ANALYSIS Growing our World Class Industries -Ian Walsh, Managing Director, Intent Group
Over the last few years, I have been asked by aspiring NZ companies – ‘Who is world class?’ ‘What are we best at in NZ?’ Or even more insightfully, ‘what could we best at?’ The current industries that have been resilient throughout COVID, where demand has remained strong and in some cases shown significant growth, provide some clues.
As a result, many shifts have a 50% turnout rate and are unable to operate properly. They’re costing the business money, are unproductive and have no viable alternatives.
It is clear there is huge demand for our food produce, especially kiwifruit, apples, wine and of course the perennial meat and dairy. Over the years I have had the privilege to work in all of these industries.
Of course, pre-COVID, tourists were a labour source, but also problematic. They were trained, however, just as soon as they had enough money, many left to continue their travels. The employers would require full time trainers, working round the clock to train replacements, creating further costs and burdens.
The world sees us as a clean, green, high-quality food producer and, whilst we have areas for improvement, the horticulture industry is a shining example of this. In the last decade we have seen significant growth in wine, kiwifruit and apples to name a few, with wine on a 24-year growth trend! There is significant potential to provide the world with high quality, high margin food and reinforce our global image. Given this, it behoves all parties (employers, government, unions and other stakeholders) to work together to provide a roadmap to a green, profitable, and more sustainable industry. COVID has heightened our awareness of the current challenges the horticultural industry faces and, to be frank, has been grappling with for a long time. Being a seasonal business, there are certain times of the year when there is a higher demand for labour. This is typically around picking and packing (February through to June). Historically, many harvest operators have worked with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), youth schemes, recruiters and so on, to fill the needs, with many a despairing operator/employer explaining that finding good people to fill roles was near impossible. The issues were not so much about pay (as is the current discussion), but more about reliability (Friday night shift anyone? Saturdays? 6-day weeks?).
local workers. Over the years, I have observed t h e various grape, kiwifruit, apple, potato, carrot, onion and other producers, and noted the huge variability in the methods, systems and approaches taken, as to how the products are produced, picked, packed and despatched across different operations. Imagine if we identified the most effective methods, and best use of the right technology, and applied them universally.
Out of desperation, a few years ago, the industry looked at alternative labour sources to allow them to better meet their growing needs. Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers are reliable, hard-working and have since enabled industries to grow. \
In some cases, by applying best practice, I have seen improvements of over 80% productivity by the same people in the same orchard and vineyard. Imagine the impact of this productivity improvement on the industry. Not only would labour productivity improve, but so would the orchard yield!
Now there are well-established processes and systems in place to provide housing, training, transport and other needs, whilst workers are away from home. With many RSE workers returning year after year, there is now continuity and a reduced training load.
We are missing the forest for the trees (or orchards). All workers should be able to achieve the required productivity levels using defined best practice, to ensure the profitability of the industry, and to support the future anticipated growth. We have a real opportunity to create regional jobs and futures for many New Zealanders.
Today, with COVID and uncertainty regarding access to RSE workers, the local market will need to fill the employment gap. There is evidence that a large number of people are willing to do this. The issue though remains the same - the comparative productivity gap. If we need twice as many locals as RSE workers, then the profits will quickly disappear. Reliability aside, why are RSE workers more productive? Do they have better processes, methodologies, systems? My observation is that the answer is ‘no’ to all of the above. RSE workers achieve greater productivity through sustained physical work, and experience gained over years, but they do not apply any different practices to the processes involved, versus
As I mentioned in my previous article “Can we be world class?”, we need a government ministry to help fashion this roadmap, with stakeholders, to protect, nurture and grow strategic industries. We need to do this by helping them to develop and implement best practices, to ensure higher levels of productivity and to enable the industries to pay above the living wage. This would be a more collaborative and strategic approach than shutting the gate and raising the cost. I am committed, keen, and have been supporting this journey for over a decade. Join me.
FARO launches laser tracker 6DOF Probe FARO Technologies a global leader for 3D Metrology has announced its next generation Vantage Laser Tracker 6 Degrees of Freedom (6DoF) Probe. The 6Probe offers exceptional portability and is compatible with FARO VantageS6 and VantageE6 Laser Trackers, enabling users to build, inspect and measure products faster and with greater accuracy.
measurement consistency and reliability in a variety of working environments, delivering best-in-class performance through faster and easier probing than previous models.
The 6Probe is a cost-effective 6DoF solution that meets the dynamic measurement, speed, and accuracy requirements of the most challenging industrial applications.
6DoF and standard probing are enhanced by FARO ActiveSeek, a feature to automatically locate and follow the active target. FARO trackers support the patented Super 6DoF TrackArm solution, which allows the Vantage and one or more FARO ScanArms to work together to create an integrated contact and noncontact 3D measurement system for large-volume measurement.
With kinematic self-identifying styli, users can now change probing tips quickly and measure without any recalibration and also measure hidden areas outside of the tracker’s line of sight, with wider acceptance angles. The result is an advanced tool upgrade designed to enhance productivity and efficiency. In fact, the typical user of the new 6Probe can now save at least 30 minutes of time on any given workday. Vantage Laser Tracker 6DoF Probe extends maximum
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NZ Manufacturer December 2020 /
With a range of up to 60 meters (with a 4-meter reach), Super 6DoF eliminates line-of-sight challenges and expands measurement range while maintaining superior accuracy. The Vantage platforms offer comprehensive, large-volume 3D measurement up to 80 meters,
www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
significantly streamlining processes and reducing inspection cycle times while ensuring complete confidence in the results. The Laser Trackers maximize 6DoF measurement capabilities via the optional 6Probe, enabling precise measurement of hidden areas and small features.
