can benefit from PDF2PARTS include laser, plasma, waterjet and oxy cutting, milling, turning, and more.

Typically, job shops would receive a drawing like this, and have to manually identify which lines are cutting lines. PDF2PARTS does it all in a single click.

“It can help other industries too. Anyone receiving an architectural drawing as a PDF that needs to extract a particular part or section to work on could use PDF2PARTS to do this simply and with the click of a button,” he said.

SMART FACTORY SHOWCASE

Featuring

The Smart Factory Showcase

Your chance to experience the future of advanced manufacturing by immersing yourself in the Smart Factory Showcase.

Transform your business

Understand how Industry 4.0 can transform a business and see first-hand what a high level of maturity in Industry 4.0 technologies looks like, based on a real ‘smart factory’ in New Zealand.

The sessions

Feature a digital twin of Nautech Electronics’ Auckland facility which enables us to deliver real content and stories directly to you. The interactive session examines how Nautech integrated smart technology to enhance efficiency, connectivity, and processes. They also highlight how you can engage and improve employee experiences and enhance manufacturing agility.

Get started

Our aim is that you will leave the showcase feeling inspired by the solutions offered and armed with the knowledge needed to kick-start your own Industry 4.0 journey

Questions or feedback? Please contact - manufacturing@ema.co.nz

NETWORK SITE VISITS

The Network Site Visits is a programme to encourage sharing of Industry 4.0 knowledge across the sector. Whether you are well into your Industry 4.0 journey or just starting out, the programme provides a range of opportunities to expand your understanding of Industry 4.0 technologies and learn from others who have already embarked on their Industry 4.0 journey. Join us for events, undertake an assessment or expand your knowledge through resources and case studies.

eadiness Assessment

Factory Tour

Case Studies

Companies can apply for a fully funded Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI) Assessment process to help accelerate their own journey towards Industry 4.0, the result of which will be a benchmark against other companies in their sector and a high level prioritisation roadmap.

Apply for the assessment

The tours provide an opportunity to see first-hand what businesses have implemented as a result of the SIRI Assessment. They will showcase developments, specific technologies and learnings on their Industry 4.0 journey. Targeted at local manufacturers, these events are delivered across New Zealand and are a great way to network and connect with others in the region.

Upcoming events

Webinars

The webinar series is an opportunity to hear stories from all stages of the Industry 4.0 journey, focusing on the benefits of implementing these technologies, what challenges you may need to overcome along the journey and specific examples of Industry 4.0 technologies, all based on the experience of New Zealand companies.

Upcoming events

Documented as part of the SIRI Assessment, the case studies provide an opportunity to understand a specific example of how Industry 4.0 technology has been implemented in a manufacturing environment. They will provide you with key learnings to take away and inform your own journey.

Resources

Manufacturers can leverage sourcing to mitigate the hit of inflation

-Oliver Stein, Director, South East Asia, JAGGAER

Inflation recently hit its highest level in decades, and this is having a major impact on manufacturers. Many parts of Asia are also feeling the strain, however the inflation spike in Asia should be transitory, with lesser risks towards tightening measures compared to Western economies. Inflationary pressures in developing Asia are expected to remain less severe compared to that in global peers.

Asia has become a global manufacturing hub with Singapore, Indonesia and Vietnam receiving 80% of new foreign direct investment inflows in 2019. Inflationary pressures moderating in Asia is a mixed blessing, as a recession may be on the horizon. This will cut margins on end products, especially in the CPG sector, without necessarily reducing input costs. How will businesses cope?

Ain’t no revenue when direct supply’s gone

Supply chains, already severely disrupted by a series of shocks, starting from the pandemic and now the war in Ukraine, face continued turmoil as sanctions bite and key supply sources are cut off. Companies are faced with severe inflationary risks, putting pressure on their margins. Apart from supply chain disruptions they face increasing regulatory pressures and societal expectations to follow sustainable best practices.

Organisations are beginning to look more and more into how they manage responsiveness and resiliency in a time of uncertainty. For most manufacturers in Asia that also means increased tracking of sub-tier vendors where previously there was little visibility.

The rising cost of direct materials is a constant challenge to bottom line results across all manufacturing and process industry sectors. Accounting for 20-80% of the cost of finished goods, the prices paid for materials and components that make up the final product that is sold to the end user are beyond the immediate control of the manufacturer.

Yet manufacturers have a responsibility to customers, shareholders, and partners, to make every effort to minimise the impact of commodity price volatility on supply chain operations.

Your sourcing function could be a secret weapon

Cutting back on spending is simply not an option in many, if not most situations. For manufacturing companies, no supply of direct materials means no sales, which means no revenue. Building up inventory is a gamble, even if the cost of direct materials does increase significantly, as it involves tying up cash that could be better deployed to drive revenue. Hedging may make sense if there is significant risk exposure that cannot be easily avoided, or the costs are passed onto customers.

It’s a strategy that some companies have undertaken to reduce the risk of commodity volatility, but the strategy of advanced sourcing through the use of enabling technology has proven in many cases to have a more significant and beneficial impact on the

supply chain as a whole.

Here are five ways in which companies can leverage the sourcing function and technology to avoid or at the very least mitigate the impact of inflationary pressures:

1. Improve spend and supply chain visibility

Everything else a company does on the supply side depends on optimising visibility on spend and supply chains. Where is spend focused and where are supply chain risks most acute?

Even in inflationary times, spend analytics software can help identify opportunities for savings. Nimble supply chain risk management technology enables customers to identify supply chain disruptions, often before they occur, and take corrective or mitigating action.

2. Diversify your supply network

A manufacturer that relies on the same old established suppliers puts itself at a massive competitive disadvantage. It should gather, maintain and update market intelligence on suppliers in key categories.

And it should watch out for new market entrants in particular – they are often ready to offer discounted prices to gain a foothold and will go the extra mile in providing good service and high quality. However, at the same time, one must take care as a failure to exercise due diligence may turn out to be false economy. Advanced sourcing technology affords decision makers the market intelligence and insight vital to do this effectively.

3. Review contracts

Where there is competition to secure supplies in high demand from vendors, it pays to check whether there is a formal agreement on prices and minimum volumes, and conversely, where the organisation may be at a competitive disadvantage because it has no agreement.

Such terms may be buried in contracts signed months or years ago. Reviewing contracts manually can be a time-consuming and expensive business. Look for sourcing technology that leverages artificial intelligence to quickly identify the relevant clauses in contracts and cuts the time needed to review by 50% or more.

4. Map an optimum spread of suppliers

In certain key areas of spend for manufacturing and consumer packaged goods companies, such as transportation and packaging, there are so many variables that it is virtually impossible to identify saving opportunities. Especially if the company operates multiple production plants in various geographies.

A manufacturing company will only find the optimum spread of suppliers using software that leverages rules and complex algorithms.

For example, Rolls Royce has managed this by enhancing their supplier data management and spend processes. By getting better, more structured insights on material spend by supplier and region, they have centralised this data to better manage cross-regional spend and transparency.

5. Build cross-functional teams to protect margins

Supply chain disruptions and inflationary pressures have put procurement centre stage when it comes to reducing costs as well as margins.

Companies need to establish cross-functional teams embracing procurement, R&D, operations, finance, and sales (and quite possibly others) to identify where the cost pressures are, where they can be minimised, to what extent increased costs should be absorbed or passed on to the customer, or specific products should be discontinued. This is far from easy.

Overall energy costs or energy consumption per plant might be known, for example, but it’s difficult to quantify how much energy is consumed to produce each product. How clear is the linkage between commodity goods and specific finished goods? Simply raising prices by an arbitrary percentage across the board may make no sense at all, and only procurement, working with other team members, can determine what price increases make sense for what products.

Manufacturing as an agent of change

The manufacturing sector is in fact best placed to lead industry out of inflation. That might sound surprising. Manufacturing is being affected by the same headwinds as other sectors, some may say even more so.

But the reverse is also true. When manufacturing boosts productivity, then prices drop and consumer dollars go further. The constant modernising of manufacturing is mission critical.

The manufacturing sector is in fact best placed to lead industry out of inflation.

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 that drives the process. The data generated helps provide improved business performance intelligence and improves growing and grading processes. They also allow for the storage of information at the point of use, like SOP’s or training videos. These help machine owners to bring their staff up to speed on the machines’ function through an accurate instruction from the OEM. Historically, it was common to have manual and electrical drawings stored in locations where supervisors and operators did not have immediate access, now the team have access to the latest documents at their fingertips.

PLC IC

Specialist software required Standard programming language

Easy to program

Unrestricted programming capability

Traditionally most robust Typically, less well shielded from process environments, but not now

Can only run machine instructions Can process and report data (graphs, dashboard, Power BI etc)

Can output data Can process and report data (graphs, dashboard, Power BI etc

Most secure More easily integrated into business security framework (allowing external access to machines securely)

Hard to upgrade (generally requires code transfer)

Easy to update (common programme language)

While the machines are running, they are generating both products for the machine owner, but also a large volume of data. RML can, with customers authority, review this data and understand the performance of their products in the field.

This information, when integrated into their design process allows them to create more suitable machines in the future by having a clear understanding of how their machines work in the real world. The benefits of enabling their machines with this additional functionality speaks to interoperability and real-time capabilities, which are core principles of Industry 4.0. The feedback generated from the product in-use is part of the concept: “Integrated product life cycle.”

• Interoperability represents the ability for manufacturing systems to exchange information between them for example the MES system being able to communicate how many of each item the machine needs to process and the SKU and even

machine parameters for the next product to be made.

• Real-time capabilities as the name suggests, is focused on reducing the lag time between the generation of data and it being available for communication to either people, or software or other manufacturing assets. Reducing this time allows for faster detection of issues and seamless transitions.

• Integrated product lifecycle covers the design, manufacture and ongoing service and support of a product. Data generated by a product in-use can be fed back to the design team to allow for improved design, or to the support team to help service the product before it fails.

Key takeaways

• Interoperability of machines is critical to maximising their potential, this reduces the tasks for operators and makes for a more responsive operation.

• Remote troubleshooting.

• Universal programme language for IC’s, specialist software is not required.

• Real-time visibility of processes allows for faster identification of problems, more robust decision-making, and most importantly, faster deployment of countermeasures.

• By monitoring a process, we can often identify when it is trending away from normal and can identify and execute solutions before it fails.

• Real world data can help in designing products to ensure they meet the actual needs of the customers and their processes.

• IC’s allow for greater interoperability and functionality than PLC’s

INDUSTRY 4.0: REVOLUTION OR EVOLUTION?

When tackling i4.0, food manufacturing and processing industries are all on a journey of discovery.

Industry supplier NZ Controls includes itself in this bracket, describing the company as a service provider rather than a manufacturer. “We are also working out how it all fits together so that we can help our customers. We want to add value. It’s our responsibility to be informed and ready to help guide our customers into the world of Industry 4. We work hard to battle the hype and drill down into real and practical applications with measurable returns,” says Nikk King, director business development, NZ Controls.

NZ controls believes that the best approach is to consider the i4.0 technologies as a set of tools and concepts to enhance what it is already doing. Thus, i4.0 is more an evolution than a

revolution. Nikk says that while the results can be revolutionary, “We don’t need to ditch everything and start again or even make significant physical changes”.

Perhaps the best way to take advantage of the i4.0 tools and techniques is to change or broaden the mindset to one of iterative and continuous improvement. While there’s nothing revolutionary there, says Nikk, NZ Control’s ability to apply emerging technologies leads to newly discovered opportunities for improvement. In some other cases, i4.0 tools may just provide the data needed to prove what you may already suspect, finally giving the justification to get those projects moving.

Another key application for the i4.0 toolkit is to allow more flexibility and potentially ‘revolutionise’ some aspects of production. For example,

evolving from a very linear and inflexible workflow to a more adaptive cell or modular approach, perhaps using collaborative robots and automated guided vehicles to move components instead of traditional conveyors filling up the floor.

“From NZ Controls perspective we must provide measurable value. We seek to collaborate on developing a measurable business case, delivering i4.0 technology solutions and help our customers realise their return on investment. In doing so, we maintain our customers’ trust and in some small way help to evolve the local manufacturing sector into one which is incrementally more productive.”

“You

Peter Drucker

The leading supplier of high quality components and products to industrial markets

Treotham Automation is the exclusive distributor for many world class international product lines. As a leader in automation control, Treotham have a broad capacity to provide systems and custom-built solutions using a diverse range of products and components. Contact our technical engineers for more information.

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 the amount of waste a product creates at the end of life and incentivise design for reuse and recycling. It promotes the move to a circular economy by driving efficient resource use and waste reduction.

What progress has been made?

The priority products have different timelines in terms of getting operational stewardship schemes going.

Tyres is the most advanced with the Tyrewise scheme having already been accredited by government in November 2021. The scheme, which we have been involved with since its inception, is in the trial phase and is due to roll out nationwide late this year.

We’re involved with the Battery Industry Group (B.I.G), which is working to deliver a stewardship scheme for large energy storage batteries (over 5kg). We have also worked with the Trust for the

Destruction of Synthetic refrigerants (operating as Cool-Safe) on scheme design and to advance their application for accreditation.

B.I.G is currently working on ensuring it has the data needed to inform regulation and scheme design. It’s also engaging with industry – both in terms of EVs and large battery energy storage.

Cool-Safe is also working towards regulated stewardship and ensuring refrigerants can be dealt with onshore. This includes investment in a plasma arc waste destruction facility in the Bay of Plenty. On the single-use plastic packaging front, government awarded $1 million in funding for a project to develop a regulated scheme over two years. This is being jointly led by The Packaging Forum and the New Zealand Food and Beverage Council.

Agrecovery, the voluntary scheme for agricultural chemical containers, is working towards regulated stewardship for agricultural chemicals and their packaging.

TechCollect NZ, is also working towards a regulated stewardship scheme for e-waste. They are on a timeline in which a scheme manager will apply for regulated stewardship accreditation this year.

Will your industry be impacted?

Considering the wide variety of declared products, it’s possible.

The lead time before a scheme is fully operational can be many years, but the announcement in 2020 was a signal to industry that regulated stewardship will become a major part of NZ’s waste reduction efforts.

If you are in one of the affected industries, I encourage you to make contact with the relevant organisation. In our experience the schemes designed alongside industry, and other stakeholders, will be the most effective. If you’re not, I encourage you to think about whether voluntary product stewardship could improve the environmental impact of your business.

The bigger picture

The declaration of priority products forms part of a wider landscape of waste and emissions reductions work. This includes an Emissions Reduction Plan, a proposed overhaul of kerbside recycling, planned new waste legislation, an increase and expansion of the waste levy, and bans on some plastics. These aim to promote a shift to a circular model. Product stewardship, whether regulated or voluntary, is in our view, vital to the creation of a strong circular economy.

What’s next?

Work on establishing schemes for the priority products will only ramp up, and it’s in industry’s best interests to get involved as the design of the schemes move forward.

I also expect we’ll see further action by central government. Proposals and law changes to tackle climate change, standardise kerbside recycling and disincentivise landfill are yet to be implemented or

are only just taking effect. We are likely to see more action too.

More and more we are seeing the social license to operate having a strong sustainability component. If they are well thought-out, designed and executed, changes to the way we deal with waste will have profound benefits for business and the environment. 3R accelerate the circular economy through the design, implementation and management of product stewardship schemes and other sustainability services. Find out more at www.3r.co.nz

Where to for sustainability in an economic downturn?

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 https://issuu.com/home/published/nz_ manufacturer_october_2022 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

‘does the right thing’ for people and the planet. A 2021 study by global Human Resources analytics firm Gallup reported that almost 70% of employees say that a company’s environmental record influences their decision to sign on. The study’s authors confirm that sustainability activities can help businesses engage and retain employees too.

What does this mean on the factory floor? In a tight labour market, reducing carbon emissions, sourcing raw materials ethically, and avoiding ‘modern slavery’ in your supply chain could help build a loyal, productive team. Functional textile manufacturer Nanolayr <link to September article in NZ Manufacturer> recognises that its workforce values its active sustainability programme.

Business benefit: harness the opportunities

Let’s take ‘green building’ as an example. If you manufacture building products, the construction sector’s growing interest in green building and ‘embodied carbon’ is a business opportunity. (Embodied carbon is the carbon involved in sourcing and transporting raw materials to make building products, manufacturing those products, constructing and maintaining the building, demolishing it at the end of its life, and transporting and disposing of the waste.)

Take advantage of this interest by understanding your products’ embodied carbon. A Product Carbon Footprint study or Life Cycle Assessment will help

you. Then tell your environmental story with an Environmental Product Declaration (EDP) or carbon certification. Manufacturer Envirocon has registered an EPD for its pre-cast concrete blocks. The company makes these blocks from quality concrete that would otherwise go to waste.

You may find this tool helpful. It’s our thinkstep-anz embodied carbon calculator, jointly funded with the New Zealand Green Building Council.

The key? Focus!

Kick off 2023 with a simple sustainability strategy (or update your existing strategy). A plan will help you and your team understand where to focus to weather the rough patch ahead.

Start with a materiality assessment. This tool will help you understand and prioritise the sustainability topics that matter most to your customers, suppliers, team and community. Then add in the ‘business lens’. Which of these topics matter most to your business?

Zooming out to the global picture can be useful too. As NanoLayr found, it can help you engage your team in your sustainability work. The United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals are a good place to start. Which ones are most relevant to your business?

We wish manufacturers well in 2023. There’s never been a better time to become more sustainable – for the planet and its people, and for your business too. www.thinkstep-anz.com

What does 2023 have in store for our sector?

-Dr. Troy Coyle, CEO,

THE FACTORY FLOOR (INCLUDING

INDUSTRY 4.0)

SUPPLY CHAIN

WOMEN IN ENGINEERING CLIMATE CHANGE

Advertising Booking Deadline – 8 March 2023

Advertising Copy Deadline – 8 March 2023

Editorial Copy Deadline – 8 March 2023

Advertising – For bookings and further information contact:

Doug Green, P O Box 1109, Hastings 4156, Hawke’s Bay

Email:

Editorial material to be sent to :

Doug Green, P O Box 1109, Hastings 4156, Hawke’s Bay

Email: publisher@xtra.co.nz

Tel: 06 870 9029

At NZ MANUFACTURER our aim is to keep our readers up to date with the latest industry news and manufacturing advances in a tasty morsel, ensuring they do not get left behind in the highly competitive and rapidly evolving manufacturing world.

Opinion

Manufacturing Profiles

Letters to the Editor

Politics of Manufacturing

Trade Fair World

Diary of Events

World Market Report

Q/A

Export News

Machine Tools

Business Opportunities

Commentary

As I See It Business News

Appointments

Around New Zealand

Australian Report

New to the Market

Lean Manufacturing Equipment for Sale

Recruitment

Environmental Technology Manufacturing Processes

www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz

If there has been any benefit of the past three years of tumult and uncertainty, surely it is that it has imbued many in our industry with a new lightness of foot; an ability to dodge incoming flak and quickly find a new route to forge ahead.

Most of us are not expecting calmness or predictability any time soon, but there are some certainties around critical areas of focus, namely in progressing work on the carbon life cycle in construction; acting decisively and with a collective mindset to turn around the sector’s skills shortage; and the momentous Construction

4.0 transformation and the kick-off of HERA’s Endeavour Fund research, whose benefits for industry will begin to take shape from early on.

Likely continued focus on climate change

MBIE’s Building for Climate Change initiatives look to be expanding. The Ministry initially signalled changes relating to embodied carbon and then, at the end of 2022, changes relating to operational carbon and reduced waste.

This provided an initial focus on Module A carbon (product and construction emissions) and an extension into Module B carbon (operational emissions). It is only natural that MBIE now takes the next logical step of focusing on Modules C (end-of-life emissions) and D (benefits and loads beyond the system boundary) to ensure the full life cycle of carbon is accounted for.

This will be a welcome change, as the focus on Module A only tells the carbon story at one point in time (i.e. Cradle to Construction), and we need to get to Cradle to Cradle to Cradle if we are to achieve net carbon reductions for intergenerational wellbeing.

Workforce development

The reforms of vocational education promised a greater voice for industry and transformation of vocational education. The Workforce Development Councils were the entities in the reforms established to provide that voice.

In 2023 we should be able to measure and articulate some of the transformation that the WDCs are offering.

We are long overdue on some of the uncomfortable conversations around greater diversity and inclusion being translated into (also overdue) actions. If we are to resolve the national skills crisis, we must make the industry more attractive to a broader range of people.

This requires some dramatic changes in terms of the maturity of those discussions and actions. We need to quickly get past the initial discomfort of those discussions and accept we need to do something in practice.

For instance, the pandemic has taught us that being overly dependent on inbound skilled migration is not a sound long-term proposition. We need to be looking inward too, including towards attracting the Maori workforce and current rangatahi (youth), given by 2038 the Maori population aged 15-64 is expected to increase by 36 percent, or around 136,000 people.

If the statement, “A critical skills shortage in the manufacturing and engineering sectors is set to grow by 38 percent to 40,000 workers by 2028 if immediate action is not taken, according to a new government study”* does not incite action, many participants are not likely to survive the pressures arising from the lack of skilled labour.

Industry transformation: What will HERA be doing in 2023?

From a project perspective we will of course be busy with our key research, kickstarting the first year of our Construction 4.0 transformation Endeavour Fund Research.

This includes establishment of an Industry Advisory Group, construction4.0hub, PhD scholarship selections, and, most importantly, making headway in the key research programs and themes.

Our structural systems team will be carrying out several steel research panel projects which will be focused on achieving earthquake resilience in buildings, improving seismic and structural fire performance in steel, developing design tools and composite beam software, updates to HERA Reports R4-133 (Corrosion and Coatings), and a state-of-the-art review of carbon sequestration. Our welding team will be equally busy building on the amazing work it has done this year in Industry 4.0 offerings, innovation, training and research into welded connections, seismic performance, and similar.

We will commence our participation in the SOMAC research project in Australia as a key research partner (https://somaccrc.com).

Twenty twenty-three will also see our next HERA Future Forum conference in tautahi Christchurch on 5 May with a key theme of ‘next generation leadership’ to help our industry better adapt to and respond to the constant change around us. The past year saw a lot of geopolitical volatility, technological disruptions, economic and political uncertainty, a ramp-up in climate change initiatives, and a growing social conscience. We expect 2023 and beyond to also experience this and more, which is why a focus on next-generation leadership is so important!

* https://www.hangaarorau.nz/latest-news/ critical-industry-skills-shortage-set-to-grow-by-38in-six-years/ www.hera.org.nz.

Keep moving

Communication & Safety Challenges Facing Mobile Robot Manufacturers

Wireless standard -high-level advantages and disadvantages

Mobile robots are everywhere, from warehouses to hospitals and even on the street. Their popularity is easy to understand; they’re cheaper, safer, easier to find, and more productive than actual workers. They’re easy to scale or combine with other machines. As mobile robots collect a lot of real-time data, companies can use mobile robots to start their IIoT journey.

But to work efficiently, mobile robots need safe and reliable communication. This article outlines the main communication and safety challenges facing mobile robot manufacturers and provides an easy way to overcome these challenges to keep mobile robots moving.

What are mobile robots?

Before we begin, let’s define what we mean by mobile robots.

Mobile robots transport materials from one location to another and come in two types, automated guided vehicles (AGVs) and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). AGVs use guiding infrastructure (wires reflectors, reflectors, or magnetic strips) to follow predetermined routes. If an object blocks an AGV’s path, the AGV stops and waits until the object is removed

AMRs are more dynamic. They navigate via maps and use data from cameras, built-in sensors, or laser scanners to detect their surroundings and choose the most efficient route. If an object blocks an AMR’s planned route, it selects another route. As AMRs are not reliant on guiding infrastructure, they’re quicker to install and can adapt to logistical changes.

What are the communication and safety challenges facing mobile robot manufacturers?

1. Establish a wireless connection

The first challenge for mobile robot manufacturers is to select the most suitable wireless technology. The usual advice is to establish the requirements, evaluate the standards, and choose the best match. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible for mobile robot manufacturers as often they don’t know where the machine will be located or the exact details of the target application.

Sometimes a Bluetooth connection will be ideal as it offers a stable non-congested connection, while other applications will require a high-speed, secure cellular connection. What would be useful for mobile robot manufacturers is to have a networking technology that’s easy to change to meet specific requirements.

The second challenge is to ensure that the installation works as planned. Before installing a wireless solution, complete a predictive site survey based on facility drawings to ensure the mobile robots have sufficient signal coverage throughout the location. The site survey should identify the optimal location for the Access Points, the correct antenna type, the optimal antenna angle, and how to mitigate interference. After the installation, use wireless sniffer tools to check the design and adjust APs or antenna as required.

or pushing an emergency stop button, and that the networking solution can process different safety protocols and interfaces. They need to consider that AMRs move freely and manage the risk of collisions accordingly. The technology used in sensors is constantly evolving, and mobile robot manufacturers need to follow the developments to ensure their products remain as efficient as possible.

2.

Connecting mobile robots to industrial networks

Mobile robots need to communicate with controllers at the relevant site even though the mobile robots and controllers are often using different industrial protocols. For example, an AGV might use CANopen while the controller might use PROFINET. Furthermore, mobile robot manufacturers may want to use the same AGV model on a different site where the controller uses another industrial network, such as EtherCAT.

Mobile robot manufacturers also need to ensure that their mobile robots have sufficient capacity to process the required amount of data. The required amount of data will vary depending on the size and type of installation. Large installations may use more data as the routing algorithms need to cover a larger area, more vehicles, and more potential routes. Navigation systems such as vision navigation process images and therefore require more processing power than installations using other navigation systems such as reflectors. As a result, mobile robot manufacturers must solve the following challenges:

1. They need a networking technology that supports all major fieldbus and industrial Ethernet networks.

2. It needs to be easy to change the networking technology to enable the mobile robot to communicate on the same industrial network as the controller without changing the hardware design.

3. They need to ensure that the networking technology has sufficient capacity and functionality to process the required data.

3. Creating a safe system

Creating a system where mobile robots can safely transport material is a critical but challenging task. Mobile robot manufacturers need to create a system that considers all the diverse types of mobile robots, structures, and people in the environment. They need to ensure that the mobile robots react to outside actions, such as someone opening a safety door

Manufacturers Safety standards

The safety standards provide guidelines on implementing safety-related components, preparing the environment, and maintaining machines or equipment.

While compliance with the different safety standards (ISO, DIN, IEC, ANSI, etc.) is mostly voluntary, machine builders in the European Union are legally required to follow the safety standards in the machinery directives. Machinery directive 2006/42/EC is always applicable for mobile robot manufacturers, and in some applications, directive 2014/30/EU might also be relevant as it regulates the electromagnetic compatibility of equipment.

Machinery directive 2006/42/EC describes the requirements for the design and construction of safe machines introduced into the European market. Manufacturers can only affix a CE label and deliver the machine to their customers if they can prove in the declaration of conformity that they have fulfilled the directive’s requirements.

Although the other safety standards are not mandatory, manufacturers should still follow them as they help to fulfill the requirements in machinery directive 2006/42/EC. For example, manufacturers can follow the guidance in ISO 12100 to reduce identified risks to an acceptable residual risk. They can use ISO 13849 or IEC 62061 to find the required safety level for each risk and ensure that the corresponding safety-related function meets the defined requirements.

Mobile robot manufacturers decide how they achieve a certain safety level. For example, they can decrease the speed of the mobile robot to lower the risk of collisions and severity of injuries to an acceptable level. Or they can ensure that mobile robots only operate in separated zones where human access is prohibited (defined as confined zones in ISO 3691-4). Identifying the correct standards and implementing the requirements is the best way mobile

Figure 1.

Figure 2.

Overview of Safety Challenges for Mobile Robot

Robotics

manufacturers can create a safe system. But as this summary suggests, it’s a complicated and time-consuming process.

4. Ensuring a reliable CAN communication

A reliable and easy-to-implement standard since the 1980s, communication-based on CAN technology is still growing in popularity, mainly due to its use in various booming industries, such as E-Mobility and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). CAN is simple, energy and cost-efficient. All the devices on the network can access all the information, and it’s an open standard, meaning that users can adapt and extend the messages to meet their needs.

For mobile robot manufacturers, establishing a CAN connection is becoming even more vital as it enables them to monitor the lithium-ion batteries increasingly used in mobile robot drive systems, either in retrofit systems or in new installations. Mobile robot manufacturers need to do the following:

1.Establish a reliable connection to the CAN or CANopen communication standards to enable them to check their devices, such as monitoring the battery’s status and performance.

2. Protect systems from electromagnetic interference (EMI), as EMI can destroy a system’s electronics. The risk of EMI is significant in retrofits as adding new components, such as batteries next to the communication cable, results in the introduction of high-frequency electromagnetic disturbances.

5. Accessing Mobile Robots Remotely

The ability to remotely access a machine’s control system can enable mobile robot vendors or engineers to troubleshoot and resolve most problems without traveling to the site.

3. Benefits of Remote Access

The challenge is to create a remote access solution that balances the needs of the IT department with the needs of the engineer or vendor.

The IT department wants to ensure that the network remains secure, reliable, and retains integrity. As a result, the remote access solution should include the following security measures:

• Use outbound connections rather than inbound connections to keep the impact on the firewall to a minimum.

• Separate the relevant traffic from the rest of the network.

• Encrypt and protect all traffic to ensure its confidentiality and integrity.

• Ensure that vendors work in line with or are certified to relevant security standards such as ISO 27001

• Ensure that suppliers complete regular security audits.

The engineer or vendor wants an easy-to-use and dependable system. It should be easy for users to connect to the mobile robots and access the required information. If the installation might change, it should be easy to scale the number of robots as required. If the mobile robots are in a different country from the vendors or engineers, the networking infrastructure must have sufficient coverage and redundancy to guarantee availability

worldwide.

Conclusion

As we’ve seen, mobile robot manufacturers must solve many communication and safety challenges. They must establish a wireless connection, send data over different networks, ensure safety, connect to CAN systems, and securely access the robots remotely. And to make it more complicated, each installation must be re-assessed and adapted to meet the on-site requirements.

Best practice to implement mobile robot communication

Mobile robot manufacturers are rarely communication or safety experts. Subsequently, they can find it time-consuming and expensive to try and develop the required communication technology in-house. Enlisting purpose-built third-party communication solutions not only solves the communication challenges at hand, it also provides other benefits.

Modern communication solutions have a modular design enabling mobile robot manufacturers to remove one networking product designed for one standard or protocol and replace it with a product designed for a different standard or protocol without impacting any other part of the machine. For example, Bluetooth may be the most suitable wireless standard in one installation, while Wi-Fi may provide better coverage in another installation. Similarly, one site may use the PROFINET and PROFIsafe protocols, while another may use different industrial and safety protocols. In both scenarios, mobile robot manufacturers can use communication products to change the networking technology to meet the local requirements without making any changes to the hardware design.

70%

Figure

of licence holders say signing on has positively affected sales.

To lead the way on green hydrogen, find enough water

Australia is well-positioned to be a global leader in green hydrogen production. Green hydrogen is produced using a renewable power source such as solar or wind. As a substitute for fossil fuels, it will help to meet growing renewable energy needs.

However, high-quality water is needed to produce hydrogen. Supplies of high-quality water must also be secured into the future to support our agriculture, industries, cities, towns and communities. Climate change and population growth will increase pressure on these supplies.

Community discussion is needed to identify where the water to produce hydrogen will come from. We need to ensure this developing industry does not disadvantage other water users, as we discuss in our new white paper.

Green hydrogen industry looks set to boom

Green hydrogen is likely to partially replace petrol and diesel for large vehicles such as trucks and heavy machinery as Australia moves to a carbon-neutral economy. It has the advantage of being a fuel suitable for sectors such as mining and transport that are struggling to reduce emissions.

The green hydrogen market is expected to grow rapidly. Hydrogen energy outputs in Australia are estimated to exceed 100MW by 2025. More than 90 projects representing A$250 billion in investment are planned.

Most demand for hydrogen this decade is likely to be domestic – for chemical production, industrial processes and other uses. In the longer term, major export demand is expected from the Asia-Pacific.

By 2040, Australia’s green hydrogen production cost is predicted to be the equal-lowest in the world. Electrolysis, which splits water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen, will be the main method of producing this green hydrogen.

How much water are we talking about?

The amount of water needed to generate green hydrogen varies. The exact amount of water required depends on the technology used to produce hydrogen, the water quality and any need for cooling or water purification.

On average, a litre of water can produce enough hydrogen to deliver about 10 megajoules of energy.

That’s enough to push a 50-tonne truck 15 metres.

The previous Australian government predicted the hydrogen industry could be worth A$50 billion a year by 2050. At that scale, it would need about 225 billion litres (gigalitres) of water. While that’s roughly as much as residents of a city like Perth use in a year, it’s only about 3% of the water used for agriculture in Australia in 2020-21.

There are many possible sources of water. Surface water, groundwater and recycled water are all available inland. Coastal areas have unlimited seawater, which can be desalinated for hydrogen production.

But there are trade-offs whenever we allocate a water resource. In many areas, the available fresh water is fully allocated to towns, cities, agriculture, industry and the environment. The pressure on water supplies will increase as populations grow and much of Australia becomes hotter and drier under climate change.

Further, most water would have to be treated to be suitable for hydrogen production. Treatment can be expensive and uses additional energy, as does desalination and pumping water long distances.

Failure to plan for water use could be costly

Current issues in the gas industry provide a cautionary tale. High gas prices in eastern Australia can be deemed the result of failure to consider impacts on domestic customers of developing a gas export industry.

Western Australia, in contrast, reserved enough gas for domestic users. As a result, its prices are among the lowest in the OECD.

A similar failure may arise if corporations buy high-quality water for hydrogen generation, diminishing supplies for agricultural, domestic or environmental use. North Africa exports substantial amounts of green hydrogen to Europe, but this is controversial because of regional water shortages.

In Australia, competition for water will intensify due to climate change and ongoing demands from agriculture – 72% of national water consumption

in 2020-21 – industry, mining, households and the environment. Using potable water to produce hydrogen may be at odds with community expectations.

Care must be taken to ensure industry expansion does not adversely affect other users. This will be particularly difficult in Australia because rainfall is highly variable by world standards – not news to those who have lived through recent years of drought then flooding rains.

So what are the likely solutions?

The key challenge is to produce hydrogen in large quantities in a way that is cost-effective and sustainable.

This can be achieved by planning effectively for industry growth. Our white paper identifies public policy and industry-related issues posed by this growth.

We must identify regions likely to support hydrogen production and storage, find nearby sources of water and calculate volumes needed. Then, we must develop plans to support existing water users while providing a viable solution for the green hydrogen industry.

Alternative sources such as recycled water or treated groundwater are likely part of that solution. Harvesting water from industrial and urban wastewater could be a game changer. It would require moderate treatment but have fewer effects on other water users.

We will learn a lot from pilot programs such as the New Energies Service Station in Geelong, which will create hydrogen from 100% recycled water.

In planning to overcome the challenges, we’ll need to develop relevant data, information and analysis to get the settings right.

It is possible to create a vibrant, sustainable and profitable green hydrogen industry to support decarbonisation of Australian and global economies, but it won’t happen by accident. Careful planning is essential, and communities must be involved in deciding where water will come from and how it can be accessed.

Rebecca Lester Professor, Aquatic Ecology and Director, Centre for Regional and Rural Futures, Deakin University.

David Downie Strategic Adviser, Regional Development, Deakin University.

Don Gunasekera Research Fellow, Centre for Supply Chain and Logistics, Deakin University.

Wendy Timms Professor of Environmental Engineering, Deakin University.

Workshop Tools

Exact seam placement in robot welding cells

Automated weld seam tracking in robot welding cells is a complex task in a harsh industrial environment. The micrometer-accurate detection of the guide point with different types of joint by 2D/3D profile sensors is one of the most effective solutions for this challenge.

In combination with wenglor’s uniVision software, the new weCat3D MLZL 2D/3D tracker sensor, not only combines the necessary precision and profile quality, but also offers convenient installation, integration, robustness and user-friendliness.

A 2D/3D profile sensor made for welding robots

Supplied by Treotham Automation, the slimline housing of the MLZL with integrated cooling and rinsing enables easy and space-saving installation directly on the welding torch.

Thanks to the small housing dimensions of only 33 × 183 × 69.8 mm, the robot can therefore also operate in narrow corners.

The MLZL 2D/3D profile sensor does not require any additional protective housing, nor does it need to be tilted for alignment. The design also offers sufficient protection against welding spatter and disturbing ambient light.

Despite the harsh industrial environment, the welding sensor provides high-quality profiles for precise joint detection. Optionally equipped with a red or blue laser, users can choose between three laser classes: 2M, 3R or 3B.

The MLZL relies on the advanced laser technology of the weCat3D series and thus delivers outstanding profile quality for optical seam tracking.

This sensor has been specially adapted and optimised for the high demands in welding robots, but in particular for the complex task of optical tracking of weld seams – both in terms of hardware and software.

Wenglor engineers tested and developed the special triangulation sensor as part of an EAP (Early Adopter Program) together with customers from the welding industry.

The feedback and know-how collected from this program ultimately flowed into the MLZL tracker sensor.

Software Update with new function: uniVision 2.5.0 for welding applications

In its current update 2.5.0, the configurable standard software uniVision receives a stand-alone module specifically for weld seam tracking.

For users, this means that welding applications can be set up in just a few clicks. Thanks to the robust algorithms, tracking points can be reliably determined even in the event of faults in the joint course, such as with datum points.

Predefined templates, where all common joint types are saved, significantly reduce the configuration work.

The results can then be visualised on a web-based basis. Several interfaces are available for direct integration into robot controls from Kuka, Fanuc, ABB, Kawasaki and Yaskawa as well as their software. In concrete terms, this means welding processes can

BOGE expands S-4 series

Now in a new format: BOGE’s successful S-4 series of screw compressors are now available for the 45 to 75 kW performance range. Customers can benefit from all the benefits of the series, including everything from efficient, quiet and reliable running to simplified servicing.

It’s not only in foundries, the mining sector and the construction industry where dust and dirt can hamper even the best efforts to generate reliable, continuous compressed air.

Other areas – including the food industry – find themselves facing challenging conditions. And this is where a compressor with a virtually maintenance-free hermetically sealed direct drive comes into its own: wear and tear is minimised, which increases the device’s service life.

All models in BOGE’s S-4 series have this “IntegrateDrive” airend – including the new compressors with a performance range of 45 to 75 kW.

Compact, energy-saving and efficient

All models are characterised by quiet, reliable operation and have excellent efficiency values. The compressors generate high free air delivery at low specific power consumption.

The energy use of the new 75 kW compressor has been reduced by over 12 per cent compared with its predecessor, while the free air delivery has increased by almost 9 per cent. Generously sized components reduce internal pressure losses, and with a footprint

now be implemented with less effort, more functions and better results.

The welding solution for every user

The new combination of software and hardware offers flexible welding solutions for every user. There is always differentiate between applications with or without robot integration.

The most convenient and comprehensive system consists of a sensor, control unit with pre-installed uniVision software application and optional robot interface

That’s uniVision, the all-in-one software

The parameterisable uniVision standard software is used to analyse images and height profiles in the field of industrial image processing.

Two and three-dimensional data from smart cameras, vision systems, smart 2D/3D profile sensors and IPCs (control units) with 2D/3D profile sensors can also be evaluated. Up to 25 different software modules and different templates are available to users in total depending on the selected hardware.

of just 1.20 m x 2.00 m, the housing of the new models is considerably smaller than its older siblings. These new compressors now come with the particularly high-performance, low-energy IE4 motors and permanent magnet motors fitted as standard.

Simple maintenance and low sound pressure level

The innovative vertical oil separation concept ensures very low residual oil content, minimal pressure losses and a long service life. The internal cartridge is quick and easy to remove and replace.

Maintenance takes place from two sides with just a few simple movements – the intake filter is accessible and both the oil and air coolers can easily be removed and cleaned. These models are also special thanks to their quiet running.

Thanks to the new models in the S-4 series, BOGE is now able to offer companies with reduced compressed air demands reliable, energy-efficient technology, even in situations where temperatures can exceed 40°C. For these critical installation conditions, BOGE has a high-temperature design which boasts improved cooling.

The new combination of software and hardware offers flexible welding solutions for every user.

Superclean hygienic plastic cable gland

From Treotham comes the new PFLITSCH blueglobe CLEAN Plus cable gland made of food-grade plastic which has been awarded a REINER! 2021 prize. (The German word “reiner” means “cleaner”.)

This new solution from the cable routing specialist is an inexpensive alternative compared to stainless-steel variants that is nevertheless EHEDG-certified and allows a broader group of users to access the world of Hygienic Design. (EHEDG = European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group)

The PFLITSCH blueglobe CLEAN Plus made of polyamide is the first Hygienic Design cable gland manufactured entirely from plastic to gain EHEDG certification. It meets the strict hygiene and cleaning requirements of the food and pharmaceutical industries.

As such, this cable gland is a key component in the realisation of reliable, safe and reproducible production processes. As an innovation leader in the field of Hygienic Design, PFLITSCH offers comprehensive solutions for hygienic cable entry (blueglobe CLEAN Plus), cable routing (Wire-tray Trunking) and cable protection (hygienic hoses).

To meet the EHEDG’s stringent specifications, PFLITSCH broke new ground with its blueglobe CLEAN Plus and then succeeded in having it certified as the first all-in-one cable gland.

The body of this gland is made of the high-quality

plastic polyamide (PA). The smooth surfaces and rounded spanner flats are typical characteristics. The gland was designed to avoid gaps or exposed threads during assembly. This reduces the likelihood of dirt adhering to parts or surfaces and leading to the formation of bacterial nests.

Moreover, the gland’s excellent tightness of seal and resistance to corrosion as well as to all common cleaning agents make it simple to clean thoroughly. The risk of product failures and recalls due to contamination is consequently much lower, which cuts costs and eliminates unnecessary cleaning cycles. In other words, the blueglobe CLEAN Plus represents a significant contribution towards safe and reproducible production processes.

For the sealing inserts and grommets, PFLITSCH uses plastics that comply with FDA 21 CFR § 177.2600 and

are suitable for contact with foodstuffs in accordance with EU Regulation 10/2011.

Compared to other hygienic cable glands, the blueglobe CLEAN Plus is very compact. Technical features include compliance with the exacting protection ratings IP 68 and IP 69, a large sealing insert that provides exemplary cable protection and the better-than-average strain relief that prevents the cable from slipping out of the cable gland. It is made of food-grade plastic and available in sizes M16 to M32 for cable diameters from 7 mm to 23 mm, as well as for use together with hygienic hoses.

Lead continued SailGP delivers high performance sustainable innovations

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.

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

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 range of industries.” says Dave Ridley, Managing Director of SailGP Technologies.

SailGP Technologies has a number of exciting commercial projects underway across a range of sectors.

CNC Titanium Components.

SailGP Technologies CEO Sir Russell Coutts and Managing Director Dave Ridley.

KIWINET AWARD WINNERS

Women in Engineering

2020 KiwiNet Awards winners showcase NZ’s leading research innovations

Lydia Frater

Winners of the eighth annual KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards, designed to celebrate impact from science through successful research commercialisation within New Zealand’s universities, Crown Research Institutes and other research organisations, were announced at a reception in Auckland on Thursday 16 October.

The 2020 KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards winners are:

out as a statement. I would like to bring in creativity, using ideas and knowledge already taught, but setting a goal of making it into something more personal.

MinterEllisonRuddWatts Commercialisation Professional Award

During the education phase of learning how to be a good engineer, creativity is lacking and I hope to bring my culture of being Tangata Whenua which will allow for more differences in New Zealand. This skill can also be brought to other cultures around the world.

Do you see these as transferable skills you could use overseas?

in global impact with significant benefits for New Zealand. The future is bright – we have much more technology coming out of our research organisations that we can fund.”

Mr Heebink was joined on the judging panel by Bridget Coates the Chair of White Cloud Dairy Innovation, Kendall Flutey the Co-Founder and CEO of Banqer, and Debra Hall an investor, director and Chair of KiwiNet Investment Committee.

What inspired you to pursue engineering?

Norman Barry Foundation Breakthrough Innovator Award

I was inspired by a trip with the rotary national science and mathematics forum. I took my first look into real-life engineering at work and fell in love with the environment and skill set, once this idea came into my life.

I took the advantage to learn more about engineering disciplines and talked to engineers and students taking engineering to get a full view which inspired me more.

I was mostly inspired by the people and how welcoming and fulfilled they were with their career choice.

Civil/Structural engineering - does this mean large projects for you to work on?

Being accepted into a Civil/Structural engineering degree at UC I hope to in the future to work on large projects and to fill my career with challenges, large accomplishments and teamwork. I particularly enjoy using my people skills, which come in handy with large projects.

What is an example of a completed project you admire?

I do admire the Sky Tower in Auckland as it has a lot of character. And also the Ngāi Tahu building Te Whare o Te Waipounamu as I work part-time there and am amazed by it inside and out.

What would you like to specialise in?

• Dr Eldon Tate, Inhibit Coatings Limited: Antimicrobial coatings keeping people safe in food and healthcare industries

I hope to specialise in structural engineering and pursue static and dynamic buildings as I enjoy using creativity with logic and building for the environment.

Baldwins Researcher Entrepreneur Award

• Professor Jim Johnston, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington: A world-renowned inorganic and materials chemist focussed on commercial outcomes

How would you incorporate creativity?

I enjoy structures that have character and stand

Yes - I agree that these skills I obtain during my degree will be transferable to every part of the world’s structure building. Knowledge of dynamics will be used for any condition and area of the world, I hope to travel sometime after completing my degree and gaining work experience to further expand my work post-grad. Does climate change affect the way you think about engineering?

• Brooke Marshall, AgResearch: Creating impact from AgResearch’s world-class science

PwC Commercial Impact Award

• Massey University – ‘FERRI PRO’ IP Sale: A partnership to help address the global problem of iron deficiency

KiwiNet CEO Dr James Hutchinson, says: “New Zealand needs technology innovation now more than ever, to help rebuild a more diverse post-COVID economy and bring into the world new solutions the big global challenges we face. Our awards finalists are doing just that. They are leading the charge in the creating a better, brighter and prosperous Aotearoa New Zealand for our tamariki to inherit.”

The annual KiwiNet Research Commercialisation Awards are supported by sponsors BNZ, MinterEllisonRuddWatts, PwC, Baldwins, MBIE, Norman Barry Foundation and K1W1, as well as, key partner Return On Science.

BNZ Supreme Award

It will definitely affect the way I think about engineering, as the discipline I am wanting to pursue heavily takes into consideration the environment around one’s project.With climate change, engineering will need to change with it. Building with the environment will be more impactful and long-lasting. As well as being an engineer who is mindful of the impact of large structural projects on the environment.

Your choice is not about an office environment. Better off in the outdoors?

I never intended to have a career solely in an office environment I enjoy being outdoors and seeing the world around me. I prefer a career where I can learn and work in new and different places.

• Professor Jim Johnston, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington: A world-renowned inorganic and materials chemist focussed on commercial outcomes

Women are not highly represented in engineering and you obviously see opportunities?

I noticed in my first experience seeing engineers at work that there is a huge gap between the number of women and men employees. This has only inspired and given me more drive to become an engineer as opportunities will only grow, and being a role model is important to me.

KiwiNet Awards lead judge Rob Heebink, R&D Executive at Gallagher Group, says: “The quality of entrants this year was incredibly high – it was difficult to select the finalists let alone the category winners. Over the years we have seen a number of shifts occurring in research organisations, such an increase in commercialisation capability and more engagement with industry. This has resulted

BNZ’s Tim Wixon, Head of Technology Industry, and Charlie Mear, Business Development Manager, added their congratulations to the recipients of the 2020 KiwiNet Awards. “We are always delighted to see and hear about those individuals, teams and organisations who have created successful businesses built on interesting ideas and scientific research. Each year we enjoy taking the time to acknowledge, congratulate and celebrate some of New Zealand’s leading commercialisation talent.”

Paul Stocks, Deputy Chief Executive at the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, says “The quality of the submissions and the outstanding achievements of this year’s KiwiNet Awards winners are a testament to the talent we have in New Zealand. MBIE is proud to support research commercialisation and especially during challenging times the sector’s work must continue to be celebrated.”

The Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) is a consortium of 18 universities, Crown Research Institutes, an Independent Research Organisation and a Crown Entity established to boost commercial outcomes from publicly funded research by helping to transform scientific discoveries into new products and services.

The Last Word

How the role of the CISO is shifting

By Geoff Schomburgk, Vice President for Asia Pacific at Yubico

The popularity of Working from Anywhere (WFA) arising from the pandemic has accelerated Digital Transformation for many organisations. As companies take on digital transformation projects and evolve their IT infrastructure, the risks are changing, too.

As cyber threats have grown in intensity and sophistication, cybersecurity has become a more strategic business priority and is no longer the sole responsibility of the CISO’s office; it has become a broader corporate responsibility.

Due to this corporate focus on cybersecurity, many organisations’ security functions have changed dramatically in recent years. Security departments used to be completely separate and were often perceived as an obstacle to new initiatives, however, this is now unthinkable due to the pace of modern business.

CISOs have had to evolve in their role to become transformational leaders who can empower the business and drive innovation.

Increasingly strategic

The CISO’s role was previously limited to safeguarding an organisation against cyber threats and reducing potential risks. However, with ongoing digital transformation, the focus of the CISO has shifted and the role is rapidly becoming more strategic and influential.

Today, the role of the CISO is measured not only in whether the business suffers losses because of a data breach but also in how security preempts new initiatives and makes it possible to launch new services and applications to market faster.

Implementing robust technology solutions to protect digital assets remains a core component of the role of the CISO. However, they are increasingly facilitating Digital Transformation projects with Zero Trust frameworks that secure identity as the new perimeter.

Modern authentication is seen as a “continuous process” and identity is an essential building block for implementing a Zero Trust strategy.

Responsibility for regulatory compliance

As businesses become more digital, the CISO must be aware of the evolving regulatory and compliance landscape and data privacy and security implications. And because CISOs are expected to help with regulatory compliance, they also need to know about a host of regulations that affect the cybersecurity industry, including, where applicable, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS), the Online Safety Act of 2021 and the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Act 2021 (SOCI).

Identity-Driven Security

Many key ingredients needed to implement Zero Trust security are already at a CISO’s disposal. They include identity and access governance, authentication, authorisation and privileged access management.

There are clear links between traditional identity and Zero Trust and organisations with proactive CISOs can begin to look forward to the myriad of benefits of identity-driven security.

The CISO needs to understand the business risks and, more importantly, the consequences of compromised corporate data. CISOs must ask themselves - What is the value of the business’s data, such as personal information, financial information or medical information, for employees and customers?

Who might want that information, and what value does it have for them? For CISOs, passwordless is one obvious security strategy that is highly secure, easy to implement and easy to use.

Moving away from passwords

The industry is on the cusp of replacing passwords and legacy Multi-factor Authentication (MFA) methods with modern open authentication protocols, like FIDO2. This will enable widespread adoption of phishing-resistant and easy-to-use modern MFA solutions like hardware security keys that are secure and easy to use, deploy and manage. Ultimately, this will help CISOs eradicate an entire class of issues that have long been associated with passwords.

Many CISOs will now be encouraged to move towards a passwordless future to ensure their organisations are more secure. Implementing passwordless practices will help mitigate cyber risks and allow CISOs to spend more time on strategic projects. It will also enable their security teams to be more proactive with security protection rather than always being reactive.

The CISO’s

role is to educate

Adopting cyber-safe practices in an organisation is the best way to mitigate cyber risks. So, the role of the CISO is to engage and educate people at all levels, from the board down, on the importance of cyber hygiene and how easy it is to use MFA solutions to securely gain access to corporate systems.

Before implementing MFA, user education is essential, as employees will have become accustomed to passwords. Organisations will therefore need to put significant efforts into raising awareness, as they do with any digital transformation project, so their users can feel comfortable with the new passwordless technology.

My final piece of advice for CISOs

Organisations are now placing much more emphasis on cybersecurity and data protection, and the role of the CISO has become an incredibly challenging one as they are pulled in many different directions. Consequently, experienced CISOs are now very well-rewarded, highly respected in their organisations, and often have a seat on the board. The best advice I can give up-and-coming CISOs is to stay educated and compliant and ensure they are valued as much as they should be.

Cyber threats are no longer the sole responsibility of the CISO’s office, becoming a broader corporate responsibility.

Manufacturers focused on

SUCCESS