August 2017
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Ecosystem monitors motors and drives.
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NZMEA Policy Positions for
2017 General Election
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By Dieter Adam, Chief Executive, New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA)
The Business of Portfolio Management
The New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) recently hosted a forum to discuss policy issues of importance to manufacturers. This featured Hon Steven Joyce, National MP and Minister for Finance and Infrastructure, Grant Robertson, Labour’s Finance Spokesperson, and James Shaw, Co-Leader of the Green Party. This was a great opportunity to hear three representatives from major parties engage with NZMEA members in a quality discussion on manufacturing, and we are following this up with the release of our policies for the 2017 election.
The manufacturing sector is the backbone to NZ’s prosperity through taking our innovations to the world. – Professor Jane Goodyer
With the election only weeks away, it’s important that all parties put forward their vision for creating a more prosperous and high-value economy, with manufacturing playing a key role.
We believe the policies set out here will contribute to growing high value industries in New Zealand. We would like to see all parties include all or at least some of our 10 policy points in their election policies. These include working to develop a better understanding of manufacturing and its future potential through a Minister for Manufacturing, addressing skills shortages that hold back the industry from growth and changes to R&D settings to help increase business R&D spending.
By Iain Fraser, recognised as an expert in modern portfolio, program, and project management practices globally.
The 10 NZMEA policy positions are outlined below. A full list of the policies can be found here. 1. Fundamentally change the policy approach to economic development, focusing on growing high-value exports 2. Appoint a Minister for Manufacturing 3. Improve and reform the education sector to address current and future skill shortages 4. Review immigration to ensure a more targeted approach to filling short-term skills shortages 5. Encourage and support increased business R&D and innovation through R&D tax credits 6. Introduce accelerated depreciation for new machinery and equipment 7. Work to create a level playing field for manufacturers in trade agreements and trade practices 8. Provide the right incentives for shifting more
Contact publisher@xtra.co.nz to find out more or Phone 06 870 9029
continued on Page 6
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LIANCE E COMP Z D A R G HEM FOOD WITH C IS EASY
2017
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Media Kit including Editorial Calendar
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CONTENTS DEPARTMENTS 4
EDITORIAL
5
BUSINESS NEWS
A question of change.
ELECTION COMMENT
7
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Is Director of Maintenance Transformations Ltd, an executive member of the Maintenance Engineering Societyand the Event Director of the NationalMaintenance Engineering Conference.
BusinessNZ’s Election Manifesto. FRO introduces next generation FaroArm. Fewer defects from a 2D approach. Siemens platform to support vision for global additive manufacturing market. Building the case for manufacturing automation to drive business growth.
ELECTION COMMENT Lewis Woodward, managing director, Connection Technologies Ltd, Wellington.
10
DEVELOPMENTS
12
NEW PRODUCTS
15
DEVELOPMENTS
16
ANALYSIS
6 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.
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Build/designer 17 – biggest show in years! Compact leading the fruit world with ingenuity and innovation.
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.
New company strongly focussed. Protective eyewear range offers comfort and style. PowerTag monitors electrical assets. Laser delivers quality and productivity. Drives shine in heavy duty combinations. How secure is your manufacturing facility?
Lewis Woodward
The future of artificial intelligence. Will AI take over the world or lead to a bright future for humanity?
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SMART MANUFACTURING
24
FOOD MANUFACTURING
26
ENERGY
27
SUPPLY CHAIN
28
ANALYSIS
29
BUSINESS NEWS
31
Craig Carlyle
Metals Industry Conference, Christchurch, September.
6
9
ADVISORS
11
Software simplifies cnc machine tool environment. EcoSystem monitors motors and drives. High-Performance computing for industrial IoT. What is the 4th Industrial Revolution?
14
The Connected Enterprise can drive efficiencies through the entire food supply chain.
Dr Wolfgang Scholz
Is HERA Director and a Fellow of the Institute of Professional Engineers NZ.
Large-scale battery storage to transform renewable energy future. Lean thinking for the office and admin areas.
26
LaserTech: the one fish that shouldn’t have got away. Connexionz strengthens US presence. Omron appoints new director for Oceania region. How to save the life of a tradeshow sales lead.
REAR VIEW How to make batteries that last (almost) forever.
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.
28
A question of change
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
Dieter Adam, Holly Green, Vishnu Rayapeddi Wolfgang Scholz, Shermine Gotfredsen, Remco Tolsma NZMEA, www.mscnewswire.co.nz
In this issue, NZ Manufacturer has included comments and wish lists from business leaders as to what they would like to see from the next elected government. NZMEA wants all parties to put forward their vision for creating a more prosperous and high-value economy, with manufacturing playing a key role.
ADVERTISING
Doug Green T: + 64 6 870 9029 E: publisher@xtra.co.nz
DESIGN & PRODUCTION
BusinessNZ wants a government that will reduce taxes, fix problem legislation and boost growth in the regions.
Kim Alves, KA Design T: + 64 6 870 8133 E: kim.alves@xtra.co.nz
WEB MASTER
Bruce Metelerkamp E: bruce@hha.co.nz
Lewis Woodward, managing director, Connection Technologies, Wellington wants overseas companies to pay and contribute more to the New Zealand economy. And he would like local businesses to be supported more.
PUBLISHING SERVICES On-Line Publisher Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd
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Vol.8 No.7 August 2017 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
NZMEA has a whole plethora of concerns and want to see greater emphasis on the education sector to address current and future skills shortages; a minister for manufacturing appointed; and amongst others, providing the right incentives for shifting more investment into the productive sectors of our economy. We have a choice, continue with the tried and known or change government to bring in a fresh way of doing things.
ASIA
MANUFACTURING NEWS
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NZ Manufacturer August 2017
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www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
Systems and processes we have in place are not working for all people. Wages are not competitive enough, housing is a stressful issue, the health service struggles to keep up with a growing and aging population. And the future is changing. Disruptive technologies and Industry 4.0 are changing the face of manufacturing. Where there is change there is opportunity. When you initiate change it means you (ought to be) ahead of the game. As a small economy we are subject to world economic conditions. We cannot be isolated in our approach to export markets and need to keep up, to be competitive. The next government needs to be fiscally strong (and smart) and meet the challenges we need as a nation to bring about a sense of fair play in these extremely challenging business times.
Doug Green
Success Through Innovation
EDITORIAL
BUSINESS NEWS Metals Industry Conference, Christchurch, September To be held in the Addington Raceway & Events Centre in Christchurch on the 15th of September, the Metals Industry Conference and Industry Awards Gala Dinner, organised by industry advocacy association Metals New Zealand, are a reason for networking, celebrating and learning. Various streams by industry associations HERA, SCNZ, MRM, NASH and NZSSDA will run in the morning till mid-afternoon with presentations by local and international industry experts and activities. In the late afternoon, all will converge into the conference plenary with a welcome and overview of the Canterbury rebuild and beyond by Christchurch Mayor Lianne Dalziel, and a high-quality presentation by economic commentator and analyst Rod Oram. Rod uses his skills in journalism, management and leadership to help New Zealanders face tough economic challenges and seize on exciting business opportunities. Rod is eminently is presenting the opening keynote address at the Metals Industry Conference, Addington Raceway &
Events Centre in Christchurch, on 15th September. In the evening, seven metal industry associations will come together to celebrate achievements and heroes in their respective industries at the Industry Awards Gala Dinner hosted by The Crowd Goes Wild’s Andrew Mulligan. The Hon Nicky Wagner, Minister for Greater Christchurch Regeneration will be our VIP guest for the evening. Metals New Zealand wishes to thank the sponsors for their support of the Conference and Canterbury. They are: NZ Steel, (platinum) ACRS, Steel & Tube, easysteel, BOC (Gold). The various industry associations are, therefore, very excited to be having the event in the re-vitalised region. Since the first big quake in 2010,
the Government has invested more than $14 billion in the rebuild and recovery of Christchurch and greater Canterbury. Today, Canterbury’s population has topped its pre-earthquake numbers; the economy is growing faster than in many other parts of the country; and its unemployment rate is below the national average.
Metals New Zealand - www.metals.org.nz Heavy Engineering Research Association - www.hera.org.nz
In the past year, 16,500 jobs were created in Canterbury. To keep that momentum going, the strategy includes $170,000 to help connect secondary students with businesses that can transition them into further education, employment or training.
Steel Construction New Zealand - www.scnz.org NZ Stainless Steel Development Association - www.nzssda.org.nz Metal Roofing Manufacturers - www.metalroofing.org.nz
You can find more information of the full programmes organised by the respective association at their websites, as well as registration options:
National Association of Steel Framed Housing - www.nashnz.org.nz
Find a great home for your business EAST TAMAKI A great place to do business
getba.org.nz www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
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NZ Manufacturer August 2017
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ELECTION COMMENT BusinessNZ’s
Based on a survey of employers throughout New Zealand-, the Manifesto outlines seven priorities that business would like to see enacted after the 2017 infrastructure. 65 percent wanted local government to stick to core functions like providing infrastructure. Kirk Hope said business wanted a Government that continued negotiating free trade agreements to reduce the tariff burden on New Zealand exporters. A large majority want trade agreements with the US, UK, EU and the new TPP-11.
“Business wants to see a tax cut for all categories of taxpayer early in the first term of the new Government, and no new taxes of any kind.” Mr Hope said employers in many sectors were worried about being unable to fill job vacancies, and wanted action on skills.
Businesses want a Government that will reduce taxes, fix problem legislation, and boost growth in the regions.
“They are unhappy with the level of skills coming out of the education system and want those skill gaps fixed by education and, if necessary, immigration. They want employees with better technical skills to help to grow more innovative and sustainable businesses.” Local government and the Resource Management Act were also a key concern “There’s a strong view that the RMA is holding the country back - 95 percent of businesses surveyed want it fixed or gone.”
“These seven priorities if enacted by a new Government would improve the environment for enterprise and help business to create jobs and prosperity in local communities all over New Zealand.”
Businesses were also concerned about local government investing rates money in council-controlled enterprises and non-essential spending, while failing to invest in
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NZ Manufacturer August 2017
The Election Manifesto can be read at www.businessnz.org.nz
/
-Mark Twain
continued from Page 1
Election Manifesto
BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said businesses want a Government that will reduce taxes, fix problem legislation, and boost growth in the regions.
Always do things right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.
www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
NZMEA Policy Positions for 2017 investment into the sectors of our economy
productive
9. Review and reform monetary policy 10.Adopt effective and equitable policies that lead to improved environmental outcomes , especially in the areas of global warming and fresh water quality NZMEA policies will help to create an environment where high value producers, particularly manufacturers, can thrive, grow exports and provide well-paid incomes so New Zealanders can have a more prosperous future The NZMEA forum offered a robust conversation about the opportunities and challenges manufacturers face, focusing on the steady and growing
The future is more and more about innovation, increased productivity and global trade of high value components and we want to hear how our political leaders plan to support this. The forum was a positive step forward and we were pleased to hear politicians acknowledge the vital role both process and product innovation plays in growing our sector. Prof Jane Goodyer, Head of School of Engineering and Technology, Massey University, moderated the event from a highly experienced perspective. “The manufacturing sector is the backbone to NZ’s prosperity through taking our innovations to the world, “she shared.
Working to develop a better understanding of manufacturing and its future potential through a Minister for Manufacturing, - Dieter Adam. contribution manufacturing is making to the goal of New Zealand exports reaching 40% of GDP, staying abreast of advancing technology and investing in a skilled workforce. Manufacturing has changed, offering new opportunities for countries like New Zealand to grab and run with, and is also entering a rich pipeline of innovations in materials and processes – from 3-D printing to advanced robotics, which promises to create efficiencies and speed to a global market.
General Election
“NZ has an opportunity to really add value to our economy. Industry, Government and education need to work closer together to make this happen,” says Prof Goodyer.
Prof Goodyer’s comments reiterate recommendations in a 2012 McKinsey report on the future of manufacturing, which concluded that two key priorities for both governments and businesses are education and the development of skills. They will need qualified, computer-savvy factory workers and agile managers for complex global supply chains. In addition to supporting ongoing efforts to improve public education— particularly the teaching of math and analytical skills—policy makers must work with industry and educational institutions to ensure that skills learned in school fit the needs of employers.
h t t p s : / / w w w. n z m e a . o r g . n z / we-speak-up/news-categories/ media-releases/manufacturers-set-out-their-policies-for-the-gen-
Do or do not‌ there is no try. -Yoda
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
FARO introduces next generation FaroArm The QuantumS is certified to ISO 10360 -12:2016, the most rigorous international measurement quality standard in existence. This global standard, unlike the various regional standards such as VDI/ VDE 2617, establishes the consistent, critical testing procedures that enable objective performance comparisons across any and all Articulated Arm Coordinate Measuring devices.
the human arm and enables up to 15% less effort and fatigue for the operator with direct, contact only units. This dramatic increase in both comfort and portability increases operator productivity by facilitating continuous use over extended periods during the
probing is comparable to scanning and probing with a cable attachment. Furthermore, the availability of dual, hot swappable batteries supports continuous operation anywhere on the factory floor without the need for external power.
workday. Portability QuantumS advances the concept of true portability and ensures additional floor reach by up to 40%. Advanced wireless capability ensures that the reliability of cable-free scanning and
Also, the QuantumS sets a new standard for ruggedness as it tests to the International Electrical Commission (IEC 60068 -2) standards for shock, vibration and temperature stress relief. With the addition of the FAROBluT Laser Line Probe HD, the QuantumS continues the FARO tradition of delivering maximum measurement consistency for both direct-to-parts contact and non-contact requirements in every working environment. It enables users to capture more, richer detail faster than any other comparable product on the market. Usability The advanced man-machine interface and enhanced ergonomics make the FARO QuantumS a virtual extension of
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NZ Manufacturer August 2017
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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Quality is simple. People are complicated. -Harry Forsha
Fewer defects from a 2D approach conditions.
Improving the efficiency of solar cells requires materials free from impurities and structural defects. Scientists across many disciplines at KAUST have shown that 2D organic-inorganic hybrid materials feature far fewer defects than thicker 3D versions.
Osman Bakr from the KAUST Solar Centre together with colleagues from multiple divisions across KAUST and the University of Toronto, demonstrate that two-dimensional layers of perovskite material can achieve levels of purity much higher than is possible than in their 3D counterpart. “Two-dimensional hybrid perovskites are a subgroup of the big hybrid perovskite family,” explains Wei Peng, lead author and doctoral degree recipient from Bakr’s lab. “They can be derived by inserting large organic cations in three-dimensional perovskite structures.”
Modern-day electronics rely on technologies that can develop almost perfect crystals of silicon; flawless to the atomic level. This is crucial because defects and impurities scatter electrons as they flow, which adversely affects the material’s electronic properties. But hybrid perovskites, an exciting class of electronic material, cannot be constructed using the epitaxial or layer methods developed for silicon. Instead, they are produced using solution-based processes. While this makes them cheaper than silicon, it also makes purity much harder to achieve as defect population and species are sensitive to the processing
Hybrid perovskites are made up of lead and halide (such as iodine) atoms and an organic component. This class of materials in solar cells has already shown ground-breaking potential for energy conversion efficiency while having low production costs and the
possibility for being integrated in flexible devices. This combination of qualities makes hybrid perovskites an exciting material for optoelectronic applications. Peng, Bakr and coworkers created a 2D material made of periodic layers of hybrid perovskites with an organic component of either phenethylammonium or methylammonium. Using a solution-based fabrication method, the layers were placed on a gold electrode so the team could measure the electrical conductivity. Their measurements indicate that the 2D materials contained three orders of magnitude fewer defects than bulk hybrid perovskites. The team proposes that this reduction is because the large organic cations in the phenethylammonium suppress defect formation during crystallization.
Improving the efficiency of materials will help to further advancements in designing and optimising perovskite solar cells.
Next, the team demonstrated the potential for their materials for optoelectronic applications by constructing photoconductors with high light detectivity. These results bode well for further advancements in designing and optimising perovskite solar cells. “A future in-depth study on how the defect formation is suppressed will help our understanding and benefit device performance-targeted materials engineering,” says Peng.
Siemens platform to support vision for global additive manufacturing market As part of its comprehensive vision to provide the industry’s most complete set of seamless tools to support the global additive manufacturing
industry, Siemens has revealed plans for a new online collaborative platform designed to bring on-demand product design and 3D printing production to
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the global manufacturing industry. The part manufacturing platform, being developed by Siemens’ product lifecycle management (PLM) software business will provide an environment capable of connecting all members of the global manufacturing community in order to maximise resource utilization, access additive manufacturing expertise and expand business opportunity.
For example, a global network of experts all having access to the same gateway could participate in and contribute to the design and development of a reimagined product for additive manufacturing. Also, part buyers could use the platform to quickly find qualified services, enhance job scheduling and reduce the time to obtain production quantities of end-use parts at needed locations.
For example, by linking part buyers to micro-factories, the platform would enable members to 3D print production parts on-demand where-needed across the world. In addition, the platform will include collaborative capabilities to help streamline the co-innovation process and accelerate the adoption of 3D printing as a mainstream production method for industrial parts.
At the same time, manufacturing service providers could create a pipeline of job orders for next generation designs, maximise machine utilisation and expand their businesses.
Siemens is introducing the part manufacturing platform to address the growing need for on-demand, worldwide access to additive manufacturing expertise and the latest technology.
By exchanging information and practical knowledge, members will have the opportunity to enhance productivity, increase expertise, streamline co-innovation and accelerate the adoption of additive manufacturing technology to a new level of industrial use.
The platform will create an online ecosystem made up of highly qualified members from a variety of areas such as product designers, job shops, part buyers, 3D printer OEMs, material suppliers, expert services providers, micro-factories and much more. Members will be able to instantly connect with other members to initiate co-innovation of products using the latest software tools for additive manufacturing.
Finally, 3D printer OEMs could connect with the community regarding their latest systems, technology and expertise for repeatable production of industrial parts and quantities.
The new digital platform is expected to launch in mid-2018..
Quality is the best business plan. -John Lasseter
MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
Building the case for manufacturing automation to drive business growth By Shermine Gotfredsen, General Manager SEA & Oceania, Universal Robots
New Zealand’s manufacturing industry has continued to expand almost every month since October 2012, based on the Bank of New Zealand-Business NZ performance of manufacturing index . The sector was lifted by a construction boom that started during the rebuild of Christchurch post-earthquake. However, manufacturing as a percentage of the economy has declined in the long-term, from about 26 percent of gross domestic production (GDP) 40 years ago to about 13 percent in 2009 . To ensure manufacturing momentum continues, New Zealand manufacturers must look to innovative new ways to achieve business growth and expansion into regional and international markets. Recent research from Universal Robots, which surveyed the Australian and New Zealand manufacturing community indicates a growing emphasis on automation and particularly robotics as a way to increase competitive advantage. Almost half of ANZ manufacturers have invested in automation in the past year. Meanwhile, a vast majority of manufacturers plan to invest in automation in the coming year, with more than half of those respondents planning to install robotics solutions. This growth in automation investment has no doubt been driven by an increased focus on business innovation. Due to New Zealand’s geographical isolation creating higher freight overheads, and greater labour costs compared to countries such as China, many local manufacturers have felt pressure to consider automation as
a way to increase productivity and profits. The decision to automate is typically based on a number of factors, namely the need to improve business performance, reduce production time and improve the quantity and quality of output. One such company exploring the use of automation to enable greater production flexibility and output is Auckland based injection moulding company TCI New Zealand, which deployed Universal Robots cobots to help automate specific production processes, such as labelling and installing rubber feet on its containers and yoghurt makers. Using UR cobots several key processes in the manufacture of these products have been automated, relieving employees of repetitive assembly processes and ensuring smooth production flow. The cobots can be completely reprogrammed and deployed for new tasks in a matter of minutes. Cobots in particular can provide greater ease of use and are able to work closely alongside human workers unlike traditional robotic solutions. This means shop floor applications can be quickly adapted to suit changing workflow needs.
Today’s leading manufacturers are highly agile in order to adapt to changing market demands. With the use of cobots, companies are able to adapt to the demands and whims of the market. That is, they are able to decrease or increase product cycle times to suit consumer demand. Unlike legacy industrial automation working Shermine Gotfredsen behind cages, cobots can be quickly and easily assigned to new the time employees need to spend on work stations and tasks based on manual quality checks and prevents changing production needs, helping to the wastage of food or packaging, for reduce costs related to downtime. example. Before choosing an automation solution, it’s also important to consider product quality and assurance, particularly if planning to involve robots with tasks involving product assembly.
Automation and in particular cobots offer not only the potential to improve operational efficiency, but also greater agility and flexibility to adapt to meet changing markets demands and achieve business growth.
Cobots for instance, offer high levels of quality control, which is particularly important for food manufacturers. The new lightweight industrial robots has a repeatability of plus-minus 0.1mm, which significantly reduces
While geographical isolation and talent shortages continue create barriers to business expansion, there’s a no better time than now for New Zealand manufacturers to consider automation.
Where the money is to be spent… -Lewis Woodward, managing director, Connection Technologies Ltd, Wellington
With the elections looming it scares me to hear all the promises of where the money is to be spent. What is less clear is where the money is coming from to start with. With promises of investing in free university study down to providing free driving lessons to college students, I see little real money promised into the likes of the health services providing for those workers of all ages who currently pay their taxes to provide what services we currently have. The global market is with us and there is little we can do about it. But has anyone in power stopped and thought
about the growing amount of dollars that is spent with an overseas service provider who takes their profit with none of it contributing in any way to our economy? Most of these companies have no staff in NZ so where is the long-term benefit from dealing with them? Major NZ companies and government departments are as guilty as anyone of buying from these overseas suppliers rather than patronising NZ based suppliers who employ and train staff;
the staff pay tax; the employer pays tax all so some politician can make elaborate promises with the aim they can keep their snout in the trough.
It is time these people at the top came to realise there is a whole world of knowledgeable, capable kiwi business paying their share of tax to keep our economy going.
One government department I came across was congratulating themselves on consolidating the number of suppliers they used for their requirements, by using one of the big USA based companies.
Buying local keeps local money going around, provides employment and education for kiwis who in turn become employers and employees of the future.
They had reduced their accounting staff by three yet I know for fact they were not actually buying better.
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DEVELOPMENTS giving great access to our key target audiences. Bring on next year!!! CEO – Aridon® Smart Wall Systems • The attendees were of a high calibre ...a large number of excellent commercial opportunities and contacts. Thanks XPO!” National Sales Manager - Unreal Grass As Auckland’s construction boom continues to grow at unprecedented levels this year’s buildnz | designex presented a range of new initiatives and much more interactive special features designed to address some of the challenges we’re all facing across the industry.
buildnz | designex 17 – Biggest show in years! The building and construction industries have come out in force at NZ’s largest trade industry show. Over 5,000 builders, designers, architects and safety specialists have enjoyed 3 very busy days exploring the latest product innovations and new technologies that are shaping the future of their industry – and they weren’t disappointed.
A few key facts:
• “The Build Summit”
• 270+ national and international exhibiting companies
• BCITO Business Growth Hub
• Every inch of 4 halls and a massive 12,000m2 of exhibition space used
And so much more…
• 5,000 verified and audited industry visitors
Add to this, the largest schedule of national and international speakers whose sole focus was to educate, share knowledge and present best practise solutions to all attending professionals from across the industry. buildnz | designex once again cemented itself as NZ’s leading and largest industry trade event – bar none!
• 82 Seminars, Workshops, Summits and Conferences • 85 national speakers
and
international
• World leading keynote speakers • The Pledge – An initiative asking building companies to pledge 1,000 apprentices across 3 days
Develop your people and grow your business Speak to us about training options
0800 526 1800 competenz.org.nz
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• PrefabNZ & Unitec special features buildnz | designex once again co-located with The National Safety Show providing an opportunity for visitors to stay on top of OSH regulations – embracing the latest workplace health and safety solutions. Here are just a few comments from the 2017 attendees: • “2015 was great but 2017 even better” buildnz | designex visitor • A great success for our business
Such initiatives included the BCITO Business Growth Hub – offering a chance for employers to meet potential apprentices and learn about the tool kit to successful hiring. ‘Pledge 1,000 Apprentices’ saw trade visitors pledge online just how many staff they were looking for before meeting up with the BCITO team. The PrefabNZ & Unitec interactive display saw university students applying their knowledge to prefabricated structures onsite. ‘The Build Summit’ was a brand-new initiative providing an intensive 2-day conference style option for business owners to hear from more than 30 industry leaders. Back on the floor saw the return of world renown keynote speakers Professor’s Mark & Jane Burry – sharing their learnings as researchers and architects for Antoni Gaudí’s Sagrada Família Basilica: from humble origins to an ambitious conclusion. The overall 3 day industry led seminars featured over 80 topics from 85 speakers, touched on all the current industry topics from the benefits of BIM to the new HSWA to Building Sustainability to the latest regulations around product compliance and evaluations.
DEVELOPMENTS
Quality is more important than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles. - Steve Jobs
and continuous growth. With the Earth’s population set to increase by 30% over the next 40 years, Compac is committed to sustainable farming and food security. Being conscious of sustainability and food waste has led to the development of our near-infrared technology which reviews the internal properties of each piece of produce. Our Inspectra product had a huge impact on the New Zealand kiwifruit season in 2016; a year of low dry matter due to lower sunlight hours. Dry matter, a key indicator for taste, is paramount to brands such as Zespri who promise a great eating experience every time. Yet this was jeopardised in 2016 as a lot of quality kiwifruit had the potential to be lost. Previously, destroying the fruit was the only way to check for dry matter. Inspectra allows for the internal quality of fruit to be checked without cutting into it, thus ensuring great tasting kiwifruit didn’t go to waste. One of our customers, recovered over 120,000 trays of fruit back into inventory with the help of Inspectra. Without Inspectra, much of this fruit would have been considered un-packable.
Compac leading the fruit world with ingenuity and innovation Perry Sansom, VP Marketing & Product, Compac, shares how they are taking the produce industry into the future with developments that are putting New Zealand on the map for science and technology. And, surprise, why their kiwi qualities are at the heart of their success. New Zealand companies are solving global problems around the world and our location has never been a barrier. Headquartered in New Zealand Compac is a major player in the fresh produce industry and our influence is increasingly felt across the globe. In fact, the New Zealand horticulture industry is now worth a record high of around $8.7 billion a year. Impressive, particularly when you take into consideration that Kiwifruit exports have now overtaken wine for the first time ever, at a value of $1.7 billion. Compac recognises this growth and aim to continue leading the way with Kiwi ingenuity and integrity.
As international leaders in pack-house technology, the core of Compac’s work is the design, installation and maintenance of sorting solutions. We work with global produce brands to provide intelligent and flexible technology solutions to ensure every piece of fruit meets the standard and the end consumer has a quality eating experience. With business efficiency in mind, this is about reducing labour, increasing throughput, and improving accuracy and consistency of produce. Take Spectrim for instance, our sorting and grading platform is innovating the
Here in New Zealand we have a lot to offer in terms of science, technology and great land. By focusing on these and finding ways to be innovative on a global scale, we can bring the best of our country’s knowledge and experience to the world.
future of produce sorting. Built from the ground up, Spectrim is the most powerful optical sorting platform currently offered to the industry.
Compac’s dedication to research and development, and how our technology can benefit the fresh produce industry world-wide is drawing eyes to what New Zealand has to offer. Ultimately we believe that if we’re at the forefront of technology, we must be holistic. That means we can’t take technology forward without simultaneously considering our land – in terms of sustainability, food security and the environment.
Being at the forefront of technology means we’re constantly searching for ways to make the produce industry more efficient and sustainable. This is a big focus for our parent company Tomra, who’s ‘fight against food waste’ aims to reduce the environmental impact of the natural resource industry. We believe the increasing human strain on natural resources can’t be ignored, as the planet undergoes rapid
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NEW PRODUCTS
Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives. -William A. Foster
New company strongly focussed manufacturer of electrical assembly tooling who they now represent. The challenge presented itself in so far as a major part of the Weicon product range didn’t fit with the specialist electrical focus Connection Technologies had. To do real justice to Weicon and the NZ market, Industrial Technologies was born to have a singular focus on the Weicon specialist range of products. They are pleased to have secured exclusive distribution rights for the NZ market and will be offering the entire impressive product range. Weicon were established in 1947 and their specialist products are available in more than 100 countries. With its headquarters in Munster, Germany and subsidiaries in Dubai, Canada, Turkey, Romania and South Africa, Industrial Technologies joins more than 70 other Weicon partners across the globe.
Industrial Technologies is a new company with a long history as a focused and specialist distributor. Formed in 2017 they are part of The ConTech Group and sister company of Connection Technologies Ltd. Connection Technologies is a specialist importer and distributor of electrical connectors and has been serving the NZ electrical and automation markets since 1999 supplying a wide range of connectors from leading international suppliers. The customer base includes avionics, defence, industrial manufacturing, engineering, medical and communications. As Industrial Technologies continued to search the world for the best product to suit client requirements, meeting NZ demands and operating reliability for long periods under NZ conditions, they found Weicon GmbH, a German
In many countries they are the leading supplier of the products in their market area. Industrial Technologies are proud to be part of this global network and to represent the Weicon unmatched range of industrial products. The in - depth service and product knowledge as offered by Connection Technologies will be replicated by the manner in which Industrial Technologies will bring the Weicon range to the NZ market. Now, when New Zealand industry has a critical need, Industrial Technologies can supply the right end to end solution to their problem. The quality and performance of these products have not been seen in NZ before and offer a whole new level of “best in class” performance. Industrial Technologies now offer a comprehensive range of unique and
specialist: • adhesives and sealants • technical sprays • high performance assembly pastes and greases • cleaning and protective liquids • gaskets and seals • thermal and electrical insulation • industrial tapes They are proud to bring to NZ the world’s best specialist products for all areas of industry – from manufacturing and production through to repair and maintenance. Combine the performance of these products with the extensive technical knowledge on call and you have your problems solved. All you need to do is tell Industrial Technologies what you are trying to achieve, manufacture or fix and we can tell you what you need and how to make it work.
Protective eyewear range offers comfort and style RS Components (RS) has launched a brand new SecureFit protective eyewear series from industry leader 3M. Combining the best features from the existing 200 and 400 series with additional functional and ergonomic benefits, the new SecureFit 600 series is designed for maximum comfort, fit and
clarity. The stylish new models exhibit 3M’s SecureFit Pressure Diffusion Temple (PDT) technology, so the eyewear stays on securely all day without discomfort. Designed using a cross section of facial types and structures, the PDT technology regulates the amount of
force on individual head sizes to ensure the optimum pressure for a secure and comfortable fit for a very broad range of different users. This means that the one size will comfortably fit a wider range of head sizes, giving workers better compliance. The flat and flexible design has also been designed for combining with 3M protective earmuffs (with minimal loss of attenuation) and disposable and reusable respirators. The 11-model range includes a host of options, including: various polycarbonate lens colours (clear, grey and amber); anti-scratch coatings that are five times more scratch resistant than standard 3M hard coats, for better visibility and extended life; and 3M Scotchgard anti-fog coatings. Other options include: Welding (IR) lenses, comprising three lens types for
welding, gas welding, and torch work and cutting; polarized lenses, to protect against UV (lenses absorb 99.9% of UVA and UVB rays and meet the requirements of EN 166:2001), horizontal reflective glare and sunlight; and an innovative replaceable foam gasket, to prevent the ingress of foreign objects. Where marked, the SecureFit 600 range meets and exceeds the requirements of the K (test for abrasion by fine particles) and N (remain unfogged for eight seconds) additional tests in the EN 166:2001 standard for protective eyewear. RS will also be extending the current range of SecureFit 400 models it stocks, with reader safety glasses.
PowerTag monitors electrical assets Schneider Electric has released the smallest wireless energy sensor available, PowerTag, which is designed to enhance the monitoring of electrical assets. PowerTag is built to easily connect to a miniature circuit breaker and provides building owners and facility managers with precise, powerful, real-time data to increase the health of a facility’s strategic assets. PowerTag has been designed for any type of building with the energy sensor easily able to monitor and measure current, voltage, power, power factor and energy. The connection enables greater availability of electrical assets by providing the ability to better manage critical loads, which leads to higher reliability and efficiency of the electrical installation. PowerTag works by wirelessly sending data to a concentrator that displays the data via inbuilt webpages, or to larger energy management systems or the
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building management system. Data can also be leveraged to create customised email alerts that assist facility managers with remote monitoring of their assets. PowerTag can be easily fitted as it doesn’t require complex wiring, in total it can be installed within five-minutes and then you’re up and running. PowerTag can also be integrated with Schneider Electric’s Acti-9 Communication System, which provides customers with an all-in-one monitoring and control solution. PowerTag is also designed to be compatible with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Power solution, to deliver reliable and efficient power access for peace of mind and significant financial benefits. IoT-enabled future-proof solutions are powered by innovation, enabling enhanced connectivity, real-time operation and smart analytics, including the ability to control assets remotely.
NEW PRODUCTS
If you only have a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail. -Maslow
Light curtain system improves flexibility and industrial safety As production processes become increasingly automated and robots play a larger role on the production line, manufacturers are looking for more ways to maintain and reinforce a safe work environment. The new GuardShield 450L safety light curtain system is a flexible, cost-effective solution that enhances safety while improving productivity through innovative transceiver technology. Unlike traditional safety light curtains based on pre-defined transmitter and receiver units, this next-generation light curtain system features a patented transceiver design that employs plug-in modules to establish each unit’s function as a transmitter or receiver. Once powered up, the transceiver
learns its functionality from the plug-in module. When light curtain systems are developed on the traditional transmitter/receiver architecture, customers need to buy multiple light curtain models to accommodate different features. Now, they can purchase identical GuardShield 450L sticks and customize the features with different plug-ins. Five-pin plug-ins are available for basic on/off functionality, while eight-pin plug-ins provide manual and auto restart with external device monitoring (EDM). To further simplify setup, advanced function settings are configured through dual in-line package (DIP) switches located on the
plug-in module. Ideal for hand and finger detection, and offered in a wide range of protective heights, the light curtain system is also equipped with an active protective field that senses the entire length of the transceiver. This feature reduces the inactive sensing areas that generally appear at the top and bottom of other light curtains.
inside a machine frame as opposed to outside or on the machine. Additionally, flexible mounting kits and built-in alignment indication allow for quick, trouble-free installation.
Unlike traditional light curtain systems, the active sensing field and compact design allow customers to install the GuardShield 450L light curtain system
Laser delivers quality and productivity The challenge of achieving the highest quality codes on ultra-fast packing lines with difficult-to-mark substrates in markets such as beverage, food, personal care, automotive and extrusions is being met with the launch of a new laser marking solution. The Linx CSL60 laser offers a major technological breakthrough, combining a powerful processor and 60W laser tube with Linx’s unique Visicode system to produce crisp, clear codes on
Linx CSL60 has been designed to be easy
difficult-to-mark materials such as glass and PET at high speeds.
This provides additional versatility for
to install, uses a touch screen control for
the marking of wide web applications
quick and easy creation and selection
This enables manufacturers to meet all compliance requirements and provides effective brand protection and enhancement.
such as flexible packaging and outer
of messages. The three laser systems in
case coding, and coding of products
the suite all delivery brand protection,
across multiple lines.
qulity and assist in productivity.
The laser incorporates a powerful processor that is able to relay messages from the control unit to the marking head very quickly, which ensures that line speeds are unaffected. As a result, up to 70,000 packs per hour can be marked. The new Linx CSL60 provides the widest choice in configurations in the industry and gives laser the flexibility to be tailored to a customer’s precise requirements. The Linx CSL60 offers a larger marking field than any comparable laser.
Classic 3M Speedglas Welding Helmet Launches.. 2 Decades Later! Over twenty years ago, Speedglas launched the 3M Speedglas Welding Helmet Series 9000. Many welders still consider the classic Speedglas 9000 model the perfect balance of welding helmet shape, size, and weight. So, two decades later, the welding helmet profile that welders love is being relaunched with high performing Speedglas TrueView optics and a head harness made for increased comfort. The new 3M Speedglas Welding Helmet 9002NC features new Speedglas True-View optics that allow welders to view the weld pool and their general surroundings with a view that appears lighter, brighter and more realistic. “By recognising a wider spectrum of colour, welders can read surfaces, contours and edges better and benefit from greater control over their welds”, says David Chippendale, Marketing Manager at AWS. The Speedglas 9002NC features
Along with the CSL10 and CSL30 the
exhaust vents which assist in removing exhaled air keeping the welder more comfortable and the welding lens fog-free. The exhaust vents also allow the narrow profile helmet to comfortably sit closer to the welder’s face making it perfect for tight spaces. At just 485 grams and featuring an upgraded head harness with multiple adjustments for a customised fit, the Speedglas 9002NC is super comfortable for all-day-wear. With a superior optical rating (1/1/1) and Speedglas True-View this large (55x107mm) auto-darkening welding lens features shades 3/8-12 with arc detection down to an industry leading 1 amp. The new Speedglas 9002NC is compliant with the relevant Australian & New Zealand standards and is suitable for MMAW, MIG/MAG, TIG and low amperage TIG.
Spring & Wire form manufacturing company where solutions are created for your problems. 09 277 5982 • www.natspring.co.nz
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NEW PRODUCTS
Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren’t used to an environment where excellence is expected. -Steve Jobs
Drives shine in heavy duty combinations Australia and New Zealand have become international early adopters of combination industrial drives that combine the best features of two radically different gearbox types into a single high-performance unit. The planetary/bevel helical combination gearboxes deliver the high tramissible torque of the Trasmital 300 series along with the excellent power transmission characteristics of the locally assembled HDO series.
in gearbox design, ensures a high proportion of energy generated by motors to drive machinery is not gobbled up by mechanical losses within the gearbox that is multiplying and transmitting the torque produced.
The latest combination drives, the 3H series, are engineered in Australasia as part of a global range offering rated power up to 980kW and torque up to 1200kNw.
Planetary construction dispenses altogether with the traditional arrangement of a pinion driving one large gear on a parallel shaft. Instead, the planetary gearbox surrounds the pinion (called a “sun gear”) with three or more smaller planetary gears mounted in a planetary carrier (which transfers drive to the next stage of the gearbox or to its output).
These drives are increasingly popular in both Australia and New Zealand heavy duty applications that demand high power density along with medium-low output speeds. They are particularly appealing to industries such as bulk materials handling, mining and resources and metals and primary processing, including paper and sugar, for example. Compared with conventional gearboxes, 3H combination drives offer significant benefits in terms of: • Torque range • Thermal capacity • Compactness • Silent running • Versatility in accessories.
solutions
and
Engineers have known for a long time that planetary gearboxes such as the Trasmital series can produce outstanding power transmission efficiencies – with typical losses of only 3% per stage – all in a remarkably compact configuration. This kind of efficiency, remarkable
High torque Compared with a parallel shaft arrangement, a planetary gearbox in high torque/intermittent operations can often achieve the same ratio with one fewer reduction stage, with cost and dimension savings. Bonfiglioli Trasmital planetaries are delivering such performance throughout Australia and New Zealand, in applications including agitators, conveyor feeders, pumps, mixers, stirrers, scrapers and settling pond thickeners, for example. They also have applications in mobile plant, including cranes, drilling rigs and drives for hoists and luff and slew equipment. Trasmital 300 series come in 16 basic sizes, with output torque up to 650,000 Nm and transmissible power up to 450kW. But the versatile planetaries are not necessarily the ideal gearbox in every
situation. As a producer of a full range of technologically advanced gearboxes – from the smallest worm boxes up to the biggest planetaries – Bonfiglioli appreciates that there are horses for courses.” Which is why Bonfiglioli’s modular Trasmital 300 multipurpose planetary drives are being coupled with the latest HDO Bevel Helical units to produce combinations custom-engineered to the needs of particular industries. Bonfiglioli’s in-house Australasian engineering, assembly and testing capabilities have furthered development and acceptance of the drives, expanding their use Down Under. HDO drives – star performers globally, which are assembled in Australia up to the large HD160 size – produce outstanding reliability and torque densities to record values. Tailored to customer requirements through assembly and service facilities in Australia and New Zealand, they feature excellent torque distribution across their entire ratio range, with gear ratios laid out in close progression and the drives having a rugged capacity to
cope with the shock and impact of intermittent loads. When combined with the 300 series Trasmital planetary, they are ideal in many slow-moving applications where high output torque is required. The advantage of the combinations over traditional gearboxes is most evident in their low weight, higher output and highly competitive price. Using the HDO also means we can change motors very easily and use big motors in applications such as chain conveyors, shuttle drives and apron feeders. HDO/Trasmital combinations are among a range of advanced and versatile heavy industrial drives engineered by Bonfiglioli in Australasia. The HD series has also been incorporated into a new series of drives, including a trio of Hi Torque, Alignment-free and Power Pack innovations. Bonfiglioli’s Drives Service Centre, coupled with local assembly of heavy drives, enables Bonfiglioli to respond swiftly to industry’s rapidly developing needs for drives required to avoid costly delay or downtime. “The unique DSC facility recognises that many non-standard heavy duty applications today require non-standard solutions to achieve best results. To heighten customer-responsiveness, and to complement the engineering facilities of its national Headquarters in Sydney, Bonfiglioli is also expanding its New Zealand branch with a 25% bigger warehouse, workshop and freight transitioning area as part of an overall plan to improve logistics, optimise stock availability and better serve customer needs.
Trasmital planetary construction, left, which is combined with versatile HDO parallel bevel helical drives, right, engineered in Australasia
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If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things. - Albert Einstein
DEVELOPMENTS
How secure is your manufacturing facility? Wondering if your visitor and worker management process at your manufacturing facility is up to scratch? We’ve compiled a (non-exhaustive) list of questions for you. But before you read on, how would you rate your control of visitors and workers on-site? Give your facility a score out of 10. Now that you’ve got that number in your head, ask yourself the following: • Are visitors able to pre-register before arriving at the facility to make registration more efficient on arrival? • Is communication with guests, employees or contractors consistent, with a clear and evident process? • Is there a protocol for employees when visitors are on-site? • Do you have a system in place to alert employees/managers/authorities of any red flags that come up in a visitor’s registration? (e.g. someone from an organisation not allowed on-site). • Are visitors issued with a visitor badge, pass or other type of visible
visitor identification? • Are visitors authorised by a host before they can finalise their registration? • If you need to contact a visitor, employee or contractor, can you do this easily and promptly? • Do you complete accurate records of workers’ induction course completions? • Can you deny site or zone access to employees who do not have specific/ current qualification or permissions? • Are employees and contractors able to quickly alert others of new hazards on-site? • Do all entrances or zones have the ability to document visitors? • If a visitor entered a zone or area outside of their permitted access range, would an employee or manager be alerted immediately? • Likewise, if a contractor or employee entered an unpermitted area, would a manager or security personnel be notified? • Are you always aware when a
Plus, your visitor, employee and contractor data will be safe and secure, unlike those who use spreadsheet or paper sign-in systems.
contractor or employee is working alone? • If a visitor has overstayed their expected time on-site, will this trigger an alert?
Beyond that, having a clear and structured visitor management process from the get-go (even before visitors come on-site) reflects highly on your brand.
If you answered ‘no’ to any of the above questions, your management of workers, contractors and visitors at your manufacturing facility may not be as thorough as you thought.
If your visitors arrive and the first thing they experience is confusion, or a clunky, outdated registration system, you’re going to make a bad first impression. How much faith would you have in the quality control of a manufacturing facility whose receptionist can’t find the latest list of site hazards for you to review and sign off?
Firstly, being able to effectively control and monitor who’s on-site at all times reduces risk of injury to your workers. The more detailed your records and instant your notifications, the safer the work environment. For instance, software WhosOnLocation can alert staff worker has been working in a store and hasn’t come out by expected time.
like if a cool the
Probably not a lot. But if your visitors can see that every aspect of your manufacturing facility is a well-oiled machine, their experience on-site will be seamless.
You’ll have a detailed record of every site visit: who came on-site, when they signed in, when they left, and how regularly they have visited. You will have records of any relevant inductions, certifications or zone access permissions – and you can set up alerts if anything is out of place.
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If you’re looking for a worker, contractor and visitor management solution to make your process both thorough and easy, try using WhosOnLocation at your facility.
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ANALYSIS
The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once. -Samuel Smiles
The future of artificial intelligence: two experts disagree Artificial intelligence (AI) promises to revolutionise our lives, drive our cars, diagnose our health problems, and lead us into a new future where thinking machines do things that we’re yet to imagine. Or does it? Not everyone agrees. Even billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk, who admits he has access to some of the most cutting-edge AI, said recently that without some regulation “AI is a fundamental risk to the existence of human civilization”. So what is the future of AI? Michael Milford and Peter Stratton are both heavily involved in AI research and they have different views on how it will impact on our lives in the future. How widespread is artificial intelligence today? Michael: Answering this question depends on what you consider to be “artificial intelligence”.
More capable AI - what we might consider as being somewhat smart - is only now becoming widespread in areas such as online retail and marketing, smartphones, assistive car systems and service robots such as robotic vacuum cleaners.
Chinese Go player Ke Jie competes against Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo. Reuters/Stringer
Professor, Queensland University of Technology
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, The University of Queensland
degree of human judgement, common sense and even calculated risk to successfully navigate through. We are still a long way from fully autonomous vehicles that don’t need a licensed driver ready to take control in an instant. The same can be said for all the AI that we will see over the coming 10-20 years, such as online virtual personal assistants, accountants, legal and financial advisers, doctors and even
physical shop-bots, museum guides, cleaners and security guards. They will be advanced tools that are very useful in specific situations, but they will never fully replace people because they will have little common sense (probably none, in fact). Michael: We will definitely see a range of steady, incremental improvements in everyday AI. Online product recommendations will get better, your phone or car will understand your voice increasingly well and your vacuum cleaner robot won’t get stuck as often.
I disagree on self-driving cars - there’s no real reason why there won’t be fully autonomous controlled ride-sharing fleets in the affluent centres of cities, and this is indeed the strategy of companies such as NuTonomy, working in Singapore and Boston.
What major advances in AI will we see over the next 10 years?
Peter: The most obvious and useful examples of current AI are the speech recognition on your phone, and search engines such as Google. There is also IBM’s Watson, which in 2011 beat human champion players at the US TV game show Jeopardy, and is now being trialled in business and healthcare.
Peter: Many auto manufacturers and research institutions are competing to create practical driverless cars for general road use. While currently these cars can drive themselves for much of the time, many challenges remain in dealing with bad weather (heavy rain, fog and snow) and random real-world events such as roadworks, accidents and other blockages.
Most recently, Google’s DeepMind AI called AlphaGo beat the world champion Go player, surprising a lot of people – especially since Go is an extremely complex game, way surpassing chess.
NZ Manufacturer August 2017
1. Peter Stratton
It’s likely that we’ll see some major advances beyond today’s technology in some but not all of the following areas: self-driving cars, healthcare, utilities (electricity, water, and so on) management, legal, and service areas such as cleaning robots.
Basic machine learning algorithms underpin many technologies that we interact with in our everyday lives voice recognition, face recognition - but are application-specific and can only do one very specific defined task (and not always well).
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2. Michael Milford
These incidents often require some
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Pedestrians cross the road as a nuTonomy self-driving taxi undergoes its public trial in Singapore.
ANALYSIS
If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things. - Albert Einstein
Will AI take over the world or lead to a bright future for humanity? What approaches will lead to the biggest improvements in AI? Michael: Major advances will come from two sources. First, there is a long runway of steady incremental improvements left in many areas of conventional AI - large, complex neural networks and algorithms. These systems will continue to improve steadily as more training data becomes available and as scientists perfect them. The second area will likely be biological inspiration. Scientists are only just starting to tap into the knowledge about how brain networks work, and it’s likely they will copy or adapt what we know about animal and human brains to make current deep learning networks far more capable. Peter: Old-fashioned AI, which was based on pure logic and computer programs that tried to get machines to behave intelligently, basically failed to do anything that humans are good at and computers are not (speech and image recognition, playing complex strategic games, for example). What’s quite clear now is that our best-performing AI is based on how we think the brain works. But our current brain-based AI (called Deep Artificial Neural Networks) is still light years away from emulating an actual brain. Enhanced AI capabilities in the future will come from developing better theories of how the brain works. The fundamental science needed to cultivate these theories will probably come from publicly funded research institutions, which will then be spun off into commercial start-up companies, and then quickly acquired by interested large corporations if they look like they might be successful.
How will artificial intelligence affect society and jobs? Peter: Most jobs won’t be under threat for a long time, probably several
generations. Real people are needed to actually make any significant decisions because AI currently has no common sense. Instead of replacing jobs, our overall quality of life will go up. For example, right now few people can afford a personal assistant, or a full-time life coach. In the near future, we’ll all have (a virtual) one! Our virtual doctor will be working for us daily, monitoring our health and making exercise and lifestyle suggestions.
Do we still need a human in control of the vacuum cleaner?
Will Skynet/the machines take over and enslave humanity?
Our goods will be cheaper due to reduced transport costs, but we’ll still need human drivers to cover all the situations the self-drivers can’t.
Michael:
Michael: It’s likely that a significant fraction of jobs will be under threat over the coming decade. It’s important to note that this won’t necessarily be divided by blue-collar versus white-collar, but rather by which occupations are easily automatable. It’s unlikely that an effective plumber robot will be built in the near future, but aspects of the so far undisrupted construction industry may change radically. Some people say machines will never have the emotional capabilities of humans. Whether that is true or not, many jobs will be under threat with even the most rudimentary levels of emotional understanding and interaction.
Peter:
That leaves the question of what happens then. There are two scenarios - the first being that, like in the past, new types of jobs are generated by the technological revolution. The other is that humanity gradually transitions into a Utopian society where scientific, artistic and sporting pursuits are pursued at leisure. The short to medium-term reality is probably somewhere in between.
So yes, jobs will change, but there will still be plenty of them.
The challenge is that with newly developing technologies, there is an illusion of 100% control, which doesn’t really exist.
The robot bartender
Our houses and workplaces might be cleaner, but we will still need people to clean the spots the robots miss. We’ll also need people to deploy, retrieve and maintain all the robots.
All this doesn’t even mention the whole new entertainment technologies and industries that will spring up to capture our increased disposable income and to cash-in on our improved quality of life.
ways invisible to us human observers to kill us all off to optimise some misguided performance goal.
Don’t think about the complex, nuanced interaction you had with your psychologist; instead think about the one with that disinterested, uncaring part-time hospitality worker. The bar for disruption is not as high as many think.
All our current AI, and any that we can possibly create in the foreseeable future, are just tools – developed for specific jobs and totally useless outside of the exact duties they were designed for. They don’t have thoughts or feelings. These AIs are just as likely to try to take over the world as your Xbox or your toaster. One day, I believe, we will build machines that rival us in intelligence, and these machines will have their own thoughts and possibly learn in an unconstrained way. This sounds scary. But humans are dangerous for exactly the reasons that the machines won’t be.
It’s unlikely in the near future but possible. The real danger is the unpredictability. Skynet-like killer cyborgs as featured in the Terminator film series are unlikely because that development cycle takes a while, and we have multiple opportunities to stop development.
Humans evolved in a constant struggle for life and death, which made us innately competitive and potentially treacherous. When we build the machines, we can instead build them with any underlying motivation that we would like.
He could be back!
For example, we could build an intelligent machine whose only desire is to dismantle itself. Or, we could build in a hidden remote-controlled off switch that is completely separate from any of the machine’s own circuits, and an auto-shutdown reflex if the machine somehow ever notices it.
But AI could destroy or damage humanity in other unpredictable ways. For example, when big companies like Google Deepmind start entering into healthcare, it’s likely that they will improve patient outcomes through a combination of big data and intelligent systems.
All these safeguards will be trivial to implement. So there is simply no way that we could accidentally build a machine that then tries to wipe out the human race.
One of the temptations or pressures will be to deploy these extremely complex systems before we completely understand every possible ramification. Imagine the pressure if there is good evidence it will save thousands of lives per year.
Of course, because humans themselves are dangerous, someone could build a machine that doesn’t have these safeguards and use it for nefarious purposes. But we have that same problem now with nuclear weapons.
As we well know, we have a long history of negative unintended consequences with new technology that we didn’t fully understand.
In the future, just as now, we have to hope that we are simply smart enough to use our technology wisely.
In a far-fetched but not impossible healthcare scenario, deploying AI may lead to catastrophic outcomes a world-wide AI network deciding in
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ADVISORS Mike Shatford is an expert in the field of technology development and commercialisation. His company Design Energy Limited has completed over 100 significant projects in this vein by consulting for and partnering with some of New Zealand’s leading producers. Among Mike and his team’s strengths are industrial robotics and automated production where the company puts much of its focus.
Sandra Lukey
Sandra Lukey is the founder of Shine Group, a consultancy that helps science and technology companies accelerate growth. She is a keen observer of the tech sector and how new developments create opportunity for future business. She has over 20 years’ experience working with companies to boost profile and build influential connections.
Phillip Wilson Chris Whittington
Senior Lecturer at AUT, Chris Whittington is a versatile Engineer, Educator and Researcher. Chris has had many years experience in senior engineering and product management. Chris has a strong background in computational modelling, 3-D scanning and printing, and a strong interest in engineering education.
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Phillip Wilson of Nautech Electronics has over 25 years of experienced in the development, commercialisation and implementation of advanced manufacturing technology, robotics, automation and materials. Serving companies operating within the aerospace, automotive, offshore, defence, medical and scientific industries on a global basis. More recently specialising in change management and business re-alignment for a range of commercial entities from medium sized SME’s to divisions of large corporates.
Quality means doing it right when no one is looking. -Henry Ford
Software simplifies cnc machine tool environment operations, together with a number of dedicated functions in NCK firmware. The system also includes different logical HMI list pages for spindle and magazine view, tool view and tool data table, enabling users to visualise the complete content of tool information and current status.
NUM has released a new software facility for its latest-generation Flexium+ CNC platform that places an advanced tool management system at the disposal of manufacturers operating multiple CNC machine tools. It is especially suitable for complex high-end milling applications, as well as HSM applications in the mould & die market. Forming part of the latest version of NUM’s acclaimed Flexium+ software (V4.1.00.00), the new tool management facility provides a comprehensive and constantly accessible database that can either be installed on a server platform for use with multiple CNC machine tools in a large production plant, or can be used standalone on a single CNC machine tool. The tool management software includes PLC libraries, as well as dedicated CNC functions and HMI pages. It can handle a very large number of tools of different types – including turning, milling and boring – and standard, medium or large sizes. Duplo tools with identical cutting characteristics are also supported, as are different types of tool magazines such as disk, chain or rack. New tool characteristics are managed at maximum speed and maximum feed
rate, and the tool life can be monitored over time, by wear amount or by the number of operations. Pre-emptive warning messages are generated automatically, whenever specified limits are approached. The software provides an especially comprehensive set of extensions for tool characteristics. In addition to standard items such as the name, type and number of cuts – as many as 18 of which can be specified – extensions are also provided to handle numerous other factors, including magazine size, life management, technological characteristics such as maximum speed and speed rate, and status/warning indicators.
NUM’s new tool management system is very easy to use and requires no special software tools. Users simply employ NUM’s Flexium Tools software to extend the scope of their project to the database server.
Manufacturers operating multiple CNC machine tools are often forced to devote significant resources to tool management. This new system can help them to save considerable engineering costs in the long term.
A full set of API functions is included to implement all necessary tool
Developed primarily as a high-end system for complex tasks in milling applications, the software offers highly sophisticated NCK features such as a large block look-ahead capability in excess of 1000, together with very short NCK cycle times. These features also make the system ideal for HSM applications in the mould & die market.
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It is our choices that show who we really are, far more than our abilities. -JK Rawling
EcoSystem monitors motors and drives A world leader in industrial bearing technologies, Schaeffler, is introducing to Australia and New Zealand its latest condition monitoring and predictive maintenance technologies that use advanced digital services to look into the future of motors and drives used in industries including food and beverage processing. Schaeffler Drive Train 4.0 – part of the Schaeffler Smart EcoSystem suite of digitally integrated products – expands conventional condition monitoring approaches by linking diverse digital information sources into a single platform with new options for increased efficiency, machinery lifespan and sustainability, reduced downtime, reduced energy use and reduced total cost of ownership (TCO).
Reviewed for Australasia Industries
Schaeffler Smart EcoSystem Schaeffler is shaping the digital transformation with a clear vision and specific solutions highly relevant to Australian industry, says Mr Ciechanowicz. With Smart EcoSystem, Schaeffler is offering a consistent hardware and software infrastructure – from sensorised components to digital services and business models. Objectives include:
“Schaeffler’s Drive Train 4.0 links existing technology with new digital services to take a big step further into the digitalised production and machine monitoring of the future,” says Mr Mark Ciechanowicz, Industrial Services Manager, Schaeffler Australia.
While maintenance personnel previously had to draw and laboriously analyse information from many separate systems, Schaeffler is now offering a platform for bundling, analysing and interpreting these data.
Drive Train 4.0 is the product of extensive research and development of the global Schaeffler organisation which employs more than 86,000 people globally, including more than 6,000 at 16 research and development centres dedicated to high-performance, low-maintenance bearing technology.
The new technology was showcased at the most recent Hannover Messe, the world’s leading trade fair for industrial technology, where it was reviewed by the Managing Director of Schaeffler Australia, Mr Andre Kluge, for suitability to diverse Australasian industries where downtime is costly, and maintenance is expensive and poorly performing machinery wastes time and energy.
Schaeffler’s 170 locations in 50 countries include long-established Australasian operations whose capabilities include new system engineering, refurbishment and extensive technical support for systems such as Drive Train 4.0.
Applications include bulk handling and conveyor applications, mining and energy; building, construction and access equipment installations, such as forklifts and logistics; food and beverage and agribusiness processes, including paper and packaging; manufacturing, metals and process engineering, transport and industrial motor and transmission applications, including pumping and HVAC installations and utilities including electricity, water and waste water.
Drive Train 4.0’s latest innovations include two newly-developed micro services, which focus on optimum machine capacity, longer machine operating times, data-based predictive maintenance, and reduced overall operating costs, says Mr Ciechanowicz. The new micro services include the calculation of rolling bearings’ nominal remaining useful life during operation based on real load spectra, and automated rolling bearing diagnostics with the FAG SmartCheck vibration analysis system.
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Technology exhibited at Hannover Messe and particularly relevant to Australasian industry comprised an engine, clutch, and transmission designed to represent a wide range of drives in all performance classes. The latest generation of the FAG SmartCheck single-channel vibration analysis system, the FAG DTECT X1s multi-channel vibration analysis system, the FAG Concept2 automatic lubricator, the FAG WearDebrisCheck – an oil particle counter – and the FAG Xeleris torque measurement module are integrated into the drive. An outstanding characteristic of the innovative torque measurement module is that the sensor system does not affect the torsion rigidity of the drive train as the mechanical properties of the drive shaft are not affected. The dynamic behaviour of the drive remains unchanged. Drive Train 4.0 is part of the Schaeffler Smart EcoSystem, which is attuned to the digital revolution and the linking of components and systems that increase the efficiency of machines and equipment.
Schaeffler Smart EcoSystem encompasses diverse applications
- Obtaining important data for process control and machine monitoring, providing dependability and precision with sensors and mechatronic products. - Making use of Schaeffler’s unique global domain know-how, in the form of digital services, in order to automatically generate relevant information from the gathered data and to receive specific recommendations for action. - Profiting from digital solutions such as Drive Train 4.0, which is one of many solutions, including those for machine tools, railway, or wind applications.
Both services connect to the Schaeffler cloud, where the corresponding big data and software solutions are implemented. Software installations on the end devices of customers are not required; an internet browser and a network connection are sufficient.
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Schaeffler’s Drive Train 4.0 digital services are easily accessible and increase system availability
Hannover Messe exhibits highlighted new digital technologies relevant to motors and drives and many other applications
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- And to use them specifically for controlling processes, maximising availability and optimising product quality.
You must persevere to accomplish seemingly impossible tasks. -Chinese Proverb
High-Performance computing for industrial IoT By Remco Tolsma, Central Europe Regional Manager, RS Components The opportunities are many in the paradigm of the Internet of Things (IoT) and especially so in industrial IoT applications. Naturally all the major semiconductor vendors are making strategic forays into this arena, and among them is perhaps the best known of them all. Intel has made no secret that it is looking to expand its horizons and empower innovators, developers, makers and entrepreneurs in new and fast emerging applications that are being enabled by the IoT and industrial IoT. To this end, RS Components has been chosen by Intel to be an important instrument in its strategy to address these markets. This has culminated in the recent signing of an agreement enabling RS to supply a wide range of Intel products that target computing and embedded development across numerous applications and IoT-based projects. Thanks to this agreement, there are now a range of Intel-branded and Intel processor-based products shipping at RS. These include two Intel NUC single-board computers, based respectively on the Intel Atom E3815 processor and the high-performance Intel Core™ i5 processor based 5300U , in addition to the complete Intel Edison development platform, the Intel Compute Stick, and the Arduino Genuino 101.
Single Board Computers The Intel NUC Core i5 5300U is a highly compact single-board computer that integrates a 2.9GHz dual-core
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i5 5300U processor with 3MB cache memory, along with integrated graphics, Gigabit Ethernet connectivity and four high-throughput USB 3.0 ports. The processor is excellent for demanding (Digital Signal Processing (DSP) applications and engineers are currently using this powerful resource today to develop IoT applications.
board include 20 digital I/O pins, including four pins as PWM outputs, six analogue inputs, UART and a six-pin SPI header.
Intel Edison
Intel Compute Stick
The Intel Edison platform is a very significant suite of tools for open-source development that targets IoT and wearable computing products. The platform is based around the ultra-small Intel Edison compute module, which works with the Intel Edison breakout board for rapid prototyping and the Intel Edison board for Arduino. The Intel Edison module is a highly miniaturised product-ready compute module that boasts an advanced 22nm process technology based System-on-Chip (SoC), which integrates a dual-core and dual-threaded 500MHz Intel Atom processor and a 100MHz 32-bit Intel Quark microcontroller.
The Edison breakout board is only slightly larger than the module and exposes the native 1.8V I/O of the Edison module and offers a 0.1in grid I/O array of through-hole solder pads.
the Ubuntu Linux OS version comes with 8GB eMMC Flash memory and 1GB DDR3L SDRAM.
Genuino 101, powered by Intel
Another new key product is the Intel Compute Stick. Available in a couple of different versions, the Compute Stick is designed to transform a HDMI monitor or TV into a fully functional computer.
The Genuino 101 is an entry-level learning and development board based around the highly popular Arduino platform. However, in addition to being a powerful learning tool, the Genuino 101 offers more experienced developers the opportunity to prototype IoT designs such as wearables and other smart consumer devices.
Essentially it is a reliable mini PC that looks much like a large USB memory stick, but plugs into a display’s HDMI socket. It comes with a choice of Windows 10 or Ubuntu Linux operating systems and offers highly competitive levels of performance, storage and wireless connectivity when compared to a full-sized computer, yet at much lower cost and with dimensions of only 103 x 37 x 12mm.
The platform also integrates dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4 and 5GHz) and low-energy Bluetooth Smart connectivity as well as device-to-device and device-to-cloud connectivity framework for IoT application development.
The device also comes with integrated Intel HD graphics, plus connectivity options that include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.0. All it requires to become a traditional office PC, for example, are a power supply, plus wireless keyboard and mouse.
The Edison expansion board offers interfaces to a wide range of Arduino Uno R3 shields, enabling quick and easy prototyping via open-source hardware and the Arduino software development environment. Input/ output and interface options on the
However, a real sweet spot for the product is in the industrial marketplace, where it offers all the capabilities to easily enable digital signage or POS display applications. The Windows version comes with 32GB of eMMC Flash memory and 2GB DDR3L SDRAM;
Powered by the Intel Curie module, which integrates the 32-bit Intel Quark SoC along with 384kbytes of Flash memory and 80kbytes of SRAM, the board also integrates features such as Bluetooth Smart (Bluetooth Low-Energy) radio and a six-axis combo sensor integrating accelerometer and gyroscope, making the board ideal for “always-on’ sensor hub-based applications and projects such as fitness monitors. In terms of software, it runs an RTOS (Real-Time Operating System) and open-source based software framework that has been specially developed by Intel, delivering access to the Arduino development environment as well as compatibility with Windows, MAC OS and Linux operating systems.
NZ MANUFACTURER • September 2017 Issue • Features
Food Manufacturing Disruptive Technologies Robotics
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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.
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The shortest way to do many things is to do only one thing at once. -Samuel Smiles
Professor Klaus Schwab.
5 trends for the future of manufacturing Manufacturing is a hot topic again, undergoing the industry’s greatest change in more than 100 years. Domestic jobs have evaporated from many countries with globalisation, offshoring may be reverting to near shoring and automation threatens to replace more workers every day. The way we build and deliver the goods and products that fuel our economies and our lives will never be the same. As Professor Klaus Schwab has articulated in his book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution, we are in the middle of another industrial revolution - our fourth. The first industrial revolution occurred in the late 1700s (factories), the second during the early 20th century (automobiles) and the third after World War II (computers). As a result of these revolutions, products are manufactured faster and with higher consistency, and the products we are able to develop are increasingly complex and have greater value to consumers. The industrial revolution we’re experiencing now, commonly referred to as Industry 4.0, is powered by advancements that include smart manufacturing, robotics, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). In addition to prompting manufacturers to invest $267 billion in the IoT by 2020, Industry 4.0 is revolutionising manufacturing along five dimensions:
1. Seeing around corners - in 360° New tools are allowing companies to create and test situations in the virtual world, to simulate the design process and the assembly line before an actual product is created. Simulating the product-creation phase helps cut down on manufacturing time and ensure the manufacturing process delivers what companies intended to create. We are also using augmented reality solutions for remote assistance, allowing people in different locations around the world to connect in a live view and trouble-shoot together.
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This allows an engineer in China to consult with an engineer in the U.S. on a technical issue and receive feedback in real time through wearable Augmented Reality (AR) glasses, expediting problem solving and significantly reducing travel costs.
2. Viewing the fourth wave - in 3D Also making a mark in the manufacturing world is 3-D printing, which allows for the seamless creation of tangible products using a single machine. This is a fundamental change, because it gives you a lot more possibilities for how you design a part.
about solving the If you want to Be livepassionate a happy life, tie it problem, notthings. proving your solution. to a goal, not to people or -Nathan Furr
- Albert Einstein
For a certain category of product where you would normally need six pieces, 3-D printing can achieve the same thing in one piece without additional processes like welding or screwing. Three-dimensional printing reduces waste by recycling plastic and cuts down on the wait time for replacement parts and transportation. Its implications for mass production are various, making advancements possible in products ranging from toys to medical devices.
3. Advanced manufacturing - on autopilot Automation is another vital aspect of the industry’s future. Approximately 50% of Flex’s manufacturing processes are already fully automated. Automation enables a level of accuracy and productivity beyond human ability—even in environments that would be considered unsafe for humans. The new generation of robotics is not only much easier to program, but easier to use, with capabilities like voice and image recognition to re-create complex human tasks. Another advantage of robots is that they do precisely what you ask them to do - nothing more, nothing less. And while automation eliminates some of the most tedious manufacturing jobs, it is also creating new jobs for a re-trained workforce, discussed below.
Image: Reuters
4. Building intelligent factories - in the cloud In addition to robotics and virtual reality, factories environments are also driving advancements in cloud computing and smart sensors. Smart sensors can perform tasks such as converting data into different units of measurement, communicating with other machines, recording statistics and feedback and shutting off devices if a safety or performance issue arises. IoT functionality can track and analyse production quotas, consolidate control rooms and create models of predictive maintenance. IoT allows us to get the right information at the right time to make the right decisions, like a speedometer that shows how fast you’re driving in the moment versus your speed from yesterday. Cloud computing enables companies to extract and analyse information that affects the production line. Data from augmented and virtual reality, as well as increased customer feedback, will have a significant impact on research and development, giving consumers more of what they want, getting it to them faster and cutting down on costs—a system that ultimately will drive innovation.
5. Robots on the rise - managed by humans Building a better manufacturing sector with augmented and virtual reality, robotics and data analysis using smart equipment naturally raises an important question: What will the Industry 4.0 workforce look like? While there are still some significant challenges ahead, the outlook is strong despite the obvious concern of robots displacing jobs. The bulk of automation is used for work that would be considered unsafe or impossible for humans. This makes robots a complement to, not a replacement for, human workers. Because of robots, we’ll be able to increase our output.
We will still need people who can manage new operations, manage the robotics, program them and maintain them. Just as there was a shift from farm work to factory work in the early 20th century, almost every sector will need new kinds of workers: those who can build hardware, software and firmware; those who can design automation and robotics; and those who can adapt and maintain new equipment.
2017 New Zealand Manufacturer Excellence in Manufacturing For an Entry Form and further information contact: Doug Green, Publisher, NZ Manufacturer P: 0064 6 870 9029 E: publisher@xtra.co.nz
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FOOD MANUFACTURING
The starting point of all achievement is desire. -Napoleon Hill
The Connected Enterprise can drive efficiencies through the entire food supply chain Food and beverage manufacturers continue to strive to achieve smart, safe and sustainable operations. In today’s fast-paced industry, responding to changing consumer demands requires manufacturers to be flexible and agile in their operations. Innovations like the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), network convergence, big data and analytics, and mobility affect how food and beverage producers operate.
In this article we will explore how these technologies can be leveraged to connect processes and the food supply chain to achieve operational efficiencies and generate business value.
Being a global manufacturer, Rockwell Automation recently embarked on their own journey to the Connected Enterprise. Similar to other manufacturers with large product portfolios and a global manufacturing presence, Rockwell Automation used a range of manufacturing processes at its 20 different plants. Each plant ran its systems, with none of them talking to each other.
Collaborative manufacturing can help businesses reduce inventories, improve integration with suppliers and customers and reduce time to market by streamlining end-to-end business and supply chain processes. This enables an accurate information base from which to make decisions.
Through The Connected Enterprise, food and beverage manufacturers can develop a more agile response to changing consumer tastes. Faster time to market, lower costs, improved asset utilisation, and enterprise risk management can also be achieved.
Through, collaborative manufacturing, critical business processes are identified and made as efficient and flexible as possible. The ARC Advisory Group introduced the Collaborative Management Model to provide a robust model of the manufacturing enterprise.
“The IIoT has made technology advances that we could have only dreamt about in the past a reality. Smart manufacturing is available now and people are already adopting these technologies to see real business value,” said Cahill. Today, The Connected Enterprise brings Information Technology (IT) and Operational Technology (OT) together into a robust, secure and collaborative way.
This model details the complex interactions, applications, collaborations and processes that a manufacturing enterprise entails. For the food and beverage industry this means aligning people, process, structure and systems to gain new operational insights. This improved visibility results in a more connected, efficient and profitable operation. Connecting the entire supply chain
The IIoT is creating a new era for economic growth and competitiveness for industrial companies. Connected
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securely connecting people, processes, and technologies. Manufacturers can coordinate operations and communications.
Collaborative manufacturing
However, as Michael Cahill, technical consultant at Rockwell Automation explains, “It’s not necessarily about the technology, the question that manufacturer’s need to be asking is how do these technologies enable new business value?”
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smart devices open new windows of visibility into processes. Data and analytics enable better and faster decision-making.
The Connected Enterprise facilitates a demand-driven supply chain by
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The company developed a five-year plan for the complete restructuring of their facility and supplier networks. Rockwell Automation started the journey by establishing a single connected system across the globe utilising Ethernet/IP. In tandem, they rolled out a new, unified ERP and MES solutions across all of the production sites. The company has experienced an estimated 4-5 percent annual improvement in productivity. “When food and beverage manufacturers successfully connect business to production, suppliers to customers and make their systems resilient to change – productivity is improved and business value is generated. If you focus on these three things in relation to people, business structure and IT/OT technologies, they are game changers,” explained Cahill. IT and OT convergence creates a common production platform and new technologies including mobile devices, the cloud, and big data, can help
securely connect plant information with enterprise systems. As a result of these advances in technology, manufacturing is predicted to change more radically in the next five years than it has in the last 20. “By automating and using IIoT to connect suppliers to customers and business to production, the information flow within an enterprise and throughout the entire supply chain can be managed,” said Cahill. Supply-chain planners and purchasing managers now rely on an array of vendors from around the world, complicating management of lead times, quality and cost control. Throughout the entire supply chain from sourcing raw materials, to manufacture, distribution and return, the connection of people and processes via technology allows manufacturers to implement real-time decision-making. “It is important to remember that the supply chain involves sourcing the raw product, manufacture, distribution and return - not just manufacture. People can sometimes have a silo focus where it’s easy to think ‘my part of the supply chain is covered’, but when your brand is on a product it can be very difficult to explain to a customer that it wasn’t your error,” said Cahill. A consumer response will have implications for everyone in the supply chain, highlighting the importance of reliable data and information exchange and the need for manufacturers to trace their products throughout the entire supply chain.
FOOD MANUFACTURING
If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough. -Albert Einstein
The solution leveraged Fonterra’s previous years strategic investment in process control, manufacturing operations, and enterprise resource planning systems.
The information enabled Connected Enterprise Smart manufacturing provides the opportunity to: • Follow the flow of ingredients and track yield throughout production • Monitor key production areas and use insights to improve operations • Respond to supply-chain developments to improve on-demand production • Track and trace batches of materials as they move through the supply chain Data collection is automated by MES software for deeper, more immediate
advances in equipment, control systems and information systems can help establish more flexible and more responsive operations.
production visibility. This can help manufacturers make better decisions based around their operations, the commodity market and raw ingredients to help manage material variance and improve yield.
The benefits of smart manufacturing extend far beyond operational improvements. A secure network infrastructure, greater connectivity and access to actionable information also create opportunities to enhance quality, food safety and worker safety.
It also provides the foundation for a strong food safety and quality system and helps track ingredients, which is imperative, as traceability within the food supply chain becomes an essential capability.
Trace program: connecting suppliers to customers
The ability to access relevant, real-time and role-based information can enable more informed decision-making at every level and create nearly endless opportunities for manufacturers to improve processes. Additionally,
As a leading global dairy nutrition company, Fonterra conducted a review of existing track and trace processes back in 2013.
Key business drivers for food manufacturers The Connected Enterprise can help food manufacturers address the following key business drivers:
Introducing
A point of difference in today’s busy FMCG market.
1. Consumer demand for new products Meeting consumer demands for new and in some cases personalised products requires flexible and agile production capabilities. The Connected Enterprise delivers faster time to market for new products through design productivity, faster commissioning times with intelligent devices, and the agility to respond to customer trends more quickly. 2. Customer satisfaction With high consumer expectations for consistent product quality, The Connected Enterprise allows manufacturers to leverage real time information to manage product quality. 3. Competition in the marketplace Food and beverage manufacturers are under enormous pressure to remain competitive in the challenging, consumer driven market. Fortunately smart manufacturing can help address this by reducing production costs and improving asset performance. Manufacturing and industrial intelligence tools drive improved reliability, quality and predictive maintenance.
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
Why the Need for inSight™?
4. Supply chain integration and optimisation Bringing together disparate networks, improving production visibility and attaining better control of processes can help manufacturers make operational improvements and drive gains in efficiency. Additionally, wider availability of information provides real time visibility and can help manufacturers be more responsive to supply-chain developments and improve on demand production.
inSight™ takes product assurances into the 21st century inSight™ is a new brand developed by New Zealand Government owned AsureQuality, global experts in food safety and quality. We know how important food safety and quality is to you. We wanted a way that you could get independently verified information about a product, that would give you confidence in it before paying for it. inSight™ makes sense because: • You want to know more about the food you are eating
A new innovation taking product assurances into the 21st Century
Freephone 0508 00 11 22 | www.aqinsight.com
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FOOD MANUFACTURING According to Jerry Castellanos, the traceability workstream lead at Fonterra, “We have always been able to trace products, but the findings showed that our systems used a mix of electronic information as well as offline data such as manual logs and spreadsheets.
In every crisis, there is opportunity.
Chinese Proverb
In manufacturing the challenge starts with capture of batch information every time a tanker off-loads milk at a milk reception bay; that is on average 750,000 tanker receipts per year. Post reception at any one of our 26 manufacturing sites in New Zealand the traceability system needed to capture batch information at every critical tracking event (CTE) in the manufacturing process, there could be as many as 30 CTEs in a single site.
“A programme was initiated to transform our global traceability system and ensure that during a critical food safety event we are able to quickly and accurately identify and locate implicated products.”
It was clear to the programme from the beginning that any solution would have to bring a significant amount of automation and integration from shop-floor systems through to enterprise resource planning systems (ERP) in order to successfully create a reliable electronic traceability system.
Fonterra’s supply chain is long and complex, starting with collection of milk from farms through to dispatch of product to customers in 140 different countries. From the start the co-ops biggest challenge was to track raw milk, a liquid, through complex manufacturing processes design to extract value out of every single drop. The solution needed to reliably capture and link product batch history information at every stage without negatively impacting operational efficiencies.
The solution leveraged Fonterra’s previous years strategic investment in process control, manufacturing operations, and enterprise resource planning systems. By automatically detecting the occurrence of critical tracking events
at the process control layer, key traceability data about the event is automatically captured and passed to the manufacturing operations layer for aggregating and then interfaced to the ERP system for contextualising.
Thanks
to
a
The ERP contextualised data is then presented to a purposed built analytic tool, which provides on-demand insight into the product supply chain and the batch history back to source and forwards to customer.
traced product in 3 hours or less.
manufacturing
highly solution,
automated designed
and developed in collaboration with Rockwell Automation, Fonterra will be able to reliably complete an end-to-end trace that identifies and locates any The solution being rolled out to our manufacturing sites closely reflects the material flow at every manufacturing CTE while minimising the impact and dependency on operator interactions.
ENERGY Large-scale battery storage to transform renewable energy future The announcement that the world’s largest lithium ion battery will be installed in South Australia by the end of 2017, will transform and fast track reliable renewable energy in Australia, as well as globally, according to a leading energy industry authority Dr Alex Wonhas, Managing Director, Energy, Resources & Manufacturing of global engineering and infrastructure advisory company Under an agreement with the South Australian Government, billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s Tesla, and the French renewable energy group Neoen, the battery, three times more powerful than any other system in the world, will be designed to provide power to the grid at times of generation shortfall, as well as providing stability to the network, day and night. “The coupling of renewable energy with large scale battery storage is a fundamental requirement for an affordable, reliable and sustainable energy future for Australia,” said Dr Wonhas, who was previously Executive Director for CSIRO’s environment, energy and resources sector.
NZ Manufacturer August 2017
stakeholders, including the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) and South Australian transmission and distribution network service providers, to identify and advise on grid connection and registration matters.
such as Australia’s first large-scale solar power project connected to the south-eastern grid (Royalla solar photovoltaic plant), and designing one of the largest solar farms in Australia (Bungala Solar Photovoltaic),” he said.
Engineering renewables
The July 7 announcement of the world’s largest lithium ion grid connected battery system at 100 MW/129 MWh is the culmination of three months of intensive work by Aurecon.
“As engineers design for the future, technology and innovative solutions like this will be imperative to meeting tomorrow’s challenges,” comments Dr Wonhas. He goes on to say that in future, the role of the engineer will be to interrogate impossible challenges, including that of energy supply; and to answer, “I think we can!” when others have said it’s impossible.
In addition, Aurecon is the engineering partner for Territory Generation’s Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) for Alice Springs, which was recently given the green light by the Northern Territory Government. BESS will provide 5 MW battery energy storage and will be one of the largest grid-connected storage solutions in Australia.
This included evaluation and shortlisting of expression of interest submissions, development of the technical and functional requirements of the system and invitation to supply documents, evaluation of respondent proposals and negotiations to enable the final contract to be signed.
“South Australia is now set to lead the charge in battery storage that will, in turn, revolutionise the way in which renewable energy is integrated into electricity networks.
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Aurecon is the Specialist and Technical Engineering Advisor to the Government of South Australia for the implementation of its Energy Plan. The company is providing advice across the entire programme, including the 100 MW battery, emergency gas generator and power supply contracts.
Aurecon also supported the Government to engage with various /
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the
journey
toward
“I am proud that Aurecon continues to play a key role as an engineer and advisor to Australia’s energy sector, including designing a number of industry-defining renewable ‘firsts’,
The success of the solar power projects has led to a range of other appointments in the clean energy sector, including Moree Solar Project, Barcaldine Solar Farm, Sun Metals Solar Farm, Capital and Woodlawn Wind Farms.
SUPPLY CHAIN
Knowledge comes by taking things apart: analysis. But wisdom comes by putting things together. -John A. Morrison
Supply Chain Excellence: Series 5 – Lean Thinking for The Office and Admin Areas -Vishnu Rayapeddi 6. Inventory (Time) - work piles, excessive supplies, and excessive signature requirements are waste
You may be wondering why this article is part of Supply Chain Excellence series and not under the Lean series...yes, it’s part of both! The reason for including this article under Supply Chain Excellence series is that, many activities including customer Service (for example, quotation processing, order processing etc), all planning and procurement & purchasing, quality assurance, administrative warehousing & distribution functions and many other activities take place in offices. Most businesses regard lean manufacturing almost exclusively as a set of production tools and techniques. Most businesses who implement lean manufacturing fail to achieve the full benefit of this strategy because the office and administration areas are not included in any kaizen / continuous improvement activities. If you think lean is about the factory floor only, then remember that typically 60% to 80% of all costs associated with a product line are non-production costs. A couple of examples to highlight the wastes in the office areas... 1. An industrial air handling units manufacturing company – the quotation process used to take 4 weeks and had 55 steps and what this meant was losing valuable customer orders to competition. After a brief introduction on value & waste and process mapping, I asked them to list all the 55 steps on sticky notes. Upon challenging every step and classifying those steps as 1) value Adding (green), 2) Non-Value adding (red) and 3) Non-Value Adding but required (orange), the team ended up with roughly 50% of the steps which fell in to green and orange categories. What this meant was that, the no of steps reduced to 30 and the time in quotation processing reduced to 2 weeks!
stabilise, standardise, and simplify administrative processes using the power of the Toyota Production System. So, what is a Lean Office?
3. Motion - any movement of people, paper, electronic exchanges that does not add value is waste
• Files awaiting approvals
• Processes are standardised • Processes are improved upon
• Repeatedly reviewing manuals for information
• Processes are made as visual as possible
• Hand carrying paper to another process
• 5S is practiced!
• Cross-departmental commitments
Let’s understand what the wastes are in an office environment. 1. Overproduction – producing work prior to it being required is waste and is the greatest of all the wastes
• E-mailing, faxing same document
• Over-addressed email distribution lists
• Entering repetitive information on multiple documents
• Hand-carrying paper to another process
• Ineffective meetings
• Cross-departmental commitments
• Dependency of others to complete tasks
• Not sufficient training of back-ups • Purchasing excessive office supplies. 7. Defects (or mistakes) - refers to all processing required creating a defect or mistake and the additional work required to correct it • Data entry errors • Pricing errors
4. Transport - affects the time of delivery of any work within an office
• Making extra copies
• Excessive signatures or approvals
• Obsolete office equipment
• Not a priority for someone to complete
• Delivering unneeded documents
2. Waiting – for people, signatures, and information is waste. This is “low hanging fruit” which is easy to reach and ripe for the taking.
• Obsolete files
resource
• Producing reports no one reads or needs
or
• Work awaiting task completion by others
• Searching for computer files • Searching for documents in file cabinets
• Processes are controlled
signatures
• Forwarding documentation
incomplete
• Incorrect information on document
• Excessive filing of work documents
• Inefficient file system on PC or in cabinet • Not appropriate staffing to service customer 8. Underutilisation of People - is a result of not placing people where they can (and will) use their knowledge, skills, and abilities to the fullest (8th Waste)
resource
• Mis-prioritization 5. Excessive processing - putting more work or effort into the work required by internal or external customers is waste
• Project deadlines not being met. • Work loads not evenly balanced due to lack of cross-training
• Duplicative reports or information
• High absenteeism and turnover
• Delays in receiving information
• Repetitive data entry
• Computer problems
• Incorrect information being shared
• Inadequate management system
program
• Cross-departmental commitments
revision resource
• Not a priority for someone to complete
performance
• Incomplete job skill assessment prior to hiring
• Constantly revising documents • Ineffective meetings and no agendas
Now that we have understood what may be the wasted efforts in our office environment, let’s take steps to minimise / eliminate the same and increase the value to our customers.
• Duplicative documentation • Lack of accurate project planning
*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.
2. A Printing Company – From the time a customer order was received and until it was converted in to a production order and passed on to manufacturing, they had 32 steps. A similar process as above, reduced the number of steps to 18 and time halved!
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.
Also, how many times have you searched for a saved file on your computer and how long did it take to find it? Can we manager our e-records better? The answer is YES! It is all about learning how to
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ANALYSIS
A real decision is measured by the fact that you’ve taken a new action. If there’s no action, you haven’t truly decided. -Tony Robbins
LanzaTech:
the one fish that shouldn’t have got away
Remember LanzaTech? The New Zealand bio fuel R&D start-up which invented a process to convert carbon-rich gases from steel mills to create the ethanol base of their fuel Lanzanol. Our Former General Manager Industry Development Nick Inskip tried hard to get the LanzaTech plant manufacturing technology established here.
Probably not. Since LanzaTech packed their bags quite early in the game and moved to the US with many of their former staff in tow. But don’t worry – quite clearly they don’t seem to remember us either.
It would have been a good steel story that added to our green credential of being 100% recyclable. The potential for carbon capture and added value from various waste products also appealing.
A recent read of a worldsteel article described a company full of progress and potential. Highlighting its China Baowu Steel Group-Lanzatech partnership which produces more than 450,000 litres of Lanzanol per year from a single site in Shanghai for conversion to 225,000 litres of jet fuel.
He felt LanzaTech’s lack of reference to New Zealand was understandable. The root of the problem starting when they wanted to establish a research institute here which government refused to support, fractured further by other poor decisions made.
Quite rightly, they’re revelling in an innovative ‘risk’ payoff. The problem for us? There’s not one mention of its invention’s cradle New Zealand or first pilot plant built here by our member Fitzroy Engineering which was installed at New Zealand Steel.
LanzaTech was forced to take its R&D and contract work for Darpa and others aviation biofuels overseas. And, in doing so – we lost not only them, but the other companies who would have set up shop here to access the institute too.
Their Technology Inventor Dr Sean Simpson delivers the final blow on their website. Listing a colourful array of countries from Mauritius to Zambia in his CV, with no word of us on his lips. Even despite obtaining his PhD here while discovering what the bacteria he investigated could really do.
At the time LanzaTech Key Investor Vinod Koshla and others had put a lot of venture capital funding into the project. And, not surprisingly – as his first clean technology investment outside the US, he was looking for a reason to move to the US. Our government provided it.
So why did the promising LanzaTech technology slip away? Quite simply, we didn’t government support to keep it.
A chance meeting with one of the ‘committee’ who made the decision to not support LanzaTech shed some light on the move. Revealing it boiled down to the government thinking LanzaTech didn’t need our help as they could obtain enough funds on their
have
The question is: what is the way to keep such developments in New Zealand in the future?
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own. To Nick, this argument cost us a huge opportunity. It should have been about securing them to stay so they’d built the technology’s impact here with spin-outs to the rest of the world in the future.
High risk innovation needs stronger government policy The value proposition for this development was missed in New Zealand. And with no change in government policy, it’s sad to think that the outcome would still be the same today. Following the LanzaTech story, we now know they’ve attracted several hundred millions of international co-funding. Money that would have also flown into New Zealand and funded employment for its over 140 staff here as well as drawn in quality expertise to our shores. At HERA, we believe we have to change the narrative on stories like this to a ‘LanzTech/NZ Steel partnership supported by New Zealand owned and manufactured technology.’ But it requires a decision. Accept our tiny island is a great place to create promising inventions but not keep up locally with them. Or, fight for an environment we can nourish such initiatives in. No doubt these early stage developments are difficult to assess. And, expecting the government to co-fund without strict evaluation of the opportunity isn’t justified. But our mechanism for obtaining high risk innovation funding in New Zealand isn’t effective enough. It needs to be stronger recognised in our government policies if we’re to avoid this outcome again in the future. To do this, we have to focus on the economic and social impact multiplier in terms of return on investment. Namely in productive industry sector research and development.
Tax cuts are key We
acknowledge
government
has
the
current
increased
its
government R&D spending over the last years including to the Callaghan Innovation research grants schemes. But maintain the most effective way of leveraging more non-governmental investment is a simple R&D tax credit system. This system doesn’t need complex and costly grant administration – simply incentivising much needed investment through tax concessions. So, rather than promising tax cuts in the upcoming elections, how about policy that cuts taxes for those willing to invest into innovation instead?
The best time to advocate for change is election time! The
Worldsteel
innovation
story
highlights the immense progress of former New Zealand research company LanzaTech in the conversion of waste flue gases into useable fuels. In the process making greener steel and renewable clean fuels. It goes to show New Zealand is truly a hotbed for new ideas. But, have challenges in keeping these
costly
yet
world
changing
developments in our country. To fix this, our R&D policy setting needs change. If we want these type of developments to succeed in our local waters, we have to cut taxes for those investing in it. Do you agree? Make sure to advocate for it whenever the opportunity presents itself! If not, tell me what you believe would work! This is our chance to make a positive change that benefits our industry – let’s not waste it.
BUSINESS NEWS
People forget how fast you did a job – but they remember how well you did it -Howard Newton
Connexionz strengthens US presence Based in the Highridge Business Park in the Valencia suburb of Santa Clarita, the spacious office facilities provides the essential services needed to run a critical technology business. The move is a major step in the company’s US expansion strategy which focuses on growth and customer proximity through strengthened local sales and support capabilities. Smart transit innovations with internet enabled technology, real-time tracking systems, and cloud based services are creating a wealth of operational advantages, cost efficiencies and customer service offerings for transit agencies. A global trend towards on-demand and personalised mobility solutions is driving transit agencies to partner with Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) experts, like Connexionz, to develop solutions that can connect and integrate seamlessly with multimodal networks.
The company is receiving increasing enquiries from transit agencies across all networks – bus, ferry, train – who are eager to discover how advances in ITS can improve both their fleet performance and customer service, while achieving cost savings through optimised operations and maintenance.
HornBlower’s recent launch of its New York’s City ferry system, for example, is installed with ITS technology developed and managed by Connexionz, including accurate laser-based passenger counting systems, a range of on-board real-time service displays, and passenger infotainment services. The project highlights Connexionz
ability to deliver advanced and innovative solutions that can be customised and integrated across multiple networks and markets.
consumer demand,” says Garrett. Connexionz, established in 1996, specialises in delivering comprehensive and fully integrated Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) applications and services to transit agencies, and provides consultancy services for intelligent transit related projects.
Connexionz US Sales Director Brain Garrett says, “With a large stronghold in California and surrounding States in US, we are opening an office in Santa Clarita to be closer to our customers in a modern environment that gives us agility to meet their needs faster.
These include designing systems for smart transit centres and application specific hardware design, development and manufacturing services.
“We are committed to delivering efficient internet-enabled technologies for transit that make use of the latest innovations in solar, laser, sensors and analytics. Technology that enhances transit services, improves fleet performance with real-time reporting and analytical intelligence, reduces maintenance costs, and increases
To date, the company has delivered systems in Asia, Australasia, Europe, South America, and North America. Connexionz international headquarters is based in Christchurch, New Zealand.
Omron appoints new director for Oceania region Omron Asia Pacific has appointed a new director for its operations in the Oceania Region. Mr Henry Zhou, the general manager of Omron Electronics Oceania (Australia and New Zealand), joins Omron Oceania Managing Director Mr Greg Field and Mr Takehito Maeda (MD, Omron Asia Pacific) as Oceania directors. Mr Zhou joined Omron, a global leader in automation, in 1998 in Singapore before moving to Sydney the following year. He has held several prominent roles with the company including Sales Engineer, State Sales Manager
NSW, Product Manager and Business Planning & Marketing Manager. And earlier this year, he was appointed head of Omron Food & Beverage and Commodities operations for the APAC region. He is a qualified engineer (automation) and holds an MBA (Management and Marketing) from RMIT University. “It is a great honour to be appointed a director and I look forward to helping the company grow its business in the
Commitment to TPP11 applauded New Zealand’s mandate to negotiate for the new Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP11) is good news, says ExportNZ. New Zealand has taken a prominent role in moving the agreement towards completion following the US decision to withdraw from TPP negotiations this year. ExportNZ Executive Director Catherine Beard says it is positive that all 11 members of the TPP group have agreed to stick closely to the terms of the original TPP agreement and are
moving at pace towards concluding the agreement. “TPP will cut tariffs imposed on New Zealand exporters, allow greater access to new markets, and substantially increase the returns to this country. “Exporters are pleased with the energy and commitment shown by the New Zealand Government in working towards this important trade deal,” Catherine Beard said.
Oceania and APAC region,” said Mr Zhou, who took up the appointment on August 1. “Our directors have a duty to ensure the company stakeholders – customers, shareholders and staff – receive maximum benefits. Established in 1933, OMRON has 36,000 employees and US$7.3 billion revenue. Its APAC network covers over 23 countries with more than 5,200 employees.
And from EMA… Confirmation of New Zealand’s mandate to negotiate for the new Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP11) is positive progress says the EMA.
with our trading partners. We can’t afford to be left behind,” says Mr Campbell.
“We are an exporting nation and it’s vital we keep pushing our trade agenda,” says Kim Campbell, CEO, EMA. “Agreements such as TPP11 are essential to ensuring our exporting businesses remain competitive in overseas markets, such as Japan and the other parties in this partnership. “We need to have clarity on market access, tariffs and intellectual property
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BUSINESS NEWS
Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day-in and day-out. -Robert Collier
How to save the life of a tradeshow sales lead Since the dawn of marketing, tradeshow and other in-person events have been the largest items in the B2B marketing budget, often exceeding more than 50 percent of the total budget. And yet, have you ever seen an ROI report on tradeshow activity proving this huge investment is paying off? If they exist they are as rare as Beluga caviar. Sadly, most event managers focus on creating great looking booths and coming home with a load of leads at the end of the show. There’s no regard for quality. It’s all about volume because unfortunately, quantity (vs quality) is how their organisation measures their success.
you might have a meaningful conversation with one of the company representatives, your actual request for follow-up never happens. Given the tremendous potential of tradeshows to produce high quality sales leads, let’s highlight what a day in the life of a tradeshow sales lead should look like to deliver ROI.
Those tasked with this job, have no interest or time for lead follow-up or ROI; they’ve already moved on to producing the next show.
It starts with preparing a year in advance for a major show. CRM segmentation into the following four key target group should be your first order of the day:
Ironically there is a marked resurgence today in tradeshows and events. Why? Because in our digital, always on(line) world of maximum productivity and efficiency (i.e. email and web meetings), tradeshows are one of the only channels to connect with customers and prospects face to face.
1. Customers - Major targets for significant growth opportunities 2. Customers - Routine ‘keep in contact’ but not in the buying cycle segment 3. Prospects - Major targets 4. Prospects - Known, ‘keep in contact’ but not in the buying cycle segment
On the flipside, from a booth visitor’s point of view, the opportunity to evaluate a wide range of potential suppliers in one location is priceless. Clearly, tradeshows are a win-win scenario.
The beauty of modern data capture systems is that all this data is pre-loaded on lead retrieval devices for an event. This enables the booth staff to know exactly who they’re talking with and who the sales executive is so that they can make an introduction in the booth.
Despite their resurgence, however, tradeshows can result in a bottomless pit of wasted marketing dollars. Too often potential sales leads are left to die a slow death on the showroom floor.
This data enables you to deliver four unique pre-event campaigns for each category. For instance, armed with these insights you can book interesting restaurants around the tradeshow city to host more intimate dinners for major target customers and prospects, while those in ‘keep in contact’ mode can receive an invitation to visit the exclusive bar and restaurant area within the booth itself at a large show.
Perhaps you’ve experienced the same treatment at a show that you find when visiting a company’s website. You leave a request for information and get no response. The same is often true when you visit an exhibitor’s booth and although
Technology plays an important role here as well. The cost of NFC (near field communication) chip plastic cards allows you to produce very upmarket VIP cards for release to all customers and prospects for ongoing use. They can then be scanned into events so that the individual can build up loyalty points and you get the tracking information to see who is the most active for follow-up purposes. Naturally your digital marketing team will create an email/newsletter program to introduce products and other news surrounding your presence at the event. Once again, this links back into the CRM data sets preloaded on the lead retrieval devices, so that you can actually see who has been the most active clicking through and reading items about your products or services.
Why the show isn’t over when it ends Actually, the show is only the start of the real sales activity. Good, detailed lead capture is absolute key to ROI. A typical breakdown of leads captured at a show usually fits into one of the following categories: • 5 percent are immediate, “sales ready” hot leads for sales follow-up • 20 percent are fully qualified, but the timing is just too early, so still go to sales for them to keep in contact as warm leads • 40 percent are fully qualified, but are long range ‘nurture’ leads to be • managed internally
Most clients get excited about the 5 percent who need to be converted quickly; the problem is that they are being picked up right at the last stages of a prospect’s buying cycle, and other competitors may be involved at this stage, which diminishes the opportunity.
Tradeshows are one of the only channels to connect with customers and prospects face to face. As in other parts of B2B sales and marketing, the magic is found in the 20 percent warm leads; the guys who are fully qualified on your lead capture app, and need unpressurised, high quality follow-up to close the deals. The rub here is that most sales people are too busy to manage this process, so our successful clients issue these leads to their inside sales team or external call centre as well, to ensure good quality contact until the close of the sale. This may take a year of two, so updated CRM reports at least on a monthly basis are the final, vital ingredient to show true ROI data ‘by sales executive’ and ‘by show’. As you can see, in terms of time investment, full exploitation of a show may well be a year before and two years afterwards, something that marketers must fully understand and embrace. The experience of event marketing becomes a continual quality monitoring and improvement process, especially if you have many events and shows to support. And that individual sales lead goes from being warmed up pre-show, to presented to in the booth, to nurtured until ‘sales ready’ and then bounced out to sales to close the sale and generate that topline revenue for your organisation. This is quite a long journey, requiring modern marketing automation to successfully manage and prove ROI over time.
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REAR VIEW
Quality begins on the inside… then works its way out. -Bob Moawad
How to make batteries that last (almost) forever Batteries that can last indefinitely are needed to track wildlife. Mamiraua Sustainable Development
When a battery runs low it usually needs to be manually recharged, but new approaches are being developed to help this energy source last indefinitely. Self-sustaining batteries are needed for activities that use sensors. These include long-term tracking of wildlife like flying foxes, multi-year biodiversity assessments in Australian rainforests and the Amazon, and studying the health of the Great Barrier Reef. This is where energy harvesting comes in handy. Energy harvesting allows energy to be collected from the environment – through the sun or vibration, for instance. But just like wind and solar energy used for the electricity grid, energy harvesting for mobile technology provides an intermittent and unpredictable energy supply.
and solar panel to recharge each day. Our software can predict the likely movement of the animal and energy availability, and use this data to determine suitable schedules for the use of on-board sensors. This ensures that the energy needed for obtaining the GPS samples does not exceed the energy we expect to have available through the solar panels.
any battery-powered device must be fully sealed and insulated from the water. The development of batteries that biodegrade is an interesting direction that could reduce the environmental impact of large sensing systems. Some researchers are experimenting with dissolvable batteries using silk, skin pigment melanin and salt water solutions for electrolytes.
1. Raja Jurdak Research Group Leader, Distributed Sensing Systems, CSIRO
Animal welfare must also be considered: devices for long-term wildlife tracking must either be light and small enough so that animals can move normally, or have a drop-off mechanism at a set time.
This raises the challenge of how to continuously power these devices when it matters most. To address the issue, we have designed a software framework that can adapt a device’s sensing and computation tasks based on a forecast of harvested energy. This ensures that the sensor can collect and dispatch the necessary data without running out of power.
ENERGY NEUTRAL OPERATION Our software aims to help devices operate in an energy-neutral way, so that the battery can last indefinitely or until its recharge cycles are exhausted.
2. Brano Kusy Research Scientist, CSIRO A sensing node in Springbrook National Park. CSIRO, Author provided
This software framework can also be used for consumer devices such as smartphones and wearables. But while there is no hard battery lifetime for this approach, how long the battery lasts will still depend on the maximum number of times the battery can be recharged before dying. Other researchers are exploring energy-positive sensing. Energy can be harvested from human motion, which can in turn can power a wearable device. But in addition to providing some amount of power, information about human activity, such as whether the wearer walking or running, can be reconstructed from the harvested energy signal.
PROTECTING THE ENVIRONMENT FROM BATTERIES Of course, there are challenges to having battery-powered devices that operate indefinitely in the wild. A heat map in Springbrook National Park. CSIRO, Author provided
One example is our Camazotz tracking device that we use for researching flying foxes. This device is attached to the animals using collars and collects GPS data to understand their movements. It also has a tiny battery
Over time, batteries may leak damaging chemicals such as nickel, cadmium or hydrofluoric acid into the environment, or even catch fire under extreme heat. When monitoring the health of the Great Barrier Reef with a battery-powered sensor, for instance,
battery-powered devices, some manufacturers have created battery-less sensing devices to eliminate the need for battery recharging and environmental risk altogether.
Sensors in the Great Barrier Reef shouldn’t damage the environment. JC Photo/ Shutterstock
This opens up new applications, such as placing sensors in human and animal bodies for physiological sensing.
THE ETHICS OF BATTERIES THAT LAST FOREVER
Rather than having a continuous storage of energy, these devices can use near-field radio waves or other nearby energy sources to gather enough power to conduct a limited set of sensing or computing operations on-demand. They are similar in concept to passive radio-frequency identification (RFID), but may provide more information than simply the identity of a tag.
From a philosophical perspective, creating indefinitely powered devices that can sense, think, and act moves us closer to creating artificial life forms. Couple that with an ability to reproduce through 3D printing, for example, and to learn their own program code, and you get most of the essential components for creating a self-sustaining species of machines.
The drawback is that it only works under specific conditions. In particular, it requires that the energy source be within a very short distance of the passive device.
Self-sustaining battery-powered devices can also continue to gather data from their environment beyond their intended mission. This could lead to the collection of unintended data that might have privacy or political implications.
Energy-sustainability will be vital for applications from animal detection and tracking to shipping and logistics. Companies have already started to introduce value-added services such as sensor-based logistics to deliver real-time information on high-value shipments. Sustainable operation of the sensors will only encourage this trend.
NO BATTERY IS SOMETIMES BETTER Motivated
by
the
risks
of
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