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Ingram Micro has announced a partnership with Vertiv, formerly Emerson Network Power, to deliver data centre solutions to businesses in New Zealand writes James Henderson New Zealand Reseller News
The deal comes amid an Auckland office expansion for the distributor, after signing the lease to take over the Umbrellar building that shares the company’s head office site on the North Shore.
From a vendor perspective, Vertiv will provide the complete range of products and services within a critical IT infrastructure framework, targeting industries such as telecommunications and internet services, banking and finance, transportation, power, logistics, and retail.
As a result, Ingram Micro will work with resellers to provide financing, education, training and business development resources to marketing services and pre- and post-sale technical assistance.
“Ingram will be delivering a broad and deep spectrum of technology and supply chain services to our solution partner community,” Vertiv channel business director of Asia Daniel Sim said.
“Vertiv will continue to bolster its position in New Zealand as a catalyst in adoption of pioneering edge computing implementations.”
Among the lines of Vertiv products that Ingram Micro will carry for the New Zealand market include critical power, thermal management, racks and enclosures, monitoring and services under the well known brands of Chloride, Liebert and Trellis.
“Appointing Ingram Micro significantly increases our presence in New Zealand and underpins our rapidly broadening channel strategy,” Vertiv A/NZ managing director Robert Linsdell added.
Formerly Emerson Network Power, Vertiv specialises in supporting mobile and cloud computing markets with a portfolio of power, thermal and infrastructure management solutions.
“Vertiv’s solutions open up additional revenue streams for Ingram Micro resellers that are active in the converged infrastructure space, so our channel partners are enthusiastic about the new opportunities,” Ingram Micro New Zealand managing director Gary Bigwood added.
“Ingram Micro is the only New Zealand distributor that can provide specialist resellers with a full range of hardware and software for data centres and enterprise level infrastructure solutions, which makes Vertiv the perfect fit for our partne
Alongside the new vendor partnership, Ingram Micro also unveiled plans to bolster office space, expanding into the adjacent building in Auckland.
“We’ve seen substantial expansion and have literally run out of room,” Bigwood added. “We’ve removed offices, reduced desk sizes and moved outbound teams to hot-desks – pretty much anything we could think of to create more room. But in the end, we really, really just needed more space.
“In a case of perfect timing, Umbrellar was looking to relocate just as we had finally run out of room to swing the proverbial cat. The stars aligned and everything has worked out very well for all involved.”
Bigwood said that signing the lease to take over the Umbrellar building, which is next door to the existing Ingram Micro building, also avoids a design and build project over the next couple of years and the associated disruption that would bring.
“The current Ingram Micro building is almost nine years old and will be getting a tidy up to match the Umbrellar facility over the coming year,” Bigwood added.
The move into the new building is scheduled for October this year.
| A IngramMicro release || August 31, 2017 |||
Kotahi, New Zealand’s largest supply chain collaborator and Pro Kinetics, one of Australia’s leading supply chain management businesses have struck a strategic partnership to strengthen their Australian businesses and trans-Tasman trade.
Pro Kinetics’ landside capability complements our ocean freight offering and will allow us to deliver on our aim to simplify the export / import supply chain by providing seamless end-to-end integrated digital solutions.
Kotahi Chief Executive David Ross said Kotahi and Pro Kinetics currently provide ocean freight and landside services to a number of joint customers and the time is right to share synergies.
“Pro Kinetics’ landside capability complements our ocean freight offering and will allow us to deliver on our aim to simplify the export / import supply chain by providing seamless end-to-end integrated digital solutions.”
“Furthermore, the partnership will allow Kotahi to strategically align container reuse between New Zealand and Australia. Our differentiation will be the ability to create value for customers by better matching New Zealand’s high export flows with Australia’s high import flows.”
“Opportunities to align cargo flows and reposition equipment across the Tasman will bring these markets closer to unlock value and reduce waste in the supply chain. Pro Kinetics is a like-minded strategic partner. They complement our future direction to deliver digital supply chain management and enhanced service to bring even greater value to our customers,” he said.
Pro Kinetics General Manager George Garth said: “We have great connections and knowledge, innovative digital solutions for documentation and customs clearance, and together with Kotahi’s ocean freight capability, we have a compelling new offer in Australia.”
“We share Kotahi’s approach to drive digitisation and technology development in supply chain management. We’re aligned on a digital journey to provide customers with an enhanced experience,” he said.
Pro Kinetics and Kotahi will offer customs clearance and documentation, export, import and coastal shipping, ocean freight, landside transport and warehousing. Going forward the Pro Kinetics and Kotahi team will be based in Melbourne.
| A joint release || August 29, 2017 |||
It's time New Zealand seriously started to invest in promoting technology, the country’s third largest export industry and fastest growing sector of our economy, a leading New Zealand tech businessman says.
NZTech and FinTechNZ chair and Augen Software Group director Mitchell Pham says when Kiwis are in Asia and ask locals what they know about New Zealand, they generally say tourism, education, dairy, beef and lamb, high quality food products and other primary exports – never technology.
“It is highly unlikely that technology innovation or digital products would be mentioned, even though we have thousands of world class tech companies in this country,” he says.
“I want to see New Zealand technology promoted to the world just as we have made a huge effort over the past 20 years to globally feature tourism in this country.
“As a technology entrepreneur who has travelled extensively throughout Asia, the lack of knowledge of Kiwi tech ingenuity is a constant frustration for me. There's no place in the Asian region where I can use the NZ Inc. brand to help position a tech business as being from a well-known high-tech export nation.
“This is why NZTech is actively working to develop the NZ Tech Story in collaboration with Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, New Zealand Trade and Enterprise and New Zealand Story to add being a high-tech nation as an integral part of the story we tell the world about ourselves. We can all participate and add to the development of the story via the NZ Tech Story Forum on LinkedIn.
“New Zealand has invested heavily in promoting education and tourism for decades, which is why we are so well known in Asia for these industries. It's time we make an on-going investment into promoting our fastest growing sector of our economy. The sooner the better, as it will take time to build the brand association between NZ and high-tech nation.”
Pham says the tech sector is not an island. As most Kiwi tech companies are still relatively new to business development in Asia, it would be smart and important for them to work alongside other New Zealand industry sectors which have been doing so for much longer and are therefore bigger, stronger and better known. Technology businesses are more relevant when promoted as part of the sectors that they serve.
Tourism, education, dairy, beef and lamb, fruit, wine, high quality food products, other primary exports, banking and engineering are just some of the sectors that have been developing in Asia for some time, he says.
“Critical mass is important for branding in Asia. So while we haven't got many large tech brands from New Zealand, such as Orion Health and Xero, we do have a large number of tech firms.
“NZ Techweek next year will be a huge opportunity to promote tech. International tech people will come to attend our events and we want to put NZ on the world tech map. Bringing together hundreds of events into the same week is better than spreading them across the calendar. The sheer number of Kiwis who come out to attend the events will also show critical mass and attract attention.
“We should also work smartly by tapping into relevant networks that are available to us. High-value and high-trust networks are full of influencers and connectors, so they are good channels to push the NZ tech story, such as KEA, New Zealand Asian Leaders (NZAL), ASEAN-NZ Business Council and similar networks connected in New Zealand and Asia.”
| A MakeLemonode release || August 28, 2017 |||
Smart factories are a key aspect of the fourth industrial revolution, but a factory can’t evolve into a smart factory unless its workers evolve, too.
The skills gap has a lot of manufacturers wondering about what the future holds. Should employers offer more pay to entice existing talent? How can we encourage students to pursue STEM and skilled education?
As if finding skilled workers wasn’t hard enough, the industry is changing so fast that many careers end up being moving targets. Companies can’t implement cutting-edge digital solutions if their workforce doesn’t have the skills to use that new tech effectively.
Perhaps the solution to the skills gap isn’t in filling old jobs, but creating new roles that maximize the effectiveness of digital technologies
According to a recent report by research institute UI Labs in collaboration with HR consultancy ManpowerGroup, that’s exactly what needs to happen.
“By mapping the digital roles and skills of the future, our research will help companies and schools upskill today’s manufacturing workforce for the connected, smart machine and augmented-technology jobs of an increasingly digital enterprise,” said ManpowerGroup CEO Jonathan Prising. “This will help bridge the skills gap and highlights the advanced and attractive jobs emerging on the forefront of the manufacturing sector.”
Continue here to the full report which identifies 165 of those emerging roles | An engineering.com release || August 22, 2017 |||
With a reported $11 billion dollars to be spent on strengthening infrastructure over the next four years, the New Zealand government’s pledged funding has fostered strong confidence among the domestic workforce.
In a survey conducted by global recruitment specialist, Michael Page, professionals in New Zealand rated the fourth highest in employment confidence within Asia Pacific. The Michael Page Job Applicant Confidence Index Q2 2017, evaluated the responses of mid to senior-level employees across industries and revealed New Zealand ranked 72 on the confidence index, above the Asia Pacific average of 64.
“The government is investing in infrastructure on the back of the population growth. This has created new job opportunities for professionals in the building sector including those skilled in civil engineering, residential property as well as commercial construction. This is where we are seeing the largest demand for talent right now,” observes Pete Macauley, Regional Director, Michael Page New Zealand.
Most notably, the record numbers of immigration to New Zealand has also driven growth in the construction, retail, manufacturing, consumer products and professional services industries. In view of the country’s hiring demand for professionals outstripping the supply, 79% of job seekers say that they are confident of securing a job in less than three months. In addition, 48% responded with optimism stating they see good employment opportunities in their areas of expertise and 68% of job seekers are confident the job market will get better in the next six months.
“We have seen organisations focus on promotion prospects for existing employees in the recent years which has resulted in strong optimism among professionals. However this has led to a highly candidate-driven employment landscape as professionals who can see a succession plan for themselves in their companies are unlikely to leave,” Pete Macauley shares his insights.
On attracting top tier candidates in New Zealand, Pete Macauley continues, “Companies are doing a very good job of retaining their best talent. A lot of human resources strategising has gone into ensuring learning and development as well as personal progression are well integrated into every employee’s career. Professionals in New Zealand are most concerned with selecting employers who can prove that they will progress on performance and continually invest in internal growth opportunities.”
Respondents to the Michael Page Job Applicant Confidence Index Q2 2017 also listed developing new skills (42%) and achieving better work-life balance (36%) as the top two reasons why they are most likely to switch jobs.
On top of investing heavily in organisational growth to enhance skills development, companies have also harnessed the latest technologies to allow employees their desired work-life balance. As more hiring managers recognise that flexibility as a talent attraction tool, efforts have also gone towards enabling professionals to do their job outside of the office and promoting dynamic working.
In New Zealand’s current hiring market, the strongest talent are aware of their position to demand the best compensation packages. Employers who can fulfill all their requirements for salary, career development and work-life balance will be best placed to secure top tier candidates for further business growth.
Editor’s note: The Michael Page Job Applicant Confidence Index Q2 2017 is a measure of how optimistic job applicants are about the current job market. The responses are based on those that applied for a job published on our Michael Page website in Q2 2017
| A SmartRecruitmentNews release || August 19, 2017 \\\
One platform for each and everythingThe machinery belonging to the business area, which focuses on global materials distribution and processing services, is highly diverse: The machines perform a wide range of tasks, were made by various manufacturers and differ in age. Now toii makes it possible to connect bandsaws and bending machines, mobile objects like cranes and forklifts and even complex production facilities such as slitting and cut to length lines and sophisticated processing solutions through milling machines and laser systems digitally in line with the Industrial Internet of Things. The digital platform allows the machines to share data and communicate with one another and with the IT systems. Processes can be planned and coordinated optimally and flexibly – across locations, worldwide. As a further major benefit, the platform simplifies data analysis. Which product has been produced when and in what quantities? Which machine needs maintenance? What could be developing into a problem? What additional materials need to be delivered? The system answers all of these questions and many more by gathering and analyzing data. The results are just a mouse click away – clearly structured and easy to understand.
“We’ve created an end-to-end solution that is tailored specifically to our needs. It will enable us to accelerate the automation of our production operations and make our processes much more efficient,” says Hans-Josef Hoß from the board of thyssenkrupp Materials Services. “We are now taking the digital transformation to the core areas of our business: our production shops, our machinery and equipment, and our materials. Our customers will feel the benefit – and so will we.”
toii has already successfully proven its worth in several pilot projects. For example, at Materials Processing Europe in Mannheim, a new, highly complex cut to length line that cuts sheet from coil was fully connected with the platform. The result: toii transfers work orders directly and in real time from the SAP system to the machine and controls its settings from sizes and weights to volumes. The platform also automatically retrieves the machine information required by SAP. As a result, the status of production and the finished products can be viewed at any time. Other machines have also already been digitally connected and automated using toii, for example measuring the thickness of metal strips for effective quality control and automatic blanking. In the latter case, the platform even made it possible to fully integrate the blanking operation into a production line. In other areas, from high- bay storage to mobile construction machinery, toii is improving efficiency as well.The platform is an in-house development, highly scalable, and can integrate up to several hundred machines a year. An international Materials Services team of IT professionals from Germany, India and the USA worked together to develop toii. Alongside various projects in Germany, there are already plans to deploy the system in the UK and the USA. All data are currently hosted on a central server in Germany. But to be able to comply with all data protection law requirements, local servers will also be created in the UK and USA as part of the further roll-out.thyssenkrupp Materials Services is systematically driving the digital transformation of the business area throughout the entire value chain. In many areas, connected collaboration and interactive processes are already well established – from logistics, warehousing and line utilization to purchasing and administration. The focus is on customers and their individual requirements. The aim: to continuously develop and implement made-to-measure digital solutions that allow for smarter and more effective collaboration and open up completely new possibilities.About thyssenkrupp:thyssenkrupp is a diversified industrial group with traditional strengths in materials and a growing share of capital goods and service businesses. Over 156,000 employees in nearly 80 countries work with passion and technological know-how to develop high-quality products and intelligent industrial processes and services for sustainable progress. Their skills and commitment are the basis of our success. In fiscal year 2015/2016 thyssenkrupp generated sales of around €39 billion.
Together with our customers we develop competitive solutions for current and future challenges in their respective industries. With our engineering expertise we enable our customers to gain an edge in the global market and manufacture innovative products in a cost- and resource-friendly way. Our technologies and innovations are the key to meeting diverse customer and market requirements around the world, growing on the markets of the future, and generating strong and stable earnings, cash flows and value growth.
About thyssenkrupp Materials Services: With around 480 locations in over 40 countries, the Materials Services business area specializes in materials distribution, logistics and services, the provision of technical services as well as services for industrial plants and steel mills. In addition to rolled steel, stainless steel, tubes and pipes, nonferrous metals, specialty materials and plastics, Materials Services also offers services from processing and logistics to warehouse and inventory management through to supply chain and project management.
| A Thyssenkrupp Materials release || August 21, 2017 |||
National is promising to deliver New Zealand's boldest-ever trade push if it wins the election, creating "shiploads of jobs" and giving the economy a multi-billion dollar boost.
Trade spokesman Todd McClay says a National-led government will work to unlock markets with 2.5 billion new consumers for the benefit of large and small exporters in every region.
"This new trade access will create shiploads of jobs and be worth billions of dollars to our economy and businesses across the country," he said on Tuesday.
Most of the initiatives Mr McClay is committing to following through have already been announced and some, including TPP11, are under negotiation.
National leader Bill English, who was with Mr McClay to make the announcement in Auckland, said it was the first time the entire list of trade initiatives had been brought together.
"We hope to have significant success to help the export sector," he said.
"Labour wants to renegotiate TPP11 - if that happened, it would mean the end of it."
The list of targets for "high-quality and comprehensive" free trade agreements include:
* The European Union
* The United Kingdom (following Brexit)
* Sri Lanka
* Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay & Uruguay
Negotiations to be completed are:
* The Trans Pacific Partnership 11
* Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru (The Pacific Alliance)
Existing agreements to be upgraded with:
* China
* Singapore
* The Association of South East Asian Nations.
Mr McClay told reporters the European Union FTA negotiations could start later this year and he wanted to complete all those that are underway within the next three years.
"We can't say we will take five or 10 years to negotiate deals... this isn't too ambitious."
| A Beehive release || August 21, 2017 |||
Stephen Hooper, Autodesk’s senior director of Manufacturing Business Strategy and Marketing was on the phone writes Roopider Hara for Engineering.com.
Autodesk will be throwing simulation and CAM into Inventor—not just any simulation, but NASTRAN, which was previously trying to sell for $3,500. And Autodesk is not charging a penny more than what it was already charging for Inventor. HSMworks will also be included.
From the speed of an online demo, it’s hard to tell how it will all work together but the potential of all this functionality in the box is enormous. The CAD, CAM and CAE, all working inside a single interface of Inventor, not only elevates the mainstream MCAD modeler Inventor back to star status at Autodesk, it raises it a level above ordinary MCAD from the competition. The mechanical designer or engineer is now empowered to do simulation and to send models to the CNC machine. They don’t have to purchase a CAM application, learn a whole new interface or be at the mercy of a machinist.
Don’t let on yet, Stephen says during the call last week. Autodesk is going to make a surprise announcement. And a surprise it will be. Many Inventor users have been bemoaning the lack of new capability in Inventor for a few years. Autodesk itself has been forecasting a cessation of the Inventor product line, with the idea that a tired desktop app would give way to cloud-based Fusion. They have been feeling left out and left behind, as a modern, cloud-based, mobile-device-friendly Fusion products have taken the spotlight.
This changes everything.
Pricing and Other Details
It's not a pricing story, says Stephen, but he still recognizes the importance of pricing.
Incredulous at what appears to be a grand giveaway, in which the products are included with an Inventor subscription, I have to press.
“Stephen, I can’t believe you are selling Inventor for the same price as ever, but, now, also adding NASTRAN and HSM. Really? No additional cost?”
“Believe it,” says Stephen.
Also announced is a change in the name of the “collections,” or what was previously called “product suites.”
Continue to read the full article here
| An engineering.com release || August 9, 2017 |||
An article preparred by Dan Hermandez and published earlier this month in The Fabricator.
Following specified pipe welding procedures and ensuring proper weld preparation can save significant time and money and ultimately improve productivity of the entire operation.
No matter the welding process being used, proper preparation before you get started is key to ensuring quality in the finished weld. Taking the necessary steps to prepare the weld also can reduce the risk of weld failure as well as wasting time and money on rework and consumables.
Proper weld preparation in pipe welding helps prevent problems such as weld inclusions, slag entrapments, hydrogen cracking, lack of fusion, and lack of penetration. Consider the following key points for cleaning and preparing the weld joint and avoiding some common mistakes to achieve success in pipe welding.
Cleaning and Prep
Joint preparation and cleaning go hand-in-hand. Which happens first depends on the state in which the pipe is received. Some welding operators, especially on outdoor job sites, may be responsible for cutting the pipe and beveling edges. But in some applications, often performed in pipe shops, the cutting and beveling are handled by someone else before the welder receives the pipe.
Proper joint preparation—and whether it’s beveled, grooved, or notched—is often dictated by the qualified weld procedure, which should ensure access to the joint and proper penetration and weld strength for the application. Once the pipe is cut using an oxyfuel torch, plasma cutter, cutting machine, or other tool, and the bevel is established with a grinder or by machining, be sure to clean the inside and outside of the pipe joint and the bevel.
If the pipe was cut with a machine, it’s likely a lubricant was used, so be sure to remove it during cleaning to reduce the risk of hydrogen inclusions. Cutting with an oxyfuel torch or plasma cutter typically leaves a slag or oxide layer on the cut edge. Be sure to clean this to prevent inclusions and porosity.
Remove any paint, oils, and dirt on the base material before welding; otherwise, these materials could make their way into the weld and cause inclusions or porosity that could harm weld integrity and cause it to fail. Clean the area 1 to 2 inches from the weld joint and the tie-in points, where the lacquer coating on the pipe’s outside surface meets the bevel.
While some welding processes or filler metals are more forgiving to dirt or mill scale on the material, don’t rely on the belief that dirt and oil can be burned off during welding. Any foreign material in the weld can cause problems later.
Part Fit-up and Tacking
Proper part fit-up ensures that the joint is set uniformly from start to end, resulting in weld consistency throughout the part. It helps prevent problems with lack of penetration or too much penetration, issues that can decrease the service life of the finished weld.
|An article released in The Fabricator || August 9, 2017 |||
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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