NZ Manufacturer - October 2015

October 2015 Award winning supplier of SOLIDWORKS in Australia and New Zealand

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INTERVIEW 11 THE Sam Fulton Fero

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY Bringing remote desktop to the palm of your hand.

Organised by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Agriculture, Saudi Agriculture is the Middle East’s largest agriculture exhibition attracting exhibitors from the Middle East, Europe, the Americas and Asia, in addition to local companies who displayed the latest agricultural products, services and equipment.

Napier Engineering & Contracting demonstrated there its role as a pre-eminent Pacific region turnkey engineer in abattoirs, rendering

Intellectual property in TPPA means you

plants, processing lines and also in freezing, cold, and cool store implementation. The company CEO Ken Evans (pictured, standing at right) personally leads the company delegation to Riyadh.

The Napier company is familiar with large scale construction in this sphere in the East having been responsible for four full scale abattoir/ processing/ freezing plants in the region.

In more recent times, the company demonstrated in the Pacific region its specialisation in rendering presses when it sent three of its own branded and customised Niven ovine skin hydraulic presses to Adelaide.

The equipment featured presses with horizontal as well as vertical platens, permitting the automated positioning

continued on page 6

NATIONAL MAINTENANCE ENGINEERING CONFERENCE Major package for students and apprentices.

on the benefits of Automation.

Napier company at Saudi Agriculture New Zealand’s longest-established engineer, Napier Engineering & Contracting, was part of the first New Zealand group to participate in Saudi Agriculture at Riyadh October 11 – 14. The company exhibited its Niven range of meat and fish processing machinery

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SUBSCRIBE TO

NZ Manufacturer and be in the draw to win Nuance Power PDF software.

Production engineers and manufacturers assessing their own position in the wider TPPA picture should devote special attention to the term “intellectual property.”

Power PDF delivers high performance

This means patents.

Provides all the tools you need

The term intellectual property in the context of the TPPA covers copyright, its general meaning, and also your output category which was once covered by the word “patents.”

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To subscribe please email: publisher@xtra.co.nz

The term intellectual property is of relatively recent provenance and in New Zealand is often taken to cover the field of artistic endeavour especially in its digital manifestation such as in the Dotcom affair.

It spread to cover pharmaceutical formulae, until recently also described as patents. Then in a rush it now covered mechanical patents.

The waters have been muddied in regard to the precise meaning of the term in the context of the TPPA

continued on page 6

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IT’S AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN GET DONE IF YOU DON’T CARE WHO GET’S THE CREDIT.

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CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS

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4 5 COMPANY PROFILE 7-11 MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY EDITORIAL

ADVISORS

High quality products for the market.

Craig Carlyle

Specialisation creates opportunities.

Is Director of Maintenance Transformations Ltd, an executive member of the Maintenance Engineering Societyand the Event Director of the NationalMaintenance Engineering Conference.

Delcam upgrades integrated CAM for SolidWorks.

Bringing remote desktop to the palm of your hand.

Navigating the unknown.

Faro releases new handheld 3D laser scanner.

Sam Fulton, Fero, talks automation.

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12 MARKETING

Catherine Beard

Is Executive Director of Export NZ and Manufacturing, divisions of Business NZ, NewZealand’s largest business advocacy group, representing businesses of all sizes.

The communications gap that limits engineering and technology firms.

13 DEVELOPMENTS 14 COMPANY PROFILE 15 DEVELOPMENTS Partnership a win-win.

Nelson Pine combines control and safety to minimise production downtime.

13

Dieter Adam

Chief Executive, New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association has a Ph.D. in plant biotechnology, consulting and senior management roles in R&D, innovation and international business development.

Training boosts manufacturing productivity, engagement.

16 SUPPLY CHAIN 18-19 THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING Understanding the supply chain.

Methodology could lead to more sustainable manufacturing systems.

Olympus helps keep the skies safe.

Lewis Woodward

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.

20 THE INTERVIEW 21 THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING Buddy Barakat, General Manager of ProDetec.

Why companies need to automate their workforce management.

22 FOOD MANUFACTURING

AsureQuality Insight and Authenticateit bring together quality assurance.

James Bell – Booth building clever companies.

24 WORKSHOP TOOLS

Temperature calibration software has a wide range of sensors.

3D printed hovercraft.

Clamps improve productivity.

26 MAINTENANCE

Dr Wolfgang Scholz

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Is HERA Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers NZ.

26 Garth Wyllie

National Maintenance Engineering Conference announces major package for students and apprentices.

Is EMA’s Executive Officer, Manufacturing & Industry Groups.

He is a strong advocate for the manufacturing sector. In his 20-plus years with the organisation Garth has managed a range of sector groups, with manufacturing being a key focus.

28 BUSINESS NEWS

Green Giants. How smart companies turn sustainability into million dollar businesses.

Steel industry cautious on new Christchurch investment fund.

29 ANALYSIS

Peterson’s Perspective: Will the science and R& D plan work?

30 DEVELOPMENTS 31 REAR VIEW

3D printing changing the way we think.

Growing regional research initiatives.

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NZ Manufacturer October 2015

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EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER

Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd,1/121 Russell Street North, Hastings, New Zealand 4122.

MANAGING EDITOR Doug Green T: +64 6 870 9029 E: publisher@xtra.co.nz

CONTRIBUTORS

Holly Green, Gilbert Peterson, Nick Inskip, Sam Fulton, Harry Mulder, David Frank, Vishnu Rayapeddi, Buddy Barakat, James Kissell www.mscnewswire.co.nz

ADVERTISING

Doug Green T: + 64 6 870 9029 E: publisher@xtra.co.nz

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Kim Alves, KA Design T: + 64 6 879 5815 E: kim.alves@xtra.co.nz

High quality products for the market We have a ‘go’ on the TPP Agreement and now the sleeves roll up to find out what it all means.

It is a major advance for New Zealand to have such an agreement with a large number of countries to trade.

The potential to greatly improve our bottom line, finding new markets for our products and services is enough to make us all stand to attention and listen.

But at what cost?

WEB MASTER

Julian Goodbehere E: julian@isystems.co.nz

As a small player – although a safe pair of hands – New Zealand needs to look after its own, what it does well and get a fair go on world markets.

PUBLISHING SERVICES On-Line Publisher Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd

Some of the larger opportunities look like they will come from the food and wine industries. With our enduring growing environment, we are well placed to build on our food bowl and wine reputations.

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS E: info@nzmanufacturer.co.nz Free of Charge.

MEDIA HAWKES BAY LTD T: +64 6 870 4506 F: +64 6 878 8150 E: mediahb@xtra.co.nz 1/121 Russell Street North, Hastings PO Box 1109, Hastings, NZ NZ Manufacturer ISSN 1179-4992

Vol.6 No.9 October 2015 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.

Affiliates

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though. There is much to be done to determine what the agreement actually means. Specifically in key areas like making sure our people get a fair go and that market forces do not ‘unlevel’ the playing field.

It can be said that leaner staffing levels are achieved, labour costs are controlled, productivity improved, greater savings and efficiency other key benefits.

However, as Sam Fulton of Fero sees it, with automation his company is able to produce a highly repeatable, high quality, product quickly to the market.

“It is very important in a lot of the products that we are producing that they are repeatable. This means that our customers know that they are getting a product that will work for them every time and allow them to work within very tight constraints.

“This repeatability also ensures that the quality is consistent, even with the best trained labour force there are quality issues that arise from human error and hand producing product.”

Automation features in this issue with Sam Fulton of Fero and James Kissell of WFS sharing their pictures for the future.

Again, the people factor comes into play. Does automation mean less staff? Is it all about the bottom line?

Doug Green

ASIA

MANUFACTURING NEWS

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NZ Manufacturer October 2015

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COMPANY PROFILE

Both of us are swallowing dead rats on three or four issues to get this deal across the line.

-Trade Minister, Tim Groser on TPP.

COMPANY PROFILE Specialisation creates opportunities How does a company go from manufacturing small underground concrete chambers to providing 36-metre long precast beams for major infrastructure projects? The Wilson Group believes the answer lies in specialisation and a great team of people.

The group was originally founded in 1995 as Telecrete, a small Takanini company providing small precast concrete items for telecommunications. The firm has since established two other successful entities: Wilson Precast and Wilson Tunnelling.

Wilson Precast was created in 1997 to move into commercial property development, and produces almost anything concrete (walls, stairs, beams, floors, balconies, etc.). After the 1998 power crisis in Auckland, the company provided 9 kms of tunnel segments to Mercury Energy to lay down new underground cables in the CBD, replacing the damaged lines which had caused a five-week long power outage.

“We started the first specialised segmentally-lined tunnels in New Zealand, and then decided to take advantage of that specialisation”, says

Commercial & industrial growth

Dan Wilson, Business Manager. This is how Wilson Tunnelling, the latest branch of the group, was founded in 2007.

The group’s specialty is the manufacture of precast concrete items. Concrete is batched, formed and cured in Wilson’s 18,000 m2 manufacturing facility in East Tamaki. Each item, ranging from 1 to 100 tonne, is then brought to site in purpose-built trailers. This procedure allows a better control of the concrete and a more regular finished product, as Dan explains.

“In our facility, everything is under cover; we’re able to control atmospheric conditions, placing conditions, and curing conditions. You can’t have the same level of control on site, because you have to deal with wind, rain, and unspecialised people pouring the product.” Time is also an essential factor: “Making panels on site takes up time and resources. Here, we can build a whole 10,000 square metre warehouse building, and deliver it to site over three days.”

Wilson Group companies use 100% ready-mixed concrete, pulling materials from local quarries. Dan

has also noticed an increase in demand for recycled materials in the past few years. “More and more developers and builders are looking for Green Star-rated materials, so we sometimes use recycled aggregate through concrete, millings coming off pavements, etc. We’re always keen on innovation, and being able to reuse resources makes sense economically as well as ecologically. Developers, engineers and architects are all heading towards that point, so we want to go down this path as well.”

Wilson Precast and Wilson Tunnelling specialise in commercial and civil infrastructure projects. The group operates mainly in Auckland and Waikato. Past projects include the Hobson Bay sewer line in Orakei, the Rosedale outfall project on the North Shore, and the new St Lukes Bridge layout in Western Springs. But the biggest project both branches are currently working on is the supply of over 24,000 precast segments, 290 Super Tee Beams and 2,400 Invert Tunnel Culverts to the Waterview

continued on page 6

Employment growth

Economic output

Crime rate East Tamaki is the largest industrial precinct in Auckland with 2000 businesses and a growth rate higher than the regional average.

getba

getba.org.nz

Greater East Tamaki Business Association Inc.

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NZ Manufacturer October 2015

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Your left hand is technology. The right is methodology. To hear the claps, you need both.

-Jaisundar Venkat

continued from page 5

Specialisation creates opportunities within the standard operations of Wilson Precast.”

Connection project, which aims to expand the Western motorway between Mount Roskill and Point Chevalier.

Staff is a major asset to the Wilson Group: “As a family business, it’s always been important to us to have a good idea of everybody on the ground – making sure we know exactly who we employ, right down to the person who just walked through the door yesterday.” The company’s entire labour force comes from the East Tamaki-Otara area. Dan expects their workforce to grow close to 200 workers within the next year.

This massive project is due for completion in early 2017. In total, Wilson Tunnelling will have delivered 115,000 cubic metres of concrete over the 66-month duration of the project.

“We currently have 155 employees, with an 80/20 split between Precast and Tunnelling at the moment, since the Waterview project is slowing down”, says Dan. Most of the employees working on the Waterview Connection have been redirected to other projects.

“We took in 50 people for the Waterview project, and managed to retain 48. The advantage of our group is that, when these big jobs slow down, we’re able to redeploy employees

“We took the opportunity with Waterview to grow the business to that next step, and because of the way the current market is, we’ve managed to keep this growth.” The group has also taken on four apprentices in precast concrete, in association with

BCITO. The entire training process takes roughly three years, which the company is happy to provide. “Having apprentices upskills our workforce, and costs are minimal, since most of the training is in-house. It’s a great opportunity for both parties, really.”

The future is certainly bright in the construction industry, and the Wilson Group is no exception. With future projects both in commercial (a large proportion of the new Westgate facilities in Massey) and infrastructure (the Southern Corridor widening project), the firm has reason to be optimistic. “From our side, the birds are chirping in the trees!”, states Dan. “The general outlook on the construction market is very good at the moment. You hear these media reports about China and the issues

they’ve got over there, and, within the business unit, we can’t see that hitting us within the next 24 months.” The group is forecasting good workloads through the upcoming year: in fact, their next priority will be developing their resources to take on more jobs.

An encouraging piece of news for construction workers looking for a job in East Tamaki.

The general outlook on the construction market is very good at the moment.

continued from page 1

Napier company at Saudi Agriculture of the skins prior to compression/ strapping. The PLC stainless steel presses also feature enhanced safety including RFD sensors.

More recently still Napier Engineering and Contracting underlined its experience in the fisheries sector when it sent two of its Niven Marine GC3

series to Austral Fisheries. The stainless and galvanised on-board rendering equipment runs off ships’ own power.

• Coded Welding, to ASME IX, EN 15614, and AS 1554

• Machinery Overhaul and Repair Service

• Pipe Spooling and Pipe Bridges

• Marine Engineering

Napier Engineering and Contracting focuses on food processing projects.

Its range of specialisations include:-

• Storage Vessels and Tanks

From the MSCNewsWire Reporters’ Desk

• Pressure Vessels and Boilers

• Structural Steelwork

• Access Ladder and Platform Systems

continued from page 1

Intellectual property in TPPA means you by the seeming pharmaceuticals.

single-focus

More importantly still, this broad-based official term, an outcrop of the copyright sphere, ranks alongside health and safety as a prime non-tariff barrier to imports.

on

Production engineers and manufacturers must be aware that it includes three dimensional products as well.

The words “intellectual property”

represent a prime example of the officialese that is often suspected of being implanted to confuse the productive sector.

to protect its entertainment industry by giving its output equal “patent” status to products from the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

In the event it was ram-rodded into global use by the United States anxious

From the MscNewsWire Reporters’ Desk

MSCNewsWire the destination and distribution network for manufacturing news in New Zealand www.mscnewswire.co.nz

Businesses in the MSCNewsWire Network include:

Want to know how the MSCNewsWire Network can be of benefit to your business?

Then contact Max Farndale on 06 870 4506 or by email at max@mscnewswire.co.nz.

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NZ Manufacturer October 2015

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Adhesives, Calibration & Instrumentation

Designers of automation equipment

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Heavy engineering at its best

Design technology with AutoCAD

Excellence in Abattoir products

Vineyard equipment at its best

Your news read worldwide

The meek shall inherit the Earth, but not its mineral rights.

J. Paul Getty

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Delcam upgrades integrated CAM for SolidWorks Delcam has launched the 2016 release of its Delcam for SolidWorks integrated CAM software for SolidWorks. This includes a range of enhancements, in particular more options for the Vortex high-efficiency area-clearance strategy, faster creation of multiple set-ups, more efficient turning and user-interface improvements to make programming even easier and faster.

Full details on the new release, including video demonstrations of the main enhancements, are on the Delcam for SolidWorks Learning Zone – www.delcam.tv/dfs2016/lz Delcam for SolidWorks offers Delcam’s proven machining algorithms, which are already used by more than 50,000 customers, fully integrated into the SolidWorks environment. The program looks and behaves like SolidWorks, and offers full associativity so that any changes in the CAD model are reflected automatically in the toolpaths.

However, this associativity is more intelligent than that offered in many other integrated CAM systems.

Delcam for SolidWorks doesn’t simply modify the existing toolpaths but also reviews the choice of cutting tools and machining strategies, and changes

them if necessary.

The 2016 release includes a number of enhancements to the Vortex area-clearance strategy. Vortex gives the fastest safe metal removal from solid carbide tooling, in particular designs that give deeper cuts by using the full flute length as the cutting surface. It produces toolpaths with a controlled engagement angle and so maintains the optimum cutting conditions for the complete roughing cycle, giving faster machining and longer tool life.

a number of improvements. These include support for different types of roughing links, wind-fan approach and retract moves for finishing, better gouge checking for plunges and retracts, and tool radius and partline cutter compensation support.

varied for different segments of the toolpath.

In turning, the engage angle can now be set for the lead-in approach move.

By controlling the approach move in this way, smoother chip formation and lower cutting forces can be achieved.

Five-axis swarf machining has been made more flexible with a new option to control the upper and lower Z limits of a simultaneous five-axis swarf toolpath. This is useful if there are limitations on the tool length that can be used or if the stepdown needs to be

Interface improvements include the ability to create additional setups quickly during FeatureRECOGNITION, via a new button in the Feature Wizard.

This reduces the overall programming time significantly.

The ability has now been added to adjust and fine tune the non-cutting moves of 2.5D and 3D Vortex toolpaths, with options to retract the tool and/ or to increase the feedrate. These options can be set individually, or can be combined to achieve an optimum toolpath, with a reduced cycle time.

Other roughing improvements include the ability to take into account any remaining stock on the model during holder collision checking, ensuring that Z-level roughing toolpaths are completely free of tool-holder collisions.

Milling of inside or outside groove features has been upgraded with

Delcam for SolidWorks offers Delcam’s proven machining algorithms fully integrated into the SolidWorks environment.

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art.

-Andy Warhol

Bringing remote desktop to the palm of your hand

By Harry Mulder The use of mobile devices, such as smart phones, to access data from the plant floor is becoming more and more commonplace. desktops are extensively used by help desks that provide remote assistance to computer users.

The fact that authorised users can now access such real time information from anywhere at any time, is highly attractive to many users. It’s also an integral part of the overall drive to increase efficiency.

There are many vendors supplying remote desktop programs: VNC (Virtual Network Computing), TeamViewer, Google Chrome (via plug-in), to name just a few. Even Windows versions as early as XP included in built support for a remote desktop.

The technology behind this connectivity is remote desktop, which has been around for many years. This is where a “local” device (usually a computer but not necessarily so) runs its normal programs on the plant floor, as well as a server program.

The technology is now very mature The sheer volume of packages in the market is a testament to how powerful this technique is and how important it is to those who use it. The technology is now very mature and usage is very high, across a wide range of industries.

A remote client (again, not necessarily a computer) connects to this local server (usually via the internet) and displays identical information (i.e the local “desktop”) on is screen. The remote client effectively gains full control over the server as keystrokes and mouse actions from the client are mimicked on the local server, as if the user was entering them on the plant floor.

Recently, remote desktops have started to be used in the industrial realm.

However, instead of computers, HMI (Human Machine Interface) terminals now support a desktop server.

In the case of Omron’s NA series of HMIs, a fully functional VNC server by

Apart from supervisory systems, remote

RealVNC® is available. VNC presents HMI information as it appears, with real time updates. Users can have full control access of the HMI and can even access its system menu for low level maintenance functions.

Client programs can be freely downloaded, across a wide range of hardware platforms. These include Windows, MAC OS, iOS, Linux, Raspberry, Solaris and others.

In the case of computers running Windows, clients are merely a simple executable program, which doesn’t even need installation.

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NZ Manufacturer October 2015

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Multiple connections can be setup and stored within the app, to save having to re-enter connection data each time.

The apps also support auto rotation and zooming to improve the customer’s viewing experience.

Omron has taken remote desktop one step further

The setup of the VNC server in the NA is very straight forward. VNC is disabled by default (for security) and uses TCP port 5900 by the default.

Firstly, the nature of the graphical objects used in HMIs do not render easily into the html format used by web sites. Also, the update rate needed to display real time data with reasonable fluency is often not obtainable through the Internet.

Accessing data from the plant floor has never been easier than with Omron’s new remote desktop programs.



Both Omron’s NB and NS HMI series webservers are both supported by these same apps.

In the past, HMIs supported web serving for remote access. While still in use, there are several drawbacks to this approach.

In short, the web was never designed to display graphical content in real time, meaning the end result is often less than satisfactory.

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Once information is displayed, it can be shared (i.e. emailed or texted), printed or saved for further analysis.

Users are also able to perform the same control functions via their smart phone, provided write operations have been enabled at the NA’s server. A read only mode is available for display only functionality.

However, Omron has taken remote desktop one step further by utilising the power of mobile technology to access the desktop server. They have created a set of free “HMI Viewer” client apps, for both the Android and iOS (i.e. iPhone and iPad) environments.

Other than running on different mobile platforms, each app has the same functionality and links to a NA HMI running its VNC server via the internet. A recent upgrade means iOS v9 is now also supported.

Sharing information Once connected, the view on the smart phone screen is the same as what can be seen locally on the HMI on the plant floor, with updates being regular enough to ensure smooth animation.

Securing password data

At runtime, a pre set password must entered to open the connection and gain access.

Password data is secured by encryption to ensure it’s not compromised.

As VNC is not suitable for transferring files, so FTP is provided for this purpose. It too has its access controller by a server in the NA, and requires clients to enter a password before files can be accessed.

Omron have taken a significant step forward in putting real time information in the palm of the decision makers’ hand. They have used the well accepted and trusted technologies of remote desktop and applied it to smart devices.

Decision makers can now make decisions on a wide range of hardware, at anytime and anywhere in the world, no matter how far away they are from the actual plant.

Harry Mulder is Engineering Manager for Omron Electronics Oceania.

He has been involved in the industrial control industry for nearly 30 years, with the last 25 years at Omron Electronics. With a degree in computer science, his experience includes sales, engineering and product management. He currently manages an engineering team across four states but still enjoys getting involved with day-to-day problem solving.

From waste to waste not.

title text

Once a waste by-product, clean hydrogen is now fuelling resin manufacturer Hexion’s Christchurch plant, cutting fuel oil costs by over 90%.

Hydrogen, when you can get it, makes a great clean fuel. Burn it, and the by-product is water. Carbon emissions can be cut dramatically and no dirty particles are released into the atmosphere.

For businesses, it’s even better if you produce the hydrogen yourself as a by-product of another process.

That happy coincidence proved a boon for global resin manufacturer Hexion, formerly Momentive Speciality Chemicals, which has converted its Hornby, Christchurch plant to run on hydrogen and slashed its fuel oil consumption by more than 90%.

EEC3666_NZM_1

To create its resins and other products for the wood panels industry, Hexion has to convert methanol into formaldehyde. Silver is used as a catalyst in the process and a by-product of that is hydrogen – lots of hydrogen.

Around the world, Hexion has realised the opportunity to use the gas by-product to fuel its plants, but in New Zealand the numbers never stacked up, until recently, says project manager David Early.

“We knew how to integrate a boiler into the process and could manage that step pretty well,” Early says. “What we didn’t know was the best way to set up the boiler. You need a bit of expertise to make that happen.”

Hexion partnered with Palmerston Northbased Energy Plant Solutions (EPS) to develop the best combustions system they could for maximum efficiency.

From inception the project took 18 months, with six months of planning before the boilers were ordered in November 2012.

The new plant went live in May 2013 – bringing savings on stream eight weeks earlier than expected.

“It started paying itself back straight away,” Early says. “We didn’t have to wait on changes in efficiencies.”

The environmental impact was also significant with 1,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions eliminated and a 99% reduction in sulphur emissions.

For Hexion, the journey isn’t over. Early and his team are aiming to push its fuel oil savings up to 95% through fine tuning the new systems.

“Environmentally and economically it made so much sense to do it and the business is absolutely rapt it went so well.”

By turning waste gas stream into energy, Hexion’s story demonstrates that creative energy efficiency can turn a liability into an asset.

BIG

NUMBERS •

90% reduction in fuel oil

•

99% reduction in sulphur emissions

•

1,300 tonnes of CO2 emissions eliminated

consumption

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NZ Manufacturer October 2015

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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY Navigating the unknown “A sailor will use cues such as the stars or landmarks to determine where their ship is on a map, and then, as the ship moves, will update its location on the map by observing only speed and direction.”

A computer algorithm that copies the navigation functionality of humans and animals helps robots navigate unfamiliar spaces.

A robot with a navigation system that mirrors the neural scheme used by humans and animals to find their way around has been developed by Agency for Science, Technology and Research researchers in Singapore.

The human brain uses grid cells, which provide a virtual reference frame for spatial awareness to handle this type of relative navigation. Each time we move through and pass one of the virtual grid points that the brain has set up, the respective grid cell becomes active, and we know our relative movement in relation to those coordinates. By using both place and grid cells for navigation, humans and animals are able to accurately move through the environment.

The human navigation function is operated by two types of brain cells — place cells and grid cells. Place cells become active in the brain when we recognize familiar places, while grid cells provide us with an absolute reference system, so we can determine exactly where we are on a map.

The way sailors used to navigate through tracking of relative movement, however, is essential for finding a way through unfamiliar areas, explains Miaolong Yuan from the A*STAR Institute for Infocomm Research team.

Yuan and the team have implemented the same neural scheme for robots, using computer programs that simulate the activity of place and grid cells in the brain. Crucial to the computational algorithm is the strength of the feedback mechanism between the grid cells and place cells, and the calibration of the visual signals is integral to the map building process of the computer algorithm.

The algorithm was tested in a robot (see image) that explored a 35 meter x 35 meter indoor office environment.

The robot was able to detect loops in the path through the office space and, by using visual cues to recognize areas visited repeatedly, built its own neurological map of the office. The computer navigation system assists the robot in situations where it is lost in a new environment, says Yuan.

“Cognitive maps can help the robot when it is lost, because they can provide global topological information of the navigating environment to help the robot localize itself.”

This robot uses neural schemes similar to humans to navigate an office environment.

Time is the scarcest resource and unless it is managed nothing else can be managed.

-Peter Drucker

Power TechED unlocked technology challenges Rockwell Automation’s inaugural educational event focused on power and energy.

Power TechED was held in September at the Gold Coast Convention Centre, Queensland.

Advances in technologies such as the Internet of Things, are enabling machines to get smarter and meet endusers networking, integration, diagnostics and intelligence demands.

Power and energy applications are no exception. Motors and drives are gaining improved integration and connectivity. Energy monitoring and efficiency technologies are advancing their real time data capabilities and mobility. To remain competitive, organisations need to keep informed of the latest technology advances.

“Power TechED was an educational event that fills a gap in the market by covering the power centric industries and applications, said Matthew Treeby, commercial marketing manager at Rockwell Automation.

“Featuring hands-on labs, workshops and presentations, Power TechED appealed to people from a wide variety of industries such as food & beverage and manufacturing through to mining and heavy industries, all under the one roof,” he explained.

already exists in many “smart” motor control and energy devices today. This information can deliver real actionable insights provided it reaches the right people but it also creates a skills gap where traditional power engineers and electricians need to be aware of networking and automation,” said Treeby.

“Power TechEd offered hands on Ethernet networking and automation workshops to assist users update their skills in these areas. This allows organisations to leverage real time decision making for improved productivity.”

Power TechED is a collaborative event with Rockwell Automation Authorised Distributors, NHP Electrical Engineering and Rexel Industrial Automation, who provided their technical expertise over a series of sessions. The event featured a large arena area displaying a wide range of power and energy equipment for a variety of industries and experts will be available to discuss product applications and selection.

Power TechED also provided the unique opportunity to get hands-on with motor control and power equipment including MCCs, drives, energy monitoring and safety products.

Attendees chose from four streams of learning: Intelligence, Industry, Power Quality & Energy and Safety & Motion.

Experts from a wide range of industries were on hand to share experience on electrical standards, industry applications and new innovations.

“The agenda specifically addressed evolving trends and technology in this space. One example is the opportunity to leverage the intelligence that

Faro releases new handheld 3D laser scanner scanners designed to help customers increase productivity, save time and make effective, data-driven decisions.

The Freestyle3D X incorporates state-of-the-art scanning technology that delivers enhanced scanning accuracy of 1 millimeter at 1-meter range.

Faro Technologies, Inc has released the new Faro Scanner Freestyle3D X Handheld Laser Scanner, a 3D Laser Scanner designed to transform the way the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC), Law Enforcement, and other industries document 3D data through easy to use, intuitive data acquisition.

It is available with a U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) traceable calibration accessory to provide users with verifiable data accuracy – which is critical for forensic scanning and other highly regulated industries. On-site calibration data is exportable to PDF format allowing information to be easily shared with

With this release the company’s portfolio now contains two handheld

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other team members.

The Freestyle3D X also incorporates an automatic flash mode enabling users to scan objects in a variety of lighting conditions. New software tools deliver an intensely detailed visualization of the created 3D point cloud, and an integrated best-point filter enhances the quality of the scan data by reducing noise up to 35%.

Finally, post-processing functions have also been improved, offering up to 5x faster data saving speed to further improve productivity on the job site.

The Freestyle3D X can be employed as a standalone device or used in concert with FARO Laser Scanner Focus3D X

Series Laser Scanners. Point cloud data from all devices can be integrated seamlessly – even in grey scale.

“The Freestyle3D X sets the industry standard for ease-of-use and verifiable accuracy among professional, portable scanning devices. The new features such as automatic flash mode, best point filter and new algorithms decisively enhance the overall scanning experience and enable users to carry out more projects with better quality at the same time.

Moreover, the new Freestyle3D X will allow the most demanding users to achieve better accuracy in their projects.

Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.

MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY

-John Kenneth Galbraith

The Interview Sam Fulton, Sales and Marketing Director, Fero talks automation What are the benefits of automation?

There are a number of immediate benefits to automation. The one that is often sited is cost reduction through the lowering of labour costs. This can be a big driver, however is sometimes not a significant as most people assume. The main benefits that we find are that we are able to produce a highly repeatable, high quality, product quickly to the market.

It is very important in a lot of the products that we are producing that they are repeatable. This means that our customers know that they are getting a product that will work for them every time and allow them to work within very tight constraints.

This repeatability also ensures that the quality is consistent, even with the best trained labour force there are quality issues that arise from human error and hand producing product.

Automation also allows us to produce at much higher speeds than human labour can achieve. Being able to turn orders around and get them back to the customer in short time frames is a huge advantage to any business that has any degree of lean or efficient manufacturing processes.

Through automation we are also continuously upskilling our workforce.

This is through both retraining to run more complex machinery, and also in understanding some complex lean manufacturing techniques that come with automation and continuous improvement.

And does automation mean that workers can be more productive?

Yes, there are a number of reasons why automation enables staff to be more productive. The most basic is

that anyone using machinery can complete a job much faster. Machines are more accurate, tire less and can complete simple actions much faster than humans.

Where we tend to find we get real productivity gains is when an operator is able to manage multiple processes at once. For instance we have an automated line whereby one operator is able to manage up to 13 processes at once. From cutting to tinning, QA to packaging it is all done by one person.

We still have up to eight people trained to run this line, so we are able to produce much more with the same number of people as before, and those operators also get much more variety in their work.

This is an often overlooked benefit to automation.

Usually processes that have been automated are very repetitive and do not allow the worker to engage much once he/ she has mastered the movement. By automating it allows the worker to gain much more variety in their job, which creates interest and engagement.

An engaged workforce is a productive one and this is often a very positive outcome of automation, greatly increasing the workers enjoyment and sense of achievement in their roles.

What does automation mean for the quality of manufactured products?

I think this has been covered. Basically a machine finish gives a repeatable product that has a much higher degree of accuracy. It is also very adjustable, so that if an extra mm needs to be added or removed it can be. We even automate the speed that we tin some wires to ensure an exact amount of solder is wicked into the wire ensuring

How does automation benefit the NZ economy and especially the manufacturing sector?

a complete seal.

How is automation benefiting Fero?

All of the above. It allows us to produce to a much higher quality in an industry that sometimes has impossibly tight tolerances.

We shouldn’t be trying to compete with 3rd world countries on cheap labour. Our cost/ standard of living is higher and we will never get there, nor should we try. We want to grow our workforce in capability and knowledge and provide a manufacturing sector that fills a niche in the market. NZ is a niche producer we should be looking to develop an effective and efficient, skilled labour market that can ensure that NZ manufacturing is sustainable and has a competitive edge on the world market. Automating our processes ensures that we are continually developing our workforce and allows us to upskill staff and gain higher returns from the work that they do.

can significantly reduce lead times which makes us far more competitive with low cost options. If we cannot match price we can often reduce the overall cost of an item by reducing the cash cycle, and allowing customers to operate a much leaner model.

Automation does reduce labour costs and this is passed onto customers.

But also it allows us to free up labour resource. To have a trained team member able to work on more complex tasks while the automation takes care of the repetitive and mundane jobs allows us to grow much faster and produce much more work.

How does automation benefit staff?

Automation is seen as a way of reducing staff numbers. Is this necessarily the case?

As mentioned above it has reduced the number of monotonous and repetitive jobs that our staff are required to do.

This means that they are required to move to more complex tasks that it is harder to automate. It also means that they are managing more complex machinery and multiple processes. This provides more variety and challenge to the team and gives a greater sense of satisfaction at the end of the day.

Automation often gets a bad rap with regard to reducing staff numbers yet in our experience we have found that the more we automate, the more work we have and the more staff are required to deliver our value proposition to our customers. In a process of continuous improvement it is not about finding ways to reduce numbers but to allow the team to grow and find better and more productive ways of working.

It means that we are requiring more staff to be trained in operating machinery and this is an upskilling that they did not have before. These skills do have a degree of specificity to them, however this is transferable and does make the worker more employable in more industries.

If so, does this not make our companies a bit more competitive with, for example, ASEAN countries?

Yes. I think this is the only way that we can compete significantly with these countries. There is always going to be options where one or the other is a more suitable choice but for us to continue to grow our manufacturing sector, we need to ensure that we keep manufacturing and its support industries onshore. By automating we are able to compete on overall cost of the product, quality, lead times, and design.

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By moving labour to more complex tasks and increasing productivity it has increased the return per labour unit as well.

This obviously makes the company more profitable, but also means that the staff member can command a higher wage. They then are able to earn more money for the same or less hours.

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MARKETING

An organisation’s ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage.

-Jack Welch

The communication gap that limits engineering and technology firms ‘Technical’ people are great at fixing problems and making things, but… they often don’t get the business they deserve.

It’s been said the world over: they are smart people skilled at researching and analysing a need, and working alone for long periods to build a solution – but not so good at communicating their ideas and products, especially to non-technical people.

Their target audience, especially non-technical people, can get bored or bamboozled by all this and not see the benefits spelled out to them in their own language concisely and persuasively. They are in a different world, with motivations and interests beyond the technical issues.

This communication gap can mean loss of business opportunities from potential clients who may end up with other suppliers who don’t fit the bill quite as well.

It’s actually quite hard for a business owner to see past their own viewpoint to their target market’s perspective, and it can take an objective outsider to see this.

Marketing communication is becoming more important in our ‘mobile information age’ where ever-growing numbers of people research the internet for products and services.

I had a ‘smart buildings’ designer/installer show me his website design – electronic boxes and cables which really appealed to him. I suggested that his potential clients didn’t want to see any of that, but would be looking for a good time entertaining their friends with their home theatre. We then pitched the text and imagery accordingly and his website took off.

Competition also grows as physical location becomes less of an issue, so creating a niche becomes more important to succeed – by capitalising on your unique selling points.

Stereotyping and missing the value Technical people can see marketing as ‘fluff’ without substance, manipulation, exaggeration of product capabilities, or hype that doesn’t add any value.

Well, yes, these perceptions can be true when sales & marketing people get involved who don’t understand the technicalities or relate eye-to-eye with technical people.

‘DIY’ marketing that doesn’t connect Businesses often end up throwing together their own marketing content as best they can, but it’s often very ‘self-focused’ and not very customerfriendly, appealing, or even readable. Most websites and brochures say similar stuff to everyone else – what the company does and a whole lot of technical facts and features.

Bridging the communication gap to advance your business Your potential clients may see a number of technically competent firms that could do the job, so how can you stand out? How about carving out your own market of ‘ideal’ clients?

The next 3 articles show you how…

• Find your 8 hidden marketing assets to attract your ideal target audience • How to leverage your 8 hidden assets in your marketing channels • 7 points to get your website delivering better business results

David Frank specialises in communications for engineering, technology, and manufacturing firms – both external (marketing) and internal (technical documentation).

He uses interviewing to tap into the ‘heartbeat’ of his client’s target audience, using counselling experience and training by an ex-TV talk show host. His career has spanned engineering & technology design, project management, and sales & marketing.

0800 385 1800 | david@spectra-media.net.nz spectra-technical-media.co.nz

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It’s OK to have your eggs in one basket as long as you control what happens to that basket.

-Elon Musk

DEVELOPMENTS

Partnership a win-win The partnership between rugby league’s national sports team, the NZ Kiwis, and international fluid transfer products and services provider, Pirtek has been a positive and successful one for both. Since joining forces with the Kiwis prior to their first Rugby League World Cup win in 2008, Pirtek has expanded its business, opening new franchises in New Zealand and overseas.

At the same time, the Kiwis have turned their wins in key finals (2005 Tri Nations, 2008 RLWC, 2010 Four Nations) into an unbeaten run through the 2014 Four Nations tournament, backing it up with a win, their third in a row against Australia, in an historic rain-delayed test match in Brisbane in May.

provided scholarships to allow players to attend elite development programmes and funded the Volunteer Recognition programme.

The programme acknowledges volunteers each month culminating in two major presentations at the NZRL Annual Awards. Fans of the game also receive a number of other benefits as a result of the Pirtek sponsorship, including ticket and jersey giveaways through the Pirtek Facebook page.

Pirtek New Zealand GM Chris Bourke says of the partnership “Since becoming principal sponsors of the NZ Kiwis and NZRL we have taken great pleasure in seeing them become leaders on the field.

“We have huge respect for their approach and share many of the same core values. Their commitment to delivering on these values (integrity, respect, leadership, courage and passion) is very important to us.

“The communities we operate in are important to us and we are able to demonstrate this is a variety of ways through our partnership with rugby league, and we hope they will in turn choose Pirtek when they can.”

“As a business, we take great pride in striving to be leaders in our field, and this partnership offers Pirtek, our franchisee network and our customers a range of opportunities to do so.

As part of this relationship, Pirtek and the NZ Kiwis will be sharing a range of positive leadership messages through a marketing campaign that will coincide with the Kiwis tour of the UK.

“Whether we’re rewarding loyal customers by offering them money-can’t-buy opportunities in partnership with the Kiwis, or recognising the commitment to excellence by our franchisees with similar, the partnership is a win-win.

Show your support for the Kiwis, as they take on England in a best-of-three test series, visit www. facebook.com/ NZKiwis. For more information about Pirtek and the Kiwis visit nzrl.co.nz/ Pirtek.

NZRL CEO Phil Holden says of the sponsorship, “The Pirtek name has become synonymous with rugby league and the Kiwis. We have a very close relationship that benefits both parties. We are fortunate to have such a supportive sponsor family and Pirtek is an integral member of the group.

“With the tour to the UK later this year, the Pirtek name on the Kiwis jersey is a store window for Pirtek, as they look to cement their place further in the international market.”

The Pirtek business which was founded by a New Zealander has been successfully implemented in Australia, New Zealand, China, Singapore, South Africa, USA, France, Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, Mongolia and Canada.

One of the key features of the partnership is the fantastic grassroots support provided by Pirtek and their franchisee network around the country.

They have contributed to a number of grassroots development initiatives,

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COMPANY PROFILE

The common question that gets asked in business is, ‘why?’ That’s a good question, but an equally valid question is, ‘why not?’

-Jeff Bezos

Nelson Pine combines control and safety to minimise production downtime Rockwell Automation helps Nelson Pine integrate control and safety.

The Nelson-Marlborough region is one of New Zealand’s major forestry areas, with 16 percent of the productive land area planted in production forests.

Nelson Pine Industries has the capacity to process one million cubic metres per annum, or 40 percent of the region’s annual harvest.

advantage of advancing technologies and meet current safety standards.”

The chip mill is a large part of the site where logs are unloaded from trucks for processing. Two pivot cranes and a drum debarker handle 300 tonnes of logs per hour. Control and safety are critically important in the chip mill so the first stage of the upgrade involved replacing the existing PLC-5® hardware platform with a GuardLogix Integrated Safety System.

The company produces GoldenEdge MDF (Medium Density Fibreboard) and NelsonPine LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber) from radiata pine grown in the plantation forests of Nelson, New Zealand.

According to Sean Doherty, Rockwell Automation, “The GuardLogix provides the benefits of the standard ControlLogix systems but also includes safety features that support Category 4/PLe safety applications.

The GuardLogix also offers integrated safety, discrete motion, drive and process control.”

Nelson Pine Industries has grown to be one of the largest single site producers of MDF in the world, while NelsonPine LVL has gained a niche offering in the construction sector in New Zealand and in offshore markets. It has a reputation for product consistency and quality, sustainable timber resource management, low environmental impact practices and market led research into product and production development.

“Nelson Pine has been particularly innovative in their approach. We often see safety systems bolted on to the control systems that may meet safety requirements but impact other business objectives, such as production rates and downtime. This type of solution was discounted early in discussions with Nelson Pine.”

Forest product processing technologies have recently undergone extraordinary advances with improvements being achieved in quality, recovery rates and safety. Nelson Pine is committed to maintaining compliance with evolving safety standards and utilising the latest control and safety technologies.

As safety standards continued to advance, it was clear that an upgrade was required at the plant. Nelson Pine called on Rockwell Automation to develop a solution that integrated control and safety while minimising production downtime.

To allow for zone control, the chip mill building was split into two geographical safety zones, using some of the latest safety guard locking switches with RFID technology for controlling and monitoring zones.

The first safety zone incorporates a large drum debarker, which rotates the logs, removing bark before entering the chipper. Out-dated variable speed drives were replaced with eight, 90kW PowerFlex 753 drives in a master/ slave configuration. They receive their speed/torque reference via the DLR and achieve a Stop Category 0, (via safe torque off) to Cat3/PLd.

Safety first In a plant that operates 24 hours a day seven days a week, control and safety are of paramount importance.

According to Ian Craw, automation engineer at Nelson Pine Industries, “The plant is aging. To upgrade the chip mill we decided to start at the whole backbone of control to take

“The integrated safety provided by zone control allows the plant to shut down one zone while the other is still operating as usual, delivering improved production rates. The goal is zero harm but we also wanted to minimise impact to production schedules so we suggested a solution that helps achieve this,” said Doherty.

6000 tons of Chip ready for processing into Fibre.

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The second safety zone incorporates safe speed monitoring of the main, 1.8MW chipper motor and safe position monitoring of the 11kV motor breaker,

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to confirm lockout/tagout (LOTO) has been performed, before access is granted into the hazard zone.

“When upgrading equipment it was a priority to meet current safety standards. We are well on the way to complying with the Machine Safety Standard, EN ISO 13849, with the goal to achieve PLd across most of the site in the coming years,” said Craw.

Connectivity and visibility As there are many hundreds of metres between different parts of the site, an EtherNet/IP network was used to reduce both the amount of cabling required and the installation times, with fibre running the longest legs.

Utilising Device Level Rings (DLRs) achieved complete integration of the control and safety system, the ring topology provides high availability of the safety network with high resiliency. Various DLRs were run to different parts of the site connecting with field safety devices, bringing the information back to one centralised safety processor that monitors the various processes.

planning of safety systems to achieve the required safety performance level.

This tool leverages the industry’s most complete offering of safety products, utilising widely accepted best practices to help companies build a complete safety solution.

“For years everyone has been saying that system control and integration is going to become more plug and play but now ControlLogix is really bringing it to that level,” said Craw Nelson Pine Industries has adopted production processes that are both safe and environmentally sound. As a result of the success of the new control and safety solution in the chip mill, Nelson Pine is planning to roll out the solution across the entire plant.

CHALLENGES • To update control and safety systems to an integrated system that complies with safety standards and minimise production downtime.

SOLUTIONS Integrated control and safety

“One of the huge benefits of the solution is being able to have visibility remotely. We use PanelView Plus as the operator interface for fault finding and monitoring equipment out in the field. In our previous system we had to use multiple software systems to try to diagnose an issue, but now both the control and safety code are easily accessed and visible through ControlLogix,” said Craw.

• Existing PLC-5® platform was replaced with GuardLogix® integrated safety system

In addition to the PowerFlex 753 drives, which are used on site, Nelson Pine is also using the PowerFlex 525 drives with safe torque off and ethernet capabilities, reducing commissioning time and fault finding time.

• PanelView™ Plus operator interface for fault finding and monitoring

Plug and play

• PowerFlex® 753 and 525 drives with safe torque off and device level ring ethernet connectivity to aid commissioning and fault finding • TLS-Z GD2 Safety Guard Locking Switches with inbuilt RFID for controlling and monitoring zones

RESULTS Meeting safety standards • Compliance with EN ISO 13849 retrofitted to plant

According to Craw, “The advantage of using GuardLogix is that you can edit and modify code on the run. Trying to reduce production downtime during commissioning was a key outcome from my point of view because there are several aspects of the plant that run 24 hours a day, seven days a week almost every day of the year.”

Safety zone control

“Machinery in the chip mill operates 24 hours a day, so once we had GuardLogix up and running, we were able to add hardware and edit safety code on the fly which gave us significant production advantages,” he said.

• EtherNet/IP™ used to connect DLRs and reduce installation time and cabling

Nelson Pine also used the Safety Automation Builder tool to facilitate the

• Provides integrated safety that allows plant to be shut down in one zone while the other is in operation • Latest guard locking switches with RFID controls and monitors zones • Minimizes production downtime Connected, integrated system

Downtime minimised • GuardLogix provided capability to edit hardware on the fly and integrate on the run which provided significant production advantages

Knowledge is learning something every day. Wisdom is letting go of something every day.

- Zen Proverb

DEVELOPMENTS

Training boosts manufacturing productivity, engagement A long-term investment in building competitive manufacturing skills, supported by a culture change programme which rewards productivity and innovation, is helping Auckland-based industrial coatings manufacturer PPG New Zealand save thousands of dollars and lift employee engagement, safety and environmental performance.

“In the past three years PPG New Zealand employees have completed around 200 competitive manufacturing qualifications, from level 2 to the level 5 diploma – and we’re seeing results across our KPIs,” says Lean Manager William Bratton who designed the training with industry training organisation Competenz.

“Productivity’s up, employee engagement’s up and we’re closing in on a world first in innovation. The competitive manufacturing training our employees have done has played a big part in these results.”

Since PPG introduced the training in 2012, the company has saved hundreds

of thousands of dollars a year from its bottom line. Productivity, measured as litres of coating produced per person hour, has risen 20%. Cycle times for powder manufacturing and paint are down 14% and 10% respectively.

Training and resulting successes like these, coupled with productivity bonuses and an employee recognition programme, have seen employee engagement rise over 20 points to the highest level in PPG’s Asia Pacific division. The housekeeping disciplines competitive manufacturing fosters have contributed to the company’s strong environmental and safety performance, helping it win two global awards.

William says competitive manufacturing is a mind-set.

“The training’s encouraged our people to think about how they work every day and to ask the right questions.

Many of the changes we’ve made are quite simple. But until people started thinking about what they could do

the best from the training.

to improve, these changes just didn’t happen.”

“Every team had a coach – someone they were accountable to and who they could approach with questions,” says William. “Then we gave everyone a couple of hours a week, on pay, to build their skills.”

Introducing stands to up-end nearly empty drums of resin is an example of a ‘simple saving’. This move has helped PPG squeeze another few litres from each drum, saving over $15,000 a year.

There are many ideas like these coming through the company’s employee suggestion scheme, the Opportunity for Improvement (OFI) process, and being assessed by the Lean Steering Committee

PPG has a diverse workforce, and English is a second language for many employees.

“We assessed everyone’s literacy and numeracy skills at the start of the training. Then we put support in place, like help with written assignments. We wanted everyone to be part of this journey.”

PPG’s competitive manufacturing journey started with a simple goal: to be more competitive – by investing in its people.

For many employees, this training is the first time they have undertaken formal education for many years, and an opportunity that is encouraging them to continue to build their skills.

“We knew training was key and that we needed to train our whole workforce, not just a few people,” says William.

The commitment to building skills on-the-job started at the top. “We all signed up for training, including Pat Cannon who heads the Australia New Zealand business.”

PPG New Zealand is part of a global company that produces industrial, protective, refinish, architectural and marine coatings. PPG coatings cover buildings, cars and factories the length of the country.

The right support was crucial to getting

Minister of Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment, Hon Steven Joyce, at PPG’s September graduation.

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SUPPLY CHAIN

To solve any problem, here are three questions to ask yourself: First, what could I do? Second, what could I read? And Third, who could I ask?

- Jim Rohn

Supply Chain Excellence: Series 1 Understanding the Supply Chain -Vishnu Rayapeddi

Whenever we ask what supply chain is, we get different answers depending who we ask. Some say it is planning & purchasing or procurement and some say inventory management and some others may say it is logistics management. Yes all these correct answers. But there is much more!

According to APICS (Association for Operations & Supply Chain Professionals, USA) dictionary, “Supply Chain Operations Reference (SCOR®) model” is “A process reference model developed and endorsed by the Supply Chain Council as the cross-industry, standard diagnostic tool for supply chain management.

“The SCOR model describes the business activities associated with satisfying a customer’s demand, which include plan, source, make, deliver, and return. Use of the model includes analysing the current state of a company’s processes and goals, quantifying operational performance, and comparing company performance to benchmark data. SCOR has developed a set of metrics for supply chain performance, and Supply Chain Council members have formed industry groups to collect best practices information

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that companies can use to evaluate their supply chain performance”.

In essence, the SCOR Framework is the world’s leading supply chain framework, linking business processes, performance metrics, practices and people skills into a unified structure. By deploying the SCOR framework at your organization you can: 1) Increase the speed of system, 2) Implement Support organizational learning goals, and 3) Improve inventory turns.

Level 1 Processes included in SCOR are: Plan, Source, Make, Deliver, Return and Enable Level 1 Metrics included in SCOR are: a) Perfect order fulfilment, b) Order fulfilment cycle time, c) Upside supply chain flexibility, d) Upside supply chain adaptability, e) Downside supply chain adaptability, f) Overall value at risk, g) Total cost to serve, h) Cash-to-cash

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cycle time, i) Return on supply chain fixed assets, j) Return on working capital.

So, how do we define supply chain excellence?

the three metrics, it is believed that supply chain excellence is based on the ability to drive improvement on the complete portfolio—improving all three metrics together.

We can define Supply Chain Excellence in simple terms as, “Getting the right things to the right place, in the right quantities, at the right time and at the desired quality, the first time, while minimising waste and being open to embrace change.”

About the author

Objectively, Supply chain excellence is defined both by improving year-on-year financial performance and by outperforming the industry on a portfolio of metrics that correlate closely to market capitalisation. The metrics used are 1) Inventory Turns, 2) Operating Margin, and 3) Return on Invested Capital (ROIC). While we often see companies performing well in one of

NZPICS Offers the following courses in Supply Chain in affiliation with APICS: CPIM (Certified in Production & Inventory Management, CSCP (Certified Supply Chain Professional) and Principles of Operations Management, which is a fully customisable solution to businesses.

For further information, please visit www.nzpics.org.nz or call on 09-525 1525.

This article is written by Vishnu Rayapeddi, a Lean Manufacturing & Supply Chain Operations Specialist, who works as a volunteer Executive Committee Member of NZPICS, the only Premier Channel Partner of APICS in New Zealand.

THE SAFER FARMS PROGRAMME WHY A FARM SAFETY PROGRAMME? Farming kills more people than any other sector in New Zealand – 41 people have died working on farms in the last two years. That’s four times the number of fatalities in either forestry or construction.

There are also thousands of serious injuries that lead to a loss of productivity and income for farmers.

Farmers, their families and farming communities are directly affected, and bear the emotional and financial cost of deaths and injuries on the farm.

This is why WorkSafe New Zealand is partnering with farmers and their families, sector organisations, and the rural community as a whole on Safer Farms, a comprehensive farm safety information and education campaign.

WHAT IS SAFER FARMS? Safer Farms is a new way of working. It is a multi-year programme jointly funded by ACC. It aims to increase farmer awareness and understanding of their risks, support farmers to manage their safety, and build local and sector farm safety leadership. It will achieve this by: > Providing an easy-to-use toolkit and a comprehensive online resource - www.saferfarms.org.nz – so that farmers have clear health and safety advice and information. > A widespread media campaign in newspapers, magazines, on radio and online helping farmers identify and manage risks. > A seasonal information and education campaign highlighting the risks and how to manage them when they arise through the year (e.g. calving, shearing, picking). > Working with rural retailers to help them incorporate safety messages when dealings with farmers. > Training programmes to be delivered alongside rural stakeholder groups. > Education and information for rural kids delivered through school programmes and Dairy NZ’s Rosie’s World website.

Safer Farms was not developed in isolation. It was built with extensive input from farmers, their

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communities and the sector to ensure the focus was on helping farmers to take ownership of their health and safety.

WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION? Visit www.saferfarms.org.nz or call 0800 030 040.

KEEP SAFE, KEEP FARMING

SAFERFARMS.ORG.NZ

THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING

To reach a great height a person needs to have great depth.

- unknown

Methodology could lead to more sustainable manufacturing systems of Engineering.

Engineers at Oregon State University have developed a new “sustainable development methodology” to help address a social and regulatory demand for manufacturing processes that more effectively consider their economic, environmental and social impacts.

“There’s usually more than one way to build a part or product,” he said. “With careful analysis we can identify ways to determine which approach may have the least environmental impact, lowest cost, least waste, or other advantages that make it preferable to a different approach.”

The work was recently published in the Journal of Cleaner Production. It outlines a way to help designers and manufacturing engineers carefully consider all the ramifications of their design decisions, and to evaluate the possible different ways that a product could be built – before it ever hits the assembly line.

This movement, researchers say, evolved more than 20 years ago from an international discussion at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, which raised concerns about the growing scarcity of water, depletion of non-renewable sources of energy, human health problems in the workplace, and other issues that can be linked to unsustainable production patterns in industry.

“There’s a lot of demand by consumers, workers and companies who want to make progress on the sustainability of products and manufacturing processes,” said Karl Haapala, an associate professor in the OSU College

The challenge, experts say, is how to consider the well-being of employees, customers, and the community, all while producing a quality product and staying economically competitive. It isn’t easy, and comprehensive models that assess all aspects of sustainability are almost nonexistent.

“With current tools you can analyse various aspects of an operation one at a time, like the advantages of different materials, transportation modes, energy used, or other factors,” Haapala said. “It’s much more difficult to consider all of them simultaneously and come out with a reasonable conclusion about which approach is best.”

To aid that effort, OSU researchers created a new methodology that incorporates unit process modeling and an existing technique called life-cycle

inventory. This allowed them to quantify a selected set of sustainability metrics, and ask real-world questions.

Should the product use a different material?

Would running the production line faster be worth the extra energy used or impact on worker health and safety? Which approach might lead to injuries and more lost work? How can scrap and waste be minimized? Which design alternative will generate the least greenhouse gas emissions?

To illustrate this approach in the study, the researchers used three hypothetical “bevel gear” alternatives, a common part produced in the aircraft and automotive industry. Their six-step system considered energy consumption, water use, effluent discharge, occupational health and safety, operating cost, and other factors to evaluate the use of different materials and manufacturing processes – and ultimately concluded through mathematical modeling which of three possible designs was the most sustainable.

“When you make decisions about what is best, you may make value judgements about what aspect of sustainability is most important to you,” Haapala said. “But the modeling results have the potential to assist designers in performing those evaluations and in understanding the tradeoffs alongside other aspects of the manufacturing process.”

This work was supported by the Boeing Company and the Oregon Metals Initiative.

This assessment approach, when further researched and tested, should be applicable to a wide range of products during the design decision-making process, researchers said in the study.

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If you have nothing to say, say nothing.

- Mark Twain

THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING

Olympus helps keep the skies safe Aircraft fly millions of kilometres each year, so it is imperative that the aircraft and engines are safe and airworthy at all times. One instrument that maintenance engineers regularly use to inspect the inside of aircraft engines, and so ensure optimal performance, is a videoscope.

Remote Visual Inspection (RVI) of materials, components and structures allows engineers and technicians the ability to inspect internal surfaces and other features of an engine, motor or machinery.

Videoscopes are used to carry out inspections without causing damage to delicate parts of an aircraft. Olympus-a world-leading manufacturer of optical, electronic and precision engineering products-has been at the forefront of videoscope development for many decades.

A videoscope is an inspection instrument that consists of a small camera mounted on a length of cable.

The camera can be controlled remotely by an operator while it is inserted in the cavity to be inspected. Modern videoscopes incorporate powerful LED light sources which are delivered through the tip of the probe, as well as motors to move the lens tip assembly.

The greatest advances and improvements for videoscopes during the past two to five years have been in battery and LED technology. Batteries are smaller and lighter so videoscopes continue to get smaller. The limitations of original videoscopes were getting light into the area being inspected and the size of the power supply.

An Olympus videoscope is used to see if there are any signs of wear or damage and using a fine tip probe allows maintenance teams to inspect the insides of components and obscured parts of the fuselage for signs of cracking or fatigue.

Aircraft maintenance from the inside Wayne Thomson, Technical Manager Asia Pacific with Dallas Airmotive, travels extensively throughout Australia and South-East Asia inspecting aircraft engines to either prepare a quotation for the repair of gas turbines or to approve the airworthiness of a powerplant.

Thomson has more than 20 years of experience maintaining and repairing gas turbine engines.

During his professional career, Thomson has worked on engines manufactured

by General Electric, Rolls-Royce, Pratt & Whitney and Honeywell.

In the Asia Pacific region, Dallas Airmotive has Field Service Technicians located in Brisbane, Perth, Bangkok

and a Regional Turbine Centre in Singapore.

The company operates 24 hours every day and its engine services are OEM-authorised which means it can support most of the turbine engine models that power business aircraft today, and many of the engines used in government, military and commercial applications. It also offers comprehensive engine-specific warranties.

Aircraft maintenance technicians usually refer to themselves as A&Ps, which is shorthand for airframe and power plant mechanics. A&P License holders are certified to inspect, perform, or supervise maintenance of aircraft and aircraft systems.

A&P mechanics are certified to accomplish their duties on both commercial and private aircraft.

Dallas Airmotive delivers unmatched expertise from field service technicians who have an average of 16 years of experience, hold an A&P license and a IA rating.

One of the main tools of the trade is a videoscope, like the Olympus iPlex model used by Thomson. “The Olympus videoscope allows me to see clearly inside the engine which provides a very good idea of the parts required to repair the engine inspected,” he said.

The basic Time Between Overhaul (TBO) and Hot Section Inspection (HSI) interval is designated in the maintenance manual for a particular engine model. The TBO interval depends on the specified operation of the engine, which the operator may adjust if required, based upon operating experience but must also get the approval from the appropriate airworthiness authority, such as the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) in Australia.

Typical engine maintenance actions include, engine washing, compressor and turbine desalination, Foreign Object Damage (FOD) and corrosion inspection of the compressor and inlet case, fuel nozzle inspection and borescope inspection of combustion chamber, compressor turbine vane and blades.

Engines operating in sandy or dusty environments, or in smog or salt-laden atmospheres, should be subjected to additional inspections for corrosion

where most deterioration occurs.” The results can be quickly checked against the maintenance manual criteria to determine the serviceability of the engine.

and compressor erosion.

For an aircraft operator, it is important to minimise the time when an aircraft is not able to fly. Thomson regularly suggests that certain inspections be coordinated with other maintenance procedures.

The latest videoscopes are lightweight and can be used on the flightline. The monitor can be placed in the engine bay and can use the pistol grip to control the camera to inspect the core of the engine. The camera and cable of a videoscope connect to a monitor where images can be viewed in real time.

One engine Thomson frequently works with is the Pratt & Whitney PT6A, which is a lightweight free turbine engine incorporating a reverse flow combustion path.

It utilises two counter-rotating turbines: one driving the compressor and the other driving the propeller through a reduction gearbox. The latter turbine is “free” or independent of the compressor turbine. The design of the PT6A engine allows it to be split into two major parts called the power section assembly and the gas generator assembly.

Data can also be recorded and reviewed for faults which may have been initially missed.

The large, daylight viewing screen of the latest iPlex range also allows them to be used as a training tool.

An inspector can be watching the screen at the same time as a trainee maintenance engineer and explain what is being shown.

“For example, a PT6A Series engine may require the removal and cleaning of the fuel nozzles every 400 flying hours,” stated Thomson. “Coordinating this with a boroscope inspection allows me to use the fuel nozzle openings to look at the hot sections of the engine

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A less obvious advantage of the smaller size of the iPlex videoscopes is that they are easier to transport between international jobs.

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THE INTERVIEW

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

-William Jennings Bryan

Buddy Barakat, General Manager of ProDetec

title

Talking the Trans-Tasman economy down is becoming a regular news item in all media. This cannot be good for anyone as it drives confidence down and has a negative effect on all businesses big and small. The current challenges are real and one cannot hide his head in the sand hoping they will go away. But there is still positive out there that we should all build on.

Low commodity prices especially for oil and iron ore are a big problem, this delays investment in large projects meaning fewer opportunities for everyone.

Also, the high cost of running a business in Australia is a real threat to growth and sustainability. One has to have the right balance in order to maintain expectations and to ensure longevity of any business.

Is a falling Australian dollar good or bad for suppliers?

We all knew that the Australian dollar at parity with USD is not sustainable.

As an importer, the higher dollar makes us more competitive. However, it also makes major projects (that are usually priced in USD) much more expensive.

A high AUD also makes Australia less competitive from an engineering and design point of view. Many of the last large LNG projects were engineered in Asia and Houston. This keeps local involvement to a minimum and deprives us of large opportunities.

Many suppliers across the Trans-Tasman are struggling at the moment, yet ProDetec continues to go from strength to strength. What are the main reasons for the success of the company?

provider of good solutions and high quality systems and instrumentations in many industries across Australia and New Zealand.

Everyone is facing challenging times at the moment. However our products and solutions are unique and not just a “me too”. Our principal suppliers and manufacturers are leaders in their fields and manufacture state of the art technologies. When you are associated with safety and high quality process control instrumentation, you cannot compromise on quality.

We’ve had our fair share of challenges over the years. The biggest challenge I think is finding the right people to work with you. We invest in our engineers and sales personnel, we train them here as well as have them trained by our manufacturers in Europe and USA on a regular basis. Holding on to them is an even bigger challenge.

What are the main challenges ProDetec has experienced since inception?

A large number of our customers are large multi nationals who have high expectations from their suppliers. If you do the right thing by them, they will come back to you.

Diversifying our offering has always been a big challenge for us. Having all our eggs in one basket is very risky.

We have succeeded in having a range of solution offering for different industries.

From day one we wanted to set ourselves apart from other similar organisations and we have succeeded.

ProDetec is now recognised as a

Suppliers across the Trans-Tasman face many challenges. What do you believe are the main challenges over the next 5 years?

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How can Trans-Tasman suppliers who supply quality products combat cheap imports?

It all depends on what you are supplying and who your customers are.

Yes there are customers who want the cheapest regardless of quality. However deciding based on price alone does not always save money. We all have to be commercially competitive. We do our work with engineering companies and end users well in advance to highlight the benefits of our solutions over cheaper alternatives. Many customers will pay a small premium for a better and a more reliable solution.

ProDetec not only supplies field equipment and control equipment for various industries, it also offers engineering expertise, commissioning, field service and after sales support.

Do you believe the Trans-Tasman is experiencing a skills crisis and if so, what measures can be taken to address this issue?

Without the right people no business can move forward or grow to its full potential. We have experienced it on many occasions with various technical positions we wanted to fill. It does vary from year to year. Over the past 3 to 4 years we have had problems finding the right applicants. At the moment I think there are more available candidates because a large number of projects are finished or are near completion.

I think this is currently being addressed with skilled migration. Whenever we advertised, the majority of candidates were recent migrants with qualifications from another country. It is a good solution, however we should have programs that encourage local students to take up apprenticeships and technical TAFE courses.

What do you believe the future holds for industry and manufacturing across the Trans-Tasman? Are you optimistic?

Unfortunately a lot of factories have relocated and some local industries have even disappeared (e.g. car manufacturing).

Trans-Tasman manufacturing has to be competitive but more importantly, we have to be smart.

If you visit any of the main international manufacturing exhibitions anywhere in the world, you do come across the “Made in China” but you also see excellent products made in OECD countries that are much smaller than say Australia. We have the knowhow and the capacity to come up with great products in this country.

The entire world should be seen as our market, especially Asia. A “Made in Australia” in Asia is highly regarded and they are our next door neighbours.

We should bank on this and push exports of the right products.

What does the future hold for ProDetec?

In 2015 we are in our thirteenth year but we are still at the start of our journey. The future is bright for us and we are growing. We learn from our mistakes and we focus on our strengths and we continue to build on these.

We have earned the respect of our customers but we never take them for granted. We are diversifying with new products and new solutions for new applications. The common denominator for us is always to deliver high quality, reliable solutions. Most importantly we still enjoy what we do.

Follow the crowd and you will never be followed by a crowd.

- Unknown

THE FUTURE OF MANUFACTURING

Why companies need to automate their workforce management James Kissell, marketing director at WFS For many manufacturing companies, labour is the highest business cost and sometimes also the most variable cost.

Manufacturing companies can gain better insight into these costs and how to manage them more effectively with workforce management technology.

This can result in significant benefits to the bottom line.

Many manufacturing companies still rely on manual processes, spreadsheets, and outdated technology to manage their workforce. However, companies that implement workforce management technology have better insights into scheduling, absence and leave management, and overall compliance. This lets them create lean staffing levels, control labour costs, and improve productivity, helping them achieve cost savings and efficiency benefits.

According to a study by the Aberdeen Group, automated workforce management software users achieve 54 per cent more revenue per full-time equivalent worker by automating time

and attendance, compared with those that don’t.

Using manual processes instead of automating opens up the possibility of errors, particularly when it comes to rosters and leave management. It makes it difficult for organisations to get a clear picture of how their workforce is performing and where they may need to make changes.

Workforce management systems ensure greater levels of compliance with wage and hour regulations across different legislative zones. This helps to protect the organisation’s bottom line from unexpected regulatory fines and violation fees. By automating these processes and including self-service options for employees, manufacturing businesses can dramatically reduce the amount of time required to manage their employees according to various workplace regulations and legislation.

As well as reducing the amount of time it takes to manage employees, automating workforce management can deliver better insight into the

strategic strength of the workforce and better utilisation of resources, resulting in lower costs.

Unpredictable schedules can result in unplanned overtime expenses, which can disrupt budgets.

Workforce management systems reduce scheduling inaccuracies, which can limit the need to make employees work expensive overtime shifts, while ensuring all shifts are adequately covered.

methods like PIN entry or a badge swipe. This can boost both employee accountability and morale.

Automated workforce management systems can track hours worked to measure and enhance productivity.

Businesses that rely on manual timekeeping often have inflated payroll figures caused by employees estimating their hours worked, or clocking in for absent or late colleagues. Employees can also get frustrated by colleagues that they perceive as less productive.

This inaccurate and fraudulent time recording can be costly to the business.

Complex pay rules are difficult to manually calculate and can increase the risk of payroll errors and employee complaints. Automating the process mitigates the risk, it ensures the business doesn’t overpay workers and complies with the employee awards system.

Manufacturers that understand how automated workforce management let them make better use of staff, ensure accurate payroll calculations, save money, and increase effectiveness, will be able to compete more effectively in a globally-competitive marketplace.

Automated workforce technology can reduce fraudulent clocking by requiring employee verification

Powder materials for metal 3D printing The market for 3D printing is poised for an explosive growth. Today, a plethora of 3D printing techniques can shape objects from an ever growing list of materials – photo-polymeric resins, extruded filament, powders of plastics, pure metals and alloys, etc.

manufacturing are mostly those being used in a range of applications (medical, aerospace, jewelry, automotive, etc…):

Metal additive processes such as metal powder bed fusion and directed energy depositionare potentially capable of producing high-quality, functional and load bearing parts from a variety of metallic powder materials. However, “one-size-fits-all” doesn’t apply well to industrial additive manufacturing and when it comes to high value parts and critical applications, it’s crucial to know the pros and cons of these processes and how they apply to a chosen material, or to partner with an expert who does.

• Cobalt-chromium and nickel-based superalloys,

Metals powders: Where do they come from?

Today, metals are the fastest-growing segment of 3D printing. The growth of additive manufacturing is tied to business opportunities and, directly, the materials available and their cost.

Low-cost metal powders are the key enablers for 3D printing, to realize its potential and transform industrial production.

Available metallic powders for additive

• Tool and maraging steels, • Stainless steels, • Aluminum alloys,

• Commercially pure titanium and titanium alloys, • Copper alloys • Precious metals (gold, platinum, palladium, silver).

Metal powders can vary widely in size, but also in shape (spherical to irregular). As a consequence, processing characteristics in AM metal systems vary, as well. To ensure consistency and repeatability of the quality of metal powders and AM processes, the machine manufacturers are working closely with powder suppliers.

Metal AM systems manufacturers (EOS, Concept Laser, ARCAM, etc.) supply approved material powders, but many powders are likely atomised elsewhere and the cost is greater than purchasing directly from a powder manufacturer.

segregation

injection moulding (MIM) or powder sintering (PS) have an opportunity to capture some market shares of this booming sector, if they manage to comply with the requirements of metal additive manufacturing.

• Formation of very fine second-phase particles such as inclusions and carbides Sometimes, these effects are desirable but they must be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Supply chains for 3D printing materials are in flux and, therefore, susceptible to technological disruption by innovators.

Generally, because of the refined microstructure of metals produced with additive manufacturing, an increase in strength and decrease in ductility is expected compared with conventional casted or wrought alloys.

Metal additive manufacturing gives rise to unique microstructure and mechanical behaviour Additively manufactured metal parts can experience very high cooling rates, giving rise to several unusual effects depending on the material, as:

The layering building of the part is responsible for directional solidification and anisotropy, while the scanning pattern of the energy beam naturally generates unique microstructures. It is perceived as a disadvantage of the technique.

• Suppression of diffusion-controlled solid-state phase transformations • Formation of solutions and phases

supersaturated non-equilibrium

However, it offers the possibility to customise the microstructure by controlling the scanning pattern and take advantage of a judicious orientation of the part in the platform.

• Formation of extremely fine, refined microstructures with little elemental

Companies producing powders for traditional powder processes such as hot isostatic pressing (HIP), metal

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FOOD MANUFACTURING

Optimists enrich the present, enhance the future, challenge the improbable and attain the impossible - William Arthur

AsureQuality inSight and Authenticateit sign Agreement to bring together traceability, food safety and quality assurance real-time GPS track and trace function, in addition to the food safety and quality information verified by AsureQuality inSight™.

New Zealand government-owned food safety and quality assurance company AsureQuality has signed a strategic alliance with Australian product authenticity, protection and traceability technology firm, Authenticateit.

This is a simple way to interrogate product authenticity at port of entry, and point of sale. AsureQuality’s CEO John McKay said, “Having canvassed all available offerings within the product authentication technology space, AsureQuality has found Authenticateit to represent best practice in the areas of traceability and anti-counterfeiting.

The global food sector is experiencing significant change as a result of increasing demands from regulators and consumers. Both parties are increasingly calling for greater oversight and transparency of supply chains to ensure product safety, quality and authenticity. In light of these growing concerns and anticipated regulatory changes, this agreement brings together the expertise of both parties to produce a single unique solution for government bodies, manufacturers and consumers worldwide.

“The integration of AsureQuality inSight™ and Authenticateit is an exciting development for us. This new combined offering enables the food sector to provide trading partners and consumers with the highest level of confidence in their products.”

Similarly, Gennady Volchek, CEO of Authenticateit, believes the agreement will create greater value for the company’s users, “It’s a very important milestone for Authenticateit to partner and integrate with food safety and quality leader AsureQuality.

The combined proposition of inSight’s independent product supply chain verification and Authenticateit’s traceability, authenticity and consumer engagement application represents an unrivalled evolution in product assurance. By downloading the Authenticateit application and scanning the code on product packaging with a mobile device, consumers can access the item’s

“Being able to extend independently verified, trusted information to a consumer about a product, including raw material certification, proof of origin and other vital information,

adds another dimension to the value that consumers receive in using the Authenticateit App within their shopping experience. This partnership enables brands to further boost consumer confidence and increase their ROI for certifications.”

The strategic alliance increases the reach of the two companies. Combined they offer a global coverage with office representation in eight countries across Europe, Asia, Australasia and South America.

About AsureQuality AsureQuality is a commercial company wholly owned by the New Zealand government. It provides food safety and biosecurity services to the food and primary production sectors worldwide.

Every day its experienced team of 1700 experts based at over 100 locations throughout Australasia, Singapore, Middle East and China works alongside customers in over 40 countries to assure the safety and quality of food being produced for millions of people. Its skilled staff and extensive accreditations enable it to audit, inspect, test, verify and certify food safety and quality and management systems from the farm right to the supermarket shelf.

John McKay CEO Asure Quality (left) and Gennady Volchek, CEO of Authenticateit.

About Authenticateit Authenticateit Pty. Ltd. is an Australian company created by a team of experts in Intellectual property, trademark protection, retail, e-commerce, logistics and IT. The team, in response to the growing concern of counterfeited products, developed the first of its kind cloud-based traceability and serialisation platform built on industry standards of EPCIS. Authenticateit’s front-end free smartphone application enables consumers to verify a product’s authenticity and product recall status prior to purchase in both retail and online environments. Authenticateit is a universal solution and has been successfully deployed in a number of different sectors including, footwear, clothing, and luxury goods, as well meat and dairy.

The Interview James Bell-Booth BCC | Building Clever Companies models for that change in thinking.

The Sprout programme is focused on assisting agritech entrepreneurs to do just that.

What is the upcoming world food crisis that you perceive?

We view the crisis from the perspective of preserving food yield, quality and safety for those around the world. This has to be achieved within a market that is demanding increased volume of food but for the same retail price.

This means the demand for innovation within Agritech grows because producers, processors, distributors and retailers are requiring technology to support the quantity, safety and quality required, but without the added costs that will impact the price for the customer. Sprout is designed to assist entrepreneurs in agritech to deliver innovation to this market within this environment.

How do you see NZ’s role as a food provider to the world?

New Zealand should view its opportunity as a food provider in a much larger context than the primary produce itself. There is high value for global human wellbeing and profit for New Zealand exporters, in the products and services we develop across the entirety of food value chain. All the technology, processes and systems that help New Zealand create the safest, most high value foods in the world, can also generate export revenue in their own right. To do that, New Zealand businesses need to ensure they build the right business

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Opportunities for what we produce?

There will continue to be good demand for our primary produce. The opportunity Sprout is focused on is for the technology, processes and systems

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that can add value throughout the value chain, not just in the primary produce.

Does NZ need more representation overseas for its land-based products?

The more knowledge New Zealanders have of overseas markets and customer behaviour across the food value chain the better. Sprout believes New Zealand agritech entrepreneurs require this knowledge more than anybody. They are people who will lead the charge and take the risk to deliver innovations to these overseas markets.

Are there products y u would like to see grown here that presently aren’t For example,exotic fruits, rice etc?

Sprout is looking to encourage the development of innovations that can add value to the existing strengths of New Zealand primary produce. This value added innovation can come in multiple forms, examples include exploring new extracts from crops and animals, yield improvement technologies and identifying new marketing approaches for products.

What is the outlook for NZ’s growers?

New Zealand growers should be excited by how new agritech ideas can transform their businesses. If New Zealand growers can aggressively explore opportunities that will improve yield, profitability and quality of their produce, the outlook looks strong.

Which markets should we be focussing on?

Markets that deliver return for the investment in agritech and innovation for growers. To identify those markets takes strong in-market knowledge and understanding of how technology and innovation can be applied to their businesses.

Hawkes Bay recently declared itself a spray-free growing region. What are the benefits of this move?

Any use of technology, innovation or initiatives like spray free require a good marketing strategy to ensure that the value that has been created is targeted at the consumers who are going to pay for it.

If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.

Introducing

- Albert Einstein

title text

HEADING A point of difference in today’s busy FMCG market.

Developed by AsureQuality, inSight™ provides shoppers with independently verified information about the products they are about to buy.

After a successful application process, producers can place the inSight™ logo and a QR code on their product packaging.

When shoppers scan the QR code at the point of sale they can access information about the product, including: • • • • •

Environmental sustainability Social and ethical concerns Nutritional information Safety and quality Origin

Call us now on 0508 00 11 22 to find out how inSight™ can add value to your business. www.aqinsight.com

A new innovation taking product assurances into the 21st Century www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz / NZ Manufacturer October 2015 23

WORKSHOP TOOLS

Experience is not what happens to you. It is what you do with what happens to you.

- Aldous Huxley

Temperature calibration software for a wide range of sensors MET/TEMP II automates batch calibrations of platinum resistance thermometers (PRTs), liquid-in-glass (LIGs) and bimetallic thermometers, thermistors, and a wide range of thermocouple sensors to standardise testing for consistent results no matter who performs the calibration. Virtually any sensor with a resistance or voltage output can be tested, up to 100 sensors at a time.

An upgrade to MET/TEMP II Temperature Calibration Software is a comprehensive calibration solution for testing batches of sensors, calculating characterisation of coefficients, and generating calibration reports.

The new version 5.0 adds compatibility with the Microsoft Windows 7 and 8 operating systems and support for Fluke Calibration’s most recent temperature calibration sources: the 9190A Ultra-Cool Field Metrology Well and 9118A Thermocouple Calibration Furnace.

Manual calibration of temperature sensors can be expensive, time-consuming, and error prone. With

MET/TEMP II, calibration technicians simply place test sensors in a heat source, connect them to a temperature readout, enter the setup information, and start the test. Hours of testing are performed while the technician is free to do other work.

After the test is complete, the technician prints and signs the report and ships the sensors and report to the customer, helping to improve productivity and saving hours.

The intuitive interface guides the user through configuring and running

calibration tests and reporting, making it easy to learn and use.

3D printed HoverCraft Hovercraft’s which are also known as air-cushion vehicles or AVC can travel on over land, water, mud or ice and other surfaces. Unlike all the other vehicles we know, a Hovercraft does not touch the ground to get the lift, it uses blowers to produce a large volume of air below the hull that is slightly above atmospheric pressure.

The thus generated air cushion makes the vehicle levitate in air making the journey smoother than any other vehicle.

Jan Bürstner is a Hovercraft enthusiast and was working on one such DIY project when he got inspired to make an Open Source 3D Printed Hovercraft.

Surprisingly the first ever reference of such vehicle was done in 1716 by a Swedish scientist Emanuel Swedenborg and the air cushion design which is symbolic to these vehicles was patented by a British shipbuilder John Isaac Thornycroft in the year 1870.

He designed all the parts of the hovercraft himself using the Autodesk’s Inventor 2013 software and has uploaded the same on Thingiverse.

This allows anyone with a 3D printed to download the STL and create their own motorized hovercraft design.

If you look up on the internet you will find a lot of DIY hovercraft projects which can be made with little to no experience and believe me it’s an extremely fascinating vehicle to make.

The current model of the 3D printed Hovercraft is the 3rd iteration and probably the most versatile model.

In the earlier version of the Hovercraft Mr. Bürstner, experienced issues like the inability to control them outside of turning around their own axis, the inability to carry weight. The other major issue he faced was that the

Vehicle was unable to recover from damages to the propeller caused by small pebbles. This was solved by adding a rubber base which could be a cycle tube attached to the base.

Jan Bürstner, printed the HoverCraft using a MakerbotReplicator printer with 15% infill on his two-shelled parts at a speed of 75 mm/s.

According to him all the parts of the design takes around three days to print and use two motors while a single thrust motor helps control the direction of the craft. 2800 mAhLipo batteries are used to power the motor that runs the propeller to make the air cushion and the thrust.

The HoverCraft can also be fitted with LED lights as well as a small action camera to capture the ride.

Clamps improve productivity AccuPRO UV and white light meter combine sensors New high current and 4-20 mA dc current clamps speed troubleshooting through collaboration, regardless of location

multiple devices simultaneously, review equipment history, and share measurements with other team members for faster troubleshooting.

Now added are two new dc current clamps to the Fluke Connect system of wireless test tools: the Fluke a3003 FC Wireless DC Current Clamp and the a3004 FC Wireless DC 4-20 mA Current Clamp. Both fully-functional current clamps can wirelessly send measurements to Fluke Connect enabled master units as well as the Fluke Connect mobile app so users can view measurements from

The a3003 FC Wireless DC Current Clamp measures up to 2000 A dc making it ideal for very high dc current measurements typically found in utility and dc machine controller applications.

It features a large jaw size (64 mm) for clamping around and measuring on large, high current conductors.

The a3004 FC Wireless DC 4-20mA Current Clamp measures 4 to 20 mA signals without breaking the loop so process control technicians can make accurate measurements without interrupting the workflow. It features a detachable clamp with extension cable for measurements in tight locations.

Both current clamps can record and store up to 65,000 measurements with the logging feature to isolate intermittent events or record fluctuations without even being there.

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The AccuPRO Series of digital radiometer/photometers measures and displays UV and white light readings simultaneously.

The AccuPRO series includes two new models: the standard AccuPro (XP-2000) with a dual-wavelength sensor that measures both ultraviolet and visible light. The AccuPRO Plus (XP-4000) 3-in-1 multi-purpose sensor capable of measuring ultraviolet, visible and blue light.

Both units comply with ASTM specifications for MPI and FPI, making them the ideal companion for NDT. The instrument has internal batteries that are charged by USB input.

The portable, palm-sized units feature a large colour LCD screen, protective rubber housing and a three-way button interface

which makes it fast and convenient to toggle between measurement modes.

Overall accuracy is better than ± 5% per NIST standards. The AccuPro series is user-friendly and intuitive.

HEADING

If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.

- Albert Einstein

title text

A&G PRICE LTD A & G Price continues to demonstrate its commitment to investment in new technology The recent purchase of two “Artec” brand 3D Scanners has created a buzz with both the design and process engineers at A & G Price Ltd says the GM Nick Box. To ensure maximisation usage on small detail as well as larger scanning capabilities the company purchased an Artec “Eva” as well as an Artec “Spider” scanner.

The Eva has a wide scanning field and 3D accuracy of 0.1mm and can scan items up to 1 metre from the scanner.

The Spider has a smaller scanning field with 3D accuracy of 0.03mm.

The two scanners can be used in conjunction with each other to capture 3D data into a single STL file. The Eva is used to quickly capture the basic form of the 3D shape. The Spider is then used in areas that require higher definition or dimensional accuracy.

The captured 3D model is rendered in real time on the PC screen and can be immediately sectioned or measured directly from the scanned data. The scanned 3D data can be imported into most 3D modelling systems such as Solid Works which we use extensively in our foundry, machine and fabrication shops.

Alternatively the scanned data can be sent directly to our 3D plastic printer for rapid prototyping and pattern work.

3D Scanning allows us to quickly “Reverse Engineer” components eg, Non Supported OEM items, Break Down or Repair items.

This has led to vastly improved turnaround times for replacement items in the breakdown situation with our field sales engineers able to scan and capture measurements of components onsite.

One field that is showing promise is the Mining and Quarry industries, these operators often have the only machine in the country which ties them to the standard OEM supplied wear parts.

We are now scanning the components and modifying the working face to suit their particular requirements, we then router a 3D pattern in foam and cast the item.

This has allowed us a quicker turnaround time, no expensive up front pattern cost, more flexibility to explore alternative designs so if our customers requirements change in the future it’s only a matter of modifying the model and making a new casting.

Traditionally reverse engineering modelling of complex multi shaped and curved components is very difficult and time consuming, now we simply scan them and convert the model too solid works and produce shop drawings for manufacture. What was once a multiday job can take only a few hours.

Another benefit for our customers is required we can also use the scanners for “In Process” measurements of machined or fabricated items and final inspection of components within our Work Shops. This gives an accurate 3D model of the entire components instead of the traditionally checked machined areas.

There is no end to what can be scanned, if you have a sample we can scan it.

Contact us at A & G Price Ltd Sales Manager – Barry Ingle 07 8686060 or 027 544 6780

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MAINTENANCE

If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around - Jim Rohn

National Maintenance Engineering Conference announces major package for students and apprentices The 2015 SKF National Maintenance Engineering Conference is set to become the Mecca for Generation Y engineers with the announcement of a major conference participation package for apprentices and engineering students.

Participation pricing for the 2 day national event are already the lowest in the Southern Hemisphere at $795+GST pp, however the announcement of a special apprentice and student package at $320+GSTpp represents unbelievable value for people new to industry and wanting to grasp the opportunity to learn and network.

Organised by the Maintenance Engineering Society of NZ, the annual event reflects the ethos of the society in embracing and developing engineers.

Society members need no convincing of the importance of nurturing each new generation and the organisers are backing the radical move to open up access to apprentices and students.

significant focus on engineering careers with the Bill Buckley Engineering Scholarship and the Competenz Stuart Tolhurst Apprentice Trophy being presented during proceedings. Add to this over 60 major industry suppliers in the Exhibition Hall, 2 days of inspiring and informative papers from our multi-national panel of speakers and the chance to meet with potential

According to Expo Manager Chris Thomas, “This event already has a

future employers and I know where I would be if I was starting on a career in engineering.”

For apprentices on a time budget, a one-day pass is also offered a $190+GSTpp. Details and registration can be found online at www.mesnz. org.nz/conference/registration/ The 2015 SKF National Maintenance

Engineering Conference will be held at the Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton on November 18 and 19.

As well as preconference training opportunities, the Exhibition Hall will be open for invited guests and pre-registered members of the public from 2-5:30pm on Tuesday 17 November.

Low maintenance solar tracker actuators incoming sunlight and a photovoltaic array.

Low maintenance Airstroke actuators from Firestone provide a compact and easily installed way to continuously orient solar trackers’ payload towards the sun to optimise the amount of energy produced from installed power generating capacity.

Alternatively, an ingenious actuation alternative uses the expansion and contraction of Freon gas as it is heated and cooled within the actuators to extend and retract them and change the angle of the collection panels (as per illustration above).

The rubber and fabric actuators can be used to solve the problem of stationary solar collection panels becoming inefficient as the sun shifts from a 90-degree angle to the panels.

Airstrokes are particularly beneficial for commercial installations, where continuous focusing of the arrays through single or dual-axis arrangements enhances energy returns. Such installations - sometimes in remote locations and subject to climatic extremes over 24 hours -

Usually inflated or deflated by standard fixed or mobile compressed air (typically 7 bar (100 psi), they move photovoltaic systems to minimise and angle of incidence between the

need extremely reliable actuators to continuously reposition payloads such as solar panels, reflectors, mirrors or lenses.

Airstroke bellows offered by for use by solar engineers and installers have been proven in widespread heavy duty industrial actuation throughout Australia, including providing millions of cycles of service on conveyors and mineral processing screens and vibrators, where they have to withstand dust, heat, moisture and extremes of Outback climate.

They are identical in construction to the airbags proven in truck and train suspension so they are extraordinarily tough. In addition to having no internal rods of seals to wear - unlike conventional metal cylinders - they have the ability to rotate through an angle without a clevis.

In addition to making air springs easy to install in compact spaces, this ability to bend with load (and to tolerate high side loadings) means the air springs will perform where more rigid alternatives would break or wear.

Advantages of Air Springs • Cost. Air springs can be used instead of more expensive hydraulic systems

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when applying large forces. Sizes are available from fewer than 80mm to more than nearly 1000mm (3in to 38in) in diameter, in single, double and triple convolutions.

• Suitability for aggressive environments. Since there are no seals sliding against exposed surfaces, an air spring can often survive abrasive and corrosive environments that require special consideration when a conventional cylinder is used.

• Compact installation. The way a flexible-wall air spring operates is as follows: it is compressed to its minimum height then extends when pressure is applied. In most cases, the minimum height is considerably less than the available stroke. As a result, air springs can be put in a very compact space and extended to more than twice their starting height.

• Ease of attachment and low maintenance. Since the bellows bends, its bead plates don’t have to remain parallel. No lubrication is required once it is in place. Ease of attachment. The lack of seals also means lack of friction and jerkiness in operation.

HEADING

If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.

- Albert Einstein

title text

18 – 19 November 2015 Claudelands Event Centre

Hamilton Sponsor and Exhibitor Enquiries Welcome Expo Open Day 17 November Delegate Registrations now open More information:

www.nmec.co.nz

Lifting the Game of Maintenance Engineering Speaker Sponsor

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BUSINESS NEWS

The best preparation for tomorrow is to do today’s work superbly well.

- William Osler

Green Giants.

How smart companies turn sustainability into billion dollar businesses E. Freya Williams and Tesla which makes the first commercially successful all-electric vehicle.

Sustainability has come a long way in a decade. Once seen as a negative thing, sustainability is increasingly being recognised as a source of advantage for business. A number of companies stand out as exemplars in this field and their stories provide the backbone of this book by sustainability consultant Freya Williams.

Some businesses, meanwhile, have specific product lines that are sustainable, such as Toyota Prius or Ikea’s Sustainable Life at Home range.

Old attitudes persist, however.

Williams quotes conservative economist Milton Friedman dismissing businesses with a social conscience as “unadulterated socialism” in the 1970s. That view has hardened in some quarters, driven by the cynicism and short-term thinking of Wall Street.

Williams is as much an insider as an observer, and the blurb here says she was the brains behind campaigns such as Coca-Cola’s PlantBottle, Hellmann’s switch to free range eggs and the award-winning Copenhagen campaign in support of the United Nations at the COP15 climate change conference.

Her skill, it seems, is in making sustainability relevant to the mainstream. Williams has drawn firm conclusions from the case studies she has examined to produce a very readable work on a subject that often receives a dull treatment.

Scepticism about environmental concerns is rife in some boardrooms.

In a briefing to journalists in 2008, Bob Lutz, then vice-chairman of GM, famously called global warming “a crock of shit”.

The green giants remain the exceptions for now but the scale of these businesses is impressive and more are following. Airbnb, Patagonia, The Honest Company and SweetGreen are all expected to reach the €1 billion mark soon.

The green giants are businesses with a turnover of $1 billion or more that can be directly attributed to a product, service or line of business with sustainability at its core. They include restaurant chain Chipotle, which raises the meat in all its products in natural and sustainable ways, Unilever which is committed to halving its environmental footprint by 2020

Sustainability is not a niche, but an enlightened way of making serious money.

Common characteristics

include having iconoclastic leaders, such as Chipotle chief executive Steve Ells. We read how we underwent a Pauline conversion to more humane livestock-rearing after being shocked by practices in a supplier farm.

He resolved to source more stock from farms with more humane practices.

Colleagues argued the extra cost would sink his business to which he purportedly replied: “I don’t care. It’s the right thing to do.”

Steel industry cautious on new Christchurch investment fund New Zealand’s structural steel industry says the announcement of a planned new investment fund for the Christchurch rebuild is good news for the city, however it remains to be seen whether it will end up costing Kiwis their jobs.

of this agreement between Guoxin International and Christchurch City Council.

“Our main concern is that importing capital, materials and skills from overseas could lead to the loss of local jobs – not just in the structural steel industry, but right across the building supply chain.”

Steel Construction New Zealand Manager Alistair Fussell says he welcomes initiatives which help deliver the high-quality building and infrastructure projects needed to rebuild Christchurch.

There is a proven economic case for awarding tenders to local suppliers, says Mr Fussell.

“A New Zealand fabrication firm recently bid for a structural steel contract worth $34 million. However, keeping it local would attract an additional GDP contribution of $14.1 million – an economic multiplier of 1.4

“On the face of it, it is good news for Christchurch, especially if it helps speed up development. But we’re reserving judgement until more is known about the downstream effects

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– as well as a tax contribution of $3.3 million.

“There’s a significant economic uplift when local materials and labour are used. We have more than enough capacity in the local industry to deliver the structural steel volumes required to rebuild Christchurch, so we’re saying let’s think about the consequences very carefully,” says Mr Fussell.

Christchurch City Council’s procurement policy states that tendering processes for public projects must be equitable and transparent. Mr Fussell says while the policy does provide some comfort, it remained to be seen how closely the Council would adhere to its own rules with respect to the Guoxin

International fund.

“We certainly hope the Council follows its key procurement policy principles, including value for money (focusing on the total cost of ownership over the life of a project, and not on the lowest upfront cost); local supply (giving local suppliers fair and full opportunity to tender, and take benefits to the local economy into account); and sustainability (balancing the delivery of economic, environmental, social and cultural outcomes),” he says.

Steel Construction New Zealand will be discussing its concerns directly with Christchurch City Council and CERA, as well as with other industry stakeholders.

ANALYSIS

Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved.

-William Jennings Bryan

Peterson’s Perspective: Will the science and R&D plan work?

by Gilbert Peterson

For the past six years New Zealand’s innovation landscape has been littered with dithering and waste as the country’s investment in science and R&D failed to rise to an average OECD performance.

With that in the background this week’s announcement of the new ‘National Science Strategy’ and Building Innovation plan, must surely be Minister Steven Joyce’s last shot at gaining traction in this the economy’s weakest performing, and most critically exposed area.

The launch of the new way forward for science and innovation is at least as important, if not more so than the announcement of the TPP agreement though totally eclipsed by it.

But the question remains: Will the new approach prove the most efficient and effective way to move science investment and its commercialisation significantly forward?

Certainly Science and Innovation Minister Joyce deserves congratulations for hearing what business and the science community had to say, and coming up with a plan to address their concerns.

For the first time I can recall the minister articulated clearly the economic value contribution made by science and R&D to the nation.

In launching Building Innovation he said: “Successful innovation improves competiveness, increases our output, drives productivity growth, and creates successful exports by introducing new or improved products, processes, or methods into the economy.” Bravo for that.

Our future prosperity depends on innovation and the science and R&D that underpin it.

The chief economist of the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, Roger Proctor, spelled this out in a blog earlier this year.

In answering the question, ‘Where does income growth come from?’ he said it comes from increases in productivity that occur when new

things are produced that people are willing to pay more for than they cost to produce, and by producing new things we already produce with fewer resources. In a word, it requires innovation. And where does innovation come from? Answer: ‘The business environment can have a lot to do with it.’

The National Science Strategy and the Building Innovation plan represent Minister Joyce’s big drive to make our business environment a place where innovation can flourish.

In his words: “Our aim is to create the conditions that allow businesses to be ambitious and innovative.”

The importance of building our capacity to innovate cannot be overstated, and while boosting investment in science and R&D is not the whole answer, they are certainly the major cornerstones for it.

The discovery of this truth goes back to Nobel prize winning economists 30 and more years ago, but New Zealand has been very late to recognise it, and our investment in science and R&D has been very poor.

Last year the OECD’s annual Main Science and Technology Indicators backed by US National Science Foundation data ranked our commitment to R&D at 21st. We invested 1.3 per cent of GDP in R&D, below the world average of 1.6 per cent, and behind countries such as Portugal (1.5 per cent) and the Czech Republic (1.9 per cent) though ahead of Russia (1.1 per cent), Turkey (1 per cent) and Morocco (0.7 per cent).

Israel and Korea jointly topped the rankings at 4.2 per cent.

Recent figures from Statistics NZ revealed the extent of the ground we have to make up. New Zealand business investment in R&D has been increasing more slowly than GDP, with most of it going into R&D on IT.

A survey by Grant Thornton International late last year found New Zealand was indeed slipping further behind our trading partners in our commitment to R&D. It reported a net 20 per cent of New Zealand companies expected to increase their investment in R&D, much less than our major trading partners China (36 per cent), Australia (31 per cent) and the US (27 per cent).

All of these countries offer their businesses hefty tax incentives to offset their R&D spend; we are amongst the very few in the developed world that don’t incentivize R&D through the tax system in this way.

A reason most countries apply tax incentives is that R&D invariably creates both private as well as a public benefits. The whole value derived from science and R&D is rarely captured by the entity undertaking it. In the same way the innovation that boosts productivity often spreads rapidly from the organization that initiated it throughout the wider, global community.

(Adding trouble to these oily waters is that our tax funded grants schemes to date have often enriched overseas interests when the companies awarded them are bought and move offshore. But more on them in a future column) The question hovering over Minister Joyce’s new plans is, will they deliver more science investment and, in the absence of more direct and broadly based financial incentives strategically on tap in most other OECD nations, will they boost private sector investment in R&D? At the time the National led government came to power Minister Joyce cancelled the R&D tax incentives that Labour had just

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introduced and the value of which had had no time to be demonstrated.

He replaced it over time with the elaborate system of grants funding administered by the gold plated Callaghan Innovation.

Now he is ramping up the approach with more funding for business growth grants administered by Callaghan along with a more intense scrutiny of their impact, in an effort to double private sector R&D by 2025.

This, despite feedback from the business community that it would rather get the tax breaks.

Minister Joyce also committed to raise government spending on R&D from 0.65 per cent of GDP to 0.8 percent, and to raise private sector R&D from about 0.6 percent of GDP to 1 percent by 2025, an ‘aspirational goal.’

The most valued part of the changes announced for the science undertaken largely in CRIs and universities is a recognition of market failure in investigator-led or discovery research. This will address a perceived shortfall in the funding available for investigators to pursue ideas discovered as part of their scientific investigations.

Overall, the intentions are sound, all pointing towards lifting our science and R&D investment. But there is to be no turning away from the grants funded approach focussed on the high tech sectors, no sense of the value of what broad based, tax incentivises could do to drive innovation as a national campaign throughout the whole business community.

And a lack lustre performance from Callaghan Innovation to date is to be rewarded with more funding and responsibilities.

-from the mscnewire reporters desk.

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DEVELOPMENTS

The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once.

-Samuel Smiles

3D printing changing the way we think Surveys indicate that more than 30 percent of the top 300 largest global brands are now using or evaluating 3D printing (often with printing technology in-house) whether for prototyping and other innovation projects or in actual production of what they sell.

And in fact, it’s also like the most recent days of the automobile era.

The “Uber of 3D printers” is 3D Hubs, a platform that allows designers, once they have created 3D software files, to find 3D printer owners in their locales who can, for an agreed fee, print them out of the desired materials.

Over 200 universities and colleges already offer 3D coursework in their curricula - covering aspects of not only 3D printing but also 3D scanning and design. There is no question that 3D has reached a tipping point.

Already, nearly 20,000 printers have registered with the site globally - most of them individuals who bought their machines for personal use but are not running them at anywhere near their full capacity. That network footprint, 3D Hub reports, means that one billion people on this planet already have a 3D printer within 10 miles of their homes.

Perhaps there is a simple reason that the tipping point is arriving now. It’s connected to the recent arrival of very affordable desktop 3D printers - which means it isn’t only big corporate R&D departments that are coming down the 3D learning curve.

It is not that all these artisans and hobbyists and their shop-scale technology are collectively producing enough 3D-printed output to put a dent in the overall economy.

People and students all around the world are embracing newly accessible technology to make the things they couldn’t make as easily before.

The most important “tipping point” isn’t about how many manufacturers have changed, it’s about how many minds have. Thanks to more accessible technology, we are now reaching a critical mass of people who, when they think about how things are made, think in a different way. You could say they are thinking in 3D.

For evidence, just look at the popular crowdfunding site Kickstarter. Over the past couple of years, entrepreneurs have used it to launch no fewer than 300 3D-printer-related campaigns - and many of them have funded at levels in the millions of dollars.

It is simply a different world when the time lapse between creating a design and having a tangible object of that design in hand is tiny. One inventor says that with traditional CAD tools, he would spend 15-16 hours to build a new model, but with web-based tools

This must be what it felt like in the earliest days of the automobile when, depending on which source you check, something like 1,800-2,800 auto “startups” were launched in the span of a few decades.

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he has cut that down to only 15-20 minutes.

Once you begin to assume that your iterations will be so quick, many aspects of how you think about developing and delivering products change.

Having 3D printing technology right at hand opens people’s minds to possibilities for using it beyond the modelling of the characters themselves - for example, to print the parts, jigs, and fixtures also needed to complete work and deliver it to clients.

Having a 3D printer in the office can change the way you approach design overall.

The same can be said about the 3D software tools that are becoming widely available.

As just one example, apps now exist to allow smartphone users to snap some pictures of an object and get a digital 3D rendering of it. That means, of course, that you can print a scale model of something - like an action figure of yourself, for example.

But more importantly, if some approximation of an object you wish to create already exists, you now have a starting point for it rather than beginning with a blank screen. Beyond being a timesaver, that might spell the difference between pursuing your novel idea or never getting around to it.

It might not always occur to us that this is true, but the people who work as operations management executives

in large manufacturing concerns are also people with outside lives, who take interest in new trends and who have hobbies and side projects suited to their skills.

Having a 3D printer in the office can change the way you approach design overall.

Some of the people going to work in today’s big businesses are young people who were not long ago learning about 3D in classrooms and science museums.

Some aren’t so young but have kids doing that. Some are “makers” or even casual entrepreneurs, earning extra cash selling 3D printer access to their neighbours.

The more people like this who arrive in a workplace, the more likely that workplace will be to undergo a change.

This is how tipping points are reached: not when some key percentage of big companies has installed a technology, but when enough people see its possibilities.

Expect to see global manufacturing transformed as more people see new ways to make things, because they’re thinking in 3D.

REAR VIEW

He is most powerful who has power over himself - Seneca

While emerging or fledgling industries do exist, the missing link that should sit alongside this initiate is serious and comprehensive industry development activity, so that industry can grow swiftly to a level where it really can use and exploit the science developed and make a real contribution to regional development.

Growing regional research initiatives Commentary by HERA Industry Development General Manager Nick Inskip Announced in the Budget on the 21st May was an item around the establishment of independent regional research institutes. The intent being that the Government would provide funding towards the establishment of a number of institutes to be located in regional areas and not in the three large centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

The model espoused was something like the role taken by the Cawthron Institute, which is located in Nelson and serves the needs of the aquaculture and marine ecology community.

Cawthron has a history of almost a hundred years and employs around 200 hundred people.

It is interesting to see how Cawthron has evolved from an initial concept a technical institute to be developed from a bequest from Thomas Cawthron - into an institute that has developed alongside an industry and at various times has led, supported or followed its development.

As an aspirational model Cawthron is excellent; it has critical mass to survive and even thrive outside a major city and has been well-supported by Government over the years. The intent of the new institutes is that they will operate as private, independently-governed entities working closely with industry and other regional actors to stimulate new leading-edge, commercially-focused and industrially

exploitable research.

A series of Regional Research Institutes Workshops have been held around the country with the intent of seeking input to the proposed initiative, and introducing high-level aims and eligibility requirements.

So far, the workshops have been well-attended. The process from here will be that interested parties can lodge expressions of interest between November and early February, and further develop the business case from there if they look viable.

achieved by Cawthron. The reason for that is that Cawthron developed organically along with its industry, and here we are expecting a significant enough industry to already exist in the regions to drive the research agenda where it may not have in the past.

The challenge is that while the aspirational model might be Cawthron, New Zealand doesn’t have a hundred years to get the kind of outcomes

ExportNZ welcomes TPP deal Catherine Beard, Executive Director of ExportNZ says it is a huge relief for New Zealand exporters that the Trans Pacific Partnership deal has reached a positive conclusion, despite not getting all we wanted from dairy access.

equal access to those huge markets.

New Zealand has more to gain from TPP than most countries because the highest tariffs apply to primary products, which are around two-thirds of our goods exports.”

“It is important to remember the significance of the TPP opportunity.”

“New Zealand has been trying for years to get competitive access to big markets like the US and Japan, and TPP will open those doors and allow our

“TPP represents around 40% of world GDP – and our businesses need

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

to spread our risk geographically we cannot afford to sit on the side-lines of these sorts of deals.”

exporters to compete.”

“TPP will eliminate tariffs on 93 per cent of New Zealand’s exports to the United States, Japan, Canada, Mexico, and Peru, and for that result our negotiators and Trade Minister Groser must be congratulated.”

“Fortress New Zealand is not an option. The world has moved on, business is internationally connected and increasingly borderless and New Zealand needs to be involved”.

“If we want to have diversified exports – both goods and services, to participate in global value chains and

NZ MANUFACTURER • NOVEMBER 2015 Issue • Features

Disruptive Technologies The Future of Manufacturing Automation & Control Workshop Tools Environmental Technology Advertising Booking Deadline – 20 November 2015

Editorial material to be sent to :

Advertising Copy Deadline – 20 November 2015

Doug Green,

Editorial Copy Deadline – 20 November 2015 Advertising – For bookings and further information contact: Doug Green, P O Box 1109, Hastings 4156, Hawke’s Bay Email: publisher@xtra.co.nz

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

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

Email: publisher@xtra.co.nz Tel: 06 870 9029 Fax: 06 878 8150

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HEADING

The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once.

-Samuel Smiles

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