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Researchers in Germany are developing durable thermoplastic foams and composites that could make turbine blades lighter, and they believe that, as offshore turbines get larger, the technology could make transportation, installation, disassembly and disposal of turbine blades easier
An EU-funded project due to be completed early in 2017, is investigating the application of new, lightweight materials that could be used in the next generation of blades for offshore wind turbines. The participants in the project – the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT, Smithers Rapra, Windrad Engineering, Loiretech, PPG Industries Fiber Glass, Norner Research, Coriolis Composites, NEN, TNO and COMFIL – believe that thermoplastic sandwich materials of the type they are working on could have a number of advantages. They note the trend towards ever larger offshore wind turbines means that rotor blades are also getting larger and larger, and heavier and heavier. Current blades can be 80m in length with a rotor diameter of over 160m. However, blade length is limited by weight, so in the long term, it is essential to develop new, lightweight, high strength materials from which to construct them if this trend is to continue. Apart from enabling the ongoing development of larger blades and more powerful turbines, lightweight materials have a number of other advantages, not least that reducing their weight makes turbines easier to assemble and disassemble.
In the Wind Blade Using Cost-Effective Advanced Lightweight Design (WALiD) project, scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology ICT in Pfinztal in Germany are working closely with industry and research partners on the design of a lightweight rotor using materials that could reduce blade weight and increase their service life. Current-generation blades are manufactured by hand using thermosetting resins. However, this kind of material doesn’t enable the use of processes that require melting, and they aren’t suitable for recycling. At best, say researchers, granulated thermoset plastic waste is recycled as filler material.
“In the WALiD project, we are pursuing a completely new type of blade,” said Florian Rapp, project co-ordinator at Fraunhofer ICT. “We’re using thermoplastics in rotor blades for the first time.” He explained that the great advantage of this kind of plastic is that it can be melted and that this enables the use of automated production facilities.
For the outer shell of the rotor blade and for segments of the inner supporting structure, the project partners are using a sandwich structure produced using thermoplastic foams and fibre-reinforced plastics. Carbon-fibre-reinforced thermoplastics are being used for the areas of the blade that bear the greatest load, and glass fibre is being used to reinforce other parts of the blade that are less highly stressed. For the sandwich core, the WALiD team is developing thermoplastic foams that are bonded with covering layers made of fibre-reinforced thermoplastics. This combination improves the mechanical strength, efficiency, durability and longevity of the rotor blade, they say. “We are really breaking new ground with the use of thermoplastic foams,” Dr Rapp said.
The blade concept the project partners are working on includes an improved blade root design, which introduces a new connection concept. The design includes a novel approach that uses the thermoplastic materials to generate the blade structures. It consists of high-performance composites processed with an automated fibre placement process. The potential benefits of this approach include weight and cost savings and the ability to produce large wind turbine blade structures. A new concept is also being investigated for the production of spar caps. The concept has a particular focus on weight saving and easy maintenance. A specially adapted robot carries out automatic fibre placement, together with unidirectional tapes and materials such as mixed glass and carbon fibre, ensuring the finished structure is strong, rigid and lightweight. An innovative lightweight design for the shear web connects the two outer shells of the wind blade and replaces the thermoset materials with a framework of new materials, including thermoplastic composites and foams. A reinforced thermoplastic coating with anti-icing properties and abrasion resistance is also being developed. This, combined with a new predictive simulation model, predicts the lifetime of the coating. The approach also enhances the erosion resistance of the blade using a ‘smart layer’ on top of the fibre-reinforced outer shell.
Dr Rapp and his colleagues note that materials of the type they are using in the WALiD project have many potential applications, such as in the automotive, aviation and shipping industries. The foam materials used in some applications have limited stability at high temperatures so cannot be used in close proximity to an engine in a vehicle, for instance, but the meltable plastic foams that are being used in WALiD are temperature stable and can withstand higher temperatures than, for example, expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) or expanded polypropylene (EPP). Their enhanced mechanical properties also make them suitable for many other potential applications. Another advantage is that they can be quickly and easily processed. The innovative materials used in the WALiD project are manufactured at the Institute’s own foam extrusion plant in Pfinztal. “We melt the plastic granules, mix a blowing agent into the polymer melt and foam the material,” Dr Rapp explained. “The foamed, stabilised particles and semi-finished products can then be shaped and cut as desired.”
Source Offshore Wind Journal - November Friday 11, 2016
Nanogirl – Dr. Michelle Dickinson MNZM – is bringing science, technology and engineering to life for young people right across New Zealand this December with a national tour of her live, theatrical science show “Little Bang, Big Bang”.
With the support of Spark, the University of Auckland Faculty of Engineering, and the MacDiarmid Institute, the tour will visit seven centres around New Zealand between December 2nd and December 17th (see tour schedule below).
“Little Bang, Big Bang” presents engineering and science in ways New Zealand has never seen before. Audiences can expect a performance packed full of explosions (LOTS of explosions!), liquid nitrogen, giant fireballs and daredevil stunts – there’s even a jet-powered supermarket trolley! (See a video at nanogirllive.co.nz).
“Little Bang, Big Bang” is both the title and underlying idea behind the show. Each scientific concept is first explored with a ‘little bang’ – an experiment carried out with the help of a volunteer from the audience. From there, Nanogirl and her assistant Boris use engineering to build an experiment that explores the same science on a MUCH larger scale (the “BIG Bang”!).
Dr. Dickinson believes that understanding of science and engineering – and inspiring people to explore STEM subjects in education – is critical to New Zealand’s long-term success.
“I’m passionate about ensuring that all New Zealanders have access to science education. One of my goals is to challenge the stereotypes around engineering and science. I really believe that science is everywhere – and for everyone – and that’s what this project is all about. It’s also a huge amount of fun!”, says Dickinson.
A group of sponsors has come together to make this project a reality. Clive Ormerod, General Manager Customer & Marketing at Spark (Platinum Partner) says “We see science and technology playing an important role in New Zealand’s future, and it’s our children who’ll be driving that. We want to them all to have the opportunity to do great things...This science show will be an awesome step toward that.”
Alongside the theatrical performance schedule, Nanogirl will be visiting schools in each centre to engage with students and teachers through a partnership with The MacDiarmid Institute, demonstrating exciting experiments and providing teachers with lesson plans and curriculum material to support the delivery of science and engineering lessons in schools. Thanks to the generous support of the project’s sponsors, this is provided at no cost to the schools.
Nanogirl says “I’m so excited to be bringing this show to towns and cities around New Zealand. The experiments are going to be huge (talk about a ‘BIG BANG!’!) – I just can’t wait to get on the road. One thing I’ve learned already – steering a jet-powered trolley is harder than it looks!”
“Little Bang, Big Bang” opens at Rotorua’s Civic Theatre on December 2nd. Tickets are available online at nanogirllive.co.nz.
Massey University, Nov 4, 2016 - Crawling into a hole in the rubble and waiting for search dogs to find him gave Massey industrial design student Oskar Edgar an idea of how terrifying it is to be trapped in a collapsed building.
Mr Edgar has designed a purpose-built concrete cutting chainsaw prototype that could be a game changer for Urban Search and Rescue teams around the world. His design could reduce the time it takes to cut concrete in earthquake and disaster situations from two to three hours to around 15 minutes.
He has been working with the New Zealand Fire Service’s Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) central team to establish the challenges they face when rescuing people from collapsed buildings, as happened in the Christchurch earthquake.
“I identified a pretty serious problem that they encounter. In a building collapse, concrete creates voids where people are trapped. Their rescuers have to cut through concrete walls and floors and end up doing so in very confined spaces. Currently there is no specifically-designed equipment for these situations.
“It’s a very complex issue. Concrete cutting tools are very heavy, hard to hold on to, noisy and vibrating and often can’t be used in these situations. They end up downscaling their tools to a set of drills to make holes and then knock the concrete out –but it is extremely time consuming and isn’t clean cut. USAR would like a clean cut for the safety of the people trapped and their technicians,” Mr Edgar says.
Throughout the year Mr Edgar has attended training exercises with the New Zealand Fire Service USAR central team based in Palmerston North. He studied how a concrete cutting chainsaw could be used in building collapse situations and how technicians keep themselves safe.
“I started off with traditional handles but when you are crawling around or cutting over your head, you need to be able to hold the chainsaw in multiple positions to maintain control. I have designed the handles with the versatility these technicians need to maintain control,” he says.
A chainsaw used in these conditions has to be emission free so, using battery over hydraulics, Mr Edgar has designed the chainsaw to be cordless with a rechargeable battery. The hydraulic power system gives the chainsaw the torque it needs while reducing noise and vibration. It will come with several batteries that last about 20 to 30 minutes each and can be plugged into an emergency generator to be recharged. It will weigh under six kilograms, compared to the usual eight kilograms for a chainsaw, and have multiple attachments and simple controls that will be easy to use in stressful situations when wearing gloves.
“The USAR team think it could potentially be a game changer for the work they do. For them, a lot of it has to do with their safety, whilst being able to get the job done effectively. We are asking these guys to risk their lives without equipment that is designed to be used in these situations," says Mr Edgar.
Royce Tatham, deputy team leader New Zealand Fire Service USAR central team and national adviser operations for USAR, believes that rescue teams would get immediate benefits from the capabilities of the tool.
“Oskar has identified a gap in the equipment available for USAR confined space rescue and has developed a tool that would reduce the time taken to breach concrete. This would reduce exposure to dangerous environments for USAR technicians and the time people are trapped.
“There is a real need for specialist equipment in the USAR and Humanitarian Aid Disaster Assessment and Relief (HADAR) space and development of this tool is crucial for the future,” Mr Tatham says.
Mr Edgar would like to see the chainsaw undergo further professional development before going into production. He has contacted and built a network of USAR professionals in New Zealand, Australia, United States, Chile, Sweden and the UK.
While the need for such a chainsaw is ultimately the result of a tragedy, such as recent devastating earthquakes in Italy, Ecuador and Nepal, Mr Edgar is pleased to have developed a product that may save lives and help people in a distressing, chaotic time.
A Massey University release
Palmerston North - A Massey University student has redeveloped the humble docking iron aiming to increase function, usability and minimise repetitive strain injuries.
Fourth year industrial design student, Nicole Austin felt there was an opportunity to improve some of the more conventional hand tools used by sheep farmers. “A lot of sheep farming is very traditional. I found that recent innovations in sheep farming tend to be highly technological and involve heavy investment. Little attention has been given to redevelop older tools that are seen commonly from farm to farm,” she says.
Image Docking irons are regarded as being faster and more humane than rubber rings with nearly 60 per cent of farmers using the tool to cut the tails off lambs.
Ms Austin surveyed 300 farmers about their use of docking irons and discovered that while they regarded the existing models as robust and functional, they also found them to be uncomfortable to use for extended periods. Feedback included the irons being too hot, too heavy and “there are bugger all options on the market.”
“The traditional iron is hard to hold, the grip span is huge and there is a high risk for repetitive strain injury,” Ms Austin says.
Design criteria included optimising usability and comfort, being effective in all weather conditions, docking the tail properly and cauterizing the wound effectively.
“The design had to be reliable, robust and familiar. I did a lot of testing and made 15-20 ergonomic prototypes. I aimed to use familiar characteristics of the previous model to provide a practical lamb detailing tool for New Zealand and the international agricultural sector.
"The main body is glass-reinforced injection moulded nylon which has strong impact resistance and will withstand high temperatures,” she says. “The grips are made from a co-injection moulded elastomer, which won’t conduct heat and means the device is much easier to hold over extended periods," she says.
The original docking iron is fuelled by LPG, however farmers reported the flame blows out on windy days and can be difficult to reignite. Ms Austin’s design, which is also LPG, is self-igniting. She has developed a double-chamber dampening shaft - a mechanism designed to shield the internal flame from the wind. The design offers a greater temperature consistency in the copper blade and is about 35 per cent lighter.
Ms Austin will be getting feedback about her design from farmers and would like to see her prototype developed for the market. “There is definitely an opportunity to redevelop this tool. I would love to work with engineers to make refinements and confirm the design. There’s still a bit more work to be done.”
On graduating, Ms Austin will be looking for a job and likes the idea of eventually designing functional, utilitarian products for the agriculture and forestry sector as part of a design team. “Being at Massey has fostered that team approach. I really enjoy it.”
Ms Austin’s docking iron will be on display at the annual Exposure exhibition at Massey’s College of Creative Arts in Wellington alongside more than 300 projects from final year students in a range of disciplines from fine arts and photography to visual communication, fashion, textile, spatial and industrial design.
Open daily from 5 -19 November, between 10 am and 4 pm, the Exposure exhibition is located in Fine Arts Block 2, The Engine Room Gallery and Te Ara Hihiko Block 12 on Massey’s Wellington campus (entrance C off Wallace St or E off Tasman St).
A Massey University release
A major focus for me personally has been to push a wider delivery of services outside of the Autodesk realm. A large amount of work has been based on the initial selling of Discovery days, where we get the opportunity to build a business case in the form of a return brief to our clients. These have been successful, with 90% of these engagement resulting in more services, and product purchasing. Content management continues to be the most common challenge faced by our clients, hence the introduction of Content Studio to the A2K repertoire. I foresee this addition being important to the services that we currently provide.Recently, there has been an interest in A2K providing services around training landscape architects in Revit. This experience has been unique, as landscape architects work and solve problems in a particular way. As opposed to mainstream architects, where Revit is more suited for vertical spaces.This is due to the increased demand for BIM, where all disciplines are now expected to be able to demonstrate model collaboration, including landscape architects. Traditionally Landscape architects communicate design intent with rich and colourful 2 dimensional mediums. However, 2 of the largest landscape architecture firms are beginning to learn and understand the value of data, and the superior impact that this level of information conveys within the built environment. I wonder, with everything being about data, what do we do with software like AutoCAD in the near future?In addition to BIM, more and more architects, engineers and builders are looking to share data in a more intelligent manner. A2k will soon be offering Drofus as a service, with a focus on training, and implementation to tell. Drofus is a database from the Norwegian Company, which controls large amounts of data throughout the full lifecycle of a project. It is an excellent platform for each of the different disciplines to collaborate on building design, and this platform will serve us well we continue to provide BIM consulting to our customers.Shortly I’ll be starting to package all the necessary infrastructure for A2k staff internally. There is a need to improve our sharing mechanisms, as well as validating the data that we currently own. The benefits of trying to package this information will hopefully allow any of our technical resources to access clean, consistent information related to a specific niche or customer type. Therefore, increasing our point of sale and potential resourcing options due to the nature of our customers’ reactivity.I believe that Drofus will become one of our core services next year as we look to move away from the external perception that we are an Autodesk reseller, and ideally, become more perceived as highly solutions focused organisation to the outside world.
Lantek, world leader in sheet metal technology, has developed new functionality powered by its CAD/CAM software, which integrates online shopping for sheet metal parts.
With this new capability Lantek’s customers can integrate with their own customers into a supply chain. These customers can reorder previously supplied parts or request quotations for the manufacture of new designs through each individual company’s website.
By implementing this technology on their websites, Lantek’s customers will be able to work much more closely with their own customers, delivering accurate quotations even more quickly while checking for available capacity for manufacture, to offer realistic and achievable delivery times.
When a request is received through the customer’s website, the Lantek system will firstly decide if the information is good enough to generate a quotation and delivery date automatically. Some of the elements considered are availability of material, available capacity and quality of design data. If the information is acceptable, the system can continue automatically. If not, a workflow ticket is generated to involve a member of staff in clarifying the enquiry.
Within the system, time and cost are calculated and estimated using the software libraries in the system. The desired delivery date is then included within the algorithm and takes account of other jobs being manufactured in the same material and the status of machine capacity. It also considers material availability, delivery times for material, should it need to be ordered, and current material costs.
With this information and where necessary with assistance from a staff member, an accurate offer can be supplied extremely quickly and with little administrative effort, making it much easier to work in partnership with customers and be a valued part of the supply chain.
For the manufacturer, the system delivers benefits in addition to improved customer relations and reduced administrative load. By looking at current capacity and parts made in the same material, the software will help to smooth peaks and troughs in production, filling available capacity more efficiently and thereby achieving improved machine utilisation. Furthermore, the increased accuracy of the quotations will help to maximise profitability for each job produced.
A lantek press release
2017 Dwyer Catalogue - get your copy.
Order your free copy here from Homershams
We all like to browse online these days but when the product choice is as huge as Homershams’ Dwyer range, it’s also great to have a hard copy.
If you would like to order a copy of the 2017 catalogue, please click the link below and let us know whether you would like hard copy, CD or both. Please also advise delivery address.
If you would like to order any other catalogues, you can browse the range on our website.
The Honeywell Environmental & Combustion Controls NZ Catalogue, Spiral Bind, covers products including Thermostats, Valves & Actuators, Damper Actuators, Modutrol Motors and Combustion Controls.
Order your free copy here from Homershams
The UK’s unique mix of ageing and ultra-modern infrastructure means that engineers from the sector are in demand all over the world Evelyn Adams writes in The Engineer.
Britain is a country built around railways. Since the opening of the legendary Stockton and Darlington line on Teesside in 1825, rail infrastructure has been an integral part of the nation’s development. Today, the rail industry plays a key role in the nation’s economy, contributing around £9.3bn each year. Nearly one in five European passenger journeys take place in the UK, giving the nation the fastest-growing rail network in Europe.
But keeping up that growth requires skill. Much of the network in Britain is buried deep within the urban environment that makes maintenance and renewals complex tasks. As well as this, the UK has several regional systems that developed when the railways were originally conceived. “This presents technical challenges that do not exist in many other countries,” said Ailie MacAdam, global rail sector lead at Bechtel. “A good example of this is Crossrail; this short section of tunnel now connects three regional lines that have very different power and signalling systems.”
LaserBond has been using thermal coating techniques to produce hard-wearing components and products for the mining, power generation, manufacturing and agriculture industries since 1992.
But a downturn in the mining industry is helping to fuel demand for its products as companies look to maximise productivity.
LaserBond Chairman Allan Morton said the company’s laser-applied coatings typically tripled the life of a product.
“This is effectively 3D printing using industrial robots and industrial lasers to add material to existing substrates to create better performing products,” he said.
“The economic benefit is not so much that the components are lasting longer, it’s that you don’t have to shut the system down to change components so they’re getting longer cycles out and that has ramifications in the workplace health and safety area as well.
“When everything was going fine in our boom times people said ‘we will not pay that’ because even though we might have four times the life we might be double the price but now companies are looking at costs and the cost of downtime overwhelms any incremental cost of a higher-performing component that we supply.
“We’ve said our day will come at the bottom of the cycle.”
Founded in New South Wales, the company has about 65 staff and has had a plant in South Australia since 2013.
It has recently formed a research collaboration with the University of South Australia’s Future Industries Institute and is establishing a new “laser cell” in Adelaide featuring a 16kW laser, which it hopes to have up and running in September.
“We know that we make a 60 per cent energy saving, we get higher efficiency and we get less waste with these new lasers. We currently have the three most powerful lasers in Australia in this industry and the one we’re buying will be twice as big again – it will be the highest power laser beam used for laser cladding in the southern hemisphere.
LaserBond predominantly manufactures for the mining industry and exports about 80 per cent of its products to countries including Chile, Mongolia and South Africa.
Products are typically made from steel and then applied with materials such as nickel alloys, tungsten, titanium carbides and ceramics. Manufactured items include mining picks, furnace doors and ‘down the hole’ hammers.
“Basically any metal component that wears we can apply a surface to make it last longer for new parts as well as we can make an old part with new surfaces that are better than new,” Morton said.
The company expects the new laser to allow it to double production.
“We’re able to deposit material quicker than we currently do and also it’s all about energy.
“We can put a certain amount of composite material on a part, we want to be able to increase that speed to enable us to be more cost effective for our customers.”
LaserBond Founder and Executive Director Greg Hooper is recognised as a world-leader in the field. He has moved from Sydney to Adelaide to play a key role in the Research & Development side of the business and the collaboration with UniSA at Mawson Lakes, which is just a five-minute drive from the company’s SA base at Cavan.
“There is a lot of opportunity in a lot of different industries. I’ve been working on materials and depositing those materials better and quicker so we can be more competitive,” he said.
“We envisage that South Australia has the focus for the R&D and it will become our product manufacturing division, which will be our biggest division over time.
“It appears to me that the time is changing with regard to the collaboration of universities with private industry and it’s very enlightening.”
France’s English-speaking colony
The Franco-German investment in New Zealand is just as extensive in its way as the British presence was in its heyday prior to UK membership of the EU. This is the main reason why the New Zealand/EU (sans Britain) trade deal is regarded with such favour by the two pillars of the EU. The scope of the French presence in New Zealand is especially pervasive encompassing as it does so many industrial sectors. It is one reason why New Zealand premier John Key seen here on the reviewing stand with French cabinet members was accorded such a warm welcome in Paris (photo: Roland Berjon)
In order of industry dominance here are the major French-owned companies in New Zealand:-
These are just the French companies with site operations here. We can also consider L’Oreal, and in the industrial category, Laval, Michelin and St-Gobain (glass) which is also the world’s longest established company.
If we look at the Franco-German EU axis, then we can also see complete dominance in the luxury car sector here with BMW, Mercedes, Audi, Citroen, Renault.
The presence of Danone and Parmalat underline the way in which French companies, after some delay, are filling the pastoral process vacuum left by the old British companies.
The arrival of Bollore in New Zealand with the acquisition of Gameloft is a pointer to French intervention here in computer inspired leisure.
from the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk - Wednesday 12 October 2016
Jay-Evan Paskell completed a gateway placement at Lloyd Stevenson Boatbuilders Ltd at high school. After enjoying that placement, a careers advisor at school helped him get an interview with Advanced Aerospace Ltd, also known as C-Quip International. After five years refining his skills and knowledge as a composites technician, Jay-Evan has spent the last year as the supervisor of the clean room, and the Laminating Team Leader.
Jay-Evan has completed a Level 3 Boatbuilding Pre-Apprenticeship, a Level 3 Composites qualification, and is currently working towards completing his Level 4Composites qualification. After that he wants to work towards leading a larger team or working as a project manager.
Highlights of Jay-Evan’s apprenticeship include winning trophies at NZMAC ITO’s annual Marine Trades Challenge, and travelling to Australia to compete
“Work hard and stick with it, complete units and work your way up.
It may not start easy but you can get to where you want to be with hard work, and gain experiences.”
A NZ Marine & Composites ITO release - Monday 10 October 2016
A group that began as a small air conditioning and refrigeration business in a shed on the Nadi Back Road in Fiji has grown into a hi-tech engineering outfit with state-of-the-art CNC machines and robotics.
With a quarter of a century’s worth of experience in the refrigeration and light engineering industries, the J Kevi Group has forayed into manufacturing quality engineered goods for the consumer export market around the Pacific Islands region and beyond. It has recently completed the construction of a large tooling, fabrication and manufacturing facility entirely dedicated to exporting its products.
“It’s 100 per cent export oriented,” says Kevi N Reddy, the group’s youthful Chief Executive Officer. Mr Reddy earned his degree in Mechtronics from the University of Western Australia and spent a few years’ designing and building industrial kitchens for QSR brands around Australia. He returned to his native Fiji a few years ago to assist his father Narendra Reddy to run and expand the family business.
The group, which has grown from just a couple to 100 employees and from a 120sq m space to 6 acres of land and building, manufactures an array of hardware components for the local building and construction industry. Its products are widely used in quality fittings for Fiji’s upmarket hospitality sector. It also sells and distributes utility vehicles like golf carts and industrial scale lawn mowing equipment.
The new line of engineered consumer products for exports comprises profiles, toolboxes, Ute-mountable trade boxes made of metal and others directed at the automotive professional and hobby markets in New Zealand and Australia.
The products are designed and crafted with the latest in CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machine technologies. “This is the first time that such advanced machines are being used in the Pacific Islands region,” Mr Reddy told Pacific Periscope when we visited the group’s new plant in Nadi.
A new high-tech robot welding plant built in the United States is soon to join the shop floor. Again, it’s the first of its kind in the region, with only eight such machines in New Zealand, according to Mr Reddy. “Our products are all designed and manufactured to exacting New Zealand and Australian standards,” Mr Reddy said.
While using the best of materials and processes of a standard approved in New Zealand and Australia, Mr Reddy believes that it is Fiji’s lower overheads and operating costs that gives the group a price advantage. “While the standard of the product is the same as that made in New Zealand and Australia, the production costs are lower, therefore offering the same uncompromised quality for a lower price for consumers in those countries,” he adds.
The group is preparing in right earnest to launch its line in New Zealand in the next couple of months. It has already incorporated a company in Auckland. Pacific Trade & Invest (PT&I) NZ Trade Development Manager Ian Furlong said PT&I was working with the J Kevi Group, helping establish a distribution network in Auckland. As well as New Zealand, Mr Kevi said the group was planning to export also to Papua New Guinea, Samoa and Vanuatu.
Mr Reddy hopes Fiji’s engineering sector will rise to the occasion and become an attractive and cost efficient manufacturing hub for the New Zealand and Australian markets, with the advantages of proximity, an English speaking workforce and the same materials and manufacturing process standards. “We are proud of using the Fijian Made logo,” he says.
The group plans to make its products available in New Zealand before year end.
For more information, please email PT&I Trade Development Manager Ian Furlong at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
A Pacific IslandsbTrade & Invest release
Time to change the oil on your applications? It’s worth keeping an eye on the latest Inventor / Vault Updates that are released for your products.
We’ve had a few cases recently of users reporting the following issues:
New Copy Design (Vault 2016) – Part number property not updating (and other property issues) when performing Copy Design.Frame Generator (Inventor 2016) – Frame member description not being updated when changing memberBoth of these have been resolved/improved in recent Service Packs and updates. The reason for the “improved” status is that there may still be some fringe cases that cause issues with the Copy Design property updates, but most of the cases we know about have been resolved.
You can get the updates here:
Please note, that Vault hotfixes and updates should not be applied unless you know exactly what you are doing. If you don’t administer the Vault system at your workplace, forward this post on to your IT department. All clients and the server have to have the updates applied at the same time. Alternatively, you can engage us to do this work for you.
If you have moved to the 2017 products, then you should find that those issues don’t affect you, but if that’s not the case, we’d like to know about it.
The 2017 products have been out for a while now, and feedback has been good. If you’d like to take advantage of the new functionality, then we can help with that.
Perhaps you haven’t even seen what’s new in the 2017 products. If that’s the case, then you might want to take a look at these links:
Right, time for a coffee while those Inventor / Vault updates install.
Last year, Dubai made headlines when the United Arab Emirates National Innovation Committee announced plans for the world’s first 3-D printed office building made with fiber-reinforced polymer composites according to an article in Composites Manufacturing. However, it appears the region has more plans for large-scale 3-D printing projects, as the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) recently announced Convrgnt Value Engineering (LLC) will design and construct the first 3-D printed laboratory building in the world.
“The building will be printed using a system of robotic arms at the desert location,” said Convrgnt executive Vibin Paul. “The risks of working in an unshielded open environment have to be addressed and the logistics accurately controlled during the printing operation.”
DEWA says the laboratory will be built as part of the Research & Development (R&D) center at Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, and will conduct research on drones and 3-D printing technology.
The drones and 3D-printing lab include 4 sub-laboratories: the Electronics Lab, the Software Lab, the Mechanical Lab, and the Prototype Lab. The project will also include an outdoor testing facility. The Electronics Lab will conduct electrical design and repair services for drones that can be used by R&D staff, and DEWA employees. The Software Lab will develop and provide DEWA with innovative products, research, and educational solutions.
Earlier this year, Dubai proclaimed that 25 percent of all buildings in the city will be 3-D printed by 2030. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, CEO of DEWA, says these historic 3-D constructions are part of the city’s “3D Printing Strategy.”
“The construction of the 3D-printed lab ... reflects our ongoing efforts to achieve the directives of our wise government. The Dubai 3D Printing Strategy is a unique global initiative to use technology for the service of humanity, and promote the status of the UAE and Dubai as a leading hub for 3D printing technology by 2030,” said Al Tayer.
The KT-100 Katana from Rigaku Analytical Devices is said to be the only handheld alloy analyzer certified to strict MIL-STD-810G standards: the industry’s first drop-tested analyzer for metal and alloy identification in industrial environments.
The handheld, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analyzer is applicable for metal fabrication, positive material identification in petrochemical plants and scrap metal sorting requiring fast, accurate and robust methods for alloy identification to promote profitability and product quality. The analyzer is designed for use in scrap yards, plant environments and fabrication shops, and features an IP54 rating for use in wet environments.
The KT-100 Katana is designed for on-the-spot metals classification, including aluminum grades, and features QuickID software. The analyzer offers auto surface preparation with its DrillDown feature and features an extended battery life. GPS enables instrument tracking.
Rick Smith, Operations Manager of Sutton Tools (NZ), has been elected as the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) President at the Association’s 137th AGM. Rick takes over the helm from Tom Thomson, who completed his two year term as President, say the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA).
The office holders of the NZMEA are now: President: Rick Smith, Operations Manager, Sutton Tools (NZ) Ltd. Senior Vice President: Trevor Edwards, Managing Director, Superheat Ltd. Junior Vice President: Greg Thompson, Chief Executive, Footscience Intnl Ltd. Immediate Past President: Tom Thomson, Managing Director, EPL.
NZMEA Chief Executive Dieter Adam says, “I would like to express gratitude to Tom Thomson for his two years of service as President of the NZMEA. Tom has shown extraordinary dedication and put a significant amount of time and effort into a range of activities within his term.
“We are pleased to have Rick Smith move into the role of President, and are excited to keep working to represent and advocate for manufacturers and exporters under his leadership." said Dieter.
President Rick Smith said, “I am looking forward to being in the role of President of the NZMEA. The Association has a long history of serving the needs of New Zealand manufacturers. These are challenging times for manufacturers and exporters and we will continue to support our members with representation, training and advice. We are committed to raising the awareness of the importance of manufacturing for New Zealand’s long term future and will continue our role as a voice for manufacturers across the country.”
Past President Tom Thomson said, “I am proud of the progress we have made in the last two years. There have been some improvements for manufacturers and exporters generally, with many reporting better sales and outcomes than in previous years. However, we still face a number of challenges and uncertainties looking forward - I am confident the NZMEA will continue its work to improve conditions for manufacturers and exporters. New Zealand has to create a more productive and high value economy, with a strong manufacturing base providing well paid jobs and export income, to truly raise living standards for Kiwi’s.”
The 2016 National Maintenance Engineering Conference takes place at the Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton on 9/10 November so it seemed timely to take a look at the origins of the event and how it has developed over the years with Craig Carlyle.
The origins of the NMEC came about after a request by a national meat company, who had engineers all over New Zealand and recognised the regional differences and different engineering solutions and wished to bring engineers together in one spot. Up until that time there were existing engineering conferences but the problem was that all the conferences available were all ‘high-brow’ and really did not relate to the practical guy!
Carlyle says there was a tale about a foreman from provincial New Zealand turning up to a conference in his Swanndri only to find everyone else dressed in suits!
A practical maintenance management conference that the average guy could relate to was required – one with no airs and graces. A rule was immediately adopted – there were to be no ties worn. If you don’t think the rule will be enforced then be aware that when Peter Tennent, a former Mayor of New Plymouth, addressed the conference on one occasion his tie was cut off!
That ethos has remained since those beginnings in 2003. Put away your pretentiousness, sit down and start talking across the table. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are from the conference is an opportunity to sit down and talk and discover common ground.
That, in a nutshell, is the essence of the success of the NMEC.
It has all grown from those original values. There had been other attempts to organise engineers in societal groups– some worked, some didn’t. The Maintenance Engineering Society of New Zealand had a low profile at that stage and Carlyle says he went to a MESNZ meeting to see what the organisation was doing and immediately saw a fit with his own personal goals of sharing his experience with engineers. Carlyle gifted the event to the society and agreed to stay on as Event Director.
Craig’s wife Judy Cranston, well known in music and entertainment circles, co-directed the event from day one, specialising in the social agenda and being mother to everyone. The event quickly generated a collegial feel with attendees making an annual pilgrimage.
The conference itself understands the pressures and responsibilities of an engineer in a workshop trying to solve problems of the world. “Not all problems were engineering problems they could be about line management or other issues. We take a holistic approach and tackle issues such as Health & Safety and Human Relations. One year we had a paper on how to pat employee on the back followed by one on how to fire their butt!”“For most engineers only a small percentage of their time is pure engineering. Our whole goal is to help the engineer with workplace issues. That stands MESNZ aside from others. VANZ for instance, who we have a wonderful relationship with, is focused on purely technical topics.”
In the early years the society ran the conference and other activities such as one day seminars but it was eventually decided to focus all the effort into the NMEC.
“We dropped the seminars but now a decade later we have Network Evenings.They fill that gap and we are totally committed to the Kaeser Compressors Network Evenings. They are fantastic and a secret to their success and also that of the conference is that we understand that the engineering world budgets are tight and engineers need approval to attend. We work hard to keep the costs low and make it easy timewise to attend.”
“There are a number of success stories. Engineers turn up at conference with a look on their face and you watch their faces change as they discover common problems and solutions by talking to each other. They can’t wait to get back to work after they chat and take their learnings back to the workplace.”
Examples of the society meeting the needs of the engineers are reflected in the initiatives introduced over the years. “Deputy dog” pricing where a second representative from the same organisation can attend at a lesser rate means engineers can bring their 2IC’s and share the inspiration. The society has also provides apprentice and student rates.
For many years the conference was held all over New Zealand, North Island, South Island, anywhere and everywhere, with varying results. “As the conference grew, the risk grew and it became a luxury we couldn’t afford. Now you know where you are going every year. We have always had the best response from Waikato, it is central, it suits most and there is a wealth of places for field trips.”
The committee are yet to exhaust entertainment ideas for the conference. “Our entertainment is always slightly different. We don’t like doing things conventionally. We like to test people, have fun, and find a way to mix everyone together. The entertainment is legendary. Every year we wonder how to top the last one. We have had paintball wars, karaoke, we’ve gone out on boats, had Fawlty Towers nights, raced trolleys and chased sheep. What we do is always kept a secret. We try to keep the atmosphere convivial, have a few drinks without going overboard so everyone enjoys the night and is ready to go again the next day. The whole evening is quite an art. The entertainment also helps reinforce new relationships.”
In recent years the attention has been on the move to make the conference bigger and increase the resources to manage that. “We had Chris Thomas on board in the first years and brought him back more recently, while Leanne Powley has been an immense help in recent years. The committee members too are on the front desk, relishing the opportunity to personally meet the attendees. The society takes a long term view of the conference. A good example of this is the conference papers which are now driven by Barry Robinson, Larry Wiechern and Kevin Ingle who are looking at the topics we need to cover. The speaking plans are planned up to 2 years out. The emphasis changed with SKF coming on board as a sponsor. That enabled us to engage international speakers but we don’t want only internationals as we value local input as well. Engineers want to see a common neighbour.”
Longer term goals include reaching out to touch more and more engineers. “A lot of local engineers don’t know we exist. We will also open doors to more international speakers.”
“This year we are budgeting on 60 exhibitors, up from 40. The Exhibition Hall is a big event but we do not want to let that override the conference part. There are one day options, student options, bring a friend options and a lot of interest in the free Public Trade Expo.”
Each year there is a pre-conference field trip (this year Stainless Design are opening their doors to the group). One of the innovations this year is the Conference Training Village running on the day before the conference. This will offer engineers the opportunity to access expert tuition and advice in multiple training rooms in the conference venue. This is an added value to the conference and that is one of the big drives of the Society, to always offer value.
The Conference Training Village is the biggest change this year while the Exhibition Hall is growing while there will be lots of refinements and a very strong speaking schedule.
There is always a lot of interest in the Stuart Tolhurst Apprentice Trophy and Bill Buckley Scholarship Award recipients as well.
The big drive this year is for more attendees so if you are looking for solutions or something you can do better and want to get a sympathetic ear then find a way to wangle your way to NMEC 2016 on 9/10 November. The conference is always a highlight whether you are meeting old friends or finding new ones!
A NMEC release - Monday 26 September 2016
CADPRO Systems, iConstruct, Global Survey, Autodesk, and Sharp invite you to join us for demonstrations of software & hardware showing workflows and insights into the latest BIM tools for Construction.
BIM For Construction - Technology Day
Location : Christchurch & Auckland
Dates : 10th October (Monday) & 12th October 2016 (Wednesday)
Time : 9:00pm - 4:00pm
Reserve your place and remember you can claim CPD (Continuing Professional Development) points for this event.
Check out the agenda for the day, availability and registration.
The Reserve Bank today published a summary of the feedback received in its recent consultation about whether to routinely publish individual responses to public and industry consultations.
Until now, the Reserve Bank has published anonymised summaries of responses alongside any final policy decisions that result from consultation.
After considering feedback on this issue, the Reserve Bank has decided to implement a policy of publishing individual responses to a consultation, when consent to do so is granted by respondents. This new policy takes effect immediately. The Reserve Bank believes this change will enhance the transparency of the policy-making process.
All feedback received during consultations is potentially subject to release if requested under the terms of the Official Information Act 1982 (an OIA request). However, release may be restricted by confidentiality provisions in the three primary Acts that the Reserve Bank administers that require prudential information about an entity regulated by the Reserve Bank to be withheld. Specific consent by respondents may permit some prudential material to be published by the Reserve Bank or released in response to an OIA request.
More information: Summary of Submissions (Publication of Submissions) (PDF 100KB)
After purchasing a Haas TM1-P 3-axis CNC Milling Machine, Bruno Pfister contacted CADPRO Systems to find out about a product called Autodesk Fusion 360. His goal was to design and manufacture BMX components in New Zealand for competitive grassroots and professional riders.
This webinar tells his story about the development of cranks and chain rings recently used at the BMX world championship in Columbia.
Webinar DetailsDate : Wednesday 21st September 2016Time : 10:30 am - 11:30 am NZST
Presenter:
Scott MoyseMFG & CAM Technical SpecialistAutodesk Expert Elite– CADPRO Systems Ltd, NZ
A device that makes it easier to identify and manage concussions in rugby games has won Massey University industrial design graduate Spencer Buchanan top prize in the New Zealand section of the 16th James Dyson Award.
The global product design competition celebrates, encourages and inspires the next generation of design engineers.
Mr Buchanan (pictured), 22 from Warkworth, designed a prototype mouthguard called Nerve with motion sensors worn by rugby players 
to identify concussion risks after the player has taken a rough knock. He wins $4000 to help commercialise his design concept and an official prize package from the Intellectual Property Office of New Zealand (IPONZ) tailored to his design’s intellectual property needs, a year’s membership to The Designer’s Institute and a Dyson vacuum cleaner.
His design uses motion sensors to identify possible impact injuries to the head but missed by the human eye. If an athlete wearing the mouth guard takes an impact over a certain threshold, the sensors communicate wirelessly to the team doctor’s iPad or tablet. It then calculates the risk based on an algorithm that measures the impact and where it was located along with the player’s previous concussion history to determine whether the player should return to play.
Mr Buchanan, who suffered several concussions playing rugby and snowboarding, says his design was a good match for his sporting interests and background in design.
“Rugby and concussion is a topical issue that is constantly under the spotlight,” he says.
Medical professionals confirmed at the start of this design process that existing headgear only protects against cuts and abrasions and not concussion. With wearable technology becoming an emerging trend in contact sport, I thought it was a perfect opportunity to combine my industrial design knowledge and look to find a solution to the problem.”
The mouthguard is designed to be custom-made to fit the individual requirements of players and its microelectronics are laminated within the design to prevent any health and safety concerns too.
The judges were unanimous in their decision. Head judge Mike Jensen says Spencer’s design addresses a topical issue for New Zealand sport and culture.
“We must be coming close to a culture change with an older generation of All Blacks linked with dementia.
“What is exciting about Spencer’s design is that it is not one product; he’s developed an entire system encompassing sensors in a fully sealed, non-corrosive mouth guard, a charger unit and an app. These components also reveal his sensitivity to good design, while offering peace of mind to athletes involved in any contact sport, their medical support and their families,” Mr Jensen says.
Other finalists included fellow Massey industrial designers Geoff Desborough who designed a camera attachment called a gimbal for hand-held filming of action sports and Cameron Holder who designed a temporary safe habitat, in the shape of a pool, to rehabilitate wildlife caught up in oil spills. All three designers studied at Massey’s College of Creative Arts. Victoria University graduate and Nelson designer Stuart Baynes was also a finalist with his design of a swimming prosthesis that helps lower leg amputees to walk unaided to the pool, dive in, and swim with symmetry and ease
The New Zealand finalists now progress to the international final to be announced on October 26. It includes prize money of NZ $60,000 for the winner and NZ$10,000 for the winning designer’s university.
Auckland, New Zealand – FUSION®, a worldwide leader in lifestyle entertainment, announced today the introduction of the world’s first purpose-built portable watersports stereo – FUSION STEREOACTIVE. With built-in Bluetooth audio streaming, AM/FM radio with weather-band available in the U.S. and USB audio playback, STEREOACTIVE is packed with features. Engineered inNew Zealand, the new compact system is designed for the challenges of life on the water and tuned to deliver crystal clear audio that enhances any activity. Featuring the unique Puck-It mount system, users can easily and securely attach the stereo to any paddleboard, kayak, canoe, boat or even hot tub. To keep valuables safe from the elements, FUSION has also incorporated the ACTIVESAFE which, when combined with STEREOACTIVE, will securely house any smartphone, vehicle keys, bank cards or loose change.
“We approach every new design from the perspective of the customer,” said Graham Brain, Lead Industrial Designer, FUSION Entertainment. “Even after more than 20 years of experience in marine design, STEREOACTIVE was my passion project from day one. With modern design software and manufacturing processes, we are now able to produce a powerful, high-quality stereo system that goes where no one else’s would dare to go. Where others sink, we choose to float.”
Whether standing on a paddleboard or rowing a canoe, STEREOACTIVE is controlled with easy to press, scalloped buttons which are adjustable with the touch of a finger or the tap of a paddle. The high-grade rubber over-molded keypad is engineered to take a paddling. The Puck locking mechanism securely fixes STEREOACTIVE in place, even in the event of capsizing. In the unlikely event that it does become detached from the Puck mount, both STEREOACTIVE and ACTIVESAFE float, keeping the stereo and valuables safe from the depths below.
“We are well established in the marine market for making the highest quality speakers and head units on the water,” said Chris Baird, Managing Director, FUSION Entertainment. “We have now taken marine audio innovation to a place it has never gone before. With STEREOACTIVE paddlers, kayakers and beachgoers can personalize their time with that quality FUSION sound.”
STEREOACTIVE is capable of streaming audio via Bluetooth from any popular music service such as Pandora or Spotify, from a compatible A2DP Bluetooth enabled device or playing music with the built-in AM/FM tuner. The unit also contains a waterproof cavity designed to provide secure housing for a low profile USB for MP3 playback, while keeping the flash drive waterproof and IPx7 safe. Audio playback over USB is available for Apple lightning products and AOA 2.0 Android phones so users can simply plug and play. Engineered to distribute quality audio for a more personalized listing experience, the 2.5” custom designed directional speakers matched with the passive radiator and Class D amplifier has been designed to deliver audio efficiently and powerfully through the 40 Watt speaker system. A flat mounting surface has been positioned perfectly to allow for the mounting of a Garmin Virb or other third party action camera. With a long-life battery, STEREOACTIVE will keep music playing for up to 20 hours and the type-A USB port also provides playback and charging for Apple iPhone lightening connector products and Android AOA devices.
Users also have complete control of volume, track and source adjustment directly from a compatible Garmin smartwatch – another innovation that shows FUSION’s commitment to enhancing its customers’ on water entertainment experience.
FUSION, the leader in lifestyle entertainment, is dedicated to offering innovative solutions that enhance personal leisure time, whether on the water or on the road. FUSION, backed by GARMIN, builds products that exceed regulatory standards using the latest technologies at GARMINS’s international ISO accredited manufacturing facility.
For more information on STEREOACTIVE, ACTIVESAFE, the Puck-It mounting system, FUSION or its entire line of audio products, please contact 623-580-9000 or visit their website.
The Engineer reports that a group proposing the UK’s first new university in 30 years believes it’s time for a revolution in the way we teach engineering.
The engineering skills problem isn’t going away. Despite the efforts of various outreach programmes, publicity campaigns and government initiatives, the number of businesses complaining about the quality and quantity of engineering graduates remains stubbornly high.
While the number of engineering students has grown in line with the wider take-up of higher education, the latest skills survey from the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) found around 40 per cent of engineering firms struggle to recruit graduate engineers, with 54 per cent saying graduate skill levels did not meet reasonable expectations.
So is it time for a revolution in the way we teach engineering in the UK? A group proposing to build the UK’s first new university in 30 years believes so and plans to initiate just that. Called the New Model in Technology & Engineering (NMITE), the private university aims to create a supply of work-ready engineers to support local engineering firms in its planned home in Herefordshire from 2017.
I initially wrote this article in 2013, it’s scary how the time can creep up on you, especially when you are past the official retirement and are planning to sell your business. So what’s different and how am I addressing this challenge. A few thoughts to consider.If you are in business and are nearing retirement did you, • Buy your business with the plan to build it and then to sell it? • Or did you buy it to keep it and for a better life style? • Or have you brought it and now only have a JOB = Just On broke • Or are you thinking of retiring or in the age group that is nearing retirement?
If you are, then I suggest you read the following as there are a number of considerations you may need to think about for the sale of your business.
Statistic show that there could be as many as 10 -15000 or more baby boomer businesses due to hit the market in the next few years. Unfortunately, many of these will run smack into what he terms the “baby boomer bulge” where there will be many businesses for sale in competition with them. You only have to visit a business sales magazine to see the coffee shops and trade companies for sale.
A point of concern is that many husband and wife teams who have worked in their business for 20-30 plus years in preparation for retirement. Many may have a greater expectation of value of their business than what may actually be realized.Too many people wait until they have to sell, rather than exiting their business when they want to. If you fall into this demographic, are you prepared or are you waiting for the day when you want to sell and hope for the best, unfortunately it may be too late.If this triggers a call to action before it is too late then what is needed it to take stock of what you have.The effectiveness of any business is not just about the annual balance sheet, although this will be one of the contributing factors in your business sale. The assets of your business are also the risk management processes, its documented business systems, its people, sales processes, clients, and its intellectual property, never discount these as intangible assets.Another key consideration is the ability for future growth of the business for a potential buyer. A switched on experienced business advisor will be able to assist you with this.Be prepared to swallow your pride and don’t take offence at the awkward questions, be very honest as it’s an important if you want to capitalize on all your years of hard work and sacrifice, you are not alone in this.A word of warning. Don’t get hooked up with the warm fuzzy speak of a business advisor or business sales broker.
Why do I know this, we are now going through the very same process and have bitten the bullet to make what we have worked for 25 years work for us and for our future.
Our plan of action
Entering a third ageSo you have sold your business now what, mow the lawns, paint the house, hit the road and live the good life, these are one of the many questions you will have to consider.But what about the other investment that you may not have considered?The bank of accumulated life, trade or professional knowledge that is just sitting there to be reused.Have you ever considered that you may be entering your third age where you can capitalize on this and help others to succeed instead of retiring completely and to wait meet your maker?We may be grey, we may be silver but as they say, you are only as old as you feel.Age is only a number and the difference is the attitude what lays between ones ears.Health is a big factor and this may be an inhibitor for some things but there are other options.What we baby boomers have and banked over the years without realizing it, is all that experience and wisdom, now are you ready to spend it?
So how will you spend it, that’s the challenge when you should also be considering when you get ready to sell your business?
From the MSCNewsWire reporters desk by Gordon Anderson - Friday 2 September 2016
It seems like 3D printing has taken root at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Just last month, the university’s archeological faculty announced its intentions to 3D print educational models of 3,000-year-old artefacts. Now, its biological sciences department is planning to use 3D printing to fight deforestation, with associate professor David Lueng having just been awarded a government grant to explore the development of synthetic wood through the 3D bioprinting of live plant cells. The research project aims to provide the wood industry with a sustainable alternative.
Given the global problem of deforestation, creating viable 3D printed wood would be a huge achievement. Nearly half of all original forests have already been cut down, and the global trend is not slowing down. According to some estimates, up to 13 million hectares of forest is lost every year–the equivalent of 36 football fields per minute. Deforestation is also known as a very important contributor to global carbon emissions, so all wood alternatives are very welcome.
Professor Leung might have a solution: 3D bioprinting artificial wood that can be harvested to provide a customizable alternative to the real thing. The New Zealand government believes that the plant physiology expert could be onto something, and has provided him with a NZ$255,000 grant over a three year period. If successful, he could provide the New Zealand manufacturing sector with a new, sustainable biomaterial.
A lot more is happening over in New Zealand, as Leung’s initiative was just one of 10 ambitious seed projects that received grants from the NZ$826,000 fund of the Science for Technological Innovation (SfTI) National Science Challenge (2016). The ten selected projects were recently announced by Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce.
Professor Leung himself is also a biotechnology expert, and his project (entitled ‘Enabling sustainable economic development with advanced additive manufacturing of wood’) is seen as having a lot of economic potential. “Although challenging, there is potential to use live cells as an advanced manufacturing material in a yet-to-be invented, new industry,” Leung said. In this application, 3D printing would become an industrial, mass-production tool.
The viability of Leung's method has already been demonstrated during a test with live green algal cells, but the associate professor is confident that the project can go further: “It is possible that other types of plant cells, such as the wood-forming cells of eucalyptus trees, could be used as bio-printing materials," Leung explained. "Hence, it is a potential, socially acceptable opportunity for sustainable economic development derived from native forests."
In particular, Leung is currently looking at live eucalyptus tree cells: “They will be physiologically primed in a 3D structure in the biotech lab at the University of Canterbury, without any genetic modification, to be capable of responding to the appropriate triggers for transformation into a principal wood cell called a tracheid,” he said. “The changes in the cells will be studied in relation to the characteristic morphological features and chemical properties of tracheids using various microscopic, histochemical staining and fluorescence techniques.”
If successful, this study could make a huge contribution to the fight against deforestation while simultaneously promoting and pushing other 3D bioprinting initiatives and even enabling the widespread implementation of 3D bioprinting on a larger scale. It’s clear that we’ll have to keep an eye on the University of Canterbury.
Here is an item posted last month by Neil Markam a member of CADPRO's support team for Inventor users. Have you ever wondered how to create a dimension to the imaginary point at which two drawing lines would meet? Sometimes you need to draw a dimension starting or finishing at the intersection between two projected surfaces each side of a sheet metal bend. Inventor’s drawing environment includes a great tool to achieve...
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Coeur d’Alene, Idaho-based company Continuous Composites has introduced a novel process, known as Continuous Scaled Manufacturing (CSM), that some believe could revolutionize 3D printing. CSM allows Continuous Composites to rapidly 3D print and cure multiple materials at once to form complete, functional parts in real time.
So far, the company has worked with carbon fiber, Kevlar, fiberglass, fiber optics, and continuous copper wire materials using a 3D printing setup with up to 16 different material extruders. According to Continuous Composites founder and inventor Ken Tyler, the combination of continuous fibers and ultraviolet curing is what makes the technology capable of reaching speeds unheard of in 3D printing.
As the continuous curing takes place, the machine reaches speeds of up to 1200 inches per minute – creating freeform and functional components, complete with circuits and wires.
“By combining continuous fibers and rapidly cured proprietary thermoset resins, users are able to print exponentially faster than current industry capabilities,” said Tyler. “In addition, a greater throughput of material results in an overall cubic volume output unrivaled by the traditional appliance approach of 3D printing.”
In addition to speed, Tyler said another benefit of CSM is how little energy the curing process takes.
“This is crucial for applications where power constraints exist,” Tyler said. “Our process also has the ability to integrate fiber optics for real-time analysis of a printed structure as well as printing flexible circuits capable of handling high current and high temperatures, reaching upwards of 300 C.”
Tyler envisions the technology drawing interest from nearly every market that relies on composites.
“Currently we are focused on aerospace and defense markets, as these industries are forward thinking with a lot of resources for R&D,” he said. “Automotive, recreational, marine, medical and construction are other large industries we see our technology having a large impact.”
Youth organisation, Zeal, has designed and built their very own ‘Event Box’ – an all-in-one mobile, customizable stage system which impressively unfolds from a 10 tonne truck. Taking as little as 45 minutes to set up, the Event Box promises to be a quicker and cheaper option to traditional stage set-ups, whilst also generating funds for a charity helping New Zealand’s youth.
The idea behind the Event Box started back in February 2015. Originally looking at converting containers, the team moved on to the idea of a truck due to constraints on mobility and stage height. Zeal has completed the project with the intent to create a social enterprise which is fully self-sustainable.
The benefits for those renting the Event Box are great, according to Nate Telford, who has headed up the project: “The Zeal Event Box takes the stress and hassle of dealing with multiple suppliers out of the equation. It is an all-inclusive solution for your event’s needs.”
As well as being much quicker to set up, the cost of renting the Event Box compared to a traditional set up is substantially lower. The basic set up mode costs as little as $2500, at least 25% cheaper than similar options on the market, according to Telford.
Although the project will provide a revenue stream for Zeal’s charitable work, the purpose of the Event Box is bigger for Zeal. “The Zeal Event Box is part of Zeal's social enterprise department that seeks to offer young people creative avenues for employment. The goal is to launch young people into the events industry, giving them hands on experience at an industry level from day one”, explains Telford.
The Zeal Event Box has been used for Wellington’s Homegrown Music Festival, Cuba Dupa and Kapiti Youth Festival as well as Zeal’s own youth events – and the team are planning for a busy summer following considerable interest both locally and nationally.
This project also ties in with Zeal’s plans for the future, with the organisation looking to build more versatile and moveable infrastructure so they can move and flex with the changes in youth culture and the wider events scene.
For more information check out www.zeal.nz/eventbox
There are common features on this multi-tool that can be seen on other products out there, but they way they are implemented makes The Claw unique.
The hex ratchet section of the multi-tool allows you to operate the tool like a ratchet, without the mechanism seen in ratchet wrenches. Stepped faces on the hex ratchet also keeps you from hassling with correct sizing issues, seen on many other multi-tools.
One of the most appealing things to us, at least, is that it is made from solid steel. That means there are no joints to wear out, and it will keep working, as long as you don’t lose it.
How connected products are changing the landscape for manufacturers and why it's going to be critical to your success. This is just one of the topics that will be presented at the CADPRO Systems organised Autodesk Manufacturing Event being held in Auckland next Wednesday the 24th of August and Christchurch the following day.
The era of connection is upon us. Already consumers expect to be connected to their products whenever they want and wherever they are. And over the next decade the expectation is that the number of connected devices is going to significantly increase, enabling companies to provide unique customer experiences, incorporate agile design and implement predictive maintenance.
Together we'll look at how we, as an industry, need to look at the next generation of products we design and services we offer as a means of growing company revenue and possibly implementing Products as a Service.
This session will be very practical looking at genuine applications for manufacturers. Join presenter Matthew McKnight, Autodesk Australia at next week’s events in Auckland or Christchurch.
Graphic Packaging International (GPI) has launched a new laminated carton board pack to improve shelf life and presentation.
Meat, fish and poultry retailers can now access a laminated carton board pack that provides a unique combination of longer shelf life and dramatic presentation, thanks to
The SlimFresh pack was developed jointly by GPI and tray sealing machinery specialist G. Mondini.
SlimFresh is a high performance pack that utilises two high barrier shrink films around the meat, fish or poultry product to create a vacuum pack that has a second skin appearance.
GPI said the pack provides excellent oxygen barrier properties, an easy open feature for increased convenience and allows vertical display of the pack, and is designed to enhance food safety through leak proof packaging, which locks in juices.
The packs are suitable for both chilled and frozen products.
The SlimFresh product has also been proactively tested by a panel of nine consumers to gain their valuable opinions. During discussions the consumers described the pack as having great product and information visibility, being simple to use, and they associated the product with high end premium ranges.
Nikki Clark, marketing manager, convenience and consumer products, GPI, pointed out that WRAP figures show that 15 million tonnes of food was wasted in the UK in 2014.
“At GPI, we believe the right packaging solution can increase the time a product retains its freshness and attractiveness when on the shop shelf. SlimFresh is a vacuum pack that can ensure food remains fresher for longer.”
Packaging News
Hyperloop One tells TechCrunch it might be building its crazy fast transportation system at the Jebel Ali port in Dubai if all goes according to plan.
And it could be the first place to build an actual Hyperloop for commercial use, says CEO Rob Lloyd. “It’s got the infrastructure, regulatory movement and kind of capital in place needed to build it already,” he told TechCrunch.
The startup will conduct an economic and feasibility study in partnership with the third largest supply chain and terminals operator on the planet DP World, which operates its flagship port out of Jebel Ali in Dubai, to determine if it makes sense to build there and what advancements the Hyperloop might bring to the region and shipping on a global scale.
The Hyperloop, once just a twinkle in the mind of Elon Musk, is said to eventually go more than 700 miles per hour, or faster than a speeding plane, and have the ability to transport both humans and cargo all around the world in less than a day. Hyperloop One, one of two main companies working on making Musk’s blueprint a reality, has already started testing the tech in the Nevada desert with what it believes to be positive results.
Leadership in the United Arab Emirates and the CEO of DP World, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, no doubt, would like to be a part of that fast-moving train should everything work out and are looking at where the tracks might go should the Hyperloop prove itself capable.
DP World believes it could possibly use a submerged, floating Hyperloop to redirect its cargo and free up some space on the land, should the feasibility study pan out as well. The company just spent billions on Terminals 4 and 5 and will need to move cargo fast as it continues to grow – something Hyperloop One could potentially help them do.
But this isn’t the first global partnership for the startup. HO is also conducting feasibility studies in Russia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland and in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California and has chatted with TechCrunch about a similar submerged floating Hyperloop off of the Pacific Coast that could load and unload cargo for shipping as well.
New Zealand has given further details of a new fleet tanker that it is acquiring from South Korea besides replenishment of naval vessels, the platform can also be deployed on HADR missions
The Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) has given further specifications of a new fleet tanker that it is acquiring from South Korean shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI).
The New Zealand government announced in July 2016 that it has approved the vessel's acquisition for NZD493 million (USD353 million). The platform will replace the RNZN's only replenishment tanker, HMNZS Endeavour (A 11), which has been in service since April 1988.
The new tanker will displace 24,000 tonnes, and has a length of 166 m, an overall beam of 24.5 m, and a design draught of 8.5 m. The ship will feature an 'axe bow' design for fuel efficiency, and has a top speed of 16 kt. It will be equipped with two NATO-compliant replenishment at sea (RAS) masts, one each on the port and starboard sides.
The platform will have liquid cargo capacity for 8,000 tonnes of diesel fuel, 1,550 tonnes of aviation fuel, and 250 tonnes of fresh water. The ship can also carry up to 12 standard 20 ft containers, four of which can contain dangerous goods such as ammunition, and will be equipped with a winterised crane that can lift up to 25 tonnes.
With a hangar and flight deck, the vessel can accommodate and sustain one NH90 helicopter, and features accommodation for 98 including 64 core crew members of the ship. The tanker will carry two rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIBs) for visit, board, and seizure missions.
For self-defence, the vessel has been designed to be armed with two mini-Typhoon remote-controlled weapon stations (one each on the port and starboard sides) and one Phalanx close-in weapon system (CIWS) turret on its bow.
SeaPlatforms
The small town of Leigh, New Zealand may only have a population of 750, but it's showing the world how to do humane, sustainable fishing right.
Starting Wednesday 10 August 2016 the industry-leading supermarket Whole Foods ran a week-long sale of the iconic New Zealand Snapper (aka Tai Snapper) across the U.S.
These NZ Snapper are unique as they represent both responsible and personalized advancements in fishing practices.
Everyone in Leigh has a relative who works in some capacity for the company. From the forty independent fishing boats to the thirty factory employees, everyone takes great pride in sustaining the quality of the fish to ensure it stands up to the "Lee" brand.
These small artisanal fishing boats brave harsh New Zealand winter waters for 12-24 hours at a time to catch these fish using the longline method, where a single line with baited hooks is used to selectively pick the fish. This sustainable fishing method is also a preferred alternative to putting out a net or trawl due to the substantial difference in the quality of the fish.
Then the Japanese Iki-Jime method is applied which humanely kills the fish instantly preserving the freshness and taste. Practiced on a small scale, Ike-Jime is usually only performed to meet the demands of high-end sushi markets in Japan. It's rare for U.S. consumers to be able to buy fish that is truly sashimi-grade and of a quality suitable for the most discriminating chef.
NZ Snapper meets Whole Foods' sustainable standards under both Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Safina Center as an inshore fish which is managed under the world leading New Zealand quota management system.
Shoppers across the U.S. can feel comforted knowing they are supporting this small sustainable fishing community from the other side of the world – while enjoying one of the best tasting fish around.
ABOUT LEE FISH USA
Lee Fish USA is America's leading importer of the finest fresh seafood from around the globe with emphasis on Australia and New Zealand. Adapting a philosophy of respect which encompasses a deep regard for the sea and the environment, Lee Fish USA also imports from Spain, Italy, Tahiti, Japan and Malaysia.
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/
Statement by Reserve Bank Governor Graeme Wheeler:
The Reserve Bank today reduced the Official Cash Rate (OCR) by 25 basis points to 2.0 percent.
Global growth is below trend despite being supported by unprecedented levels of monetary stimulus. Significant surplus capacity remains across many economies and, along with low commodity prices, is suppressing global inflation. Some central banks have eased policy further since the June Monetary Policy Statement, and long-term interest rates are at record lows. The prospects for global growth and commodity prices remain uncertain. Political risks are also heightened.
Weak global conditions and low interest rates relative to New Zealand are placing upward pressure on the New Zealand dollar exchange rate. The trade-weighted exchange rate is significantly higher than assumed in the June Statement. The high exchange rate is adding further pressure to the export and import-competing sectors and, together with low global inflation, is causing negative inflation in the tradables sector. This makes it difficult for the Bank to meet its inflation objective. A decline in the exchange rate is needed.
Domestic growth is expected to remain supported by strong inward migration, construction activity, tourism, and accommodative monetary policy. However, low dairy prices are depressing incomes in the dairy sector and reducing farm spending and investment. High net immigration is supporting strong growth in labour supply and limiting wage pressure.
House price inflation remains excessive and has become more broad-based across the regions, adding to concerns about financial stability. The Bank is consulting on stronger macro-prudential measures that should help to mitigate financial system risks arising from the rapid escalation in house prices.
Headline inflation is being held below the target band by continuing negative tradables inflation. Annual CPI inflation is expected to weaken in the September quarter, reflecting lower fuel prices and cuts in ACC levies. Annual inflation is expected to rise from the December quarter, reflecting the policy stimulus to date, the strength of the domestic economy, reduced drag from tradables inflation, and rising non-tradables inflation. Although long-term inflation expectations are well-anchored at 2 percent, the sustained weakness in headline inflation risks further declines in inflation expectations.
Monetary policy will continue to be accommodative. Our current projections and assumptions indicate that further policy easing will be required to ensure that future inflation settles near the middle of the target range. We will continue to watch closely the emerging economic data.
View the Monetary Policy Statement: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/monetary-policy/monetary-policy-statementWatch the Monetary Policy Statement media conference live-stream at NZT10am: http://www.rbnz.govt.nz/research-and-publications/webcasts
The decoration solutions supplier expands its technology offerings and boosts its design competencies through this purchase
Leonhard Kurz, an international manufacturer of decorative and functional coatings, has acquired the design-oriented production company Burg Design from Spanish automotive supplier Grupo Antolin, in order to extend its design and decoration capabilities for its global customer base.
Burg Design, which has over 200 employees at its Steyr and Haidershofen locations in Austria, was founded in 1977 and is a globally active specialist in the design and production of high-quality, large-format silk screen printed items. Burg’s design solutions are employed, for example, in the automotive, furniture, sporting and white goods industries.
This addition enables Kurz to broaden its range of design technologies, thereby offering its customers even more comprehensive solutions for optimally meeting the demand for visually refined and customizable surface designs. Kurz and Burg have already successfully collaborated on a number of customer projects in the past, and while doing so tailored the technologies of both companies to one another and combined them synergistically.
“It gives us great pleasure to welcome Burg Design as a new member of our company group, and we look forward to working together with a business that is involved in such an exciting market segment,” says Rainer Süßmann, Manager, Sales & Marketing Automotive at Kurz. “Thanks to synergy capability in design and technology, we are able to open up new design possibilities for our global customer base. The highly professional and competent team at Burg will assist us substantially in expanding our business segments.”
Süßmann also regards Burg Design as a perfect addition content-wise: “While Kurz is more active in the area of the high-volume sales models of large-scale global manufacturers, Burg mainly supplies customers like Porsche, BMW, Audi, Mercedes and other manufacturers in the customized and premium segments, and does so internationally. We will therefore complement each other very well,” explains Süßmann.
A Leonhard Kurz press release
Former Prime Minister and Victoria University of Wellington Distinguished Fellow Sir Geoffrey Palmer is calling for a modern written constitution in New Zealand to boost public confidence in government.Sir Geoffrey and constitutional expert Dr Andrew Butler have been working on a proposed new constitution and will soon publish a book, A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, setting out their ideas and seeking public comment on them.
New Zealand’s Constitution should be modernised to make it more easily accessible, says Sir Geoffrey.
“We aim to provide a model and stimulate the debate. We believe this country needs a modern constitution that is easy to understand, reflects New Zealand’s identity, enhances public confidence in government, and better protects rights and liberties.”
A constitution outlines the fundamental rules regarding the powers of government, how government institutions are structured and interact, as well as protections for human rights.
Compared with overseas constitutions, New Zealand’s Constitution was highly unusual in that it was made up of “a hodge-podge of rules”, was not located in one place and was very hard to find, said Sir Geoffrey.
Parts of what could be considered the current constitution were located in 45 Acts of Parliament, 12 international treaties, nine areas of common law, eight constitutional conventions, several executive orders and other legal instruments.
Trying to understand the current New Zealand Constitution was difficult and frustrating, says Sir Geoffrey. “It is unsurprising then that New Zealanders speak little of their Constitution and think about it even less.”
However, he believes the public will engage strongly once they have specific proposals to consider and its importance becomes clear.
“We believe the recent flag debate showed there was an appetite for discussion and movement on the constitution. A constitution goes to the heart of the matter about who we are and what we believe in.”
Sir Geoffrey and Dr Butler today launched a new website on the subject at http://constitutionaotearoa.org.nz/. More specific detail about the proposals will be revealed on the site after Victoria University Press publishes the book at the end of September and the public will then be invited to make submissions to the authors.
"Public participation and involvement is a core aim of our project," says Dr Butler. "We are convinced that people should have a sense of ownership of their constitution. So we want to hear from the public before finalising our own ideas."
There could be some significant changes. For example, the authors propose a new Constitution that would replace the idea of the Crown with a legal entity of the State. This could mean the end of the monarchy in New Zealand.
“However, it is possible to retain the monarchy and create the State,” Sir Geoffrey says. "In the book, we will be making the case for the substitution of a New Zealander as Head of State, but whether the Queen remains Head of that State would be up to New Zealanders. We simply want to show that it can be done, and can be done in a way that involves a minimum of fuss.”
In the meantime New Zealand’s present Constitution was incomplete and far too flexible, says Sir Geoffrey. Unlike most other countries, nearly all of New Zealand's constitutional rules can be altered very easily by Parliament. Important features, such as the Bill of Rights, can be changed or removed with no consultation and no popular mandate.
“In our view, government should be conducted under the law. That law should apply to everyone, including Parliament. People have rights and they should be provided in a constitution that is supreme law and binds the Parliament.”
New Zealand would be more successful and better governed if there was constitutional change, says Sir Geoffrey.
“The changes we will put forward we believe are a necessary part of preserving democratic freedom in New Zealand, and of protecting the fundamental principles which anchor public power and strengthen government accountability. We want to find out if New Zealanders agree.”
A Constitution for Aotearoa New Zealand, published by Victoria University Press, will be launched at Parliament on 21 September: http://vup.victoria.ac.nz/a-constitution-for-aotearoa-new-zealand/
The latest New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) Survey of Business Conditions completed during July 2016, shows total sales in June 2016 decreased 0.43% (year on year export sales decreased by 0.53% with domestic sales decreasing by 0.17%) on June 2015.
For results table and historical series, click here.
In the 3 months to June, export sales decreased an average of 1.5%, and domestic sales increased 5.5%. The NZMEA survey sample this month covered NZ$305m in annualised sales, with an export content of 70%. Net confidence fell to 20, down from 33 in May.
The current performance index (a combination of profitability and cash flow) is at 99, down from 102 last month, the change index (capacity utilisation, staff levels, orders and inventories) was at 99, down from 101 in the last survey, and the forecast index (investment, sales, profitability and staff) is at 105.33, up on the last result of 104. Anything over 100 indicates expansion.
Constraints reported were 53% markets, 33% production capacity and 13% skilled staff. A net 20% of respondents reported productivity increases for June. Staff numbers for June increased 0.17% year on year.
Supervisors, tradespersons and, managers, professional/scientists reported a moderate shortage and operators/labourers reported a minor shortage.
“Year on year export sales experienced a slight fall, after a modest increase in May, leading to an average monthly fall of 1.5% in the last 3 months. Domestic sales are flat in June, though significantly lower than the nearly 14% year on year increase last month that led growth for manufacturers. These results gave a monthly average growth of 5.5% for domestic sales in the last 3 months.” Said Dieter Adam.
“The index and sentiment measures this month show some falls on last month, with the confidence measure down from 33 to 20, and both the performance and change index moving into contraction. However, in contrast to this, the forecast index moved even higher than last month, staying in expansion. Despite current pressure on sales and sentiment, manufacturers still have a positive expectation of the future – hopefully this eventuates into stronger sales results throughout the rest of 2016.
“Production capacity is becoming more of an issue for manufacturers, with the constraint reaching the highest level since February 2015. The market constraint increased on last month – the currency remains overvalued and well above expectations.
“It was great to see the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) propose more lending limits in the housing market to promote financial stability against building private debt, and the Auckland Unitary Plan appears to be a solid step forward needed to increase the supply of housing. We hope this gives the RBNZ the confidence to follow through on their talk and start to move our exchange rate on the much needed downward correcting trend.
“There were also a number of comments regarding challenges competing with low cost, low quality imports into New Zealand, which may be adding to pressure on domestic sales. As we have seen in the steel industry, this is an area which needs to be watched to ensure Kiwi consumers are protected and manufacturers are operating in a fair environment.“ said Dieter.
A bus that straddles traffic has made its first journey in the Chinese city of Qinhuangdao
The Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) made its first ever test journey earlier this week. It is designed to help combat gridlock on the congested roads in China's major cities by carrying passengers over the tops of cars.
Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce has today welcomed figures that show a greater proportion of domestic degree-level students are enrolling in qualifications in STEM-related subjects (science, technology, engineering and maths).
A report released today, What are they doing? The field of study of domestic students/learners analyses the fields of study of domestic students in the New Zealand tertiary education system over the past eight years.
“The report shows there are more people enrolling and studying in qualifications for in-demand occupations that help strengthen and diversify New Zealand’s economy,” Mr Joyce says. “The Tertiary Education Strategy 2014-2019 set a target to prioritise getting industries the skills they need, this shows the tertiary sector is delivering.”
Last year students enrolled in engineering and related technologies at bachelors level or higher reached an all-time high of over 11,500, an increase of more than 3,500 or 44 per cent from 2008. In 2015, engineering students represented 6.5 per cent of all students studying at that level, up from 4.9 per cent in 2008.
The number of students enrolled in information technology at bachelors level or higher last year has increased by 33 per cent since 2008 to reach 11,360. This represented 6.4 per cent of students studying at that level in 2015, up from 5.3 per cent in 2008.
Health studies at bachelors level and above also increased, from 15 per cent of enrolments in 2008, to 18 per cent in 2015. There were 32,700 students studying in health disciplines in 2015.
“It’s great to see so many students engaged in areas where they’re likely to head into a solid, well-paying career where demand is high and likely to continue to grow.”
“We have re-balanced tuition subsidies to more accurately reflect the costs of provision, and that has encouraged universities to invest in growing places in some of these more expensive subject areas. On top of that, better and more accurate careers information is encouraging young people to choose these subjects.
Below bachelors degree level, there was an increase in the number of enrolments in the field of architecture and building. Between 2011 and 2015, the number of domestic students enrolled in Level 3 to 7 certificates/diplomas increased by 25 per cent to reach over 25,500. At Level 1 and 2, there was an increase of 59 per cent in enrolments in mixed field programmes, between 2011 and 2015.
“At the vocational level, the numbers reflect the emphasis we are placing on growing construction and infrastructure to meet the needs of New Zealand’s record building boom. At foundation Levels 1 and 2, the subject trends are responding to our deliberate focus on building literacy/numeracy and foundation skills, especially within the Youth Guarantee fees-free programme and second-chance learners.
“We need these trends to continue so we better match New Zealanders’ skill mix with the emerging needs of our industries.”
What are they doing? The field of study of domestic students/learners 2008-2015 is available at http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/80898/what-are-they-doing
More analysis of people enrolled at tertiary education providers can be found here http://www.educationcounts.govt.nz/publications/80898/profile-and-trends...
A team of engineers at Washington University in St. Louis has found a way to use graphene oxide sheets to transform dirty water into drinking water, a discovery it says could be a global game-changer.
Srikanth Singamaneni, associate professor of mechanical engineering and materials science at the School of Engineering & Applied Science, said: “We hope that for countries where there is ample sunlight, such as India, you'll be able to take dirty water, evaporate it using our material, and collect fresh water.”
The new approach combines bacteria-produced cellulose and graphene oxide to form a bi-layered biofoam.
“The process is extremely simple,” Singamaneni said. “The nanoscale cellulose fibre network produced by bacteria has the ability to move the water from the bulk to the evaporative surface while minimising the heat coming down.
“The design of the material is novel here,” Singamaneni said. “You have a bi-layered structure with light-absorbing graphene oxide filled nanocellulose at the top and pristine nanocellulose at the bottom. When you suspend this entire thing on water, the water is actually able to reach the top surface where evaporation happens.
“Light radiates on top of it, and it converts into heat because of the graphene oxide - but the heat dissipation to the bulk water underneath is minimised by the pristine nanocellulose layer. You don't want to waste the heat; you want to confine the heat to the top layer where the evaporation is actually happening.”
The cellulose at the bottom of the bi-layered biofoam acts as a sponge, drawing water up to the graphene oxide where rapid evaporation occurs. The resulting fresh water can easily be collected from the top of the sheet.
In the same way an oyster makes a pearl, the bacteria forms layers of nanocellulose fibres in which the graphene oxide flakes get embedded.
“While we are culturing the bacteria for the cellulose, we added the graphene oxide flakes into the medium itself,” said Qisheng Jiang, graduate student in the Singamaneni lab. “The graphene oxide becomes embedded as the bacteria produces the cellulose. At a certain point along the process, we stop, remove the medium with the graphene oxide and reintroduce fresh medium. That produces the next layer of our foam.”
The new biofoam is said to be strong, light, mechanically robust and inexpensive to make, making it a viable tool for water purification and desalination.
“Cellulose can be produced on a massive scale,” Singamaneni said. “And graphene oxide is extremely cheap. Both materials going into this are highly scalable. So one can imagine making huge sheets of the biofoam.”
The team says it will be exploring other applications for these novel structures in future.
From Engineering Materials July 27, 2016
From August keep an eye out for the hard-working Homersham reps out in their new vehicles. It's all part of the reduce, recycle, re-use ethos being practised at homershams.
After another great year, the Management team decided to both upgrade the vehicles and to go with a greener solution. Hence our reps will now be driving Hybrid Vehicles.
The hybrid engine, in this case the Toyota Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) in the Camry Hybrid, is a fascinating technology and we felt it might be of interest to our customers/readers, to give a technical overview, as the instrumentation is quite wonderful.
We also wanted to ‘celebrate’ the small Eco choices we’re trying to make to encourage others. They’re small efforts, but as the mantra goes, “Think globally”, act locally” therefore we are endeavoring to Reduce, Recycle and Re-use".
A Homershams news update Thursday 28 July 2016
Dr Greg Walker, Senior Lecturer in the School of Pharmacy at the University of Otago, has received a $25,000 grant from the KiwiNet Emerging Innovator Fund to aid his mission to protect our crops from pests without using harmful chemicals. The grant, awarded to help early career scientists with a clever new idea work closely with business to take it to market, is one of ten made possible by a donation from the Norman F. B. Barry Foundation.
Inspired by nature, Dr Walker has developed a spider web-like system for the protection of plants and crops against pests using his pharmaceutical knowledge. "Electro spun nano-webs are sprayed or draped over the plants like a spider web, but on a smaller scale. We're mimicking nature as the nano-webs, similar to spider webs, are not water soluble and are resistant to environmental conditions like rain and wind. In this way we can prolong the time the active agent, in this case the biocontrol, is on the plant to provide protection," he says.
The nature inspired system provides an environmentally friendly way to protect crops from pests without the need for harmful chemicals. The nano-webs, food grade polymers that are not harmful if eaten by humans, also carry bio-active compounds that are harmful to pests.
Dr Walker's mission is to now commercialise the technology. "I'm very excited as the grant will allow me to build a mobile prototype electrospinning device. This will enable us to carry out tests in the field and demonstrate the technology to potential horticulture and cropping industry players and bioactive suppliers. It will also allow us to perfect the bioactive formulations."
Jason Culbert, Head Grower at NZ Hothouse says, "We are constantly trying to find ways to combat pests. Greg's development program has the potential to provide a natural and effective way of doing this and it is of great interest to us."
According to Walker, the technology has the potential to offer several important advantages over conventional agricultural spray systems. "The nano-webs contain the bioactive compound which means the compound stays in contact with the plant longer, improving its effectiveness and reducing the effects of the weather. There is also no undesirable spray drift and run-off and because the nano-web is visible there is less chance of overspray, reducing costs to growers."
Gavin Clark, Director of the Research and Enterprise Office at the University of Otago says, "Greg has established a group dedicated to developing electrospinning as a way to deliver bioactives and is skilled in controlled release formulation science, including previous industry experience developing wound healing formulations. He's an ideal candidate for funding as he recognises the importance of working with industry partners and end-users in order to shape his product at an early stage.
"His technology also addresses a large market, New Zealand's horticulture sectors earns revenues in excess of $3.6B pa and all growers apply multiple sprays per crop, per year. If the technology proves successful it opens up other application areas such as biosecurity control where the web can deliver pheromones to trap unwanted incursions, pollution control by immobilising fertilisers, and for use in nurseries to encapsulate important microbes in the soil."
The Emerging Innovator Fund is intended to nurture innovative new ideas from scientists and support early stage prototype development. Available to early career researchers based at universities and Crown Research Institutes across New Zealand, the fund is designed to boost research with a community application at a critical time. It also enables researchers to partner with a business and refine their project for market.
Dr Bram Smith, General Manager of KiwiNet says, "The Fund was established thanks to generous financial support from the Norman F. B. Barry Foundation. MinterEllisonRuddWatts also played a critical part in pulling the programme together and Baldwins are assisting with IP advice. We're already seeing some great progress from our first three grant recipients."
A KiwiNet press release thursday 28 July 2016
In New Zealand those in the aquaculture industry play a vital role in protecting and developing a valuable food source. Tony Rumbold, principal of SCANZ Technologies, is one of these people and supports the work of the TED organisation in it's efforts to spread information on the challenges that the world faces.
TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks (18 minutes or less). TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, and today covers almost all topics — from science to business to global issues — in more than 100 languages. Meanwhile, independently run TEDx events help share ideas in communities around the world.
The subject of this particular talk is "The Case For Fish Farming"
We're headed towards a global food crisis: Nearly 3 billion people depend on the ocean for food, and at our current rate we already take more fish from the ocean than it can naturally replace.
In this fact-packed, eye-opening talk, entrepreneur and conservationist Mike Velings proposes a solution: Aquaculture, or fish farming.
"We must start using the ocean as farmers instead of hunters," he says, echoing Jacques Cousteau. "The day will come where people will demand farmed fish on their plates that's farmed well and farmed healthy — and refuse anything less."
Why you should listen to Mike Velings a man who understands the potential for business to create durable solutions to complex world problems.
Mike Velings is the co-founder and the driving force behind Aqua-Spark, a global investment fund for sustainable aquaculture, combining a healthy financial profit with environmental and social impact. A lifelong entrepreneur, Mike has spent decades jumpstarting a range of successful businesses. Among other ventures, he co-founded Connexie, which has helped catalyze a professional employment industry across the Netherlands.
Mike naturally combines his business background with environmental and social engagement. He understands the potential for business to create durable solutions to complex world problems. With this in mind, Mike founded Aqua-Spark, an investment company that assists entrepreneurs across the globe in realizing their visions of a startup with a world-changing element. Through Aqua-Spark he has invested in a broad range of ventures over the years — both in the developed and developing world.
Mike serves on several boards and is a member of the Conservation International’s Leadership Council as well as an Honorary Global Marine Fellow.
Here in New Zealand Tony Rumbold is a person who has considerable knowledge of the Aqualculture industry. It is his passion so should there be any points that arise from this talk then he is an ideal person to have a chat with. His phone number is 09 520 2544 and email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
South Korea’s largest and financially-troubled shipbuilder Hyundai Heavy Industries Co. obtained an order for a combat support ship from the navy of New Zealand - the first order in the kind in 30 years.
The Korean shipbuilder announced that it Monday signed a contract for the construction of a combat logistics ship of 23,000 tons at full load designed mainly to carry oil for battleships. The final agreement was signed in Wellington, New Zealand by Kim Jung-hwan, an executive in charge of shipbuilding business of the Korean company, and Helene Quilter, Secretary of Defense of New Zealand.
The Korean shipbuilder was selected as a preferred bidder in December last year upon beating bidders from Germany and Spain. Negotiations panned out for seven months. The contract is estimated to be worth $350 million.
The support ship would replace Endeavor, a 12,000 ton naval tanker delivered to the navy of New Zealand in 1987. The shipyard will begin the construction in February 2018 and deliver the vessel by December 2019.
In a significant advance in engineering, Christchurch’s newest overpass features a world-first in quake-resilient technology described as the “Ferrari” of bridges, developed in Christchurch by University of Canterbury engineers.
The innovative, seismically resilient connections at the bridge piers of the new $30 million Wigram-Magdala Link overbridge project are engineered to minimise post-earthquake damage. This is understood to be the first bridge in New Zealand and the world to adopt this low-damage technology. Scheduled to open this week, the overbridge is 100 metres long, consisting of three spans over two piers, and passes over Curletts Road in Middleton, Christchurch.
The seismically resilient bridge piers or columns are designed to sustain different levels of earthquakes without damaging the column, University of Canterbury Associate Professor Alessandro Palermo says.
“The engineering design incorporates novel dissipative fuses and post-tensioning cables acting as rubber bands to allow the bridge columns to bounce back to the original position and not leaning in one side. The University of Canterbury is the first institution and New Zealand is the first country in the world to have it implemented in a real structure.”
University of Canterbury (UC) research was key to the development of the design, which is a significant advancement in engineering, he says.
“This bridge can be seen as the Ferrari of structures – high performance and safe,” Dr Palermo says.
“In other countries, it might take decades to see the first implementations of this technology. This fact highlights the fact that New Zealand engineers and researchers are world leaders in earthquake engineering innovation.”
The collaboration came about from interaction through the Canterbury Bridge Group, an initiative by UC to provide stronger links with the industry. Visits to observe the testing research at UC led to the concept of low-damage detailing being incorporated into the Wigram-Magdala Link overbridge, with support from the Christchurch City Council.
This technology has been embraced by the building industry for new commercial structures around Christchurch and elsewhere in New Zealand and presents a shift in design focus considering the ability to repair a structure following an event, allowing more rapid and low-cost reinstatement, plus significantly reducing disruption.
The design concept comes from a strong experimental campaign and research development at UC under Dr Palermo’s leadership. His bridge group investigated different bridge columns, detailing and comparing their performance under seismic loading. He also consulted the local industry, through the Canterbury Bridge Group, inviting them to witness the experiments in the UC engineering laboratories and explaining the mechanics behind the technology.
“This process certainly helped to educate the client and the designer to this new revolutionary system,” Dr Palermo says.
“The asset owner, Christchurch City Council, and the designer, Opus International Consultants, felt that that such a critical bridge for the city should incorporate innovative technology to minimise post-earthquake damage and therefore also potential traffic disruption. UC and local professionals are working together to improve current design philosophies and deliver the next generation of structures which can experience several earthquakes with limited or no damage.”
The Wigram-Magdala Link overbridge incorporates low-damage detailing comprising rocking piers with replaceable energy dissipaters and internal post-tensioning to assist self-centring following a major earthquake.
The design was conceived to provide enhanced seismic resilience to this structure which provides an important link between the growing southwestern suburbs of Christchurch and the city centre, passing over SH73 Curletts Road which is also of strategic importance, according to Christchurch City Council’s Transport Planning and Delivery Manager Lynette Ellis.
“Christchurch has led the way with a number of new technologies as part of the earthquake rebuild. It was pleasing to have so many organisations cooperating to make this happen,” she says.
“We look forward to opening the overbridge.”
Opus International Consultants undertook the design of the Wigram-Magdala Link overbridge and engaged UC to provide technical support and verification for developing the low-damage detailing for the bridge. Scaling up from prototypes tested in the laboratory to a structure of this size presented many challenges, including ensuring the design was visually sympathetic. The main contractor, Hawkins Infrastructure, and their specialist subcontractor, Concrete Structures Ltd, have played an integral role in undertaking the construction of this bridge.
A University of Canterbury press release July 25, 2016
An interesting item from the Booksellers Association Feature by Marcus Greville.
We’ve all got our gripes about distributors, but we save the deep grumbles for UBD. When Random House’s Auckland warehouse closed we lost a significant resource, consequently we became hyper-aware of any stuff-ups from UBD – I was like an angry vampiric meerkat whenever a TOLL courier arrived – but it may be time to cool our jets, note the changes, and start spreading our distribution grumps around in a fairer and more constructive way.
I had a talk to Colin Pinfold, National Operations and Logistics Manager for Penguin Random House NZ, who got some stats from Gavin Schwarz at UBD for this feature. Read on to see what I found out.
Robot warehouses and relativityI was working in London in 2004 when Penguin changed to a robotised warehouse – a truly spectacular failure, a failure that became a story to scare baby logistics managers. I’ve heard tell of Baker & Taylor’s vast Momence warehouse in Illinois – they added a football-field sized wing just for a Harry Potter release. I’ve read about the organising principles behind massive distribution hubs with a fascination and relish that has somehow eclipsed my anger at not getting that damn order I placed 10 days ago. This stuff, in short, is my jam.
Continue to the full article here
Background
The telecommunications industry is the backbone of today’s mobile landscape, deploying voice, data, graphics and video at ever increasing speeds and in a growing number of ways. Wireline telephone communication was once the primary service of the industry, now wireless communication and satellite distribution are becoming increasingly dominant. Specialists in telecommunications engineering, are needed to keep up with this ever changing fast-paced industry.The basics of telecommunications
Telecommunications engineering is a discipline founded around the exchange of information across channels via wired or wireless means. It brings together all of the elements of electrical engineering including computer engineering and system engineering to create and improve telecommunications systems.
Telecom engineers work to develop, design and maintain voice and data communications systems including fiber, satellite, wired and unwired, as well as the encoding, encryption and compression of data. Put simply, telecommunications engineering can be found in just about every aspect of our lives, from GPS navigation to the internet.
telecommunications engineering
The work of a telecommunications engineer ranges from creating basic circuit designs to deploying wireless networks. They are responsible for designing and overseeing the installation of telecommunications equipment and facilities, such as complex electronic switching systems, copper wire telephone facilities, fiber optics cabling or IP data systems.
Some of the main areas of focus for telecommunications engineers are the installation of high-speed broadband computer networks, optical communications and wireless or satellite communications. To give a better idea of the scope of work a telecom engineer operates within, here are some career opportunities for individuals working within the discipline, according to the University of Texas at Dallas.
Roles
Telecommunications engineers are part of every process of creating a telecom system, dealing with both software and hardware. Here are some roles a telecom engineer might take on.
Design – electronic components, software, products, or systems for commercial, industrial, medical, military or scientific applications;
Develop – maintenance and testing procedures for electronic components and equipment;
Test – Evaluate systems and recommend design modifications or equipment repair;
Debug – Inspect electronic equipment, instruments and systems to make sure that they are safe.The future
With 5G and the expansion of the internet of things (IoT) ahead, telecommunications engineering will be as important as ever. The discipline will help expand both LPWAN networks and networks that produce data speeds never before seen. Telecom engineers will have the important task of ensuring that telecommunications systems, from small components to entire networks, are running as effectively and efficiently as possible.
Source: By Phillip Tracy on July 20, 2016 Fundamentals, Network Infrastructure, Software
ACC and WorkSafe New Zealand today launched the inaugural ‘Reducing Harm in New Zealand Workplaces Action Plan’. The Plan supports their collaborative efforts to meet the government’s target of reducing serious injuries and fatalities in the workplace by at least 25 percent by 2020.
“Our agencies are committed to working in partnership with industry to meet the government’s target and achieve positive health and safety outcomes for all New Zealanders” said ACC’s Chief Customer Officer, Sid Miller. “Partnering with industry gives us a more in-depth understanding of what causes harm and severe injury across all New Zealand workplaces, rather than just single problems in single sectors.”
WorkSafe’s CEO, Gordon MacDonald, said input from both agencies would ensure better outcomes. “What businesses want to see from WorkSafe and ACC is clear advice and a consistent, practical approach. That’s what the Plan will help us deliver – smart, targeted injury and harm prevention programmes based on the best available evidence.”
However government agencies cannot do it alone. Everyone has a role to play in keeping themselves, their co-workers and their working environment safe. “Good health and safety is about making sure we all take the right steps to keep ourselves and our workmates safe and healthy at work” said Mr MacDonald.
The ‘Reducing Harm in New Zealand Workplaces Action Plan’ is taking a new look at how, together, we can better support the agriculture, construction, forestry, manufacturing and health sectors to make significant improvements to keep their workers safe. The Plan also focuses on the most common causes of injury across all sectors – slips, trips and falls; working in and around vehicles; body stressing, and respiratory health risks. Underlying this is a new focus on fundamental changes that support health and safety culture, such as worker engagement and participation.
There are a number of programmes in the Plan already underway, including Safetree, Safer Farms and the Canterbury rebuild programme. Other programmes are in the development stage, which means we are engaging with stakeholders and gathering evidence and data to support interventions.
“Industry and business can have confidence that we’ve taken an evidence-based approach to severe injury and harm prevention; that what we are delivering for and with industry are agreed, targeted and smart approaches to tackling the causes of severe injury and harm” said Mr Miller.
“Businesses, workers and the public rightly expect government agencies to work together and the three-year Plan is a major step towards a smarter, more co-ordinated approach to keeping New Zealanders safe and healthy,” said Mr MacDonald.ACC and WorksafeBackground
Working together
By working together we will:
Funding
Definitions
Mercedes-Benz has unveiled its “Vision Golf Cart” – a luxury golf cart that only weighs 440 kilograms (970 pounds), largely in part due to its carbon fiber roof, rear spoiler and diffuser. Carbon fiber is also used for aesthetics on the cart, as the trim is a combination of leather, wood, carbon fiber and metals.
The Vision measures 92.5 x 47.2 x 67.7 in. In addition to composite construction, the cart comes equipped with all the equipment necessary to drive on an actual road. It has a real automotive design that features turn signals, working headlights, taillights and windshield wipers. It also comes with a built-in refrigerator below the driver seat, a high-resolution touchscreen with apps, and an audio system with Bluetooth.
It’s propelled by an electric motor and has a top speed of just 18.6mph. It has a lithium-ion battery that can be fully charged in six hours, and its overall range is 49.7 miles – enough for several rounds of golf according to Autoexpress.
Back in 2013, Mercedes-Benz showed the world what the cart might look like. Mercedes calls the Golf Car a show car, but it seems prepared to make it more than a design concept. Luxury golf car manufacturer Garia will first build two drivable examples of the Vision. Mercedes says it will rely on a largely digital retail model if it does go through with production.
“The vehicle can be experienced absolutely virtually,” says Susanne Hahn, head of Daimler Business Innovation. “This means that wherever customers are in a dealership or on a golf course they can look at the vehicle on a tablet and order it with three clicks.”
To see the car in action, visit http://www.garia.com/a-real-sports-car/.
AFS is a consumer show that connects a large number of exhibitors with thousands of dedicated food lovers in Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch.Eight Pacific Island F&B companies and their products will be featured at PT&I's special ‘Pacific Hub’ stand at the show, which is being held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane from 28 – 31 July.Eight Pacific Island F&B companies and their products will be featured at PT&I’s special ‘Pacific Hub’ stand at the show, which is being held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane from 28 – 31 July.
AFS comes close on the heels of Fine Food New Zealand 2016, in which PT&I featured merchandise from twelve Pacific Island companies.
“This is the second food show that PT&I has supported this year as part of our food and beverage strategy,” PT&I NZ Trade Commissioner Michael Greenslade said. “AFS is for Pacific Island companies that are established and seeking to strengthen their consumer presence in New Zealand; it’s predominantly a brand building exercise for Pacific Island companies.”
PT&I’s experience at the Fine Food NZ 2016 show was encouraging, Trade Development Manager Joe Fuavao said. “We had positive response to the promotion undertaken in partnership between PT&I and The Produce Company Ltd.”
Explaining the difference in PT&I’s approach between the two shows, Mr Fuavao says, “While our focus [at Fine Food NZ] was to establish a new channel to market for Pacific Island companies, the upcoming AFS has a different focus. Our aim is to help Pacific Island companies brands grow and sell more products by partnering with their New Zealand distributors.”
With some 300 stands and more than 35,000 expected visitors, the AFS plays a key role in the growing consumer trend toward buying fresh ingredients, trying new flavours from around the world, sourcing top recipes, and cooking at home for friends and family. The estimated total spend at the four-day show is $6.3 million.
Trade Commissioner Greenslade said the participants will be selling products at the stand, which will be provided by EFTPOS machines to process card payments.
The eight participating Pacific Island companies are Papua New Guinea’s Banz Kofi; Niue Vanilla from Niue; C-Corp’s Solomons Gold chocolate and cacao nibs and from the Solomon Islands; Samoa Breweries’ Vailima Beer and Pacific Oil’s CocoSina coconut oil from Samoa; three companies from Fiji: J Punja NZ Ltd with bottled water, wraps, biscuits and other products; Carpenters Fiji with bottled water and FMF Foods Ltd with a range of biscuits.
The companies and their products will all be featured at the special ‘Pacific Hub’ stand at the show, which is being held at Auckland’s ASB Showgrounds, Greenlane from 28 – 31 July, next week.
Mr Greenslade said some of the participating companies were graduates of the PT&I Path to Market Programme which is PT&I’s export capability building programme that combines the range of export facilitation services and expertise provided by PT&I to help export ready and export capable businesses enter new export markets. He also revealed that PT&I would be participating in the Fine Food Australia show later this year.
While the show features a number of cooking demonstration sessions from chefs around New Zealand, a special attraction will be award winning Pacific-origin chef Robert Oliver who will cook up rare Pacific delicacies using Pacific ingredients from around the islands region.
Adding some great Pacific atmosphere to chef Oliver’s culinary presentations will be entertainment provided by the fabulous Cindy of Samoa, the internationally acclaimed ‘fa’afafine’ singing sensation, renowned for her impersonations of Shirley Bassey, Whitney Houston, and Tina Turner. Her revue-style show is considered one of the top 10 things to do in Samoa and she’s a regular performer at SkyCity Casino and corporate and charity events all around New Zealand.
For more information, please email Joe Fuavao, PT&I Trade Development Manager at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Imagine Carless Days For Auckland?
They did little to reduce consumption and were scrapped in May 1980. But in saying that just maybe the principal behind this could help make Aucklanders lifes a little easier on the highways and byways of the city. And as far as business is concerned anything that will help with improving productivity has to be looked at. You would think.
It would have its difficulties for sure, for some the car is an appendage so a day without the car would be just unthinkable! But think of the good it could do. A great way to meet new people. Uber drivers would love it, car pooling would become a must do activity, fuel stations could be gathering points for pick-ups and then throw in the odd Pokemon. So why shouldn't it work?
As in the 70's you would get to nominate your carless day and for this receive a colourful windscreen sticker. There would even be "X" for exempt sticker available for those who qualifed. Campervans and the like you would think.
It is local body election year afterall so maybe it's a platform for one of the Mayoral hopefuls. Don't think it would have suited Len though.
Source: A readers whim.
Modern bikes are lighter and more efficient than ever before, but their basic design is rooted in the past.
Cyclotron is trying to change that with a hubless carbon creation, complete with lighting fit for a sci-fi film. It's not just a different look for the sake of it, though, with Cyclotron saying its bike is versatile and smart enough to revolutionize what we expect from the humble two-wheeler.
In this article published recently on GizMag the story behind this futuristic design unfolds. There's a lot going on with the Cyclotron's frame, but we're going to start with the basic construction. The team behind the bike says the bike's space-grade carbon sandwich is wrapped around a lightweight core structure, allowing them to use fewer layers of carbon and less resin without impacting on the overall strength and rigidity.
The shape itself is faintly reminiscent of current time-trial bikes, albeit blockier, although the company is adamant it's been modeled on the aerodynamic form of ultralight gliders and stealth jets. Unlike your average stealth bomber, this frame can be customized with decals if you want.
Whether it's a two-wheeled Blackbird or not, there are a few other benefits to the frame design. While some manufacturers hide their cabling inside the frame, the derailleur and chain are usually exposed. That's not the case here, with the drivetrain fully enclosed and protected from the elements, although we're not sure how that setup will go when it comes time for the annual service suggested by the company.
Ditching the spokes and running with solid polymer airless tires might make for a unique design, but it also frees up some space where the spokes used to be. Cyclotron wants to use that space for cargo or children, making its bike more practical than it would otherwise be. At the moment, there are three accessories available for those utility slots, including shopping baskets and a clever snap-in child seat.
In keeping with the futuristic frame design, there's a futuristic powertrain available for this sci-fi bike. As well as more traditional 12- and 18-speed manual setups, there's a electronic sequential gearbox available. Shifting in less than 0.2 seconds, the gearbox works at standstill or under full load and can shift for itself. Electric gearbox-equipped bikes will weigh just 11.6 kg (25.57 lb), making them 100 g (3.5 oz) heavier than the manual 12-speed version, but 200 g (7 oz) lighter than the 18-speed manual.
Enough of the boring practical bits, what the story with those lights? When darkness falls, a sensor automatically activates the LED wheel halos and laser-lane display, in an attempt to make the rider easy to see on unlit streets in the dead of night. We'd say it works, too, with those Tron-style wheels being hard to miss. Power comes from an integrated lithium-ion battery good for eight hours that is charged by an inbuilt dynamo, although the battery can be charged from a wall socket as well.
Continue reading and view the video here
Friendship with Sir David Attenborough seen as big plus for car-buff presenter
Napier, MSCNewsWire, Friday 15 July 2016 - Paul Henry’s mysterious mid-winter holiday is increasingly being ascribed to the television showman’s candidacy for the BBC’s most valuable property which is the motor series Top Gear.
Mr Henry (pictured above) is known to have been considered for the anchor role when it originally became vacant when defining presenter Jeremy Clarkson made his departure.
Since then the show has floundered, notably during the term as presenter of a well-known British disc jockey and is now often referred to as Top Flop.
The BBC has too much invested in the series to abandon it. Recent experiences have convinced the corporation that it is the character and performance of the main presenter that determines its success or otherwise.
A key asset for car-buff Mr Henry is his long ago association with the BBC’s Sir David Attenborough. In addition to his role as natural history presenter Sir David (pictured below) who is now 90 has occupied most of the BBC’s senior administrative roles including director of programming and controller.
Mr Henry whose family comes from Britain’s West Country worked early in his career at the BBC with Sir David.
Mr Henry has spent most of his working life in New Zealand however and his neutral accent is considered an advantage in the BBC, as are his relatively humble origins.
A problem confronting his candidacy though will be his exuberant delivery of seemingly spontaneous one-liners that conflict with the BBC’s twin underpinning doctrines of diversity and multiculturalism.
Mr Henry’s unsuccessful candidature as National Party (Conservative) Member of Parliament for the Wairarapa electorate would now not be considered a drawback for a top role at the BBC.
This is because of the sudden and overwhelmingly current vogue in the United Kingdom for authority figures who are not from a ruling class background, especially a public (i.e. private) school one, or an ivy league university one.
Mr Henry with his active New Zealand and Australia broadcasting career would also fill a generalised quota often jestingly referred to within the BBC as a colonial one.
His anchor role on his independent television eponymous breakfast show has been taken up temporarily by the be-whiskered Mark Sainsbury.
Mr Sainsbury has given the impression of being deliberately vague on the matter of the precise date of Mr Henry’s return to the popular early morning independent television show.
It is here that Mr Henry’s natural everyman style of exuberance sometimes bordering on bluster, and his absence of feigned political correctness is considered a strength by both audience and advertisers.
From the MSCNewsWire reporters' deskThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
July 9, 2016 - When programmers at the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory set out to develop the flight software for the Apollo 11 space program in the mid-1960s, the necessary technology did not exist. They had to invent it.
They came up with a new way to store computer programs, called “rope memory,” and created a special version of the assembly programming language. 
Assembly itself is obscure to many of today’s programmers—it’s very difficult to read, intended to be easily understood by computers, not humans. For the Apollo Guidance Computer (AGC), MIT programmers wrote thousands of lines of that esoteric code.
Here’s a very 1960s data visualization of just how much code they wrote—this is Margaret Hamilton, director of software engineering for the project, standing next to a stack of paper containing the software:Margaret Hamilton(NASA)
The AGC code has been available to the public for quite a while–it was first uploaded by tech researcher Ron Burkey in 2003, after he’d transcribed it from scanned images of the original hardcopies MIT had put online. That is, he manually typed out each line, one by one.
“It was scanned by a airplane pilot named Gary Neff in Colorado,” Burkey said in an email. “MIT got hold of the scans and put them online in the form of page images, which unfortunately had been mutilated in the process to the point of being unreadable in places.” Burkey reconstructed the unreadable parts, he said, using his engineering skills to fill in the blanks.
“Quite a bit later, I managed to get some replacement scans from Gary Neff for the unreadable parts and fortunately found out that the parts I filled in were 100% correct!” he said.
The effort made the code available to any researcher or hobbyist who wanted to explore it. Burkey himself even used the software to create a simulation of the AGC.
As enormous and successful as Burkey’s project has been, however, the code itself remained somewhat obscure to many of today’s software developers. That was until last Thursday (July 7), when former NASA intern Chris Garry uploaded the software in its entirety to GitHub, the code-sharing site where millions of programmers hang out these days.
Within hours, coders began dissecting the software, particularly looking at the code comments the AGC’s original programmers had written. In programming, comments are plain-English descriptions of what task is being performed at a given point. But as the always-sharp joke detectives in Reddit’s r/ProgrammerHumor section found, many of the comments in the AGC code go beyond boring explanations of the software itself. They’re full of light-hearted jokes and messages, and very 1960s references.
Continue here to read the full article
Source: GitHub
Austria, July 8 2016 - Austrian engineering company Doppelmayr/Garaventa—better known for rigging gondola systems for ski areas in the Swiss Alps—has now completed a record-breaking tramway across Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay.
The Ha Long Queen Cable Car is suspended by a pair massive concrete towers—two of the tallest in the world—with the larger tower rising to 620 feet. But the tram cars themselves are the largest ever constructed. Each double-decker car is larger than some New York apartments—carrying 230 people on each 15-minute trip across the bay.
Ha Long Bay is an Unesco world heritage site renowned the world over for its beautiful 1,600+ limestone islands. The area welcomes roughly 7 million tourists a year.
The more than $282 million tramway was built to connect the Bai Chay district of Ha Long City to one of the world’s largest ferris wheels.
EINNewsDesk, Friday 8 July, 2016 - Earlier in the day it was reported that Tata Steel may “pause” its plans to sell off most of troubled UK units, including the mammoth Port Talbot steelworks in Wales, as Britain’s business minister is set to hold talks with the senior management of the Indian steel giant in Mumbai to achieve a long-term solution.
Highlights* Tata Steel says will now begin process for potential sale of South Yorkshire based speciality steels business and the Hartlepool pipe mills in the UK
* Tata Steel to explore feasability of strategic collaborations through potential joint venture
* Based speciality steels business and the Hartlepool pipe mills in the UK
* Tata Steel says entered into discussions with strategic players in the steel industry including Thyssenkrupp AG
* Tata Steel says received interest from several bidders for speciality steels and pipe mills in each case, formal process will be commencing shortly
Source: Financial Express
Wellington, NZ - 7 July 2016 - New Zealand’s best and brightest mathematical scientists are combining their power to solve significant business and industry challenges at New Zealand’s second annual Mathematics-in-Industry NZ event this week at Victoria University, Wellington.
New Zealand’s second annual Mathematics-in-Industry NZ event
Successfully implemented in more than 20 countries worldwide, Mathematics-in-Industry intensive week-long workshops offer a collaborative environment for mathematicians across the country to solve problems arising in industry. Scientists participate from a range of mathematical disciplines such as dynamical systems, statistics, and operational research.
New Zealand businesses offering up industry challenges for the 2016 Mathematics-in-Industry New Zealand (MINZ) event include:
NZ Steel – Improving how the steel finishing rolling through modellingCompac – Estimating the weight of a moving article across multiple weigh pointsTranspower – Understanding how home solar electrical generation affects the national gridFonterra – Predicting the length of time milk powders can be stored in elevated temperatures and humiditiesZespri – Predicting fruit quality in the supply chain from harvest to market.
This year a new dimension has been added with representatives from Japan’s Institute of Mathematics for Industry attending the MINZ event. New Zealand mathematicians will also join Japan’s study week later in July. The exchange has been made possible due to funding from the NZ Royal Society and Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. A challenge from the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology is also included in the New Zealand event.
The New Zealand event is championed by Professor Emeritus Graeme Wake of Mathematics-in-Industry New Zealand (MINZ). Professor Wake has been involved in the concept since his time as a Postdoctoral Fellow in Oxford where it was first launched in 1968. Professor Wake is passionate about the impact of applied mathematics noting, “These events are often the launch pad for long term partnerships between mathematicians and businesses, powering up innovation within industry.”
The event was opened by Hon. Steven Joyce and PVC Science VUW Mike Wilson, and speakers include Professor Andrew Fowler from Limerick/Oxford Universities, Dr Mary Quin CEO of Callaghan Innovation, and Japanese Ambassador Toshihisa Takata.
Zespri, new to MIINZ in 2016 has really seen the power of presenting a challenge to the mathematics community. Zepsri’s New Varieties Technical Manager, John White comments, “We saw a real opportunity to use the combined skills of the MINZ event to materially improve an important part of our inventory management process, reducing quality costs and so give real improvements in returns to growers. It has been fascinating to watch a previously unconnected group enthusiastically seek to understand our data and look for ways from it to improve our understandings and what we do.”
New Zealand mathematicians and businesses have previously taken part in joint events run by the Australia and New Zealand Industrial Applied Mathematics (ANZIAM). Professor Wake comments, “Kiwi businesses have previously had to travel across the Tasman to participate in these events, but now we are running this event right in our back yard.”
This year’s MINZ initiative is supported by the Centre for Mathematics-in-Industry in Massey University, ANZIAM (A/NZ Industrial and Applied Mathematics Group), KiwiNet (a consortium of 16 universities, Crown Research Institutes and a Crown Entity established to boost commercial outcomes from publicly funded research), New Zealand Mathematical Society and Victoria University.
Seumas McCroskery, Innovation Manager of the Kiwi Innovation Network (KiwiNet) believes the model is highly compelling. He says, “New Zealand has world leading mathematics capability in Universities and Crown Research Entities who are eager to work with industry and solve problems. It’s great to see mathematicians from across NZ working together to provide this inventive approach to drive business innovation.”
More than 100 mathematicians, a number of whom are postgraduate students are participating in the event. A summary and technical report will be prepared with aim of future publication in the ANZIAM Journal Series E.
“Mathematics-in-Industry is an initiative to solve industry challenges. It enables businesses to focus on operations and lets mathematicians focus on what they do best – solve industry problems,” says Professor Wake.
Auckland, New Zealand. 7th July 2016 – Serko Ltd. (SKO.NZ) announced that its new small business travel management application, serko.travel, will launch on 25th July 2016, in conjunction with Xero, the leader in online accountancy software.
The application is targeted at businesses in New Zealand and Australia with less than 150 employees, will drive significant productivity gains and unlock meaningful cost savings for businesses by streamlining every aspect of business travel. The application, which is free to use, is a simplified version of the same well-established platform used by large corporations across Australia and New Zealand.
Serko.travel will give businesses the ability to search, book and manage complete business trips involving multiple suppliers via mobile or desktop. The application allows travellers to manage their trips on-the-go, while the desktop application also provides a portal for office managers and decision makers to manage rules, approve trips or make bookings on behalf of other people in the organisation.
Importantly, by providing small business employers with end-to-end visibility of their employees travel plans, serko.travel also assists companies comply with the duty of care legislation in both New Zealand and Australia.
Unlike any other online travel booking system before, the online functionality of serko.travel will be complemented by expert offline support from Helloworld for Business, Corporate Traveller and Flight Centre Business Travel. For the first time, they will offer Travel Expert services on an ‘on demand’ basis which means travellers only have to pay if and when they need their services.
Darrin Grafton, Serko CEO, understands the challenges that small to medium businesses face when it comes to booking and managing business travel, and not only wants to give them access to the same technology and travel deals, but also the same customer service as their larger counterparts.
“If you have a problem when you’re away on business you really need to be able to speak to someone that knows what they’re talking about, and the services of Helloworld for Business and Flight Centre will be an important asset in ensuring serko.travel customers can book and manage their travel in the most efficient way possible.
“The support from Flight Centre and Helloworld for Business will complement partnerships with some of the biggest travel brands in the region, including Expedia, Wotif, Booking.com, Qantas, Air New Zealand, Virgin Australia, Jetstar and AVIS who provide all of the content” Darrin said.
Research undertaken by TNS Research in New Zealand confirmed that 46% of the one million+ SMEs in NZ and Australia travel regularly for work. These SME’s book an average of 30 trips per year, with approximately six hours of an owner operator or employee’s time being spent on booking and managing each travel itinerary.
The research highlights that there are two main booking methods used by SME’s today. Approximately 33% of SMEs regularly book via a travel agent and 66% book directly on supplier or aggregator websites, which tends to be a time consuming and inefficient process, considering that between 25% and 40% of business trips change at least once.
Business in NZ and AU can register their interest at www.serko.travel now.
serko.travel will also launch in other global markets such as the USA.
Thursday 7 July - Legendary businessman and motorsport aficionado Tony Quinn will be joined by a number of New Zealand motor sport legends at the annual CHEMZ Gathering of Geezers Charitable dinner held Wednesday 9 November 2016 at Wanaka’s Warbirds & Wheels museum.
Celebrating the exceptional careers of Kiwi motorsport legends here and overseas, the ‘Geezers’ event brings New Zealand motorsport heroes together with motoring enthusiasts for an evening of fun, story-telling and reminiscing.
Highlands and Hampton Downs owner Tony Quinn will be this year’s keynote speaker at the event which is now in its fourth year. Quinn will talk about his love of motorsport, what brought him to the industry, why he loves the sport so much and other tales from his soon-to-be-launched book Zero to 60.
Once again hosted by Sky Speeds’ Stephen McIvor first time ‘Geezers’ include Andy McElrea, Garry Running, Andy Buchanan and Steve Horne.
In a gentle nod to the ‘not-quite-retired’, this year sees the addition of “Geezers In Training” Craig Baird and Greg Murphy, as well as Guest Geezer, Australia’s Garry Rogers.
Making his Geezers debut last year Australian and NZ Championship winner Jim Richards will return adding to the impressive line-up of legends who will grace the stage.
Joining the first time Geezers are returning inductees Graeme Crosby, Chris Munro, Aaron Slight, Bob McMurray, PG Knight, Leo Leonard, Heather Spurle, Shane Drake, Tony Teesdale, Graeme Lawrence, Owen Evans and Paul Fahey.
More Geezers will be announced in the coming weeks and months. A Geezer is a retired legend of motorsport who has won a major NZ title, its equivalent, or a world title across any discipline, from single seaters and rally to saloon, race boats, drag racing, speedway and bikes or someone who has made an outstanding contribution to NZ Motorsport in another arena such as administration or media.
The event format is a three course banquet dinner including beverages with corporate tables available and individual tickets. Each corporate table is ‘hosted’ by a Geezer and throughout the evening ‘café-style’ Q+A sessions will be led by MC Stephen McIvor delving deep into the lives and careers of some of the Geezers, exploring the triumphs, lows, close calls and adrenalin-fueled moments.
Warbirds Over Wanaka Community Trust and the Upper Clutha Children’s Medical Trust, two of Wanaka’s most loved Trusts, are once again set to benefit from the charity auction.
Another highlight of the event, with some big ticket items auctioned, last year’s Gathering of Geezers Charitable dinner raised just under $20,000 for the Trusts.
This year’s auction promises to be just as popular with items such as helicopter flights, $10,000 NZME Radio advertising package, Warbirds Over Wanaka corporate tickets, two nights at the stunning Punaikaki Resort on the West Coast and some sought-after racing memorabilia already confirmed.
Warbirds & Wheels director Robert Duncan said the event had “grown year after year” and was becoming a “well-known event on the NZ motorsport calendar”.
“We’ve managed to grow yet again with more tickets sold every year than the previous one, plus a constant stream of exceptional Geezers to invite,” said Mr Duncan.
“Word has started to spread that this is one of the best dinner events in the country for motor sport, attracting a huge interest from those who’ve made their mark on the industry.”
“We’ve worked on different ideas this year to enable us to hear from more Geezers in a format that is sure to yield some hilarious tales. Our MC Stephen McIvor stepped things up a notch last year and we’re looking forward to what he’ll bring to the table this year,” added Mr Duncan
A Warbirds & Wheels press release
Each year the selected Geezers are given a certificate and commemorative shirt inducting them into the Geezers Hall of Fame.
VALLEJO, Calif. (BRAIN) July 6, 2016 — Wren Sports, LLC has appointed Llevant Carbon Fatbikes as its
New Zealand distributor and authorized service center. Llevant is also using Wren's suspension forks on its fat bikes.
Kevin Wren, owner of Wren Sports said, "The quality of the Llevant build is second to none and we are thrilled to be equipped on such a fine bike." Wren has recently introduced new models to accept standard and plus-sized hubs.
Rod Mudge, owner of Llevant, said, "We deliberately didn't want to build just a snow bike and worked for years testing different components to present the best 'ride it anywhere' type of fatbike. When we came across the Wren fork, we were impressed by the performance and versatility to fit various wheel sizes. Wren's service center program is outstanding. We received factory training and service parts before our first fork delivery."
Along with the Wren forks and components, Llevant will be stocking all service parts and providing service and warranty repairs through their factory-trained service department.
Auckland, Wednesday 6 July 2016 - We have in New Zealand a problem that can strike small packaging companies. Where they can be running several blown film lines and just not have the money to put a gauge on each line. But they still need to see what they are making, especially when expensive co-extrusions are being made. Between a rock and a hard place stuff really!
Now NDC Technologies make a transmission gauge for measuring various co-extrusions on-line to reference accuracy. These gauges usually sit on scanning frames and control the films as they are being made. Now the problem with a lot of blown film lines is doubling the measurement at the lay flat or paying a fortune for a rotary scanner on the bubble. But a customer wanted to measure all his lines with one gauge at-line rather than on-line.
So I saw David Aucamp at Innopak in Auckland to design and make a mechanism that would scan a strip of sample. An operator simply cuts a strip from the film and puts it on the winder. This scans the strip and gives a full running analysis of the co-extrusions. This data is kept as a record and the operator can adjust the die bolts to correct any unders or overs. One centrally placed winding system is far less to buy than a gauge system on each line. Innopak make the scanning frame. This gauge system works brilliantly and is now well proven
If you are a blown film packaging manufacturer this level of control opens things out significantly for you because you can now confidently make products that previously you would probably never have attempted. You can set the lines up to make products automatically the way your customers customers want them. And that gives you a quick return on investment. The ability to control what you make is paramount and really does have a positive effect on the bottom line.
If the above applies to you then please don’t hesitate to come through to me. You can reach me on 09 428 3426 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and the other part of the solution; I do have finance options available for you to consider that can help make the whole exercise a positive one.
From Simon Ganley of Ganley Engineering
WELLINGTON, New Zealand, July 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- New Zealand-based steel solutions provider Real Steel has been named the first winner of the Hardox Wearparts Award, a competition introduced this year by SSAB to provide recognition to Hardox Wearparts centers for their innovativeness and product successes for applications in the aftermarket.
Real Steel is one of more than 200 Hardox Wearparts centers located worldwide that provide wear parts and wear services for industries including quarry, mining, forestry, transport and recycling, among others.
For this application, Real Steel worked on site with their customer, Sollys Contractors, that provides transport, construction and earthmoving services, and was looking for a solution for their rotor discs that wore out quickly. Working together with Real Steel's wear engineers, they designed a laminated disc made from Hardox 500 and Hardox 550.
The result: total wear life of the rotor increased by three times and production costs were reduced by 30 percent.
Previously the rotor discs were hardfaced which was time consuming and expensive. The uneven wear on the rotor discs required that they be removed frequently and re-hardfaced and balanced. Frequent hardfacing led to fatigue and cracks in the base metal.
"Our solution extended the wear life while removing the hardfacing and need for re-balancing the rotors," said Luke Mathieson, Managing Director, Real Steel. "The solution also created even wear on the rotors."
Real Steel also redesigned the base plate of the rotor upgrading it from AR400 to Hardox 550. In addition a recess was machined into the disc to allow for Hardox 600 wear plate to be inserted where the main wear occurred.
"We are pleased to offer Real Steel this award for their innovation which was selected among several entries from Hardox Wearparts centers around the world," said Nancy Matos, Market Development for SSAB Services. "This is one of the great benefits our centers gain from being a part of the Hardox Wearparts network - the ability to share ideas and gain inspirations from other centers to help grow their business."
Two other centers received awards - Herman Johnson in Sweden won second prize for their Toolox bucket and Ethalon Service in Russia won third prize for their shredder knives made of Hardox 600. The award ceremony took place on June 2, 2016 at Real Steel's company headquarters in New Zealand.
Laminated rotor for impact crusher, the winning entry
Hardox Wearparts is the world's leading provider of wear parts and wear services. With more than 200 centers in more than 65 countries, there is always a Hardox Wearparts center close to you. Hardox Wearparts is a part of SSAB, the manufacturer of Hardox wear plate. www.hardoxwearparts.com
Monday 4 July 2016 - On Wednesday 6 July, 750 students and teachers will join the Got a Trade? Got it Made! Big Bus Tours 2016 across Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Christchurch. Students and teachers will visit 50 workplaces to see what trades and services careers and on-the-job learning is all about.
Sectors on show include manufacturing design and engineering; civil engineering; specialist trades; automotive technology, repair and engineering; social and community care; sales and service; sign-writing; mining and industrial machinery and construction and infrastructure - to name a few.
"We wanted to promote the many opportunities that exist for on-the-job learning and apprenticeships, across as many sectors as we could, in one day," says Got a Trade chair, Andrew Robertson.
The Big Bus Tours are part of Got a Trade’s campaign response to the growing need for more young people to enter trades and services roles across New Zealand. Industries like aged care require more than 2,600 new people entering the sector year on year and in construction and infrastructure that figure is closer to 5,000. Looking forward to 2020, in industries like mechanical and automotive engineering, there’s demand for more than 5,600 and 11,200 new people respectively. By 2020 the civil engineering sector will also need 19,600 new people, and in the manufacturing sector, that figure blows out to 40,000.
"There’s no doubt that there are great opportunities out there for young New Zealander’s" adds Robertson.
"But students can’t choose a career they cannot see. The Big Bus Tours will really open their eyes to the full range of opportunities available across Got a Trade’s 140+ industries."
The Got a Trade Big Bus Tours will be backed by the BCITO’s Big Construction Tours the very next day. Together the Tours will have more than 2,000 students exposed to all aspects of apprenticeships and on-the-job learning.
The Big Bus Tours is an initiative driven by Got a Trade? Got it Made! the national campaign to promote trades and services careers and on-the-job learning. Got a Trade is a collaboration of eight industry training organisations; BCITO, Careerforce, Competenz, Connexis, HITO, MITO, ServiceIQ and The Skills Organisation. Together they represent more than 140 industries.
The second annual Got a Trade Week, celebrating those making headway in their trades and services careers, will run 22-26 August 2016.
To learn more about the opportunities a trades and services career can offer, and for a full list of participating workplaces, visit gotatrade.co.nz
Massey University, Monday 4 July 2016 - A new book being launched in Leadership Week 2016 has questioned our modern obsession with the charismatic, transformational leader. In Thinking differently about leadership, Massey University management lecturer Dr Suze Wilson(pictured below) examines the history of leadership thought from ancient through to modern times. She concludes it is an invented concept that morphs according to changing social norms.
“We need to understand that leadership doesn’t have a timeles, enduring essence,” she says. “If you’re looking for its essence, you’re on the wrong path. Leadership is something we invent.
“That’s what history tells us – we’ve invented it repeatedly in different forms, to meet different needs and to reflect different values.”
The modern concept of the visionary leader only emerged in the late 1970s, Dr Wilson says. At that time the United States’ economy was reeling from the oil crises of the 1970s and the rise of Japanese manufacturing. American firms were no longer world beating and there was a sentiment that America is “no longer great”. All this came after charismatic leaders like Martin Luther King and Gloria Steinem appeared on the scene with exciting visions for change.
“One of the most influential scholars at the time was a political scientist named James MacGregor Burns, and he wrote a book that argued leadership should be about transformational change. That’s still a really exciting idea, but one of Burns’ key assumptions was that followers could choose their leaders,” Dr Wilson says.
She says Burns grounded his model in a democratic framework and his thinking was shaped by the transformational power of political movements at that time.
“The problem is we have taken that model into a workplace setting where managers aren’t elected, where people don’t get to choose their leaders.
“With these inflated expectations, we have also given managers a task they typically can’t achieve but it’s a big ego booster, which is problematic. It’s not helpful to have big egos running organisations because they don’t listen and don’t care about others’ point of view. The idea that managers should have the power to try and change employees’ values can actually be quite dangerous.”
The notion that leaders know best is “profoundly undemocratic”, she says, and leadership has historically been based on masculine ideals.
“We need to be aware of the fact that we are culturally inclined to conceptualise leadership in a very gendered way – and that’s a problem if we want more women in leadership roles. To achieve that, we need to change the mold of leadership to better fit what women can bring, not make women fit a masculine mold.”
Bold leadereship isn't the answer to every question
Dr Wilson says the world of business is littered with failed leaders who have tried to impose their vision on others. The recent departure of Mediaworks chief executive Mark Weldon is a good example.
“The profit-driven values he ascribed to were unsurprisingly resisted by staff who believed in the public service of journalism as the fourth estate. Installing a personally-abrasive leader with mismatched values was clearly never going to land well.
“What’s astonishing is the amount of damage he was able to do in such a short time, in the name of this vision he had for the organisation.”
Dr Wilson says the the presidential campaign of Donald Trump is another example of the dangers of this type of thinking.
“Trump tries to incite an emotional response, which is at the core of our contemporary idea of a charismatic leader. It’s fascinating to see how ideas move on from how they were first conceptualised. It would never have been Burns’ intention, but Trump trades on the generally-accepted notion that leaders should be bold and transformational, and he exploits that idea to incite hate and fear.”
In the past, Dr Wilson says, scholars weren’t always as keen as they are now to promote bold leadership as the answer to every problem.
“At different times in history, scholars have seen leadership as dangerous, something needing to be constrained by laws. At another time they saw leadership more modestly, as about organising tasks and being considerate to others,” she says.
“This teaches us to think carefully about what particular needs and expectations we have about leadership. We shouldn’t see it as the answer to everything – that’s just wishful, romantic thinking."
Dr Wilson says the solution is to ground leadership in context and shared values. Instead of considering leadership the solution, regardless of the problem, we need to consider what type of leadership is required for each specific situation.
“You need to ask: What are the problems at hand? What useful purpose does leadership have in this situation? And what are the values and norms that should shape the style of leadership?
“Then you can think about the personal attributes needed, the roles and responsibilities required, and what the relationship between leaders and followers should be.”
She says that this type of leadership is “going on all over the place, but generally not making headlines”.
“These are people getting on with it, solving problems, living by their values and not feeling the need to narcissistically promote how good they are.”
But one well-known example she can identify is Te Puea Marae, the Auckland marae offering shelter to homeless families.
“This is a wonderful example of leadership. There isn’t a leader on a pedestal trying to say, ‘I know best’. They are a group of people who have seen a need and organised themselves to do something about it. It’s about the collective achieving meaningful results.”
Book launch details
Dr Suze Wilson’s book ‘Thinking differently about leadership’ will be launched on Thursday July 7, 2016 from 4.00pm-6.00pm in the Russell Room, Wharerata, Massey University Manawatū campus.
A Massey University release Juiy 4, 2016
July 2, 2016 - A single-minded focus on effectiveness, efficiency and innovation across all aspects of Fonterra’s winter maintenance programme is delivering savings for the Co-operative as it gets match-fit for spring.
Director of NZ Manufacturing Mark Leslie said this “winter shut” period is an important time of year for manufacturing teams as all assets across Fonterra’s network of sites are fine-tuned to ensure they are ready for the season ahead.
“Each year we process around 18 billion litres of milk, with the bulk of this carried out in the spring months. The work we’re doing now will help us get match-fit for that peak period.”
Mr Leslie says the goal for manufacturing teams in this year’s winter shut has been finding more effective and efficient ways to maintain sites for the coming season.
“Together, Fonterra and industry are focused on ensuring we can produce quality product for our customers and support farmers under a constrained milk price.
“We have always been efficient in our maintenance projects, so the challenge this year was to come up with new and innovative ways to do things better, faster and smarter.”
Hundreds of Fonterra manufacturing site staff are taking part in the annual winter work, with more than 500 projects currently underway around the country, ranging from major capital works to minor overhauls.
Winter Shutdown Manager at Te Rapa Blair Bond puts the improvements down to an ongoing “owner’s mindset” across the manufacturing teams.
“Every person on our team is on the same page. We treat the assets as if we were their owners – putting ourselves in our farmers’ shoes and thinking about how we can do things more effectively and drop our bottom line.”
This work during the winter shut has also led to innovative thinking that will change the way we process milk during the milking season.
Mr Bond gives the example of our D4 evaporator – which evaporates water out of the milk to then be turned into powder. The team came up with an innovative way of splitting the process into stages, which will allow the evaporator to run 6 per cent longer meaning more milk can be processed each day.
Mr Bond adds: “It’s year-round for us. Throughout the entire year we’re talking to other sites about what worked for them and leveraging our collective strength to help our Co-operative deliver.”
He explains the Te Rapa team has adopted a year-round asset care approach for the maintenance and servicing of equipment.
“Constant monitoring of our equipment to ensure it’s always in top nick means we’re saving time and money during our winter shut – something our farmers will appreciate.”
A press release from Fonterra June 2, 2016
Cycling New Zealand partners with world-leading carbon fibre specialist, New Zealand’s Southern Spars.
June 28,2016 - In a classic tale of Kiwi ingenuity, New Zealand’s Southern Spars – best known for designing and manufacturing masts and rigging for the world’s fastest race yachts and most luxurious superyachts – will be providing wheels to the 2016 New Zealand track cyclists at Rio Olympics in August.
Southern Spars, which was founded in 1990, is a long-time supplier to Team New Zealand. It has a well-established reputation as the best in the world for designing and manufacturing carbon fibre spars and rigging using superior technology.
Southern Spars’ director Mark Hauser said: “The collaboration with Cycling New Zealand has been about taking that expertise and applying it in a different context – working together to create a significant performance benefit.
“We have drawn on our years of experience in the design and manufacture of carbon fibre technology and components. This has led to high performance in yachting, as well as specialist knowledge of windage, stiffness, and strength. In doing this, we have designed a new, superior wheel, which we’re delighted to be supplying to the New Zealand track cyclists.
“We are very excited by the potential of the new wheels, and by the possibilities unleashed by this kind of collaboration and innovation – which is all about bringing together the best of New Zealand.”
Cycling New Zealand Director of High Performance, Mark Elliott, said the partnership with Southern Spars has brought together two unique parties, to produce a great outcome for the New Zealand Olympic track cycling team.
“The partnership with Southern Spars has been a unique opportunity to work with a team with world-leading knowledge of carbon fibre technology, and the drive to take on a totally new challenge, by testing their skills and applying this knowledge to designing track wheels.
“From the outset, we’ve seen Southern Spars’ passion for testing its capability and applying knowledge in new ways, but importantly for us – and our athletes – a drive to contribute to New Zealand’s sporting success on the Olympic stage.
“We are delighted to be forming a partnership with Southern Spars, which we know will deliver an edge for us in Rio. This paves the way for further innovation to support our long-term performance objectives.”
The innovative new track wheels are the result of a three-way collaboration, bringing together Southern Spars’ engineering and carbon fibre production knowledge, Cycling New Zealand’s sport-specific knowledge and dedicated data technology support from High Performance Sport New Zealand.
New Zealand chef de mission, Rob Waddell, congratulated Southern Spars and Cycling New Zealand.
“To be the best in the world – to win Gold at the Olympic Games – requires us to bring everything we’ve got... to work together and leverage every ounce of know-how, technology and talent we can get our hands on. This kind of innovation is classic Kiwi can-do thinking. It’s the best of New Zealand.”
A Southern Spars press release
Gizmag, June 26, 2016 - Two autonomous buses will follow a route along the edge of the city of 33,000 residents and pass through pedestrian areas (Credit: Car Postal)
Switzerland has joined a growing number of places around the world exploring the potential of electric autonomous buses, with a pair of driverless shuttles now ferrying passengers around the city of Sion as part of a two-year trial.
Other autonomous buses being tested out across the globe include the EZ10 in California and Singapore, the Navia also in Singapore, and the IBM-powered Olli in Washington DC that can even talk to its passengers en route.
Much like these projects, Switzerland's buses will take to public roads with local regulators eying a wider deployment of low-carbon, autonomous mass transport. The vehicles will be operated by Switzerland's leading public bus operator, PostBus, and will navigate Sion's city streets using software developed by startup BestMile, which spin out of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL).
The buses have been fitted with air conditioning, a backup battery, an access ramp for the disabled and are capable of carrying 11 passengers at a time, who will ride free of charge. The two vehicles will follow a route along the edge of the city of 33,000 residents and pass through pedestrian areas, but they won't exactly be humming along, traveling only at a top speed of 20 km/h (12 mph).
An attendant will go along for the ride in the interests of safety, but the buses will be controlled remotely by an operator using BestMile's autonomous driving software. Researchers from the EPFL's Urban Transport Systems Laboratory are collaborating on the two-year project, with the aim of building a system that manages fleets of autonomous vehicles.
This will involve developing algorithms that enable the buses to communicate with one another and other vehicles on the road, along with accomodating the needs of passengers through on-demand services, such as booking rides in advance and adjusting for flexible routes. Eventually, the researchers say the technology will need to be able to handle these tasks in real time.
Source: EPFL
GHD, 27 June 2016 - Auckland’s new landmark Te Ara I Whiti (Lightpath) cycleway has been recognised as one of New Zealand’s best public works projects.
The project team of New Zealand Transport Agency, GHD, Novare Design, Monk Mackenzie and Hawkins has received the Excellence Award in the category Best Public Works Project > $5M from the New Zealand division of the Institute of Public Works Australasia.
These prestigious awards showcase projects that are not only completed on time and on budget, but also achieve clearly defined community outcomes.
The Lightpath project converted the unused Nelson Street Off Ramp into a vital 1 km long link for cyclists and pedestrians around the Auckland CBD. According to the judges, it’s a ‘spectacular response’ to NZ Transport Agency’s vision for developing world-class cycling infrastructure throughout each major city and town.
The project also includes a 160 m steel bridge that snakes over New Zealand’s busiest highway junction. It was constructed entirely off site and lifted into place during overnight closures.
The project created an iconic piece of Auckland infrastructure famous for its magenta surface, Maori artwork and 290 interactive LED lights.
With an extremely positive response from the public and cycling groups, and an average of 935 cycle trips per day, the NZ Transport Agency is confident that the project is already providing a drawcard for businesses in the local area.
The design was developed with the safety and efficiency of the state highway, local road network and pedestrians/cyclists in mind.
Gansen Govender, GHD’s Design Manager and Engineer’s Representative, says, ”Normally, a project of this complexity would take well over two years to deliver, but the team worked collaboratively to deliver this cycleway in only 14 months from scheme to completion”.
“The tight timeframe and budget for the works might have encouraged the delivery of a completely practical solution. Instead, the project team evolved the design into an iconic urban structure that’s used and appreciated by many Aucklanders.”
PhD student Lukas Trombach and Distinguished Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger.
Massey University, Monday 27 June 2016 - A world-renowned Massey University researcher in quantum chemistry has opened the doors for a ‘gold rush’ of future research in gold nanostructures.
The paper Hollow Gold Cages and Their Topological Relationship to Dual Fullerenes was co-authored by Distinguished Professor Peter Schwerdtfeger, Lukas Trombach, Sergio Rampino and Lai-Sheng Wang. It featured on the cover of the international publication, Chemistry - A European Journal.
The excitement is around a new class of golden fullerene structures discovered by Professor Schwerdtfeger the acting head of Institute of the New Zealand Institute for Advanced Study and PhD student Lukas Trombach.
Professor Schwerdtfeger explains that gold has sizeable enhancement factors in nanoscience compared to lighter metals like silver and copper and experiences “strong electron donation toward the gold atoms due to its increased electronegativity, which makes them ideal for electronically fine-tuning chemical and physical properties,” he says.
The discovery is significant, as previous research had not considered dual fullerenes when looking at gold clusters. “This new relationship opens the way for a complete new class of hollow gold clusters and the research has applications in synthesising new catalysts with metals inside the gold cage.”
Catalysts (a substance that increases the rate of a reaction without being used up itself) are used in chemistry to increase the rates of chemical reactions, and are important in industrial processes to save energy and reduce costs. Since it was discovered that gold nanoclusters are catalytically active (capable of accelerating or causing a chemical change by the addition of a catalyst) the field of nanoscience has experienced renewed activity, and studying their structure has been the ambition of many scientists over the last 20 years.
“A catalyst is essentially a chemical shortcut that saves time and energy and catalysts with gold nanostructures could potentially speed up these processes compared to other metals,” Professor Schwerdtfeger says.
The study explored the relationship between carbon and golden fullerene cages in detail and found there are as many golden fullerene isomers as there are different fullerene structures, and “the door is now open for other researchers to explore these structures.”
Cover image: the dual golden fullerene Au32 (earlier proposed by Dage Sundholm in Helsinki) above the Auckland skyline. NB: In the full cover image the carbon fullerene C60 can be seen reflected in the water.
Fullerenes in the skyline
“In the cover photo, we had Auckland’s skyline in mind as most of the research was carried out at Massey University in Auckland. The reflection of the carbon fullerene in the water demonstrates the unique one-to-one correspondence between it and the golden fullerene,” says Professor Schwerdtfeger.
Professor Schwerdtfeger dedicated the paper to Professor Gernot Frenking in recognition of his 70th birthday. Professor Frenking was the one who asked the simple question concerning fullerene structures that led Professor Schwerdtfeger to seek the answer.
“I didn’t have an answer right away. If I see a problem that other people can’t solve I start to get interested in it and want to crack it. From this seemingly small event, I got into the topology of fullerene structures, and have since been delving deep into mathematical graph theory.”
Originally published by Massey University, June 27, 2016
To read the full paper, click here.
The Institute of Directors has released a new guide, 'Getting on board with diversity', offering practical steps for boards and promoting diversity at board tables.
The launch coincides with the fifth anniversary of the IOD's Mentoring for Diversity programme, which matches directors with mentors to help them develop the skills and knowledge needed for a listed or large company board.
You can download the guide here.
An Institute of Directors release, June 24, 2016
Smart Caller, one of the fastest growing Nurse Call Communications companies in the New Zealand, have announced the launch of their ‘next generation’ Personal Safety Alarms.
Auckland, Thursday 23 June 2016 - The Safe-life Pendant uses cellular network technology to allow users make that vital call should an emergency occur with the press just one button. Working anywhere in New Zealand where there is 3G cellular coverage, it not only alerts up to three different personal contacts or monitoring station by SMS that there is an emergency, but also allows location finding of the user's whereabouts using Google Maps along with voice to voice communication. Smart Caller .
Managing Director, Jamie Reid explains “The technology used in the Safe-Life Pendant can be used to remotely monitor a person's welfare, enabling the correct type of assistance to be delivered in a duress situation, in a timely manner to a known location, at a low cost”.
The Smart Caller Safe Life Pendant is not limited geographically as it does not require a landline or base station to communicate an emergency. Working off a SIM card on Spark or Vodafone 3G Cellular network, it can operate in an office, in a warehouse, at the shopping mall or even in a farmers field. This provides significant advantage over existing lone worker, man down or duress alarms in the workplace as existing technology is typically static mounted call points or radio pendants that must be within range of a base station to work. The Safe Life pendant, when activated in an emergency sends an automated “Help me” SOS SMS to all emergency contacts with time and location details within the message. Additionally if required, the pendant has a selectable feature to automatically initiate voice to voice communications to the primary contact via an inbuilt high powered speaker and microphone as part of the ‘Help me” emergency response protocol. At approximately half the price of a basic radio call system or modern cell phone, the Safe Life pendant is extremely economical, completely mobile, weather proof, lightweight, easily worn or carried with the included lanyard allowing the users total freedom of range.
Utilizing GPS/GPRS/GSM technology, the Safe-Life pendant has location finding features which can be invaluable for keeping track of employees. At any time, the Safe-Life pendant can be located by the emergency contacts, so if an employee has absconded or not reported in, their exact location can be found within seconds. Similarly, it also uses the GPS/GPRS/GSM functionality for Geo Fencing. When the Geo Fencing feature is activated, the pendant creates an invisible fence around the predetermined area, say a warehouse for instance. Should the Safe-Life pendant detect it has moved into or out of a Geo Fenced area, it will alert the emergency contacts. An invaluable technology for people that want to contain or exclude employees or contractors from certain areas.The Safe-Life pendant technology also integrates altimeters & accelerometers that can detect a user having a fall. Fall detection plays a crucial role in saving the lives of those working at heights. The fact is that falls often lead to the loss of consciousness and users may not be able to manually press the SOS button. The Safe-Life pendant has been designed to react automatically alerting emergency contacts it the device senses a fall. “We see contractors working at heights in high risk situations, often isolated or working alone. Should something go wrong, the reality is, people are only alerted if they hear the calls for help or they accidentally find the unconscious person. With the Safe-Life pendant, employers or emergency contacts immediately know something has happened and can dispatch help” say Reid.
Maximising the full use of the technology, the Safe Life pendant has other built in standard features including over speed alerts and movement detection. When the pendant detects moving at speeds faster than what has been programed, the pendant silently responds to the emergency contacts by SMS the pendants time, location and speed. The same technology can be used for movement detection, with either a no movement alarm, or a movement alarm. The Movement feature has been applied to vehicles when owners have wanted to monitor their use silently, detecting unauthorised use triggering a movement alarm, or alternatively if a vehicle has not moved for a period of time.Irrespective of the application being a farmer working in the field, a lone worker in a warehouse, a contractor on a worksite or security personnel in high risk duress situations, this low cost, palm sized personal alarm & location finding device is set to revolutionise the Health & Safety industry. “We have already sold multiple units to emergency services. They immediately saw the advantages of being able to track the wearers in high risk situations, and also have the wearers able to contact their commanders if they are in trouble” says Reid.Smart Caller sees this product transcending across industries Reid explains, “We have a new and assistive technology that can reach out to almost any part of the main populations centres of New Zealand at a cost of less than $400+gst per unit with no ongoing costs other than topping up the SIM card. The added Health & Safety value to employers to improve independence, provide security and save lives is immeasurable ”About Smart Caller:
Established in NZ in 1998, Smart Caller NZ ltd is proud to offer the Smart Caller range of premium nurse call and healthcare communication solutions. Learn more at www.smartcaller.co.nz or contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Chemicals Contaminate Deep-Ocean Creatures
June 22, 2016 - A new research has revealed the degree of destruction caused by man-made pollutants, which have now entered the deep oceans as well. The research reveals that chemical contamination has polluted the creatures dwelling at a depth of up to 10,000 meters in the ocean have been. The revelation was made at a deep-ocean exploration conference organized at Shanghai on June 8, 2016.
The disclosure was made by a deep-ocean researcher Alan Jamieson of the University of Aberdeen. He stated that startling levels of man-made organic pollutants have been discovered by his team in amphipods, crustaceans similar to shrimps. The team had captivated the deep-sea creatures during their two international expeditions in 2014 from two deep-ocean trenches.
The creatures were captured from the Kermadec Trench offshore New Zealand and the Mariana Trench that is situated in the western Pacific Ocean and is known to be the deepest trench in the world. Deep-ocean trenches play a significant role as carbon sink and are essential for the regulation of climate and global temperature. However, these trenches, like the Mariana and Kermadec, are exposed to high amounts of pollutants that are washed from large factory waste.
This is because these pollutants have no other disposal system and eventually seep deep inside and accumulate there. During the expeditions, both the trenches were found to have high accumulation levels of the carbon-based compound persistent organic pollutants, which are utilized during the production of plastics and flame retardants. Polychlorinated biphenyl was among the chemicals detected in the crustaceans.
"Toxic chemicals are accumulating in marine creatures in Earth's deepest oceanic trenches, the first measurements of organic pollutants in these regions have revealed," according to a news report published by Scientific American.
"We often think deep-sea trenches are remote and pristine, untouched by humans," says Alan Jamieson, a deep-ocean researcher at the University of Aberdeen, UK. But Jamieson and his colleagues have found man-made organic pollutants at high levels in shrimp-like crustaceans called amphipods that they collected from two deep-ocean trenches, he told a conference on deep-ocean exploration in Shanghai on 8 June.
Before this work-which has not yet been published-the study of pollutants in deep-sea organisms had been limited to those that live at depths of 2,000 metres or less. The latest research tested for levels of organic chemicals in amphipods collected at 7,000-10,000 metres depth, from the Mariana Trench in the western Pacific Ocean-the world's deepest trench-and from the Kermadec Trench near New Zealand.
According to a report in Nature World News by Julla Gonzalez, "In a deep-ocean exploration conference in Shanghai on the 8th of June, deep-ocean researcher Alan Jamieson of the University of Aberdeen revealed that his team had found alarming levels of man-made organic pollutants in amphipods (shrimp-like crustaceans). These deep-sea creatures were captured from two deep-ocean trenches, the Mariana Trench located in the western Pacific Ocean (also known as the world's deepest trench) and the Kermadec Trench off the coast of New Zealand in two international expeditions in 2014."
Identified as an important carbon sink and vital in regulating climate and global temperature, deep-ocean trenches such as the Mariana and Kermadec are also prone to higher levels of pollutants washed from large factory waste as they have nowhere else to go but deep down and will eventually build up. High chemical concentrations of the carbon-based compound POPs (persistent organic pollutants) used to make plastics and flame retardants were found in both trenches, although one had particularly higher concentrations than the other for both compounds.
This "fascinating" discovery, says deep-sea microbiologist Douglas Barlett of the San Diego Scripps Institution of Oceanography, shows that the "trenches are not that remote" as first though of, and that "the world is connected."
Originally published in the NewHampshire Voice June 22, 2016
June 22, 2016 - The Obama administration earlier this week named Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy as the regional manufacturing hub of a new $140 million federal manufacturing institute, which will focus on factories of the future, leading to improvement through innovation and technology.
The Smart Manufacturing Innovation Institute, which will be headquartered in Los Angeles, will help the manufacturers in the United States to use sensors, software, digital controls, data and the industrial internet to make their factories more efficient which in turn will cut costs and boost the output. The institute will get $70 million from the Department of Energy and the same amount from private investment. The effort by the Obama administration is to make U.S manufacturing companies better in global competition at the same time trim energy requirements and give out less pollution.
The Smart Manufacturing Leadership Coalition in Los Angeles will be the ninth among the fifteen "manufacturing hubs" which the current President plans to set up all through the country.
As the U.S. manufacturing sector grows, it adds jobs and since 2010 February, 800,000 jobs have been added by the sector.
President Obama said, "The world is smaller than it used to be because of innovation. That is something that can work for everyone if we do it right."
Universal Robots ,June 22, 2016 - Universal Robots, the Danish pioneer of human-robot collaboration, has announced the launch of Universal Robots+, a showroom of plug & play applications, offering a new level of simplicity for Universal Robot customers when installing a new robot application.
Universal Robots+ offers accessories, end-effectors and software solutions meaning both distributors and end users can save weeks and even months in the integration process from concept to operation of the UR cobots. URCaps, accessory components that extend the UR robots’ capabilities, can be customised hardware components, software plug-ins or a combination of both.
The aim of Universal Robots+ is to reduce costs and implementation periods, as well as increase user satisfaction and experience.
As part of the new solution, Universal Robots is also launching +YOU, a free developer programme, offering a marketing and support platform for UR-robot application developers. “With Universal Robots+, everyone can benefit, including our developer community, our distribution partners and our end customers,” explains Esben H. Østergaard, CTO and co-founder of Universal Robots.
“Participants in our developer programme +YOU will receive free support when developing URCaps. By integrating the accessory components showcased at the Universal Robots+ showroom, our distribution partners and end users reduce spending on application development and testing when they deploy the URCaps as simple plug & play solutions.”
How developers and distributors will benefit
“When developers have received our approval for designing within Universal Robots+, we will support them via our local subsidiaries by providing robots for testing and optimising URCaps. On request, robots can also be purchased at a reduced price, given that they will be used exclusively for the development and testing of new UR-related components,” says Stefan Tøndering Stubgaard, Manager of Universal Robots’ Corporate Technical Support.
After completion of a URCaps prototype, the developer will send it to Universal Robots for examination. Tøndering Stubgaard explains, “Before a new product can be presented in our showroom, we verify its quality. In comprehensive functionality tests, we test whether the URCap can be implemented and operated easily and if the product conforms to Universal Robots’ quality requirements.”
In addition, developers can also get their URCaps certified by Universal Robots. In order to receive this additional quality certificate, developers must document that their solution is already operating in a real application and used successfully by a customer.
Having capabilities featured in the Universal Robots+ showroom is free of charge for developers. In providing this, Universal Robots offers all developers a professional marketing platform granting them access to an ever expanding, global customer network. Sales of all products and capabilities revolving around the UR-robots’ universe will continue to be provided through Universal Robots’ established network of distribution partners. In this way, distributors also benefit from this central platform, where they can both offer and access applications developed specifically for the use with UR robots. Universal Robots+ is the toolbox that tailors optimal solutions for their individual customer needs.
Entering the Universal Robots+ Community
To have their application solutions featured in the Universal Robots+ showroom, developers must complete a free registration in the +YOU community forum where developers can submit their application ideas.
After meeting registration criteria, the developers will receive access to the +YOU online forum, where they can exchange questions and ideas. In addition, all members of the community will receive access to the company-internal developer support, which will assist (if necessary) in developing a market mature application. Additionally, the URCaps Software Development Kit can be downloaded free-of-charge.
Software release reduces implementation time
Coinciding with the launch of Universal Robots+, a new update for the robot arms’ operating software has been published. The new release (Software Version 3.3) includes updates such as the Profinet IO device functionality. The new compatibility with Profinet protocols opens up numerous additional areas of deployment and activities for robots. “A key feature of the update supporting the Universal Robots+ platform is the ability for providers to now offer solutions that interface seamlessly with the UR software,” says Østergaard.
Until now, the software enabling communication between developer applications and the UR robot arms had to be implemented by using relatively complex script code, which is time consuming and a difficult task for the majority of end users to handle. As the Software Version 3.3 now consists in parts of open source software, the developers can implement their software as an add-on, reducing the time needed for implementation at the end customer’s premises significantly, thus reducing both price and potential risks.
Universal Robots+ and the +YOU forum are now accessible online. The first URCaps are already on display in the Universal Robots+ Showroom.
22 June 2016 - The Banking Ombudsman Scheme has told government agencies and the finance sector about a complaint it investigated recently in which a New Zealander was caught out trying to use cheques from bogus UK bank ‘WeRe Bank’.
The complaint was against a New Zealand bank for refusing to honour a cheque presented by a customer wanting to use it to pay off her credit card.
“The customer was upset the bank wouldn’t honour the cheque and the relationship deteriorated to the point the bank closed the customer’s account. We were asked to look at whether the bank’s decision to refuse to bank the cheque was legal and if it could end the relationship it had with her.
“In short, our investigation revealed the ‘cheque’ was not actually a cheque because the issuing ‘bank’ was not actually a bank,” Banking Ombudsman Nicola Sladden said.
WeRe Bank was set up in the United Kingdom last year as a ’common law bank’. Customers send the bank a promissory note (an IOU) of £150,000 and then pay membership fees of £10 a month for an account. It deals in its own currency called the Re, apparently a unit of energy used to pay debt.
WeRe Bank supplies the customer with a cheque book to write ‘cheques’ drawn against the promissory note to pay debts. The cheques are not legal tender so debts aren’t paid. WeRe isn’t a registered bank or even a company, but is run online by one person and with a mobile phone number.
“This is the first complaint involving a New Zealand customer that we are aware of. Canada and the United Kingdom have dealt with cases. Because WeRe cheques are worthless, customers’ attempts to repay debt with these cheques are not successful and so people face all the risks of late payment, from additional charges to repossession.
“There will be no joy for anybody who thinks they are on to a winner with a WeRe bank cheque book. It sounds too good to be true, because it is.”
“We also determined the bank had the right to decide to end its banking relationship with its customer and had followed the correct process for doing so,” Ms Sladden said.
See our Quick Guide on Common scams targeting bank customers or for scam alert information: www.dia.govt.nz, www.consumerprotection.govt.nz/scams, www.fma.govt.nz, www.netsafe.org.nz
UK Financial Conduct Authority Warning about WeRe BankUK Financial Ombudsman Service WeRe Bank decisionCanadian Court of Queen’s Bench Alberta WeRe Bank decision
A press release from the Banking Ombudsman Scheme June 22, 2016
Wellington, 21 June 2016 – The tech sector and Government should combine forces to start creating a position of New Zealand as the high tech capital of the world, an incubation nation and a world class digital nation, NZTech recommended today.
The national tech organisation today released a landmark first-ever in-depth study report on the actual state of New Zealand’s technology. NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says that while New Zealand has a large and dynamic tech export sector it is not evident in the positioning of New Zealand globally.
“Go to Silicon Valley and talk about agri-tech and everyone says Israel, yet we have a globally respected agri sector. Go to the United Kingdom and mention ed-tech and they say the United States, yet we have a globally respected education sector.
“Ask anyone overseas what they know about New Zealand, and if they know anything at all, it is usually sheep, hobbits and nice scenery. None of this is particularly helpful if you are trying to export high tech products.
“The small size of our domestic market constrains the potential for New Zealand businesses to grow without trading. New Zealand is not going to get rich by selling to itself. The ability for businesses to sell their goods and services to customers in overseas markets is critical.
“For a geographically isolated country like New Zealand, global connections are critical. Falling travel costs and greater connectedness due to technology have reduced the negative impacts of being far from global markets and created new opportunities for trade in many diverse sectors, Muller says.
New Zealand’s exports are predominantly primary products with more than half of all exports in the year to June 2015 from primary products ($35.7 billion). While natural resources will remain the basis of our competitive advantage for years to come, there are natural limits to the growth of the primary sector and a need to ensure sustainability by working within environmental constraints.
Ultimately, for New Zealand to diversify its export base, technology will play a critical role in creating new exports and higher value niche products that complement our existing national specialisation in agriculture. There is also scope to use technology to improve value-add in agricultural exports, the report says.
Since 1990, exports from New Zealand’s high tech manufacturing sector have grown from under $100 million to $4.4 billion in 2015. Exports of high-tech goods and services from the ICT sector have grown to $1.9 billion in 2015. In total, the tech sector generated $6.3 billion of exports, making it the third largest export sector for New Zealand.
A combination of factors may be contributing to the growth of New Zealand tech exports. As well as the growing scale of a number of tech exporters there is also growing breadth. For example, exports from New Zealand video game developers exceeded $100 million in 2015, up from $80 million in 2014. Tech export successes are also being built off global technologies as local ICT firms find ways to add value to international products and leverage off their channels to market.
Muller says one shining example is Auckland start-up Hapara. Inspired by teachers at Point England school in Auckland, Hapara developed a piece of cloud based software that lets teachers see what students have on their screens when using Google Apps in the classroom. Now only five years old, Hapara tools are used by schools in every US state and in more than 30 countries opening them up to a global edtech market worth $US100 billion. There are scores of examples like this coming out of the New Zealand tech sector.
A press release from the New Zealand Technology Industry Association
At its Annual General Meeting on June 2, Saint-Gobain unveiled its new logotype. A new interpretation of the ‘bridge’ symbol that has represented the Group for more than 40 years, it also incorporates a vibrant skyline illustrating the Group’s brand territory of “living places.” Warm and bright colors have been used to create a more emotional connection with customers and end consumers.
This logo reflects an updated positioning for the brand, based around its promise: to design, manufacture and distribute materials that improve the wellbeing of both individuals and society as a whole. For Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain, “At Saint-Gobain, our materials and solutions are designed to help increase the comfort of people today, wherever they live, work and travel. But we need to do this sustainably, helping to safeguard the planet for future generations. For us, these aspects of wellbeing are complementary, two sides of the same coin.”The shift in brand positioning underlines the Group’s commitment to creating a stronger connection with the general public. Better informed through digital media, consumers play an increasingly important role in specifying the products that are used in their projects. Saint-Gobain wants to explain how its materials and solutions contribute to daily life, through its brand values: expertise in materials, a culture of innovation, an understanding of customer needs and an approach based on openness and responsibility. “We need to be more visible to end consumers,” says Pierre-André de Chalendar. “Today’s strong brands demonstrate the value they bring to people. I want everyone to know what Saint-Gobain stands for, and the role our brands play in daily life.”
ABOUT SAINT-GOBAINSaint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions which are key ingredients in the wellbeing of each of us and the future of all. They can be found everywhere in our living places and our daily life: in buildings, transportation, infrastructure and in many industrial applications. They provide comfort, performance and safety while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and climate change.
World leader in habitat€39.6 billion SALES in 2015Operates in 66 countriesMore than 170,000 employees
Who we are ?Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and solutions which are key ingredients in the wellbeing of each of us and the future of all. They can be found everywhere in our living places and our daily life: in buildings, transportation, infrastructure and in many industrial applications. They provide comfort, performance and safety while addressing the challenges of sustainable construction, resource efficiency and climate change.
Saint Gobain is well represented in New Zealand including SWFDistribution run be Ross Eathorne who can be reached on 09 441 0040 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pictured Professor Claire Massey with the cover of The New Zealand Land and Food Annual.
A new book from the Massey University Press is the first edition of many that will examine and analyse the agrifood and agribusiness landscape in New Zealand.
The New Zealand Land & Food Annual 2016 – Why waste a good crisis? is a solution-focused analysis of the issues currently facing New Zealand agribusiness, and a glimpse into the issues that will affect the country in the future. The book was launched at an event as part of Fieldays at the Radio Sport Lounge at FMG Stadium Waikato on Thursday.
The book contains chapters dervied from the collective knowledge of 26 expert contributors from a spectrum of organisations and viewpoints. Authors come from tertiary institutions like Massey University, manufacturers including The New Zealand Merino Company, and many more industry leaders in science, farming, banking, research and environmental protection.
Book editor and Massey University director of agrifood Professor Claire Massey says, “the book is as useful for an everyday New Zealander as it is for a policymaker, researcher or organisation”.
“The subjects covered are complex and they concern not only the technical problems, but also the interpersonal problems of a community in crisis. When we talk about the management of resources we cannot forget the most important – the people.
“Initially, we were nervous about the word ‘crisis’ and all it carries with it, but the reality is that there are people in crisis in this country and the problems they face are our problems,” she says.
Chapters explore issues of foreign ownership, dairy prices, worldwide consumer demand, iwi, food fraud, environmental sustainability, advances in technology, exports, manufacturing, and much more.
“I encourage people to read the chapters on subjects that they know, but also on those they know nothing about. As I found myself, each chapter has something to offer and much can be gained from a deeper understanding of familiar subjects, but also of those in which we had yet to consider.”
Professor Ralph Sims of the School of Engineering and Advanced Technology, whose chapter discusses changes to farm management practices, gave a sobering presentation on the impact of greenhouses gases and climate change.
Massey University Press Publisher Nicola Legat says: “this book is a vessel for thought-leadership and is a prime example of the kind of high-quality publications that the university’s publishing division was established for. In the year of its first edition, I look forward to the many more to come.”
Professor Claire Massey leads the University’s agrifood strategy and provides a focus for the activities that occur across the University’s academic units and service lines. She also heads Te Puna Whakatipu, which leads and supports university-level projects in agriculture and food.
The book will be published annually and launched each year around the Mystery Creek Fieldays. To find out how to purchase the book, visit the website.
Network World | Jun 20, 2016 - I have a particular interest in the manufacturing of physical goods. For close to 25 years, I have been involved with a boutique, New Zealand-based manufacturer of backpacks and workwear. Cactus Equipment has been designing and making its own products for years.
As opposed to the regular model of spec'ing a product from Far Eastern design and manufacturing houses, Cactus designs in house and then manufacturers in its own New Zealand factory, as well as a number of outsourced but still New Zealand-based facilities. So, the realities of trying to get a product designed and prototyped is something I'm well aware of. The design and sourcing combined with the difficulty in accessing resources makes product engineering a difficult task.
That is why I've been interested to watch companies that try and make this process more efficient. One company, Ponoko, got its start in New Zealand around 10 years ago with a vision of connecting designers, customers and manufacturers. The idea was that any one of those stakeholder groups could use the Ponoko platform to connect with the other groups. Have a smart design for some new widget? You could find a manufacturer and a customer base on Ponoko. Ponoko leveraged a global listing of production facilities using different processes (CNC machining, laser cutting, different material specialties etc) to achieve good economics.
Whether they were too early or their execution wasn't optimal, Ponoko never really seemed to hit escape velocity. It still exists, but the world of design and manufacturing is pretty much the same as it was a decade or two ago.
Continue to the full article published in NetworkWorld here
Auckland, 21 June 2016 - The number of New Zealanders working past 65 is on the rise but a new survey has found most businesses are not geared up for them.
The study was carried out as part of the Retirement Commissioner’s review of retirement income policies and questioned 500 companies, ranging from those with fewer than five employees to those with more than 200.
It found 83% have no policies or strategies in place for workers aged over 50. And it doesn’t matter what sort of work they do: the results for those engaged in manual work, such as farming and forestry, were no different to those in manufacturing or the service sector.
Nor does the size of the organisation make any substantial difference: large workplaces are doing no better than small businesses.
David Boyle, the Commission for Financial Capability’s group manager investor education, said: “Older workers bring skills, experience and, often, loyalty to an organisation. Their input can be invaluable, but they can need support, such as training or flexibility around their role, in order for them to keep working.
“It’s a question of attitude as well. I’ve heard from people in their 60s and even their 50s who say they feel invisible or overlooked in favour of younger workers.
“As we live longer and the age of our workforce increases it’s clear that employers need to consider how they manage – and benefit from – their older employees.”
Of those who have introduced strategies or policies, they include flexible working hours, job design, an organisational culture that is supportive of older workers and planned phased retirement such as moving to part-time work.
The survey found more than two thirds (69%) of the 500 businesses agree that there’s a shortage of highly experienced workers in their industry. And a similar proportion (70%) are concerned about losing skills and experience when older workers retire.
Boyle said: “The logical next step is for them to draw up policies and strategies to ensure they retain people with those skills and experience who want to continue working.”
The survey found 77% of companies do not carry out any active retirement planning to help their employees transition from full-time work.
“I know of some companies that make work more flexible for their older staff, for example with part-time mentoring roles to tap into that experience. It’s often a win-win for everyone.
“But I also speak to people who feel like they’ve been put on the scrap heap, and would like to work but can’t, when they still have a lot to offer. Continuing to work can give them purpose and greater self-esteem, as well as helping their financial wellbeing,” Boyle said.
More than one in five people over the age of 65 is still working, some because they need the money, but others because they enjoy what they are doing or like the social contact. That number is set to rise to one in three over the next 15 years.
The Commission for Financial Capability is holding a forum today to address the issues that workers, employers and the country is facing.
It will investigate what other countries are doing to make the most of their ageing workforces; identify the challenges and opportunities that New Zealand is facing; and address the social and economic implications of working past 65.
The Commission is also running an online survey, asking New Zealanders what age they think they will retire and why.
Results to date from 2,200 people show 88% plan to keep working past 65 and their reasons are varied including the ability to use their skills and talents, the chance to do a job that is worthwhile, for social contact and for financial reasons.
Friday 17 June 2016 - Peter Nation, NZ National Fieldays Society CEO said the level of ingenuity in the room was second to none.
“It’s great to see the number of Innovations entrants growing every year,” said Nation.
“You’re looking at innovations today that could very well revolutionise agribusiness tomorrow.
“I’d like to congratulate all of the inventors here today. What you’re doing means you’re tuned in to the foundation of the industry, which is innovation. We don’t grow, we don’t advance without stopping and asking the pertinent questions about where we are, how we got here and what it will take to move forward.
“Looking around the Innovations Centre today, the right questions are being addressed.”
With 70 entrants in the Fieldays Innovation Awards this year, the trend has been towards mobile apps and data collection software as the industry keeps up with technological advancements.
Award winners:
• Fieldays Young Innovator of the Year – St Paul’s Collegiate School, Crankholder• Vodafone Innovation and Technology – Agricultural Software Limited, FarmWalker Pasture Meter• Locus Research Innovation Award – Kevin Bain, Pest Trap Reset Mechanism• Origin Innovation IP Award – Progressive Equipment Limited, Pipe Grabber• Crowe Horwath Agri Innovation Award – Styx Solutions, Styx Batten and Outrigger System• Tompkins Wake IP and Commercialisation Award – Antahi Innovations Limited, TrutiTuber and FlexiTuber• Tru-Test Prototype Grassroots Award – Kevin Bain, Pest Trap Reset Mechanism• Tru-Test Prototype Established Award – Styx Solutions, Styx Batten and Outrigger System• Fieldays Launch NZ Award – The Wrangler Limited, Pollen Smart
A Field Days press release
The stunning new Business Class Bar and Lounge for Virgin Australia’s newly refitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
Cambridge Network, UK, 15 June 2016 - AIM Altitude has stretched the geographical and engineering boundaries to produce the stunning new Business Class Bar and Lounge for Virgin Australia’s newly refitted Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
First programme to launch under the new AIM Altitude brand and AVIC ownership
With the design and manufacture programme beginning in 2014, the final Door 2 monument design is the result of a successful collaboration between Virgin Australia, AIM Altitude and design house, tangerine.
The design was developed and engineered by AIM Altitude specialists in New Zealand, before AIM Altitude in the UK took up the mantle with manufacturing at its Cabin Interiors facility in Bournemouth. The first of five refurbished Boeing 777-300ER re-entered service between Australia and the United States in May 2016.
The engineering limits were also expanded. Michael Pervan, Managing Director of Altitude, explained: “When Virgin Australia and AIM Altitude first began collaborating on the project, we wanted to stretch the boundaries of what is currently experienced by passengers in the Door 2 zone of a wide-body aircraft. We faced a number of challenges, including finding methods to engineer and manufacture products that used unique lighting and custom trim and finish materials. Like most aircraft interior projects, we were also faced with the challenges of limited real estate in which to create a relaxing and luxurious environment in the Door 2 zone.”
Altitude achieved an outstanding end result, with an impressive Corian backlit bar countertop light box, lighting embedded within Virgin Australia’s Flying Maiden logo and contemporary leaf pattern ceiling as well as bar-edge lighting designs. Ultimately this has created a zone that feels more spacious with a much improved passenger and crew experience.
As part of the design and development programme AIM Altitude follows with all large programmes of this nature, a specialised product development process was implemented at the commencement of the project. Before any detailed design was undertaken, AIM Altitude liaised with many stakeholders of the aircraft Door 2 zone, such as cabin crew and passengers. This consultation ensured a comprehensive understanding of all user requirements.
As the programme developed, full-sized mock ups were created to give stakeholders the opportunity to experience the Door 2 zone in a realistic environment. This process saw several design changes occur which, without mock-up experience, potentially would not have been identified until much further in the programme where additional cost or delays may have been incurred.
In total, AIM Altitude designed five distinct pieces of furniture for the Door 2 area:
“We are extremely proud of what we have worked with Virgin Australia and tangerine to create,” says Pervan. “There is no doubt that it is a statement on the ‘Art of the Possible’, and we hope that Virgin Australia’s guests enjoy this space as much as we have enjoyed bringing it to life”.
Shipping News Feature US – Founded in New Zealand in 1978 to serve the ocean and air freight and road haulage sectors, Mainfreight moved into the same US markets in 2007 and has now expanded its logistics network there with the addition of two new warehouses. Located in Newark New Jersey and Dallas, Texas the facilities, at 135,000 and 129,000 square feet respectively, boost the company’s available warehousing to 574,000 square feet when added to its existing depots in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago.
Since its inception Mainfreight has established a comprehensive network of warehouses and service throughout the world in addition to its North American network, with almost seven and a half million square feet of space spread between Australia, New Zealand, Europe and Asia. Mainfreight's US services include container drayage, customs clearance, and both LTL and FTL transport in addition to the full portfolio of supply chain solutions offered worldwide. René van Houtum, Vice President of Logistics at Mainfreight Inc. commented:
"We're totally focused on delivering first-class logistics and supply chain solutions to our customers in a comprehensive 'one package' approach. To achieve this we're intensifying our North American and global network capabilities and have aggressive growth targets at Mainfreight to ensure we're well-positioned to help our customers expand their businesses. We measure ourselves by the service and quality we deliver to customers. Our ability to grow is inextricably linked to their satisfaction and loyalty. We never lose sight of that."
A Mainfreight press release June 14, 2016
Wellington, 14 June 2016 - The Reserve Bank is warning of what appears to be a scam email sent to businesses in the financial sector.
The scam email, purportedly from a Reserve Bank staff member, encourages recipients to click on a link to view “New Transaction Guidelines”.
The email was not sent by the Reserve Bank, and clicking on the link could potentially expose the recipient’s computer to a virus.
Visit www.scamwatch.govt.nz for more information about how scams work and how you can protect yourself.
A press release from the Reserve Bank of New Zealand
NZBloodService, 14 June 2016 - Last year 110,000 New Zealanders donated over 160,000 units of blood, helping save the lives of over 42,000 ordinary Kiwis. For many, this great act of giving quite simply made the difference between life and death.
“Donating blood is selfless act which has the potential to save the life of a total stranger. Today on World Blood Donor Day, on behalf of New Zealand, we want to say ‘thank you blood donors’ and acknowledge how their generosity touches so many lives” says Asuka Burge, National Manager Marketing and Communications for NZBS.
To mark this World Blood Donor Day, New Zealand Blood Service (NZBS) is launching a new app for iPhone and Android, putting the power to save lives in the palm of the users’ hand. It has never been easier to find a time and place to make a blood donation.
“Over 50% of blood donations are made through mobile blood drives across the country. Staying connected with all our donors, not just those that visit a donor centre is vitally important to NZBS. The app was developed in an intuitive way that will enable us to stay connected with all of our donors, creating regular touchpoints that we hope will act as a call to action to continue donating and encourage others to do so as well,” says Asuka Burge, New Zealand Blood Service National Manager Marketing and Communications.
As well as being able to book appointments, access maps of all the blood drives across the country and share across personal social media platforms, whole blood donors that download the app will also receive a special notification when their blood has been used to help save a fellow kiwi’s life.
“When developing the app it was very important for us to include features that would help ensure our donors continued to feel valued and to remind them what a wonderful gift they are giving. Donors could be at home, on the bus to work or just supermarket shopping and they will receive a ‘thank you’. We hope it goes some way to remind our donors what a wonderful difference they are making to someone else’s life,” continues Ms. Burge.
New Zealand Blood Service app key features:
The NZ Blood Service Donor App is available for free to download for iPhone on the App Store, and for Android devices on the Google Play store. The app is available for new and current whole blood donors, and current plasma donors. Platelet donors will still need to contact the donor centres to book their appointments
A GeekZone press release
BALDWIN, Long Island, New York, June 13 2016 - - A Baldwin business owner spoke with News 12 Long Island about how she had to fight Donald Trump over the name of her travel business.
Claudia Rabin-Manning bought Trump Travel in 1989. Shortly after, she was slapped with a lawsuit by the presumptive Republican presidential candidate for using his last name.
She says the family-operated travel agency had already been named Trump Travel when she bought it - the name referring to a term used when playing cards.
The lawsuit was eventually settled and wound up costing Manning thousands in legal fees. The judge ruled that Manning had to use a disclaimer saying her business was not in any way related to Donald Trump. That wound up including her stationary, emails and even the sign outside the building - “Not affiliated with Donald J. Trump or the Trump Organization”.
Manning says her agency's name did bring attention to her business, but just not in a positive way.
Trump's attorneys made a second attempt to sue the travel agency for a similar reason in the 1990s, but that attempt was also unsuccessful.
This article published by News 12 Long Island
Wellington, Friday 10 June 2016 - New electric vehicle signage launched today will help remove barriers to going electric, Transport Minister Simon Bridges says.
The new signage, developed by the Christchurch City Council and approved by the NZ Transport Agency, uses an easily recognisable symbol to identify where electric vehicles can be charged. The signage can now be rolled out for use on State Highways and local roads across the country.
Todays’ launch follows the announcement of the Government’s Electric Vehicles Programme last month.
“It’s clear that electric vehicles are the future and the Government is committed to accelerating uptake in New Zealand.
“We have recognised there are a number of barriers preventing households switching to electric vehicles, such as a lack of awareness of electric vehicles and widespread public charging infrastructure.
“To help people transition from petrol and diesel we need to ensure there is easy access to charging infrastructure and that it is easy to find. The launch of national charging signage is a great first step in helping motorists switch to electric.
“I applaud the Christchurch City Council for taking the lead and developing a symbol that can now be used across the country, with a number of councils already signalling their intention to install it in their regions.”
Mr Bridges says the Government is now working on progressing the Electric Vehicles Programme.
“Following my announcement last month, we’re now in the process of establishing the contestable fund, leadership group, information campaign and we’ll be looking at introducing changes to Road User Charges later this year.”
Further information on the Government’s Electric Vehicles Programme is available at: www.transport.govt.nz/ev
10 June 2016 - A new online version of the herd management system most New Zealand farmers use will be officially launched at Fieldays by LIC.
MINDA® LIVE brings new features that will make life easier for dairy farmers, managers and their staff. Farmers will be able to use the system anywhere, any time on any internet enabled device.
“MINDA LIVE brings a modern online experience to the dairy farm,” LIC CIO Paul Littlefair said. The system has new features farmers have been asking for, such as automatic updates. “MINDA LIVE operates in real-time. Multiple users can enter data at the same time wherever they are. If a farm worker in the dairy shed puts information in the system, it will appear instantly at the house so the farmer can see it. Access is available via broadband, fixed or mobile, on any computer, tablet, or mobile devices,” Littlefair said.
New features include a virtual “holding pen” that will “hold” information users have entered until the farmer has a chance to review and approve it. Another feature is a new customisable report template. Farmers will be able to build customisable reports in the system by adding new animal attributes, e.g. breeding worth, milking information, expected calving date. “A range of new features will be progressively added to MINDA LIVE throughout the year ahead,” Littlefair said.
As a farm information and management system, MINDA LIVE puts farmers in control of their farm operations. It improves farmers’ decision making about herds and individual animals, including breeding, feeding and culling decisions. “Having access to this information is powerful. It helps you decide which animals to keep in your herd, which improves your production and the genetic merit of your herd over time.”
Littlefair said MINDA LIVE will still need to go offline from time to time to allow system upgrades and updates, e.g. when nationwide Animal Evaluation data updates take place. These data updates help ensure the animal data that benefits all New Zealand dairy farmers remains up to date.
Farmers are encouraged to come along to LIC’s site at Fieldays, EX1 in the Exhibition Building, to see MINDA LIVE in action. They are also encouraged to visit the LIC Automation site (E30) to find out about a range of innovative automation products for the dairy shed.MINDA LIVE offers for farmers at LIC’s site at Fieldays:
MINDA Workshops at Fieldays
To find out more about MINDA LIVE, drop into one of our MINDA workshops, to be held in the Seminar Marquee in the Central Precinct at Fieldays.
A LIC press release June 10,2016
The 2016 NZ DIA Forum will be held in the Viaduct Events Centre, Auckland on 16 - 17 November in conjunction with the RNZN 75th Anniversary celebrations, Operation Neptune.
Details will be published as soon as possible. Meanwhile, if you are interested in sponsorships or display space, please contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For details of the sponsorship and display space being offered at this year's Forum, click here
An NZDefence Industry release
10 June 2016 - The tool-kit, which provides practical advice and resources to help farmers improve health and safety on their farms, has been developed by Safer Farms, ACC and WorkSafe New Zealand’s health and safety programme designed with farmers and the wider agricultural sector.
Beef + Lamb New Zealand and Federated Farmers were among the groups which provided input to the tool-kit. Beef + Lamb New Zealand, in addition to working with WorkSafe on the new tool-kit, is working with sheep and beef farmers to help them meet their obligations under the Health and Safety at Work Act. Beef + Lamb New Zealand Chief Executive, Sam McIvor, says that by the end of June, the organisation will have run over 70 health and safety workshops for more than 2,100 attendees around the country.
“There’s no question that as an industry we need to make sure we have good health and safety practices in place on our farms,” says Mr McIvor. “We’ve been working closely with WorkSafe and farmers to get these systems in place on sheep and beef farms. Tools, like those promoted on the WorkSafe website, give farmers good practical information to make their farms safe places to operate,” McIvor says.
Al McCone, WorkSafe’s Agriculture Programme Manager says that while many farmers recognise that proactive planning is needed to make sure they can keep healthy and safe, they find it difficult to know where to start with changing their approach. He reassures farmers that this doesn’t need to be hard. The easy-to-use tool-kit concentrates on those things that make a difference on farm, which are also at the heart of the new Health and Safety at Work Act - involving everyone on farm, recognising health as well as injury risks, and working with other businesses to make sure overlapping risks are managed.
“Fit and healthy people are a critical factor for successful farming. In 2013, around 20 per cent of agricultural workers made a farming-related injury claim to ACC, at a cost of over $26 million. Some of those injuries will keep costing for several years. Keeping everyone on your farm safe and healthy helps ensure a farm is productive and profitable.
“The new tool-kit can help farmers keep safe and keep farming,” says Mr McCone.
A WorksafeNZ press release
Entries are now open for New Zealand’s longest-running and pre-eminent sustainability awards.
9 June 2016 - The NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards, which are now in their 14th year, celebrate the contribution organisations and individuals are making to transforming New Zealand to a more sustainable nation. Entry to the awards is free and open to all organisations and individuals in New Zealand.
CEO of the SBN Rachel Brown says, "There’s been a tremendous amount of action in sustainability over the past year and the need to be recognised in this space is greater than ever. The sustainable business landscape has shifted with events such as the Paris Agreement on climate change putting sustainability firmly on the agenda.
"Now’s the time to be recognised for your sustainability innovations or impacts. Entering these Awards is a quick and easy way to celebrate your achievements."
The NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards focus on four transformation areas that are key to the future direction of sustainability in New Zealand: Renewables, Community, Mega efficiency and Restorative.
Within each of these four categories there are separate awards for Impact and Innovation. There are also awards for an individual Sustainability Champion, Communicating Sustainability and Energy Management.
The supreme award, NZI Greatest Contribution to a Sustainable New Zealand, will be awarded to a business that has performed outstandingly well in all aspects of sustainability.
Last year’s winners ranged from small businesses like Wishbone Design Studio and social enterprises such as Âkina Foundation to corporates like Gull and DB Breweries. The 2015 supreme award was presented to Taupô Beef.
Travis Atkinson, Executive General Manager of NZI, the Principal Sponsor of the Awards says, "We’ve been proud supporters of the Sustainable Business Network and national awards since 2007.
"NZI provides insurance for a growing New Zealand so being sustainable is really important to us - it’s become fundamental to the way we do business. We’re strong believers in the SBN’s mission to inspire change and we look forward to meeting the sustainability leaders of 2016."
Entries close on 1st August 2016. To find out more or to enter the NZI Sustainable Business Network Awards go to www.sustainable.org.nz/awards.
A news release from Sustainable Buisness Network
Is your local marae, sports team or social club confident in doing CPR and using an AED to save the life of someone in cardiac arrest?
As part of an effort to reduce New Zealand’s cardiac arrest toll, St John ambulance officers and tutors are volunteering their time to deliver a free 3 Steps for Life community education programme to the public.
“More than 1,200 people die every year in New Zealand after suffering a cardiac arrest. New Zealand’s cardiac arrest toll is four times the national road toll and yet it remains a silent disease in terms of public awareness,” says St John Medical Director Tony Smith.
3 Steps for Life is designed to give all New Zealanders the confidence and awareness to take action when somebody suffers a cardiac arrest by 1) Calling 111; 2) Starting CPR; and 3) Using an AED (automated external defibrillator).
St John’s last Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Report (2014/15) revealed that 64% of cardiac arrests occur at home and 19% happen in public so it’s vital that family members and bystanders take action.
Applying CPR and rapid defibrillation can increase a patient’s chances of survival by up to 40%. But for every minute without CPR or defibrillation, a patient’s chance of survival falls by 10-15%.
St John’s OHCA Report also revealed Māori are disproportionally affected with a 40% higher chance of suffering a cardiac arrest than all other ethnic groups.
As a result St John has developed a ‘Marae Cardiac Arrest programme’ using the 3 Steps for Life formula.
St John Pou Takawaenga (Māori liaison officers) are working with Māori communities and have engaged 30 marae around New Zealand to support training in CPR and access to defibrillators.
“St John is committed to enhancing Maori community health outcomes through our Te Ara Hato Hone strategy, just as building community resilience is an essential goal,” says St John Director of Community Health Services, Sarah Manley.
St John aims to deliver the free hour-long 3 Steps programme to at least 5,000 people over the next year so if your rugby, netball or hockey team, church group, local marae or any other community groups are keen, please go to the St John website 3 Steps for Life enquiry page to make a booking.
We know these three easy but vital steps can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.
To book a 3 Steps to Life Session Click Here
Paul Radisich "I believe that in this day and age, backing New Zealand companies that manufacture and produce on home on home soil – whatever sector of industry that might be from – is vital,” he explained."
Two time world touring car champion and New Zealand icon Paul Radisich has been appointed as the new national and international ambassador for the Buy New Zealand Made Campaign.
Appropriately, Radisich’s first appearance in his new role will be at the Speedshow two day event at the ASB Showgrounds in July, where the domestic motorsport and performance parts industry is showcased every year.
Since his retirement from active motorsport, Radisich has focussed his attention on Aegis Oil, a family business which is unique in being the only company in the lubricants sector in New Zealand blending and making its own lubricants for the domestic and international markets.
“I believe that in this day and age, backing New Zealand companies that manufacture and produce on home soil – whatever sector of industry that might be from – is vital,” he explained.
“The Buy NZ Made campaign is all about raising awareness that we are producing a huge and diverse range of products blended here in NZ and that we are actually exceptionally good at it. That is something we can control and nurture and it keeps money and jobs inside New Zealand, both now and in the future. At a very simple level that has to be good for the next generation of Kiwis who manufacture domestically, but I believe is also key to us forging our place in the commercial world in the future. We have to be manufacturers to compete and survive – whatever it is we manufacture.”
Despite volatile international markets in some sectors, total New Zealand manufacturing rose by 1.3 per cent in the final quarter of 2015 according to Statistics New Zealand, with a small increase in sales despite the well-documented reductions in production value in the dairy industry.
“What a lot of people won’t know is that the Buy NZ Made campaign is still a very active one which offers support services and networking opportunities to other NZ manufacturing businesses and that collective strength will become increasingly useful and important in a global marketplace.
“As an owner and operator of a domestic manufacturing business I recognise the benefits of an NZ Made collective all of the time and I have been a very strong supporter of all things New Zealand made. It’s a privilege to be asked to be the campaign’s ambassador and I hope very much to add to the campaign as it will inevitably come into sharper focus in the years to come.”
Owned and run by Business NZ, the Buy NZ Made Campaign began in 1988. Its mission is to keep our country working by promoting and supporting the manufacturing, exporting and retailing of New Zealand made goods.
A Buy New Zealand Made press release
In 2011 Italian, Lucca Mucchi set up the iLD in-line devices assisted by a team of highly skilled technologists whose aim was to develop and produce hi-tech strategic sensing solutions named mOisTori / mOisTracker, for improving industrial production processes.The members of this team brought with them a vast wealth of experience in the field of non-intrusive sensing systems founded on microwave-frequency technology, and were well aware of the opportunities that the real-time non-destructive solutions now provide.This technology plays a vital role in the food industry which motivated Tony Rumbold, founder of SCANZ Technologies, to develop a relationship with iLD which culmulated in SCANZ becoming their NZ representative.
Of particular interest to industry in New Zealand would be the mOisTracker® product range. This is based on multi- parameter planar microwave sensors over a surface of which the material is made to flow, coupled to a digital control unit.The mOisTracker® Cylindrical family is suitable for measuring powder, granular material, coffee, maize, semi-finished cream, liquids food, starches and derivatives and can be installed, for example on a pipe; it is also suitable for use with ceramic powder, etc.
The mOisTracker® Planar and Cylindrical sensor family provides smart solutions for real- time measurement of moisture and density in solid raw materials (paper, cement, chips, granulates, breads, panels, pellets, tiles, powder and food products for the oven or kiln, ceramic powders and colours, etc.), liquids (food, slips, glues, etc.) and semi-finished products (garnishing and filling creams, etc.), on production lines of industrial processes.
To discuss your requirements with Tony you can reach him on:
Scanz Technologies Ltd.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.Phone: 09 520 2544 www.scanztech.com
(CPV) Monday 6 June 2016 – A New Zealand-Vietnam friendship bridge will be constructed on Dien Bien Phu street in Ho Chi Minh city, connecting Hutech University and the Hong Bang International University.
The information was announced on June 6th, between New Zealand Minister for Economic Development, Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment and Science and Innovation, Steven Joyce and Vice Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh city People’s Committee Le Thanh Liem.
The bridge is a joint project between New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and a coalition of New Zealand timber, and the Ho Chi Minh city People’s Committee. It will be made from Glulam, a product made of New Zealand radiate pine wood that is known for its strength, durability and versatility, it is lighter and stronger than steel.
Discussions to construct the friendship bridge began in 2015 during the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between New Zealand and Vietnam when a coalition of New Zealand timber companies – Sequal Lumber, Timbalink, PTL Structural Timber Consultants, Vietnam-New Zealand Ltd and Tran Duc Homes – raised the idea of sponsoring an enduring symbol of friendship between the two countries to mark the anniversary.
The first flight from Auckland landed at Ho Chi Minh city on June 5th, 2016.
According to New Zealand Consul General to Ho Chi Minh city Tony Martin, the idea to construct a bridge – something that connects two places together – is a great symbol of the strong ties between New Zealand and Vietnam.
The construction is a strong metaphor for the rapidly growing Vietnam – New Zealand bilateral relationship as well as a great advertisement for the use of timber in construction./.
Forestry makes an important contribution to New Zealand’s economy as the third largest earner, making up to 3.2% of GDP. New Zealand government research institute provides technical and scientific capability in forestry, wood products and bio – product research, and development with a high – value manufacturing focus.
The nation is best known for using wood and plant fibres, which includes wood modification, wood processing, fibre sciences, pulp and paper testing, bio-refinery technology, and clean technologies.
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
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