NZ Manufacturer June 2022 by Media Hawkes Bay Limited

June 2022

Listen to uniquely Kiwi stories contributing to New Zealand’s future

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11 ANALYSIS Improving is easy, isn’t it?

CIRCULAR 20 THE ECONOMY

COMPANY PROFILE Nautech Electronics.

Becoming a low-emissions economy.

Is there a four-day working week somewhere out there? Or, we’ll have cream with that on a Monday. The drums keep beating for a four-day working week here and around the world. Momentum is gathering speed.

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bring it on.

If it is true that humans are effective (can concentrate) for only three hours a day, then the concept does not seem like a big deal.

It may well be that a four-day working week is Friday to Sunday and Saturday to Monday so that working environments are not totally vacant, especially for maintaining production runs and business communication with overseas markets.

And if workers continue to work from home, then no one is going to miss them in the office anyway! Let’s face it, three-day weekends may well have been in place for quite a while now.

After all, we don’t want to be the country others cannot contact on a Monday when they want to reorder their baby powder order, or on a Friday when widgets need to be urgently delivered.

If production and efficiency can be enhanced, quality time improved with family and a freshening up of the approach towards work possible, then we may as well

There is also the master-slave matter about all this. Business owners who choose not to go into the office every day, and are not in favour of the four – day a week concept, even though they already live it, are concerned about the five day a week routine changing, because production rates may be affected. But if humans are only effective three hours a day…what is the big deal? If we are already not productive enough as a nation, where is all this going?

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DEPARTMENTS

1 Contents LEAD

ADVISORS

Get your carbon diet on track.

EDITORIAL 4DEPARTMENTS 1 When EMEX 2021 comes to town. 1 LEAD NEWS there a four-day working week somewhere 6IsBUSINESS out there? Manufacturing in the age of sustainability. 4 Is NZ’s Covid response world class? NEWS 5 BUSINESS UKK’s CPTPP a win forAFCryo exporters. and merge. 6Fabrum Solutions awards showcase strength of local MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY 8Steel industry. NZ Code can make manufacturing more Solving a climate challenge from space. competitive.

Dewalt Design Assist breaking new ground. MANUFACTURING 98SMART delivers 200th Milmeq plate ANALYSIS 10Partnership freezer installation.

Kirk Hope

Is Chief Executive of BusinessNZ, New Zealand’s largest business advocacy body. He has held a range of senior positions at Westpac and is a barrister and solicitor.

Ian Walsh

Ian is Managing Director of Intent Group, a master black belt improvement specialist and global lean practitioner. He is passionate about improving productivity and helping to create world class New Zealand businesses.

Time for change. Machine learning speeds up search for new Anatomy of a data-driven supply chain. sustainable materials.

10ANALYSIS EMEX 2021 14 11 easy,Exhibitors. isn’t it? Floor Planisand -15Improving ANALYSIS ANALYSIS 12 16 14Digital Twinscarbon a catalyst to fulfilling Achieving neutrality: One company’s sustainability agenda. lessons learnt. -15 15 COMPANY PROFILE SMART MANUFACTURING 16Nautech 17 Electronics. Australia launches lunar exploration mission. Cutting edge4.0 tool for underwater recovery. 16 INDUSTRY Matrixsmarter 320 reader empowers for production linestraceability with the right 17Enable automation and logistics. connectivity. Q & A – David Moore, Managing Director, QUALITY CONTROL 21Grayson Engineering. NDC sensors control manufacturing at the fromt line. CIRCULAR ECONOMY 20 THE Becoming a low-emissions economy. NEW PRODUCTS 22 21CYBER SECURITY bearings deliver extreme low-level 22 Structural friction performance.

Beefing up cyber security in the food and beverage sector.and lubrication – free mounting Cost-effective of solar panels.

PRODUCTS 2322NEW AC Servo System provides highest-level safety. Small plug-in igus energy chain saves eighty assembly time. DEVELOPMENTS 25percent Lubrication-free ends. Mint Innovationrod raises $20m to build gold biorefineries.

25 DEVELOPMENTS HRS highlights steam injection for food Kelly Jeffries young achiever of the year. 25 sterilisation.

Leeann Watson

Is the Chief Executive of the Canterbury Employers’ Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber).and is a strong voice for Canterbury business.

10 12

Lewis Woodward

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

Brett O’Riley

EMA chief executive Brett O’Riley has a background in technology and economic development. Brett actually grew up with manufacturing, in the family business, Biggins & Co. He currently holds board roles with Wine Grenade and Dotterel Technologies and is also on the NZ Film Commission board.

19 15 16 25

Structural steel industry wins coveted Is automotive ready forleader hydrogen? industry award.

REAR Australia VIEW launches Art of Welding 28Kemppi Competition 2022.

Climate Change Commission calls for decisive action.

27 THE LAST WORD the cultural divide – tips for 28Bridging companies operating internationally.

28 18 www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz

NZ Manufacturer June 2022

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

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

Nautech Electronics was established in 1989, recognising the need of the marine industry for electronics installation and service.

CONTRIBUTORS Holly Green, Barbara Nebel, HERA, EMA Ian Walsh, Andrew Turner David Moore, Lani Refiti

Aren’t these the stories to inspire? Started from scratch, over thirty years ago and going strong.

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

You can read the Nautech Electronics Company Profile Page 15.

DESIGN & PRODUCTION Kim Alves, KA Design T: + 64 6 870 8133 E: kim.alves@xtra.co.nz

Today the company has a team of 78 specialists and has partnered with EMA for the Callaghan Innovation funded Smart Manufacturing Showcase as part of the Industry 4.0 Demonstration Network which launches in July.

WEB MASTER Julian Goodbehere E: julian@isystems.co.nz

PUBLISHING SERVICES

Also in this issue HERA member Grayson Engineering’s Managing Director, David Moore discusses the future of steel, the impact of Industry 4.0 and some of the challenges the company is facing (Page 18).

On-Line Publisher Media Hawke’s Bay Ltd

DIGITAL SUBSCRIPTIONS E: publisher@xtra.co.nz Free of Charge.

David believes (that) “we must embrace technology to augment the labour force and increase productivity.”

MEDIA HAWKES BAY LTD T: +64 6 870 9029 E: publisher@xtra.co.nz 121 Russell Street North, Hastings NZ Manufacturer ISSN 1179-4992

EMEX 2022, held earlier this month, displayed the technology certain to have had visitors consider their company’s needs going forward. The perfect event for decisionmakers to get together, consider their manufacturing technology requirements and do business. Positive feedback has been coming in.

Vol.13 No. 5 JUNE 2022

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.

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A home-grown success story

Now we wait to see what the future of Auckland Showgrounds is to be. Large events such as this need these large facilities to cater for exhibitors and their needs.

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Doug Green

Success Through Innovation

PUBLISHER

Business News Fabrum Solutions and AFCryo merge to create Fabrum Leading engineering innovator Fabrum Solutions has merged with AFCryo, a world leader in cryocooler and liquefiers, and now operates as Fabrum. The company has also appointed Dr Ojas Mahapatra as Chief Executive Officer. The new corporate identity and appointment follow a period of accelerated growth for Fabrum, fuelled by demand for its mission-critical technology solutions across a broad range of global industries, including green hydrogen systems. Fabrum, established in 2004, has earned a global reputation as a leading innovator in the design, development, and manufacture of composite cryostats, superconducting motors and cryogenic systems. Its world-leading cryocooler and liquefier systems, produced by Fabrum joint-venture company AFCryo since 2017, will now be designed and manufactured by Fabrum and marketed under the AFCryocooler brand. Christopher Boyle, Managing Director and co-founder of Fabrum, says the company’s changes and new identity reflect its future vision and purpose. “We’re excited to launch our new identity, Fabrum. Over almost two decades, our business has transformed as we respond to customers’ future needs in diverse industries, which are more challenging and complex than ever. “For example, our green hydrogen technologies, which combine our cryocooler technology and innovative engineering, will power the future and provide decarbonisation solutions for industries including heavy transport, aviation and marine. “The Fabrum team thrive on developing advanced technologies for our constantly changing landscape. While we now have a new name and a long list of disruptive technologies, our commitment to treading

lightly to leave the world a better place hasn’t changed since we formed.” Boyle says with the significant growth in the business, he and co-founder Hugh Reynolds identified the need to build out the leadership team’s capability. “We’re proud to welcome Ojas as chief executive to lead our high calibre Fabrum team. He will be critical in spearheading the company’s technology delivery. His entrepreneurial, forward-thinking mindset and business management experience, combined with an in-depth understanding of disruptive market strategies, complex business issues and financing, will be a real asset for the company,” he says. Boyle, a power systems engineer and world-leading hydrogen expert, will remain as Fabrum’s Managing Director and focus on new business applications for Fabrum’s technology. Hugh Reynolds will remain as Fabrum’s Technical Director. Dr Ojas Mahapatra has a B.Tech in Biotechnology from SRM University and a PhD in Nanotechnology from the University of Canterbury. Fabrum’s mission-critical solutions include waterjet profiling, CNC machining, composite solutions, cryogenics (gas separation and liquefaction), green hydrogen technologies and magnetic systems. Fabrum’s expertise and technology have led to numerous leading-edge projects. One NASA project for the Mars Lander focussed on CO2 Sublimation to create both breathable air and carbon-based fuel. Another involved creating reliable liquid air for use by NASA technicians as they assisted with rocket launches. Other customer projects include a system design for ETNZ’s prototype Chase Zero boat powered by hydrogen

and electric and superconducting aerospace motors for Europe and US customers. Customers globally use Fabrum’s cryogenic technologies to liquefy and recondense nitrogen, oxygen, methane, argon, neon, biogas and hydrogen for animal science, food and beverage, research, medicine and energy applications. 2021 was a pivotal year for Fabrum as it applied its world-leading cryogenic technology for gas separation and liquefaction to hydrogen. In conjunction with UK company CPH2, the company unveiled a green hydrogen production system to enable hydrogen production on-site in a decentralised, containerised system for point of use refuelling. The revolutionary system splits water into pure hydrogen and medical grade oxygen without the polymer membrane used in common electrolysers by combining Fabrum’s AFCryocooler with unique and patented Membrane-Free Electrolyser technology from CPH2.

(L to R)Fabrum CEO Dr Ojas Mahapatra, director Chris Stoelhorst, and co-founders Christopher Boyle and Hugh Reynolds.

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Business News Steel turns to gold for Waikato-based manufacturing company Hamilton-based steel tube manufacturing company Industrial Tube has been awarded Gold Certification by the New Zealand Sustainable Steel Council. Industrial Tube general manager Ian Foster says Gold Certification reflects an almost 40-years commitment made by the company to sustainable, high quality steel and stainless tube production in New Zealand and Australia. Gold Certification status confirms that Industrial Tube sources its products from ‘responsible steel makers’, uses electricity from a 100% renewable supplier, has a waste reduction programme in place, and works with like-minded suppliers. It is also a nod to being a good employer, a supporter of diversity and inclusivity, and a good community citizen. “We’re absolutely thrilled to be the recipients of the Sustainable Steel Council’s Gold Certification, which shows we are on the right track towards our sustainable business targets,” says Mr Foster. When looking at the products, Mr Foster says steel is one of the most sustainable resources consumers can use. “Our products offer longevity and have a lower environmental footprint. All of our products are 100% recyclable, and we often use re-purposed materials,” he says. “We are continually innovating and looking at new technology to keep ahead of the game, ensuring

we continue to deliver high quality and sustainable value-add solutions to our customers. “Our Ag-Steel products are an example of this, as they have been designed and manufactured with clean and smooth edges and surfaces to minimise insect and fungal accumulation that would build up on other materials. This results in an environmentally sustainable, long-lasting alternative to timber,” Mr Foster explains.

customers with the added certainty that our product range is produced with gold standard sustainability practices,” says Mr Foster.

Industrial Tube general manager Ian Foster pictured at the company’s manufacturing base in Hamilton.

The New Zealand Sustainable Steel Council (SSC) has a three-tier system – Gold, Silver and Bronze for its members, which recognises sustainable business practices relating to people, resources, community and environmental impact. Mr Foster says the SSC undertakes an independent audit process each year with set criteria aligned to the SSC Charter, reflecting Treasury’s Living Standards Framework and relevant Sustainable Development Goals. “It’s great to be able to provide our

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Business News Steel awards showcase strength of local industry After an earlier postponement due to COVID-19 restrictions, Steel Construction New Zealand (SCNZ) has finally announced the results of 2021’s SCNZ Excellence in Steel Awards. This occurred in early June at the Hilton Auckland, where close to 270 structural steel industry leaders and specialists gathered to celebrate the best of the best at an event that showcases the sector’s commitment to innovation, best practice and collaboration. Judges whittled 34 award entries down to 15 finalists, which demonstrate the exceptional design and execution possible when steel is used as the principal construction material. SCNZ chair Frank Van Schaijik says: “The high standard of projects on show at the 2021 awards reflects the experience, skills and commitment of our people. It’s what sets our local structural steel industry apart from the rest of the world, which is critical in a COVID-impacted environment when local expertise are in high demand.”

The 2021 winners are: • Supreme Winner and $1.5M-$3M category winner: Eastbridge & Beca for SH2 Wairoa River Bridge Cycleway Widening The existing, 177m-long bridge was too narrow for cyclists or pedestrians to safely cross. Neither its deck nor the pier columns offered adequate

spare capacity to retrofit a cycleway at deck level. Lightweight modular steel construction was the solution to adding a cycleway to the existing bridge in a safe and innovative manner. • Under $500K category: D&H Steel Construction for Waiouru Point Development The project includes two adjoining warehouses that overlook the Tamaki River and its striking design was inspired by the local estuary birdlife. The project demonstrates steel’s versatility as an architectural feature, particularly the complex ‘Y frames’, which deliver a flawless finish. • $500K-$1.5M: VIP Structural Steel for Christ Church Cathedral Reinstatement Before reinstatement of the iconic Christ Church Cathedral could begin it had to be stabilised, so a prominent structural steel frame was designed and fabricated to restore key structural load paths at the western end of the building. Impressively, it was lowered into position and secured to the building in the space of a single day. • Over $3M: D&H Steel Construction for Sylvia Park Galleria Sylvia Park’s $277m, 20,000sqm south mall

SCNZ Chair, Frank Van Schaijik.

expansion involved retrofitting a new upper-level floor to the shopping mall. Steel provided practical solutions to complex details related to geometry, connections and accessibility. Its light weight also meant the project was commercially viable. • Standalone Residential: All Steel Services for Gawor Beach House, Coromandel The stunning home boasts a completely exposed steel structure, cruciform columns and a massive eight-metre cantilevered second lounge. The matt black cruciform columns support three apex portals that align to frame breath-taking views of the Coromandel ranges and Matarangi harbour.

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Solving a climate challenge from space MethaneSAT, New Zealand’s first government-funded space mission partnership, is scheduled to launch early 2023 with a state-of-the-art satellite operated by the University of Auckland in partnership with Rocket Lab. The aim of the satellite mission is to solve a climate change challenge by identifying methane gas leaks around the world. Other key partners include NIWA, the New Zealand Space Agency – which sits within the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) – and MethaneSAT LLC. Says Chris Jackson, mission operations director at Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute, based in the university’s Faculty of Engineering: “MethaneSAT will be a real catalyst for New Zealand’s growing space sector. There is a growing new space movement around the world with young players working alongside global entities like NASA and European Space Agency. New Zealand wants to be part of that movement. Accurate tracking of methane emissions is considered a key element to reducing climate change as methane is a highly potent greenhouse gas, 80 times more powerful than carbon dioxide and a major contributor to global warming. The satellite, which is being built by US-based companies Ball Aerospace and Blue Canyon Technologies, will have special cameras capable of detecting methane gas which means emissions, which come mainly from gas and oil industry pipelines and

industrial agriculture, can be identified, monitored and reported. It will launch in the US and orbit 585km above the earth. Initially, the MethaneSAT satellite will be operated by Rocket Lab from the company’s mission control centre in Mt Wellington. Once operation is established, it will pass to the university and run from the Mission Operations Control Centre (MOCC) in Te Pūnaha Ātea – Space Institute. Data from the mission will be delivered to US-based Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), a large not-for-profit environmental advocacy group based in New York, which has funded the mission. EDF has partnered with scientists at Harvard University where the methane detecting techniques were developed. The research team led by Professor Steve Wofsy at Harvard will focus on emissions from the oil and gas sector. A New Zealand science team, led by Dr Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher at NIWA, will work on agricultural methane emissions. MBIE has contributed $27 million to the mission, which is run by MethaneSAT LLC, a non-profit subsidiary of the EDF. Says Jackson: “This partnership will bring a huge benefit to the education and training we can offer young engineering and science students. It will give them real life experience of working in the space industry which they can take, and then go onto help build the industry in New Zealand.”

Lab on how they will work together on the project, a memorandum of understanding (MOU), was signed at the end of last year. • MBIE chose the University as permanent host for the mission operation control centre for the following reasons:

• a successful track record for delivering enduring infrastructure programmes

• being able to offer education in relevant areas and use the MOCC for existing and future educational programmes • a commitment to creating an enduring national capability for the benefit for New Zealand science sector • the ability to work collaboratively with both domestic and international partners.

Accurate tracking of methane emissions is considered a key element to reducing climate change.

• An agreement between the University and Rocket

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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.

Dr Barbara Nebel CEO thinkstep-anz Barbara’s passion is to enable organisations to succeed sustainably. She describes her job as a ‘translator’ – translating sustainability into language that businesses can act on. Barbara and her team deliver sustainability services from strategy, through product assessments and carbon reduction plans, to communications. Clients include many manufacturers on both sides of the Tasman.

NZ Manufacturer June 2022

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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.

Georgina Fenwicke

After working in fast paced Supply Chain and Transport teams at Deloitte and Uber EMEA, Georgina Fenwicke founded Frankie in February 2020. Frankie is an Operations Control Centre for Industrious Property Teams to maintain assets and equipment at scale with their contractors. They work with Industrial, Education and Food processing clients across New Zealand.

Partnership delivers 200th Milmeq plate freezer installation A milestone installation is the result of an enduring partnership between two future-focused companies in the Australian meat industry. MHM Automation has recently commissioned the 200th Milmeq plate freezer at Fletcher International Exports’ sheep meat processing plant in Dubbo, NSW.

deliver industry-leading equipment.

MHM Automation Sales Manager – Australia, Chris Carter, said the project was the result of a longstanding relationship between the companies.

The development and provision of plate freezers to the meat industry was led by Milmeq in the 1990s.

“Fletcher International Exports has always been an innovator in the meat industry. They’re constantly looking to new technology to improve the quality of their product and the performance of their business, and we’re proud to work with them to develop and

“It’s fitting that this milestone installation is for Fletchers,” he said.

Today Milmeq plate freezers are the largest horizontal plate freezers in the world and continue to be the fastest and most energy efficient system for freezing cartons of meat. The latest project saw the installation of two new

plate freezers at Fletcher International Exports’ Dubbo plant, each standing at 12 metres high, with a capacity of 2,560 cartons and the ability to completely freeze cartons of cold boned product in less than 24 hours. The new installations bring the total number of Milmeq plate freezers installed for Fletcher International Exports across both its plants to eighteen, three of which feature the latest technology innovation, single station opening (SSO). The SSO plate freezer model was a collaborative development between Milmeq (now part of MHM Automation) and Fletcher International Exports, with the first commercial prototype being commissioned at Fletcher’s Dubbo processing site in 2015. The SSO mechanism allows products to be automatically loaded and unloaded one station at a time, keeping the remaining stations closed and product in those stations in contact with the plates to continue the freezing process. The SSO design increases the effective refrigeration, to ensure regulatory compliance. Fletcher International Exports owner, Roger Fletcher said the technology delivered by MHM Automation was second to none. “The MHM Automation team share our pioneering spirit and have worked closely with us to help scale-up our operations and cement our reputation as an industry leader. Their plate freezers are enabling us to deliver a superior product to our customers, while also reducing our environmental footprint,” he said. Milmeq plate freezers are a key contributor to reducing the plant’s electrical energy consumption, delivering savings of up to 30% over the blast freezing method traditionally used. Freezing in plate freezers more than halves the time required to freeze cartons of meat, which results in better shelf life for the export meat products. Cartons frozen in the plate freezers have completely flat presentation, allowing 10% more cartons to be stacked into each 20-foot shipping container, effectively reducing shipping costs.

Fletcher International Exports owner Roger Fletcher standing in front of one of the newly installed Milmeq SSO Plate Freezers.

Completely automated loading and unloading operation, with integrated infeed and outfeed conveyors, reduces the plant’s reliance on manual labour as well as the health and safety risks associated with manual handling and working in a frozen environment.

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Machine learning speeds up search for new sustainable materials A model that rapidly searches through large numbers of materials could find sustainable alternatives to existing composites. Researchers from Konica Minolta and the Nara Institute of Science and Technology in Japan have developed a machine learning method to identify sustainable alternatives for composite materials. Their findings were published in the journal Science and Technology of Advanced Materials: Methods. Researchers are looking for sustainable options, such as recyclable materials or biomass, to substitute the constituent materials in composites which are used in various applications including electrical and information technologies. Composite materials are compounds made of two or more constituent materials. Due to the complex nature of the interactions between the different components, their performance can greatly exceed that of single materials.

large number of materials, based on the relationship between the materials’ features and performance. However, in many cases the properties of the constituent materials are unknown, making these types of predictive searches difficult. To overcome this limitation, the researchers developed a new type of machine learning method for finding alternative materials. A key advantage of the new method is that it can quantitatively evaluate the interactions among the component materials to reveal how much they contribute to the overall performance of the composite. The method then searches for replacement constituents with similar performance to the original material.

Composite materials, such as fibre-reinforced plastics, are very important for a wide range of industries and applications, including electrical and information technologies. In recent years, there has been increasing demand for more environmentally sustainable materials that help reduce industrial waste and plastic use. One way to achieve this is to substitute the constituent materials in composites with recyclable materials or biomass. However, this can reduce performance compared to the original material, not only due to the features of the individual constituent materials, such as their physicochemical properties, but also due to the interactions between the constituents. Finding a new composite material that achieves the same performance as the original using human experience and intuition alone takes a very long time because you have to evaluate countless materials while also taking into account the interactions between them. Machine learning offers a potential solution to this problem. Scientists have proposed several machine learning methods to conduct rapid searches among a

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The researchers tested their method by searching for alternative constituent materials for a composite consisting of three materials - resin, a filler and an additive. They experimentally evaluated the performance of the substitute materials identified by machine learning and found that they were similar to the original material, proving that the model works. In developing alternatives, that make up composite materials, the new machine learning method removes the need to test large numbers of candidates by trial and error, saving both time and money. The method could be used to quickly and efficiently identify sustainable substitutes for composite materials, reducing plastic use and encouraging the use of biomass or renewable materials.

Analysis Improving is easy, isn’t it? -Ian Walsh, Managing Director, Intent Group. I was recently asked, ‘why are there so few world class companies?’ This is a very good question: there aren’t that many globally and there are even fewer in New Zealand. Before we can answer that question however, there are other questions we might consider first, such as ‘what is world class and how do you define it?’ This question doesn’t get to the nub of the issue though; it’s more a question of measurement. The more relevant question is ‘what makes it so difficult to drive improvement and become a world class company?’ It’s not like there aren’t a few companies trying to get better. So, what separates the ones who are making progress from the ones who are not? There’s been extensive research over decades on this. As I’ve mentioned in previous articles [‘What gets measured gets managed’ and ‘It’s all in the data’], better performing companies have well-defined measurement of performance throughout the business with a balance of leading and lagging indicators, and they are able to analyse this data to provide the right information in the right format in a timely manner. However, while these performance measuring systems are necessary for world class performance, these alone are not sufficient to make a company world class. This is akin to trying to climb Everest after having

had some climbing lessons and bought the right gear. To make the ascent you will need more. Research shows better performing companies have improvement structures, multi-tiered meetings which connect and align the organisation to supercharge improvement. ‘We have those!’ I hear you say, as many clients in the past have noted. Many companies have beginning of day, end of day, daily management meetings and such like. However, some of these meetings are nothing better than a high five in the carpark. Others are a colossal waste of time with too many participants, no clear agenda, no defined outcomes, and no productive activity. When was the last time you reviewed these meetings for their effectiveness? A good improvement structure will capture the issues from the last shift/day, identify any deviations and what caused them, and determine whether any follow up action is required. Many actions can be addressed at this level if the team has structured problem-solving skills, and is empowered and enabled to do so (this is not as simple as it seems).

Some actions can and should be escalated, as they are more systemic, so need some cross-functional resource. These can be addressed at a higher level meeting. Again, this meeting should be dealing with exceptions, not everything, and should have measures appropriate for a higher level in the company (efficiency, cost, etc versus unit per minute for example) Issues that can’t be addressed at either of these levels (likely problems of a more strategic nature), should be escalated to the highest-level meeting for appropriate resourcing and resolution. Typically, this three-tier structure (shift-level, systemic-level, strategic-level) is sufficient for most NZ organisations. So do you have a well-defined meeting structure which cascades from the operational to the strategic? Do you have the right people at the right

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NZ Manufacturer June 2022

Analysis

Digital Twins a catalyst to fulfilling organisations’ sustainability agenda A third of organisations have implemented digital twins to understand and predict their energy consumption and emissions. According to the ‘Digital Twins: Adding Intelligence to the Real World’ report from the Capgemini Research Institute, 60 per cent of organisations across major sectors are leaning on digital twins1 as a catalyst to not only improve operational performance, but also to fulfil their sustainability agenda. By being able to simulate the physical world, digital twins can help organisations to better utilise resources, reduce carbon emissions, optimise supply and transportation networks, as well as increase employee safety. The report reveals that digital twin implementations are set to increase by 36 per cent on average over the next five years. This indicates a growing appetite for digital twin technology across all major industries, such as automotive, aerospace, life sciences, and energy and utilities among others, driven by organisations looking to advance their digital transformation journeys and adding intelligence to operations along the value chain. Organisations surveyed reported that cost-saving benefits (79 per cent) and technological advancement (77 per cent) are key drivers of their digital twin investments. The research also found that 57 per cent of organisations agree that digital twin technology is pivotal to improving sustainability efforts, which reflects the growing trend of businesses keen to

NZ Manufacturer June 2022 /

deliver on their Environmental Social Governance (ESG) promises. Digital twins offer flexible ways of working to mitigate risks and extend collaboration, thereby providing a unique opportunity to increase profitability while optimising the use of resources along the value chain. Over one third (34 per cent) of organisations surveyed reported having already implemented digital twins at scale to understand and predict their energy consumption and emissions. Consumer products and energy and utilities industries are leading the way in this use case, with 52 per cent and 50 per cent respectively utilising the virtual replicas to benefit the sustainability of operations. Collectively, those that have already begun implementing digital twin technology are realising an average improvement of 16 per cent in sustainability metrics. Roshan Gya, global head of intelligent industry, Capgemini said, “By bridging the ‘physical-digital’ gap, digital twins help organisations to unlock value, bring synergies across data, technologies, and business processes, and are at the core of Intelligent Industry2 transformation. “Digital Twins offer a unique opportunity for

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organisations looking to accelerate their journey towards intelligent operations, while increasing profitability and enabling a sustainable future.” Footnotes 1 A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical system that can model, simulate, monitor, analyse, and constantly optimise the physical world. It aims to bridge the “physical-digital” gap at the right frequency and fidelity, thereby improving performance and sustainability. Used in a multitude of cases across the value chain – from design and conception through to manufacturing and production – the technology provides a remote, collaborative, and flexible way of working. It can function as a tool to experiment with different scenarios and assess the impact of each decision without any real-world risks, leading to faster time to market, lower costs and improved safety. 2 Capgemini coined the term “‘Intelligent Industry”’ to describe the next era of transformation. Intelligent Industry is about fostering synergies between the digital and engineering worlds to help companies build intelligent products, operations, and services, at scale. Intelligent Industry brings together engineering, IT, and digital and thereby allows a convergence of the physical and virtual worlds.

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Comment A good obsolescence plan can keep your plant up and running Unplanned downtime is a manufacturer’s worst nightmare. The nightmare worsens if goods on the idle production line are perishable food and beverages, as too much of a delay can lead to product losses. Manufacturing lines are complex systems made of thousands of parts, each doing their own important job. If one part fails, this has a cascading effect up and down the production line, to the extent that production may come to a complete halt. When this occurs, there are two options: perform a repair on the broken part, or replace or upgrade the entire system. While system upgrades have they are expensive and entail undesirable, costly downtime are removed and new ones commissioned.

their own merits, large windows of while old systems are installed and

The alternative approach is to replace the broken part, which sounds simple and should be much quicker than replacing the entire system. However, if the offending part turns out to be obsolete — that is, no longer manufactured by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) — then a quick task suddenly becomes more difficult. This is because quality obsolete parts are notoriously difficult to source so, if manufacturers are not

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that drive them. It also applies to other parts of the production line like conventional conveyer systems.

prepared in advance, they may find themselves having to shut down production for much longer than initially anticipated.

The problems don’t stop at packaging, either. For example, flow wrapping poses risks of wear and tear on parts such as fin wheels, sealing jaws and rotary heat sealers.

Furthermore, if corners are cut to find cheaper replacements, or if parts are bought simply because they were the easiest to find, manufacturers are liable to incur repeated downtime as lower-quality parts are likely to fail again, and quickly.

All are subjected to high heat that, in turn, increases the chance of corrosion.

As industrial systems typically have long lifespans, they are especially susceptible to broken parts, and are more likely to contain obsolete parts. That is why it’s important to have a comprehensive obsolescence plan in place.

Some components fall into both categories, which means a component carries a higher risk of breaking and is also obsolete. These parts should be shortlisted, so contingencies can be put in place for if the worst should occur. This can include pre-emptive finding and purchasing of replacements for these high risk parts, or more frequent maintenance for certain areas of a system.

Obsolescence audit An effective obsolescence plan should involve a full systems audit, to identify parts that may pose a future downtime risk. This includes identifying all parts in the system that are obsolete, as well as parts that pose the highest risk of breaking. Parts more likely to break are those that are more susceptible to wear and tear. This includes parts subjected to harsh conditions including high levels of friction, heat or chemical corrosion. Take the food and beverage industry, for example. Parts subjected to friction and heat include mechanical processing equipment like mills and grinders, as well as the ubiquitous motors, drive chains and drive belts

Improving is easy, isn’t it?

level in those meetings? Do the meetings have clear performance and practice metrics with a lead and lag bias?

In fact, a regular review of all your improvement systems and structures is critical to sustaining your drive to world class.

Are they reviewed in a timely manner with good visual management? Have you got clear definition of the escalation criteria? A well-defined agenda, good meeting place and capable people to lead these meetings? Do your teams have the problem solving skills required at the different levels to address the issues that arise?

If all this sounds like a lot of hard work, it is. And this is why there are so few world class companies. However, the rewards for this hard work are significant: better margins, better growth, more resilience, more agility.

Given these meetings are critical to driving improvement in your business, you also need a process to check the health and effectiveness of these structures. This is to ensure that the process sustains and continues to drive improvement in your business.

In fact, companies with well implemented improvement systems significantly outperform other companies on just about any metric you care to look at. This is covered in “The Machine That Changed The World” which is only 32 years old!! So, if you find yourself as a manager on a daily basis reacting to the latest ‘crisis’, and most of your time is spent making first level decisions, then you probably

have some broken improvement systems. Likely, most issues get escalated, as opposed the right ones. This no doubt absorbs all the management time from the strategic activities that really need to be done and explains why the OECD rates NZ as the lowest in terms of first-level leadership. Want to start climbing your Everest? I suggest you start looking at how your systems are working for you. Only Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Everest from first principles. Everyone else has taken a guide who has done it before, with the thinking being ‘don’t waste years learning what is already known’. If you’re looking for that guide for your Everest, get in touch.

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Company Profile Company Profile: Nautech Electronics Nautech Electronics has worked tirelessly for over 30 years to deliver their clients the high-quality electronic solutions they need. They use the very latest technology and Kiwi ingenuity to establish themselves as a world leader in electronics manufacturing and product engineering. Recognising the marine industry’s growing need for electronics installation and service, Nautech was established in 1989 as a home-based business. They now operate out of a state-of-the-art facility with a team of 78 specialists. With an innovative and collaborative approach, Nautech focus on excellent service, reliable delivery, IP protection and competitive pricing. Today, Nautech continue to deliver their clients the world-class electronic solutions they need to succeed. At Nautech, Quality isn’t just a process – It’s their philosophy. Nautech has partnered with the EMA for the Callaghan Innovation funded Smart Factory Showcase as part of the Industry 4.0 Demonstration Network which launches in July. Andrew Turner, Managing Director and Owner shares the company’s path: Can you tell us a little more about Nautech and the customers you serve? We manufacture for almost all industry sectors, from consumer to automotive, marine, aeronautical the way to defence and aerospace. We also design and develop products for customers as well as our own range of emergency warning products.

scheduling and stock has increased significantly.

surviving in our competitive market.

Are there any services Nautech were providing pre-COVID that needed to be adapted, or any services that have become a higher priority?

Connectivity made sense as our ERP system connected to other systems and machines – each machine talks to the next.

The only real change has been the lead time to manufacture, this has increased due to component lead times, unless you have stock readily available.

Then, we added Traceability, so every product and component is tracked and traceable, from stores, to assembly, AOI and final assembly testing. Finally, we added a Manufacturing Execution System (MES), so we had real time data, monitoring and displaying production status and QA results.

DFM is becoming increasingly important so as to maintain efficiency as costs, especially labour, are rapidly increasing. What does the future look like for Nautech? Great! We have a fantastic team and more forward orders than we’ve ever seen before. We have the latest machines, systems and technology and are well placed to grow with our customers to help us take on more work. What advice can you give to other New Zealand businesses / manufacturers who are about to begin their Industry 4.0 journey? Start now, the sooner the better. Industry 4.0 is how you will gain efficiency and productivity through streamlined processes and automation, with MES it will give you greater situational awareness and predictive technologies.

Tell us about your interest in being the Smart Factory Showcase host? After a group of us travelled to Singapore to an Industry 4.0 conference, I was looking for MES systems. We found that there was a world class product made in New Zealand, sounds familiar! How many NZ companies travel the world looking for products and services that are right here in our own backyard? We thought we were ahead of the game, recently EMA / LMAC assessed Nautech using the SIRI – Smart Industry Readiness Index. The results showed that Nautech was above World Class, so it was time to help others and share our story.

How have Industry 4.0 technologies been pivotal in your journey?

To hear more about the Smart Factory Showcase, attend a tour today

We’ve always embraced technology and automation processes because quality and efficiency are key to

https://www.industry4.govt.nz/UpcomingEvents

Can you explain what Total Quality Management means to Nautech? TQM starts with management but is really a culture, it needs “buy in” from the whole team. At Nautech, all members participate in improving processes, products, services, and their own work environment. What advances have you seen in manufacturing since Nautech was established in 1989? So many! Back then, almost all electronics used thru hole components. We purchased our first wave soldering machine in 1996, and later that year, our first SMT placement machine. It was 2000 before we upgraded to the latest SMT machines. In 2016, we changed to selective soldering, hugely replacing the manual soldering process. There have been steady upgrades, especially in miniaturisation and speed, but the big leap was with Cobots and more recently 3D AOI technology, Industry 4.0 and connectivity. For Nautech, we need real time data, with all machines and systems interconnected and sharing information, this becomes fully automated and visual. What impact, if any, has COVID-19 had on Nautech’s services, members, and staff? We managed to keep the full operation running through all but the first lockdown. With the supply chain issues, we have seen a big increase in orders. Just in Time has gone, component lead times are now typically 52 weeks or more, so forward planning,

Nautech at EMEX 2022.

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Industry 4.0 Enable smarter production lines with the right connectivity receive data to improve your operational efficiency. You should carefully evaluate the connectivity options you have and choose the one that not only gets your devices and systems connected, but also enables smooth communication with minimal maintenance effort.

Deploy a reliable and flexible network for real-time monitoring

Thanks to technological advancements that realise the potential of Industry 4.0, factory operators are investing more resources into the development of smart factories for enhanced operational efficiency. In fact, a recent study showed that the smart factory market is expected to grow 9.33% during the forecast period from 2021 to 2026. But before businesses can reap the benefits of smart factories, operators need to gain visibility of the production floor. This means they need to deploy more sensors and systems at production lines so that engineers can collect sufficient information, develop analytics, and ultimately take appropriate actions and improve efficiency. Developing a holistic view for your production lines requires different types of information. For instance, the production status of each production line informs you of how the line is performing and whether any potential or existing backlogs exist. By monitoring the real-time production process, you can improve your chances of eliminating potential downtime and enhancing productivity. In addition, tracking the operating condition of machines can help you arrange maintenance tasks without unwanted surprises. Furthermore, additional sensors can be deployed in production lines to collect temperature and humidity information to help minimize the likelihood of interruptions due to environmental factors.

control centre, operators cannot receive complete and accurate data for comprehensive planning and optimizing operational efficiency. Here are some suggestions you can consider when enabling connectivity for your production lines.

Evaluate your connectivity requirements thoroughly When enabling connectivity for your production lines, you need to know what communication interfaces and protocols your field devices use, as well as what systems these devices need to communicate with. The following three scenarios are commonly seen when getting started. • Retrieve operating information from legacy devices. Your legacy machines are specifically designed to serve production purposes reliably in your factories for decades, but they often come without network interfaces, or they only come with legacy communication interfaces such as serial. Use sensors to capture production information for devices that do not have any communication capability or consider a serial-to-Ethernet solution to retrieve data from legacy devices. • Monitor your production status from the control centre. Your production lines are usually controlled by engineers through a PLC and HMI located at the field site. When the central system also needs to control and monitor your production lines, they must be able to understand and communicate with the field PLC and HMI. However, machine vendors often adopt communication protocols that might not be compatible with SCADA systems. Such scenarios require a protocol conversion solution to enable communication between the SCADA system and the PLC and HMI in the field. • Minimise impact from environmental factors. There are various kinds of sensors that can be used to measure environmental conditions, such as the temperature, humidity, and air pressure.

No matter what kind of information you are planning to collect to achieve the goals of your ideal smart factory application, enabling smooth communication between production lines and the control centre can present major challenges for engineers. Without a reliable connection and a solid network implemented between remote sites and the

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These sensors come with multiple I/O interfaces and you need a remote I/O solution that can easily collect information. In addition, pay attention to the supported protocols for your remote I/O solution and choose the one that fits your SCADA system. No matter what kind of scenario you encounter, the bottom line is there will be a variety of connectivity requirements that need to be fulfilled before you can

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Enabling a smarter production line requires stronger network capacity and better visibility. When planning your network communication, carefully assess your demands on transmission bandwidth, network control capability, and manageability for each network node. First, calculate your network bandwidth requirements. Connected production lines generally deploy more sensors and systems that generate substantially more data. Huge amounts of data not only require sufficient transmission bandwidth, but also need redundancy to avoid packet loss due to unexpected network downtime. Second, your networking devices require support for communication protocols at both the field site and the control centre in order for engineers to monitor and take actions in real time. In addition, if you are developing adaptive production control systems or have time-critical processes in your production lines, you can consider developing your networks based on time-sensitive networking (TSN), the standard Ethernet unified infrastructure, to deliver your commands to the right place at the right time. Finally, deploying numerous network devices leads to tremendous installation and maintenance effort. This is something you should take into consideration because it is important that you should find an efficient solution that simplifies your networking management.

Don’t overlook cyberthreats The growing number of cyberattacks targeting industrial applications in recent years has also made cybersecurity more important than ever. A recent survey showed that 4 in 10 manufacturers indicated that their operations were affected by a cybersecurity incident in the past 12 months. Threats are everywhere, including unauthorised access, unwarranted programs, and denial-of-service attacks that could lead to disruption of a production line. To mitigate security concerns, the first thing is to verify the security level of your networking devices. Use a checklist to verify if you are choosing a product that is secure-by-design in the first place. In addition, network segmentation is essential to slowing down threat propagation in the event of an actual cyberattack. Ultimately, it is crucial to remember that security is a journey, not a one-time event. Constantly monitoring your devices and security status and performing vulnerability scans on a regular basis can give you more control over your security posture before mitigation is required. As a leading expert in industrial networking, Moxa has helped customers around the world develop smooth and secure communication to control and monitor their production lines. www.acelink.co.nz

Industry 4.0 Unlock the value of data to drive business intelligence By Kevin Dherman, CIO at SYSPRO Data forms the backbone of any manufacturing enterprise. With continuous supply chain disruptions, the allure of data and Business Intelligence (BI) is the ability to look deeper into production, performance, and efficiency. For today’s industries the issue isn’t whether they’re generating enough data, it’s whether they’re getting value from that data.

data to not only automate processes but make data-driven decisions that drive the factory of the future:

strategic business decisions during the pandemic.

SYSPRO research reveals that only 20 percent of manufacturing and distribution businesses have looked at investing in big data analytics tools to process and analyse data in response to ongoing disruptions, and only five percent of businesses have investigated the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to draw any long-term benefits from data collection.

1. Actionable insights with ERP

In addition to t h e real-time decision making, the data enabled them to take advantage of the eCommerce trend and explore new routes to market improving operating expenditure and return-on-investment.

As industries look to digitally transform to the factory of the future in a data-first world, investment in technologies is irrelevant without data analytics to understand the internal and external factors impacting a business. Without the right data insights businesses are unable to compete with global supply chains as they don’t have the visibility to anticipate shifts and respond to market changes. Here’s how manufacturers can obtain visibility across the entire operation and collect accurate real-time

Ultimately, ERP fuels data-driven decision making and drives business intelligence. It allows information to be centralised and organised into readable reports and dashboards. With a variety of valuable KPIs, metrics and more information at their fingertips, they can act on new opportunities, respond to issues, and make informed decisions quickly. A SYSPRO customer, Ruprecht, was able to tackle supply chain disruptions and remain competitive through leveraging data insights. The business which supplies ready-to-eat food products in the US integrated their ERP system with AI and a predictive model to maintain production supply and healthy inventory levels. Ruprecht set up a data warehouse to pull information from their warehouse to SYSPRO to assess current operations and make the required tactical and

2. Data to drive the factory of the future Manufacturing is on the verge of a data-driven revolution which is driving the factory of the future. Data analytics can be used to transform the factory floor and manufacturers can leverage the Internet of Things (IoT) to gain insights into the production process, improve efficiency, increasing yields and reducing product defects. On the factory floor, IoT can help connect physical objects into networks to monitor the environment, collect data and communicate with other systems. IoT and AI can assist you to anticipate equipment failures, decrease downtime and reduce waste as

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NZ Manufacturer June 2022

Industry 4.0 technologies are able to keep track of the entire product lifecycle to improve the production and services.

provide customers with what they need and when and where they need it, while optimising supply chain operations and achieving cost savings goals.

AI within the factory will also enable you to automate process and machines for a flexible and adaptable supply chain. Data-driven analytics can automate processes to assist with operations within the factory floor such as improving efficiencies and solving risks.

To optimise supply chains, control towers create agility for supply chain operators to respond rapidly and make real-time changes. A supply chain control tower is a centralised platform that can be integrated within an ERP system to collect data from key business metrics across the supply chain.

3. Supply chain optimisation with supply chain control towers More than ever before, companies need to pivot to more digitalised supply chain processes. Manufacturers are under enormous pressure to

Supply chain control towers enable manufacturers to store and manage information on order status, freight tracking, tracing, and delivery scheduling. As data is collected in real-time, control towers update

inventory levels and forecast supply and demand. The platform uses predictive data for a more accurate forecasting and a quicker resolution of supply chain disruptions. This means they can make smarter decisions regarding operations, suppliers, and customers throughout a connected supply chain network. An ERP system is vital to collect data and streamline operations, but to truly maximise the value, manufacturers should transform data into actionable insights to drive business intelligence with innovative technologies.

Q&A with David Moore, Managing Director of Grayson Engineering HERA member Grayson Engineering is a recognised market leader with over 50 years in the steel fabrication industry. From large-scale stadiums to sculptures, bridges, towers, industrial sheds and everything in between, the organisation has completed a wide range of projects while continually investing in CNC equipment and technology. HERA spoke to Managing Director, David Moore, about the future of steel, the impact of Industry 4.0 and some of the challenges and opportunities the company is facing.

How are you finding current business conditions? We are busy. We’ve got a lot of work locked in for this year and next year, but, like everyone in the industry, the price of steel is increasing and ongoing global supply chain issues are proving challenging. While there is a lot of construction activity, one of our biggest challenges now is ensuring we get what we need as every service provider, from steel merchants to paint suppliers, is having their own supply impasses. We’re optimistic that it won’t get worse, but realistically these pressures are here for a while yet. If you asked me before the war in the Ukraine, things were starting to stabilise, but now we are seeing prices on the move again.

How much has your company been impacted by the pandemic? If we have an outbreak in our office-based team, they can work from home if they’re well enough. Our team can’t do what they do in the workshop at home – and just about everybody in our workshop caught COVID-19. It hit our business hard, particularly as the level of assistance from the Government was really limited to the wage subsidy. As other businesses know, there are fixed overheads that must be paid even when no revenue comes in during lockdowns. It will probably take two or three years before we’re back in the position we were in before the pandemic. The irony is we’re now as busy as ever, and we are seeing mechanisms come into play at the contractual level to protect businesses like ours from the effects

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of COVID-19.

Staff retention – How easy is it and do you have enough? It’s a balancing act. We don’t have enough staff now and are actively taking on apprentices, but we also have several team members that have been with us for the last 20-25 years. Overall, we’re optimistic that once more workers come in from overseas again, we’ll be able to hire more people with the skills we need to help fill the gap.

What impact has technology and Industry 4.0 had on your business? COVID-19 put a hold on some things, but the more we can use technology to automate mundane processes, the more time our team can spend on the quality finishing touches. We got involved with Industry 4.0 mainly because Grayson Engineering works with a company that does modular construction, which, because it’s a repetitive process, started us on the track of developing a robotic welding line in conjunction with HERA and the University of Wollongong. For the future, we’re looking at how the technology is developing around robotic welding without having to build a welding line. However, most of this technology is in China, which has had very strict travel restrictions, so we’re in a holding pattern for now.

What steps is your company consciously taking to help mitigate climate change? As part of the Sustainable Steel Council, we’re already certified, and currently looking to step up to Enviromark diamond standard accreditation to show our commitment to lowering our carbon footprint.

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David Moore We are obviously heavily into recycling steel, so when we have off cuts or any scrap, it goes straight into the recycling. It not only saves us money, but also does its bit for the environment.

What are you thinking about when looking ahead? We’re a small country at the bottom of the world and most technology or machinery we buy is made overseas. We must embrace technology to augment the labour force and increase productivity. I’d never buy anything without having seen it in operation somewhere and making sure it’s going to do everything we need it to, so I think when international travel is back at a level where all countries are accessible, we’ll see a larger uptake of technology and virtual solutions overall and within New Zealand. HERA is a non-profit research organisation dedicated to serving the needs of metal-based industries in New Zealand. It is the industry stimulus for research, innovation and development, delivering a trusted national centre for design, manufacturing technology and quality assurance. Want to become a member? Visit www.hera.org.nz.

INDUSTRY 4.0

INDUSTRY 4.0: REVOLUTION OR EVOLUTION? W hen tackling i4.0, food manufacturing and processing industries are all on a journey of discovery. Industry supplier NZ Controls includes itself in this bracket, describing the company as a service provider rather than a manufacturer. “We are also working out how it all fits together so that we can help our customers. We want to add value. It’s our responsibility to be informed and ready to help guide our customers into the world of Industry 4. We work hard to battle the hype and drill down into real and practical applications with measurable returns,” says Nikk King, director business development, NZ Controls. NZ controls believes that the best approach is to consider the i4.0 technologies as a set of tools and concepts to enhance what it is already doing. Thus, i4.0 is more an evolution than a

revolution. Nikk says that while the results can be revolutionary, “We don’t need to ditch everything and start again or even make significant physical changes”. Perhaps the best way to take advantage of the i4.0 tools and techniques is to change or broaden the mindset to one of iterative and continuous improvement. While there’s nothing revolutionary there, says Nikk, NZ Control’s ability to apply emerging technologies leads to newly discovered opportunities for improvement. In some other cases, i4.0 tools may just provide the data needed to prove what you may already suspect, finally giving the justification to get those projects moving. Another key application for the i4.0 toolkit is to allow more flexibility and potentially ‘revolutionise’ some aspects of production. For example,

evolving from a very linear and inflexible workflow to a more adaptive cell or modular approach, perhaps using collaborative robots and automated guided vehicles to move components instead of traditional conveyors filling up the floor. “From NZ Controls perspective we must provide measurable value. We seek to collaborate on developing a measurable business case, delivering i4.0 technology solutions and help our customers realise their return on investment. In doing so, we maintain our customers’ trust and in some small way help to evolve the local manufacturing sector into one which is incrementally more productive.”

Drive productivity with data

“You can’t manage what you don’t measure” Peter Drucker

Measure to gain control

FTR502

• Repeatable production • Traceability • Track costs and outcomes • Manage efficiency • Drive continuous improvement

MARCH 2020

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The Circular Economy Becoming a low-emissions economy -Barbara Nebel, thinkstep-nz

The Government’s new Emission Reduction Plan (ERP) will move all industries, including manufacturing, to a low-emissions economy over the next three decades. In this article we look at what the ERP means for manufacturers: for the inputs you use (including transport, energy and buildings), the products you make and the waste you create.

What is the ERP? Reducing greenhouse gas emissions is one of New Zealand’s biggest challenges. The ERP contains the strategies and policies that will make our Zero Carbon Act 2019 happen. It sets out how we will meet the first of three emissions budgets, for the period 2022 to 2025. To reach our end goal (net-zero emissions by 2050), we need to cap emissions at 72.4 megatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gases each year over the next three years.

Why does this matter, now more than ever? The World Meteorological Organisation believes that there is a 50:50 chance that global temperatures will temporarily reach 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in at least one of the next five years. This is one of the thresholds we need to avoid under the Paris Agreement. Reducing emissions across your business’ value chain The government has these sources of manufacturing emissions firmly in its sights: transport, energy, buildings, waste. It is also expanding the New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZ ETS).

Emissions from transport Road transport accounts for about 20% of New Zealand’s emissions. It is our fastest-growing source. The ERP sets a goal of significantly reducing transport-related carbon emissions by 2035. Manufacturers should expect a push to decarbonise heavy transport and freight. The government wants to reduce emissions from freight transport by 35% and the emissions intensity of transport fuels (the volume of emissions created per unit of GDP) by 10% by 2035. You will continue be able to buy low-emission vehicles (including through the existing Clean Vehicle Discount scheme).

Emissions from energy Emissions from New Zealand’s energy and industry sectors (the latter includes manufacturing) make up 27 percent of our emissions. The ERP sets a goal of creating an energy system in 2050 that is highly renewable, sustainable and efficient. It must support a low-emissions economy and supply must be secure, reliable and resilient, including to global shocks. Manufacturers should look out for funding to help switch plant and equipment powered by fossil fuels to low-emissions alternatives. Support will come from the new Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) fund and the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority’s (ECCA)

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business programmes. You should also be aware that the government is banning new low- and medium-temperature coal boilers and phasing out existing boilers by 2037. A highly renewable national energy system is crucial to meeting this goal. The ERP sets out the government’s high-level plans to achieve this.

Emissions from buildings In 2018, almost 9.4 per cent of domestic emissions came from our buildings. Manufacturers generate building-related emissions too. For example, when you run a factory, you generate operating emissions (e.g. through heating and cooling). The building itself contains what is known as ‘embodied carbon’. This is the carbon emitted when the materials and products used to make the factory are manufactured, generated when the factory is built and released when the factory and its materials are disposed of at the end of their life. The ERP sets a goal for 2050 of reducing New Zealand’s building-related emissions to near zero. Reducing the embodied carbon in construction materials is a focus, through innovation and regulating building materials and design practices. There will also be support to make new and existing buildings more energy-efficient (e.g. by moving to more energy-efficient heating systems).

Emissions from waste In 2019, 94 per cent of waste emissions were biogenic methane. Most were generated by decomposing organic waste, including food, wood and paper. The manufacturing sector generates some of these emissions from waste created during manufacturing. Your customers generate some too when they dispose of your products. While biogenic waste contributes only a small percentage of New Zealand’s emissions, methane packs a climate-warming punch, 28 times greater than carbon dioxide. The ERP sets a goal of creating a thriving circular economy (one that keeps materials in use for as long as possible) and bioeconomy (one that reuses biogenic materials) by 2050. Manufacturers should expect to hear much more about the ‘circular economy’, including a national strategy supported by R&D, investment and data collection. You should also keep an eye out for support to help you ‘take your businesses circular’. (Our tip: circular economy is about more than reducing your waste! It can help you run a business that is less hostage to global shocks and unreliable supply chains.)

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You will also see a national waste licensing scheme and activities to help reduce your organic waste and keep it out of landfill.

The products you create The ERP hints that the government may consider incentives for Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs). An EPD is a verified, publicly available document that summarises the environmental footprint involved in making, using and disposing of a product over its life cycle. If you are a manufacturer, an EPD will help you communicate your product’s environmental credentials. If you want to buy a product, an EPD contains environmental information you can trust.

New Zealand Emissions Trading Scheme (NZETS) The NZETS is a tool that incorporates the costs of emitting and benefits of removing greenhouse gas into day-to-day economic activity. The NZETS already covers some industrial processes. The government plans to strengthen the NZETS by including agricultural emissions from 2025. It is also reviewing how the NZETS incentivises forestry plantings (particularly of native trees). Other changes (e.g. the Clean Vehicle Discount) will also have an impact on the scheme. It is too early to predict how these changes will affect manufacturers, including wood manufacturers. However, if you are covered by the scheme, you should be aware that unit prices may change.

Transitional activities The plan contains activities that support the move to a low-emissions economy. These include support for Māori solutions, jobs in low-emissions industries, training, advisory services for business, and finance and investment (e.g. the new Climate Emergency Response Fund). Our July article will feature manufacturers who are ahead of the ERP and already taking major climate action.

Cyber Security

‘Cybersecurity Solutions for Buildings’ Schneider Electric has available Cybersecurity Solutions for Buildings, a solution that helps all buildings customers secure their building management systems (BMS) to protect their people, assets and operations. The joint solution with Claroty, the security company for cyber-physical systems across industrial, healthcare, and commercial environments, will combine award-winning technology with Schneider Electric industry expertise and services to identify all facility-wide assets, deliver unmatched risk and vulnerability management capabilities, and provide continuous threat monitoring to protect enterprise investments. 50% of today’s buildings are likely to be still in use by 2050. This is driving commercial buildings to digitise their assets, including modernising their building management system. In fact, IoT technology for buildings is expected to grow from an existing 1.7 billion connected devices at the end of 2020 to over 3 billion by 2025. As these commercial buildings evolve into smart buildings of the future, they share at least one common trait: heightened exposure to risks. The sector must address the security challenges presented by smart buildings. Studies have shown that 57% of IoT devices are vulnerable to medium or high-severity attacks.* Cyberattacks have already harmed several businesses, including critical infrastructure such as hospitals, data centers, and hotels. The commercial building sector must find ways to safeguard both its access to the company’s IT systems as well as its mission-critical infrastructure. “The integration of IoT in buildings is sparking an exciting shift across the sector, but like with any innovation, it also presents new risks,” said Annick Villeneuve, Vice President Digital Enterprise Solutions, Schneider Electric. “For threat actors looking to disrupt operations, benefit financially and/or achieve other objectives, and in so doing to put individuals at risk, buildings can appear to be the perfect target. “It is with this in mind that we are partnering with Claroty to bring our customers a comprehensive, industry-leading solution that meets the unique

security and operational risks facing buildings of today and of the future.” As more and more IoT devices are deployed within the buildings space and increased connectivity between previously isolated operational technology, building management systems (BMS), and their IT counterparts, have made them attractive targets and vulnerable to cyberattacks. Additionally, facility managers oversee hundreds of vendors, service contractors, and technicians in a fragmented manner, increasing complexity and risk. “When it comes to securing cyber-physical systems, including BMS, the number one priority is to keep physical processes operational and safe,” said Keith Carter, Vice President of Worldwide Channels and Alliances, Claroty. “By fusing Claroty’s deep domain expertise and purpose-built technology with Schneider Electric’s services and commitment to driving digital transformation globally, we are empowering our customers to reap the benefits of smart building technologies without increasing their exposure to cyber risk, thereby taking a profound step toward creating a more efficient, sustainable future for the world.” The Cybersecurity Solutions for Buildings offer designed by Schneider Electric and Claroty includes: asset discovery, risk assessment, remote access control, threat detection and response. It will give building owners, facility operators and security teams a simple solution without adding further workload which identifies baseline risks, continually reduces both cyber and asset risks, and identifies and remediates threats in their environment before services are interrupted. Key capabilities: • Equips facility managers with a simple, vendor agnostic solution with which they can easily fulfill secure remote access, asset inventory, efficiency, and other related requirements from building owners and asset managers.

• Provides an automated asset discovery and network mapping solution that identifies and catalogs all system assets (BMS, IoT, UPS, Power Systems, etc.). • Delivers a continuous threat detection solution that constantly monitors buildings networks to identify, assess, and alert at the earliest indicators of network and asset level anomalies. • Allows vendors of smart building assets and systems to create external, secure tunnels to connect to and maintain specific resources and assets in the building network easily and without introducing additional risk. • Provides dashboards and reporting capabilities to enable management and security teams to understand current situations, receive tailored recommendations, and drive the proper actions to reduce a building’s exposure to safety, operational, financial, and reputational risks. • Delivers the industry’s only secure remote access (SRA) solution that is purpose-built for buildings and OT environments to increase building security when vendors, contractors, and technicians are performing remote maintenance activities. Additionally, the valuable visibility and intelligence gained on the building OT and Asset Environment through the deployment of Cybersecurity for Buildings solutions can also bring additional benefits to the building owners and operators to enhance their building operational efficiency and productivity with actionable insights. Through improving the resiliency of their buildings today and their buildings of the future via an enhanced cybersecurity posture with the right technology and expertise, Schneider Electric works hand-in-hand with customers as their digital partner for sustainability and efficiency, helping them to make the most of their investments and resources. www.se.com/cybersecurity-services

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NZ Manufacturer June 2022

Cyber Security Beefing up cybersecurity in the food and beverage sector -Lani Refiti, Claroty ANZ Regional Director

The June 2021 ransomware attack that forced the world’s largest meat supplier, JBS Foods, to shut down some of its plants represented a change in tactics by cybercriminals. Rather than being a random selection, it’s clear the attacker focussed on JBS because of its low tolerance for any disruption. The global scale and 24/7 operations increased the criminals’ chance of extracting a large ransom.

complex nature of cyber-physical systems.

remain operational, no matter what hits them.

Cyber-physical systems are the result of legacy operational technology (OT) networks and industrial control systems (ICS) being integrated with modern IT networks to achieve digital transformation.

It worked, with JBS admitting to paying $US11m to the attacker in a desperate bid to get their sites operational again.

While this has fantastic productivity and cost-saving benefits, the integration also exposes OT/ICS to an array of new cyber threats that they were never designed to face.

The integration of OT and IT to create cyber-physical systems requires both appropriate technical security measures and integration of responsibilities to ensure security can be correctly implemented and maintained, creating a holistic approach to defending against cyber threats.

JBS is just one of many food and beverage (F&B) manufacturers with multinational or global operations that can’t afford any operational downtime, so there are some valuable lessons all companies can learn from its experience. In September 2021, the FBI issued a Private Industry Notification, Cyber Criminal Actors Targeting the Food and Agriculture Sector with Ransomware Attacks, saying: “The food and agriculture sector is among the critical infrastructure sectors increasingly targeted by cyber attacks. “As the sector moves to adopt more smart technologies and internet of things (IoT) processes the attack surface increases.” This was preceded by several high profile attacks on F&B manufacturers, locally and abroad. For example, in 2020, a ransomware attack saw Australian wool sales brought to a halt, while local dairy processor Lion was unable to deliver milk.

A stern warning These incidents, and the FBI’s comments, demonstrate the need for F&B companies to boost their cybersecurity by ensuring they have complete visibility of their operational environments. However, this can be a difficult task given the

To understand how enterprises of all kinds are dealing with these new challenges, Claroty surveyed more than a thousand OT/ICS security professionals from around the world for its report, “The Global State of Industrial Cybersecurity 2021.” The report also features a deep dive into the F&B sector, yielding some important findings. More than forty percent of F&B respondents had their OT environment impacted by a ransomware attack in the past year –– a confirmation that digital transformation has indeed exposed once-isolated assets to cyber risks once limited to the IT world. When asked how badly they were affected, 51% of respondents said ransomware attacks had caused substantial disruption. More than a quarter reported substantial impacts lasting longer than one week, and 10% reported a significant impact on, or full shutdown of, all operations lasting more than a week. About a third (35%) of respondents said operational disruption caused by a ransomware attack would cost between $US500,000 - $US1M per hour. Just under a quarter (22%) said it would cost between $US1M – 5M, a staggering figure which highlights just how important it is for F&B manufacturers to

Responsibility for security must change However, only half of F&B sector respondents had recognised this shift in responsibility by putting the CISO or SecOps in charge of OT/ICS security. Thirty-seven percent had the COO and/or plant manager responsible. The survey also revealed some less-than-adequate security practices, suggesting the F&B sector would benefit from increased discourse and education around industrial cybersecurity best practices. For example, while 19% of respondents said they conducted vulnerability assessments continuously and 42% frequently, this still left a quarter saying they assessed security flaws reactively or not at all. Maintaining adequate security practices such as vulnerability assessment presents an organisational challenge and a recruitment challenge. There is already a global shortage of generic cyber security skills, so the shortage in a new area such as cyber-physical system security is likely to be even greater. Forty-two percent of respondents said it extremely difficult to find candidates with skills and experience to properly manage ICS cybersecurity. Forty-five percent said it somewhat difficult.

was the OT/ was

Preferred solutions to these challenges differed. When asked what they would like to see as their organisation’s highest cybersecurity priority moving forward, 39% said, “provide more training for existing staff” and 33% “implement new technology solutions.” Only 14% of respondents said, “hire more staff” and only 6%“increase overall budget.” These figures reflect an acknowledgement of realities rather than desires. It seems F&B manufacturers are aware they can’t simply hire their way out of the problem, which is a positive first step. To improve their level of protection, F&B manufacturers need to continuously monitor for threats to their cyber-physical systems and implement segmentation to prevent a successful attack from spreading laterally through the network. Furthermore, the regular testing of incident response plans, in which manufacturers simulate the effects of a cyber attack without actually impacting production environments, is critical. With consistent training and testing, manufacturers can improve their response times, and ensure business continuity when a real attack occurs.

NZ Manufacturer June 2022 /

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New Products Small plug-in igus energy chain saves 80% assembly time The plug-in igus energy chain system readychain speed from Treotham connects harnessed e-chain systems in seconds and without the use of tools. This helps reduce both throughput times in assembly and machine downtimes, and also brings planned maintenance work to a minimum. The ready-to-connect e-chain system thus saves 80% installation time. With the new readychain micro-speed, this is now also possible for very small applications and in particularly tight installation spaces. No matter which industry, which country or which company: if a cable in a machine is defective, leading to machine failure, the resulting downtime and consequential costs can be considerable. After all, just a few minutes of downtime often costs companies several thousand dollars. With the ready-to-connect igus readychain speed from Treotham, the e-chain system can be replaced very easily and quickly in these cases, and the machine can start operation again immediately. For very narrow installation spaces, Treotham now offers the readychain micro-speed model.

energy chains. Thanks to its compactness, with a width and inner height of just 20 millimetres each, the system is particularly suitable for applications where space is at a premium, such as door interlocks in machine tools. With the readychain micro-speed, it is not necessary to separate cores from the terminal strips using tools before changing a cable. This is due to the fact that the connectors are integrated in the energy chain and the cable is already connected on both sides.

from the wide range of igus chainflex cables from Treotham - including power cables, bus cables, Ethernet cables and fibre optic cables. The cables are protected from mechanical damage thanks to the e-chain. The required connectors, housings and connections can be planned individually. This way, the customer obtains everything from a single source, and each energy chain becomes a tailor-made product.

Thus, the entire assembly is designed to be pluggable. The counterpart, an add-on housing with bushing, can be flanged to the machine housing. If a change is now required, the e-chain can be replaced as quickly as the power cord of a laptop using the plug-in principle - without tools, without know-how, without technicians. Any employee can perform this task without having to worry about making mistakes.

Customised system for individual moving applications

Cables can be quickly replaced

With the readychain micro-speed, customers receive an interface solution tailored precisely to their application.

With the new readychain micro-speed, Treotham is expanding the solution portfolio of fast plug-in igus

It is virtually freely configurable and, like the larger readychain speed, can be combined with cables

The readychain micro-speed is the smallest version of the pre-assembled, ready-to-connect e-chain systems from igus.

Lubrication-free rod ends: plastic-metal hybrid for higher loads in the food sector Constant relubrication of metallic bearing points in the food industry costs time, money and increases the risk of contamination. Maintenance-free igus igubal spherical bearings from Treotham are an economical and safe alternative. Now, the motion plastics specialist is introducing a new model for higher loads. It is equipped with a stainless-steel housing, a self-lubricating polymer inner ring and a stainless-steel spherical ball. This allows for higher-load applications to be converted to future-proof tribo-technology. Rod ends are an indispensable part of machine and plant engineering for the food industry. They are used everywhere from filling plants to meat-processing machines and packaging systems, where they transmit dynamic forces to pivoting, tilting and rotating movements. In the process, the heads must be relubricated to guarantee low-friction movement between the slide ring and the spherical ball. A job that is not only time-consuming, but also increases the risk of contamination as dirt and dust easily form sticky coatings and solid lumps. “To ease the burden on food-processing plants while improving hygiene in their moving applications, we have expanded our range of igubal rod end bearings”, explains igus Product Manager Thomas Preißner. “The new plastic-metal hybrid consists of a steel housing and spherical ball, and an inner ring made of the high-performance plastic iglidur A160, which meets the requirements of both the FDA and EU 10/2011.”

Hygienic dry operation thanks to microscopic solid lubricants

breaking strength and rigidity compared to a plastic

As with all iglidur plastics, there is a solid lubricant in iglidur A160, which is released in microscopic amounts over time. It ensures a low-friction dry operation between the inner ring and the stainless-steel spherical ball.

acids, alkalines and UV rays and are suitable for

The absence of lubrication also significantly speeds up cleaning the rod ends. Without grease, dirt and dust have little chance of settling. To further increase food safety, the high-performance plastic iglidur A160 is designed in blue. This is a colour on which food residues and mould spores can be quickly detected during cleaning inspections.

rod end. In addition, they are resistant to moisture, temperatures between -40°C and +90°C. The abrasion resistance of iglidur A160 is also ten times better than that of polyamide according to results in the igus test laboratory - even with fast rotational movements of the mounted shaft. Users can therefore significantly increase the reliability of their systems with a modest investment. The new rod ends are available in sizes M6, M8, M10, M12, M16 and M20.

Moreover, the colour is optically detectable. “This high level of hygiene is also confirmed by the approval of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which follows one of the strictest hygiene guidelines in the world”, says Preißner. “So does conformity with the EU 10/2011 guideline.”

Not only clean, but also robust However, the new igubal products are not only hygienic, but also robust, even in outdoor applications. They have a higher

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New Products BOGE equips its S-4 series with IE4 motors as standard Designed to take the lead – BOGE’s already efficient S-4 series compressors have now become even more efficient. This month, the compressor and compressed air systems manufacturer replaced the existing IE3 motors in its current 110 kW - 160 kW screw compressors with high-performance, energy-saving IE4 motors. In addition to the energy benefits, users will also enjoy lower future CO2 emissions, long-lasting operations and low maintenance costs. Applications involving electric motors make up a huge proportion of the overall energy used in the industrial sector. In order to drive the environmentally compatible design of electric motors, promote sustainability and minimise CO2 emissions, the European Union has specified a series of minimum requirements for energy efficiency in three-phase asynchronous motors.

efficiency rating of IE4 from July 2023 onwards. All screw compressors in the lower performance classes will be modified over the coming months, ensuring the compressor manufacturer remains ahead of all legal requirements when it comes to the more efficient, environmentally friendly IE4 motors. IE4 motors as standard The energy efficiency of an electric motor is a measure of the ratio between the mechanic power output and the electrical power input. Companies with energy costs in the six figures will find the savings considerable. Ultimately, by using more efficient motors, BOGE is not only helping to reduce its customers’ electricity bills, but will also be making a significant contribution to fighting climate change thanks to the reduced CO2 emissions coming from its devices.

Consequently, all motors with an output between 75 kW - 200 kW will be required to have an energy

Installation of the IE4 motor on the base frame. BOGE integrated this particularly efficient motor as standard in all screw compressors of the S-4 series in the 110 kW to 160 kW power ranges this month.

Airborne virus removal boosts industrial, food and logistics safety A laboratory-validated air filtration system is being introduced to Australasia to help industry fulfil product purity and OH&S obligations to protect plant workers on-site and customers downstream by helping to neutralise the spread of viral and other airborne health hazards within process, packing, office, logistics, and distribution plants. The EnviroKlenz Air System Plus from Clean Stream Technologies has been third-party Intertek laboratory tested to demonstrate its removal of 99.9% of airborne viruses down to 0.025 microns, says Clean Stream Technologies. The system– which kills virus’ multiple times smaller than the Covid-19 virus – is already proven in service in US professional health, food preparation and in consumer environments responding to the Coronavirus pandemic and to other airborne health challenges, including different virus’, bacteria, pathogens, pollution, and seasonal allergens that affect millions of people in Australia and New Zealand. EnviroKlenz is also 99.9 per cent effective in neutralisation of gram-negative bacteria (E. Coli) and 99.9 per cent effective against gram-positive bacteria (Staphylococcus epidermidis), according to the testing by Intertek Labs, which is audited/ accredited to ISO/IEC 17025 or equivalent Standard.

chemicals.” The purifier is also highly effective against pollution and smoke intruding from the street or immediate environment. “It also provides a highly visible reminder to customers, visitors and staff that the enterprise whose space they have entered is concerned to protect their health and wellbeing,” says Mr Whittaker “This can deliver a strong message to visitors to your plant and to staff in recognising you are taking active steps to protect them against multiple health hazards, including: • Airborne virus’ and bacteria. The laboratory testing is for a broad spectrum of viruses, including SARS-COV-2 (Covid). The size of virus’ against which it is effective are multiple times smaller than the Covid-19 coronavirus.

This quality, German-manufactured system is engineered as a major step up from mass-market air purifiers,” says Scott Whittaker, General Manager of Clean Stream Technologies.

NZ Manufacturer June 2022 /

• Mould or mildew from water damage in bathrooms or ductwork in industrial, commercial and industrial ductwork • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted as gases from certain solids or liquids or from carpets, furniture and other contributors to low IAQ scores (an asset rating that considers features that make it easier to achieve good indoor air quality) • Demand for severe allergy-friendly or allergy friendly accommodation and working environments hay fever (allergic rhinitis), which affects about 18 per cent of people in Australia and New Zealand “Sometimes the issue is excluding potential carriers of risk factors such as contagious conditions; sometimes the issue is to exclude the risk factors such as vehicle pollution, bushfire smoke and widespread allergens including pollen,” says Mr Whittaker. The compact, self-contained, wheeled unit runs quietly, producing around 55 to 60 decibels, depending on the fan speed. It cleans 93 sq m (1,000 sq ft) to 99.9% disinfection in under 18 minutes.

“It is highly effective because it goes much further than standard purifiers by combining medically proven ultraviolet UVC germicidal irradiation with safe and effective earth mineral technology originally developed for the US military and still used today to destroy chemical warfare agents and toxic industrial

• Chemicals and odours from cleaning agents, water damage or renovations that cause indoor air quality problems

When used in conjunction with a HVAC system, the EnviroKlenz Air System Plus turns over the air around 17 times an hour, which is equivalent to once every 3 minutes and 52 seconds.

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Developments

NZ MANUFACTURER

FEATURES

Kemppi Australia launches Art of Welding Competition 2022 Kemppi Australia recently announced its Art of Welding Competition for 2022. The competition showcases “welding art” which can take the form of a welded sculpture, pattern design, a motif or an object. The welding process involved to create the art piece can be manual or use more advanced techniques such as robotics, lasers or friction welding. Now in its third year, the company has been overwhelmed by the enthusiasm and creativity from both professional artists and amateurs for the competition. “Whether the entrants are welders, apprentices, teachers, hobbyists or professional metal artists, the flair and quality that we have seen over the last two years has been impressive and we are delighted to be able to once again run the competition,” said Paul McVicar, Managing Director, Kemppi Australia.

JULY 2022 Issue

This year, the competition will again feature a dedicated amateur category. Entrants can win from a pool of four great prizes that include Kemppi welding equipment, helmets and clothing.

REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT THE CIRCULAR ECONOMY

The competition will run until Friday 30th September and is open to anyone in Australia and New Zealand over the age of 18. For more information on how to enter visit the Kemppi Australia Facebook, Instagram or LinkedIn pages or message Kemppi Australia’s social media pages directly.

ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION

Alternatively, email skettos@skettos.com.au for a copy of the competition flyer.

FOOD MANUFACTURING

3D Metalforge and Woodside Energy to supply additively manufactured parts and services 3D Metalforge (3DMF) a global Additive Manufacturing (AM) company, has signed an agreement with Woodside Energy Ltd (Woodside) to supply Additively Manufactured parts, production technologies and digital part library development services. The two-year agreement, with an optional 1 + 1 year extension is for the production of metallic additively manufactured components to be used in Woodside-operated facilities and will support Woodside’s operational supply chain with replacement parts available with relatively short lead times compared to traditional sources. The agreement is a non-exclusive outline agreement and will allow the rapid production of parts upon subsequent purchase orders for Woodside to

SUPPLY CHAIN

reduce operational risk and local inventory holdings with a more certain cost horizon and increased sustainability. Matthew Waterhouse, 3DMF CEO said, “This agreement underscores 3DMF’s commitment to expanding within the Australasian market with a major focus upon the Oil & Gas, Mining and Defence sectors. “3DMF is currently working with several global companies who face similar challenges to better manage their parts supply chain risks and are addressing that risk by leveraging the benefits of additive manufacturing technologies combined with the expertise of 3DMF as an established international provider of AM capabilities.”

Advertising Booking Deadline – Friday 8 July 2022 Advertising Copy Deadline – Friday 8 July 2022 Editorial Copy Deadline – Friday 8 July 2022 Advertising – For bookings and further information contact: Doug Green, P O Box 1109, Hastings 4156, Hawke’s Bay Email: publisher@xtra.co.nz Editorial material to be sent to : Doug Green, P O Box 1109, Hastings 4156, Hawke’s Bay Email: publisher@xtra.co.nz

Volvo CE to deliver construction machine built using fossil-free steel

Tel: 06 870 9029

In the latest step on its path toward carbon neutrality, Volvo Construction Equipment (Volvo CE) becomes the first manufacturer to deliver a construction machine built using fossil-free steel to a customer. This demonstrates the fast-tracking of innovation to real-world solutions as companies across the value chain come together to drive change.

handover is an important milestone in the Group’s ambition to drive industry transformation towards global climate goals.

The A30G articulated hauler built using fossil-free steel was handed over by President of Volvo CE Melker Jernberg to long-standing customer at a ceremony hosted by LeadIt – the Leadership Group for Industry Transition – in conjunction with the United Nations environmental meeting Stockholm +50. It was attended by John Kerry, US Special Presidential Envoy to Climate and Annika Strandhäll, Swedish Minister for Climate. The move comes just nine months after the company unveiled the world’s first vehicle concept using fossil-free steel, as part of the testing of the implementation in an ordinary production setup. While commercial introduction is expected to be gradual with selected customers, this speedy first

The A30G is produced at Volvo CE’s Braås facility in Sweden, using the existing manufacturing process, with fossil-free steel from Swedish steel company SSAB.

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

As I See It

To succeed in decarbonising the construction industry, actors in the value chain will need to collaborate and act.

Manufacturing Profiles

Business News

Letters to the Editor

Appointments

Politics of Manufacturing

As part of its Science-Based Targets commitment, Volvo CE is set to achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040. Alongside the electrification of its machines, the company recognizes the importance of reducing its carbon footprint across its entire value chain.

Trade Fair World

Around New Zealand

This includes the raw materials used in its products, of which steel is a major component. The production using fossil-free steel in Volvo CE’s machines and components will be gradual and depend on aspects such as steel availability.

Diary of Events World Market Report Q/A

Australian Report New to the Market Lean Manufacturing

Export News

Equipment for Sale

Machine Tools

Recruitment

Business Opportunities

Environmental Technology

Commentary

Manufacturing Processes

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Developments Kelly Jeffries young achiever of the year D&H Steel Construction employee Kelly Jeffries was recently recognised as New Zealand’s top young achiever in the structural steel industry, becoming the first woman to win the award. It’s just one of many awards the West Auckland company won at the SCNZ Excellence in Steel Awards on Friday night. Steel Construction New Zealand’s (SCNZ’s) Young Achiever of the Year award celebrates those whose skills, drive and willingness to learn has helped them to achieve outstanding outcomes. It recognises well-rounded people who demonstrate not only talent, but display traits important to the industry – commitment, innovation and agility. Jeffries joined D&H Steel fresh out of school in 2011. Starting as a frontline administrator, she showed a high level of nous – it was clear that Jeffries was capable of much more. In just two years she was promoted and became the go-to person in the production office. “I’ve always tried my best with everything I’ve done,” she says. “I love a challenge and if I see a need, I try to fill it.” D&H Steel managing director Wayne Carson says that Jeffries is organised and applies her highly analytical mind to solving problems. “Kelly’s attitude, commitment, and desire to learn and develop has got her to where she is today.”

Frank Van Schaijik, chair of industry body SCNZ, says that people have come to realise that there are many successful careers in the trades, which can be attributed to New Zealand’s strong construction sector, and increased demand for high levels of performance and delivery capability. He says the award also reflects the industry’s commitment to upskilling young members of the trade and investing in the future of the local structural steel industry, which is crucial given the impact of COVID on New Zealand-grown capability.

Kelly accepts her award from newly appointed SCNZ Chair David Moore and Hon Poto Williams, Minister of Building and Construction.

“Of the total workforce employed by local structural steel contractors, 9.1 percent are in a training programme, and 69 percent of structural steel contractors employ an average of four apprentices,” says Van Schaijik. Working in a traditionally male-dominated industry has had its challenges. “So this is a huge confidence boost. Being acknowledged for trying reinforces that I’ve been doing the right thing,” she says. “Over

time, I’ve proven myself. Now I’m included; I have a seat at the table.” Diversity and inclusion is part of a wider sustainability initiative that the company, and the wider structural steel industry, is pursuing. D&H Steel has been playing its part to futureproof the structural steel industry and build the diversity of its business.

Structural steel industry leader wins coveted industry award Wayne Carson, managing director of D&H Steel Construction, is the 2021 recipient of the prestigious Steel Construction NZ (SCNZ) Chairman’s Award. The annual award recognises individuals who have made a significant and lasting contribution to New Zealand’s structural steel industry. SCNZ Chair and John Jones Steel Managing Director Frank Van Schaijik presented Wayne with the award at a gala dinner in Auckland on 3 June, delayed because of COVID restrictions.

“Wayne is driven to serve the greater good and has always been firmly focused on benefits to the whole industry. He has been a relentless cheerleader for our industry body and was instrumental in building the comradery that the structural steel industry enjoys today,” says Frank. Importantly, Wayne has been a mentor to many and is always prepared to give guidance to help others to raise standards.

SCNZ General Manager Darren O’Riley supports Frank’s view, adding that over the years, Wayne has worked tirelessly to educate the wider construction industry about structural steel. Wayne has been an influential representative for the industry with both local and central government. He was the catalyst for SCNZ’s local government strategy after he established a relationship with Auckland Council and went on to front road shows to local councils nationwide to the benefit of the whole industry. He has also attended multiple meetings with ministers alongside SCNZ to inform them of the challenges facing the industry and offer possible solutions to overcome them. One significant advance was successfully advocating with government to change the government procurement rules to include subcontractors. Through Wayne, SCNZ has also had a voice with other industry organisations and their advocacy efforts, including the NZ Specialist Trade Contractors Federation and the Construction Industry Council. Through the latter, SCNZ provided valuable input to the retentions scheme in the Construction Contracts Act. Wayne has a mechanical and structural engineering background, and broad experience across the steel and construction industries. It has made him a successful interface between engineering consultants and fabricators.

Mike Sullivan (executive director, D&H Steel Construction), Kelly Jeffries, Wayne Carson.

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The Last Word Bridging the cultural divide - tips for companies operating internationally Adapting to the culture of a new market isn’t just about switching up your packaging or rebranding your company’s name so that it works overseas, although these things are important. Cultural difference begins with how a place looks or feels, what people eat and wear and how they speak, but it goes much deeper than that. This is where the complexity starts and where problems pop up. Arriving in a new country or dealing with a new culture for the first time usually feels “different”, but (apart from very obvious things) it can be hard to put your finger on exactly what is different and why. This can cause confusion and make your initial engagement with the new setting difficult. I have met many people who are domestically successful and believe that the strategies they used to build relationships and negotiate business at home will work overseas. It almost never works. Most people don’t have the tools to negotiate cross-cultural business, and when potential clients and partners react in unexpected or unwelcome ways, it creates excessive friction. That’s why many international businesses and global partnerships don’t get off the ground. Here are three tips to help you bridge the gap between your culture and the culture of your target market. Assume that cultural differences will exist Business owners often don’t appreciate just how different the culture of a new market is, before they get started. This is normal. If you’ve always lived and worked in your own country, you probably aren’t keenly aware of your own culture and the way it has shaped you. Like the air you breathe, it’s a key part of life, but you can’t see, smell, taste, touch or hear it – it’s just there. You also won’t be aware of how differently people in other cultures have been shaped by their own culture. The result? You’re unprepared for the extent

of the cultural differences that you’ll face as you ‘go global’.

to Japan to do a similar job, because his company assumed he had “Asia skills”.

It’s better to begin by assuming that cultural differences will exist when you do business internationally… and acknowledge that it’s your job to uncover them.

He tried to apply his “China skills” to Japan but found that it didn’t work at all, because the business culture was different.

Challenge Stereotypes Challenge your stereotypes about other cultures. Stereotypes are oversimplified ideas about certain groups of people. We all have them and they affect our attitudes and expectations as we communicate with people from that group.

Once you recognise that you need to get prepared for cultural differences in the same way that you prepare for every other part of your international business strategy, you can get to work. Cynthia Dearin is the author of Business Beyond Borders: Take Your Company Global and international business strategist, advisor and keynote speaker.

When doing business in Europe for example, we might expect our Italian counterparts to be late for a meeting whereas a Swiss would always be punctual and well-organised. We use stereotypes to simplify our social world, as they reduce the amount of thinking we have to do when we encounter a new culture. A stereotype gives the illusion of a predictable pattern we can learn, providing a kind of boilerplate for how to react to any given cross cultural situation. Unfortunately, while they can convey a general impression of a culture, stereotypes aren’t accurate and individual people often don’t conform to stereotypes. That’s why cross-cultural stereotypes need to be treated carefully – they can have a negative impact on our thinking and our capacity to perceive things with discernment. When doing business internationally, get ready to challenge the initial stereotypes that you have about the people in your target market. Appreciate that each market will need a different cultural approach Because each country has its own culture, it’s important to appreciate that each market will need a slightly different cultural approach. It might need to be a little different or very different from your domestic approach. When companies are expanding to another country which seems culturally similar, they do all sorts of other preparation – create a great pitch deck, work out pricing, investigate logistics – but they don’t do anything on culture because they figure that if they can communicate with their counterparts in the same language then everything will be ok. They make no effort to understand cultural differences and the impact that these could have on how successful they are in the new place. A colleague experienced first-hand that what works in China, won’t work in Japan. He spent two years in China, setting up subsidiaries for a large international company, and learning how to do things. Just as he’d mastered China, he was transferred

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