Currently, the daily Sydney-London A380 service goes via Dubai, but from March 2018, it will change to stopover in Singapore.

The change is one of a few to come out of Qantas extending its Emirates partnership for another five years, to reflect customer demand, new aircraft technology and each airline’s respective network strengths.

Meeting in Sydney to finalise the extension, both airlines agreed the first five years of the partnership had lived up to the promise of serving their customers better, together. Changes to the joint network are designed to reinforce this for the next five years.What the heck are these changes?

The key change will see the airlines better leveraging each other’s networks, by providing three options to Europe – via Dubai, Perth and Singapore.

Qantas will re-route its daily Sydney-London A380 service via Singapore rather than Dubai and upgrade its existing daily Melbourne-Singapore flight from an A330 to an A380. As previously announced, Qantas’ existing Melbourne-Dubai-London service will be replaced with its Dreamliner service flying Melbourne-Perth-London.

A detailed summary of the changes, including effective dates, is provided at the end of this release.

Customer demand for flights between Australia and Dubai will remain well served by the 77 weekly services that Emirates operates from five cities – Adelaide, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney – including seven daily A380 flights.

Qantas passengers will still be able to fly on Emirates to Dubai, where they have access to over 60 onward connections on Emirates to Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The airlines will shortly seek re-authorisation from relevant regulators, including the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, to continue coordination of pricing, schedules, sales and tourism marketing, under an expanded partnership.

Tickets for Qantas’ new services will be available from tomorrow.

Customers with existing bookings impacted by the changes will be re-accommodated onto the new services or will be given the option to change their flights.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce said the changes reflect a strong alliance between the two airlines.

“Emirates has given Qantas customers an unbeatable network into Europe that is still growing. We want to keep leveraging this strength and offer additional travel options on Qantas, particularly through Asia,” he said.

“Our partnership has evolved to a point where Qantas no longer needs to fly its own aircraft through Dubai, and that means we can redirect some of our A380 flying into Singapore and meet the strong demand we’re seeing in Asia.

“Improvements in aircraft technology mean the Qantas network will eventually feature a handful of direct routes between Australia and Europe, but this will never overtake the sheer number of destinations served by Emirates and that’s why Dubai will remain an important hub for our customers.”

Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline, added, “The Emirates-Qantas partnership has been, and continues to be, a success story. Together we deliver choice and value to consumers, mutual benefit to both businesses, and expanded tourism and trade opportunities for the markets served by both airlines. We remain committed to the partnership.

“We see an opportunity to offer customers an even stronger product proposition for travel to Dubai, and onward connectivity to our extensive network in Europe, Middle East and Africa. We will announce updates in the coming weeks.

“Customers of both airlines will continue to benefit from the power of our joint network, from our respective products, and reciprocal frequent flyer benefits.”

| A  TravelWeekly release  ||  September 1,  2017   |||

Another four Iveco Stralis prime movers for C3

We’ve heard of a range of different reasons as to why operators choose the Iveco product, often its adaptability and cost of life that is nominated as the prime reasons.

But in this case, it was simply a case of the Iveco product copping a battering and consistently coming back for more.

New Zealand logistics company – C3 has just expanded its fleet of 16 Iveco Stralis prime movers by another four trucks.

The new trucks will join their older siblings in Western Australia – hauling wood chips from sustainably-grown plantations across.

C3 also operate several trucks from the city of Portland in south-western Victoria in the same application but configured as B-Doubles.

Racking up about 400kms a day, some of the Stralis trucks in the C3 fleet have covered more than a million kilometres.

But C3 Operations Manager – Albany, Craig Fildes, says they just keep coming back for more punishment.

“A lot of the roads the trucks travel on especially in the plantations – as you could imagine – are not very nice, the trucks can take a battering but the Ivecos handle it well.

“The drivers are also happy with them, especially with their comfortable, quiet cabin.”

c3 logistocs iveco stralisThe new additions to the fleet are powered by the 560hp 13 litre Cursor engine coupled to a ZF Eurotronic II 16-speed transmission.

“This time we went for the higher engine output and worked with Iveco to select the best GCM – the AS-Ls allow us to work at our desired target of 90 tonnes which helps productivity.

“The AS-Ls do quite an amazing job – they are a good all-round fit for the application.

“They’re comfortable, quiet, they’re easy to work with and are competitively priced.”

| A BehindTheWheel release  ||  September 1,  2017   |||

One of the most common frustrations during packing of bags is the time consumed by the labeling system. Changing tape, tickets or ribbons means halting the process while another tape or ticket roll is being loaded.

This leads to unnecessary delay, accumulation of costs per bag and increases in lead time. Furthermore, the tape or tickets attached to the bag can easily tear off or be removed and can fade when subjected to sun light, causing logistical problems and loss of identification. Depending on the number of customers and products being packed, storage of all the different tape and tickets increases your costing and often leaves you with unusable surplus material.

Together with LC Packaging Eqraft has developed laser printable bags and a laser printer that prints straight on to bags without the use of ink ribbons, tape or paper tickets. As the printing is without contact there are no wearing parts.

This printer has been developed for high volume continuous operation at high reliability. The printer allows for the individual printing of bags with filling dates, product information track and trace numbers and any other information making the identification of each specific bag and its contents possible. Printing is done straight onto the bag without the use of the so called consumables such as PE tape, paper tickets, sprayed ink or ink ribbon.

The Eqraft Laser Printer for Bags allows for:

• No Consumables
• Real time printing & online editing
• Durable, water & light resistant prints
• Individual product identification

Currently the Eqraft Laser Printer and the LC Packaging laser printable bags are being thoroughly tested by one of our customers in the Netherlands. The official presentation will be at the Potato Europe Exhibition in Emmeloord on September 13-14th. The Eqraft Laser Printer for Bags can be integrated with the Baxmatic® bagging equipment.

| A n Eqraft release  ||  August 29,  2017   |||

Sistema CEO and Customs .jpgCustoms and Sistema Plastics have signed a partnership under the NZ Customs Secure Export Scheme (SES), endorsing the exporter’s supply chain security standards.

Customs and Sistema executives met at the Sistema head office in Auckland to seal the deal with an official Certificate of Partnership.

Customs Acting Comptroller Christine Stevenson says New Zealand’s SES gives members greater certainty at international borders and ensures minimal delay.

“We recognise the importance of supporting international trade. Sistema is one of the country’s most successful manufacturing businesses, and now exports to more than 80 countries around the world. The Sistema range is well known internationally and it is very pleasing to welcome them on board with this partnership,” says Ms Stevenson.

Sistema Plastics CEO Drew Muirhead says “Joining the partnership will bring great efficiencies and allow us to continue streamlining our supply to our customers globally. We are delighted to be part of SES and thrilled to be working alongside Customs and the other great New Zealand companies which are also part of it.”

Exporters that are approved for the SES provide Customs with risk management plans that assure their goods are packed and transported securely to the place of shipment without interference.

Customs currently has agreements with the United States, China, Australia, Japan and Korea and SES is recognised by those countries. It means exports by local SES members benefit from the knowledge their products will be considered secure at those borders.

The SES is voluntary and open to exporters wish to apply. For more information, see Secure Export Scheme.

| An NZCustoms release  || September 01,  2017   |||

JR’s Orchards, writes Nicola Watson for www.freshplaza.com  is the only large scale, export orchard left in the Wellington area and is situated in the heart of the beautiful Wairarapa, in Greytown.

"Our region's climate of hot days and cold nights gives our fruit outstanding pressures and brix, making our apples highly desirable to all markets," said Jamiee Burns from the company. "In the past 5 years we have planted in excess of 35,000 trees including the new “Sunglow” Red Delicious which is attracting a lot of interest due to its sweet taste and storage compatibilities."

JR's are planting another 5,000 trees this winter, mainly Royal Gala and High Colour Braeburn. "We are looking to grow our markets in Europe and Asia as we feel our variety mix of Royal Gala, Braeburn, Fuji, Sunglow, Pacific Rose and European Pears will be perfect for these markets. We also export to the Middle East market and currently supply fruit into Lidl and Aldi in Europe."

Although netting is not common among New Zealand apples growers, JR's have 90% of their orchards protected. "We have the largest single netting structure for apples and pears in New Zealand and we will continue to develop until we are 100% covered," explains Jamiee.

"The netting has many benefits in enhancing our fruit quality and fruit finish as it has created its own micro climate under the nets. Our crop is protected from birds, insects, wind and hail."

The first netting was erected in 2007 and according to Jamiee, it has been a fantastic investment. "We have seen a 30% increase in production due to the netting. This is achieved by having a cleaner, pest free product and healthier trees."

JR's are a stand-alone business with no other grower supply base. Everything is marketed under the ECCO brand is 100% own fruit. "We have our own packhouse and coolstores with the capacity to Smartfresh 2,000 bins per day. We load all containers onsite and are part of New Zealand's Secure Exporters Program. This allows our export product to enter overseas markets freely without the need for additional offshore customs inspections."

The company has also invested in a new Compac grader that allows them to size, colour band, defect sort and optimise pack weight to ensure accuracy of the product.

"Our philosophy and vision is to grow excellent quality fruit in a sustainable way, while showing respect for our environment. We have twice entered the New Zealand Ballance Environmental Awards and in 2009 won the Gallagher Innovation Award. In 2015 we entered again and won the 2015 Hill Laboratories Harvest Award, 2015 Waterforce Integrated Management Award and 2015 Massey University Innovation Award, said Jamiee proudly.

The company is accredited to BRC, Global Gap + GRASP, Sedex Registered and follow the New Zealand Pipfuit Apple Futures Program to ensure we can deliver an excellent product and meet all our Importers stringent MRL standards required by our markets.

| A FreshPlaza release  ||  August 31,  2017   |||

TRAVERSE CITY — Devices to help farmers get over, around and through orchards and vineyards were on display during the Northwest Michigan Horticultural Research Center's annual open house last week.

Seven agricultural equipment vendors — three from the area — sprawled out down the hill from the Research Center office and conference building.

One area vendor, Herman's Mobile Service from Suttons Bay, towered over the other companies.

Herman's displayed a mobile frost fan that extends 28 feet into the air. Built by Tow and Blow in New Zealand, the device is powered by a diesel engine.

"This machine will cover 11 acres," said owner Pat Herman. "The new model that is coming in now are 14 acres. Diesel engine. They're quiet, like a lawn mower. The biggest thing with these is portability. You can move them from one crop to another or put them away when you're done with them."

Herman said permanent frost fans, while covering more acreage, also burn more fuel.

"We're going to have slightly less coverage than them, maybe one to two acres," he said. "But the other thing we have going is we burn about a gallon and a quarter of fuel an hour where those are going to burn about 13. It's a big difference."

The mobile frost fans also feature a temperature-controlled start. Herman said the $37,000 price tag is "very comparable to the stationary ones."

Herman said his company has been carrying the product for three years. He said Herman's Mobile Service sells many of the mobile units in Ohio, New York and Wisconsin.

| A RecordEagle release  ||  August 31,  2017   |||

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   |||

Centuries of formality, tradition and etiquette are the attributes that many young people normally see as reasons to bypass the game of golf.

The perception that golf is also mostly for the elders on the higher rungs of the corporate ladder might be precisely why the young and ambitious should consider practicing their swing.

Trends worldwide show that golf is a game which is under enormous pressure to gain and retain participants, especially of a younger demographic. New Zealand Golf continues to meet the pressure head on through its ongoing efforts to keep the game accessible to all.

New Zealand Golf, with the support of the University of Auckland, has set out to create a unique programme that has seen such interest that spaces were taken within days.

The Business Course pairs leading business professionals with ambitious young students for a round of golf, teaching them a bit about ‘the game’ while playing the game over the space of six weeks.

Big names such as former prime minister Sir John Key, celebrity chef and restauranteur Josh Emmett, Air New Zealand Chief Financial Officer Rob McDonald, Susan Paterson (ONZM), Spark Chief Executive of Home, Mobile and Business Jason Paris and Rhodes scholar and Reserve Bank director Jonathan Ross, will join students on the course. The students will graduate from the programme at an event held alongside New Zealand’s first LPGA event, the MCKAYSON New Zealand Women’s Open on October 1st.

The Business Course follows New Zealand Golf’s Love Golf initiative, which was launched in 2014, designed to tackle the perception of the sport in New Zealand and drive an increase in participation.

With 8 out of 10 golfers playing the sport on a casual basis, golf in New Zealand has evolved to facilitate Kiwis’ flexible commitment to the sport as interest grows within a younger demographic of players.

The University of Auckland Business School is thrilled to partner with New Zealand Golf to give promising business students the opportunity to learn from and network with some of the biggest names in New Zealand business, picking up skills that will be valuable for life.

“Co-curricular activities such as The Business Course offer another level to a student’s career development and the initiative is one we are very excited about at the University of Auckland,” says University of Auckland senior lecturer of marketing Dr Mike Lee

“Nearly all industry stakeholders we have spoken to state the importance of graduates that are not only book smart but also people smart. While we provide as many opportunities as possible to ensure all students get a chance to develop these soft-skills, this initiative is a truly exceptional opportunity for our students.”

“We all believe in diversity and inclusiveness. There is probably a perception that golf is a sport for middle aged white males, and that only white males do well in business. That is why it was really important for us to select a diverse group of students and, with the help of New Zealand Golf, pair them with a diverse set of mentors. Both parties want to break the stereotype that golf (and Business) is only of interest to old white men,” Lee adds.

New Zealand Golf believes that the programme will be a valuable tool in demonstrating the value of the game of golf to young people.

“Golf is a game that enriches young lives and has always been a useful sport to play in the business world. We believe the opportunity to partner with the University of Auckland Business School for this programme is invaluable,” says New Zealand Golf Chief Executive Dean Murphy.

“The Business Course will be of huge benefit to both the mentors and the students as they spend time together on the course and get to know one another away from the distractions of a busy world.”

Being able to play golf has always been an advantage in the business world but The Business Course is more than a golf game, it’s an investment in promising futures.

| A NZGolf Assoc. release  |  August 31,  2017   |||

Growing evidence shows that the downside of super-fast connectivity and ultra-fast broadband is producing an equivalent lift in cyber-attacks, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says.

Muller, just back from the multinational Global Tech Leaders Dialogue in Melbourne yesterday, says many nations involved in the forum confirmed increasing cyber-attacks along with faster connections.

“This week alone we have seen sophisticated scams using fake government websites and email addresses,” Muller says.

“The national cyber emergency response team CERT NZ have identified and exposed scams such as the fake IRD tax rebate email scam and the fake Ministry of Primary Industries exporters advisory email scam.

“Both elaborate cases of phishing attacks designed to get people to click on a link that inserts malware onto their computer. This malware allows criminals to capture your key strokes or take over your machine.

“As systems across our economy are becoming more digital the greater the number and variety of attacks, says Muller, and at the extreme end of the range of concerns is what could happen when complex systems like autonomous vehicles or drones come online.

“Our discussions in Melbourne focused on the increasing need for all countries to share information better around cyber issues as global supply chains connecting large corporates and small to medium enterprises across borders provide many potential vulnerabilities that expose us all.”

Recent research from the Asian-Oceanian Computing Industry Organization (ASOCIO), highlights that cyber security remains a significant risk as nations in the region become more digital.

The report, due for release on September 11, recommends the establishment of a regional CERT to connect national cyber security response teams for faster information sharing.

Muller says the cyber security of New Zealand and its trading partners is particularly important as digital trade grows and ultimately sees something similar to a security version of the World Health Organisation develop as the sense of shared responsibility grows and nations work to decrease cyber-crime.

“The New Zealand government’s cyber security strategy is considered world leading and as a nation we continue to work on improving our security together.

“The third annual NZTech Advance Cyber Security Summit in Wellington on October 25 will see tech leaders, security experts and policy makers finding innovative solutions for improving our cyber security.

“The summit has become an environment for shared learnings and experiences, and the opportunity to check in on the work being done as part of the national security strategy.

“We will hear from firms like TradeMe and Xero, completely digital businesses and how they are managing their security, and there will be updates from the minister, the CERT and the National Cyber Policy Office.”

“This is a nationally critical issue that is not about to go away and our ability to get together like this and collaborate, across industry and government, means that as a nation we are well placed to be one of the most secure nations, and this will help drive economic growth in the future,” Muller says.

For further information contact NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller or 21 02520767 or Make Lemonade editor-in-chief Kip Brook on 0275 030188.

| A MakeLemonade release  ||  August 31,  2017   |||

"Double the amount of pallets fit onto a container ship" writes Nele Moorthamers Marketing Manager Europe ZESPRI International ( Europe) NV for FreshPlaza. A few months ago Seatrade introduced a new line from New Zealand. "Our kiwis now go to Belgium with the Seatrade Blue," says Nele Moorthamers of Zespri Europe. "This container ship goes to Zeebrugge via Peru and the US, arriving at the BNFW terminal, where the kiwis are unloaded. It will be a set line that will arrive at Zeebrugge every 10 days. The first ship from the new line arrived on August 28. Around 40% of the shipment is SunGold and the rest is Green and Organic kiwi fruit."

ContainersIt's the first time that Zespri has transported its kiwis in 40 foot containers. " 

In the past the kiwis arrived in Zeebrugge in reefer ships, where the entire deck was filled with pallets of kiwi fruit. The line Color Carrier, uses cooled container ships. Every container has around 20 pallets of kiwis and are individually cooled. It mainly has an impact on loading and unloading the ships," she explains.

Double the volume"The container ship has a much larger capacity. In the past we received around 5,000 pallets through a reefer ship and there are 10,060 pallets on the ship that arrived on Monday. That's more than double. The transit time is now a few days longer than with the reefer ships, as this line has extra stops."

Nele says that the season has been satisfactory so far. "We still have around six weeks of sales for New Zealand SunGold, before we seamlessly move to European SunGold. The season for Green is more difficult, as the demand is large and the supply on the market is quite limited."

 | A FreshPlaza release  ||  August 30,  2017   |||