The New Zealand Defence Force has signed a multi-year contract with forwarder Kuehne + Nagel.

Under the agreement, the forwarder will be the global supplier of domestic and international freight forwarding and customs services to the Defence Force, which consists of the Royal New Zealand Navy, the New Zealand Army and the Royal New Zealand Air Force.

The scope includes specialised services such as aircraft support incorporating aircraft-on-ground and engine movements.

Kuehne + Nagel has set-up a ‘control tower’ with a dedicated team of experts in key locations to ensure continuity of supply and real-time visibility and online tracking tools to monitor cargo movements.

The Defence Force’s joint support component commander, Colonel Ruth Putze, said: "The movement of freight in support of domestic and international operations is critical to our business. We are therefore very happy to be working with Kuehne + Nagel as a highly qualified and professional service provider."

The forwarder’s New Zealand managing director, Michael Aldwell, added: "We are delighted to partner with the New Zealand Defence Force as their exclusive supplier for freight forwarding services and look forward to delivering customer excellence by drawing on our global expertise in government and defence logistics as well as aid & relief operations."

| An AirCargo release  ||  August 1,  2017   |||

Maersk Line has announced it will resume its weekly container shipping service to Wellington.

The service will return once CentrePort has completed works that will allow its ship-to-shore cranes to operate. These works were required following damage sustained in the November 2016 Kaikoura earthquake. They are expected to be largely complete by September.

The Jens Maersk, deployed on Maersk Line’s Northern Star service and capable of carrying 3,000 TEUs (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit), will make its first call at CentrePort on 18 September.

Gerard Morrison, Maersk Line Oceania’s managing director, applauded CentrePort’s efforts to complete the structural repairs needed to become fully operational again.

“CentrePort has kept us fully informed of its progress over the last nine months and we are very pleased to return to Wellington with our weekly Northern Star service. It allows us to serve our customers in the region faster and more efficiently,” said Mr. Morrison.

CentrePort Chief Executive Derek Nind welcomed the return of Maersk.

“We look forward to working with Maersk in the future as we resume our strong growth in container shipping volumes.

“This is great news for the region’s economy,” Derek Nind said.

Maersk Line’s Northern Star service deploys six 3,000-TEU sized vessels. The service makes six weekly port calls around New Zealand each week, connecting Kiwi consumers to goods, businesses to markets and enabling global trade. Through Maersk Line’s service network, New Zealand has access to 113 countries around the world.

Maersk Line is the world’s largest container shipping company, known for reliable, flexible and eco-efficient services. Part of A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S, headquartered in Copenhagen

| A Centrep release  || August 1,  2017   |||

When American Matthew Monahan first visited New Zealand, the Silicon Valley software developer was struck by a sense of possibility. Seven years later, the 33-year-old is helping the government lure other foreign entrepreneurs to the bottom of the world. It’s not a tough sell: the country’s strong economy, relative safety, political stability and famous natural beauty attracted a record 131,000 migrants in the year to June.

“It feels like you can do things in New Zealand you can’t do anywhere else,” said Monahan, who in 2012 sold the family history website he created with brother Brian for $100 million and today owns several properties near capital city Wellington.

REad the full article in BloombergPolitics written by Matthew Brockettand Tracy Withers

|  A Bloomberg release  ||  August 1,  2017   |||

BusinessNZ today released its Election Manifesto.

Based on a survey of employers throughout New Zealand*, the Manifesto outlines seven priorities that business would like to see enacted after the 2017 General Election.

BusinessNZ Chief Executive Kirk Hope said businesses want a Government that will reduce taxes, fix problem legislation, and boost growth in the regions.

"Business wants to see a tax cut for all categories of taxpayer early in the first term of the new Government, and no new taxes of any kind."

Mr Hope said employers in many sectors were worried about being unable to fill job vacancies, and wanted action on skills.

"They are unhappy with the level of skills coming out of the education system and want those skill gaps fixed by education and, if necessary, immigration. They want employees with better technical skills to help to grow more innovative and sustainable businesses."

Local government and the Resource Management Act were also a key concern

"There's a strong view that the RMA is holding the country back - 95 percent of businesses surveyed want it fixed or gone."

Businesses were also concerned about local government investing rates money in council-controlled enterprises and non-essential spending, while failing to invest in infrastructure. 65 percent wanted local government to stick to core functions like providing infrastructure.

Kirk Hope said business wanted a Government that continued negotiating free trade agreements to reduce the tariff burden on New Zealand exporters. A large majority want trade agreements with the US, UK, EU and the new TPP-11.

"These seven priorities if enacted by a new Government would improve the environment for enterprise and help business to create jobs and prosperity in local communities all over New Zealand."

|  A BusinessNZ Release  ||  Jluy 31,  2017   |||

 Taranaki DailyNews reports  that Taranaki's Amtec Engineering at Bell Block closed and made all of its staff redundant last week.

The downturn in the oil and gas industry has forced a Taranaki engineering company to shut up shop and lay off all of its staff.

On Friday employees at Amtec Engineering, Connett Rd East Bell Block, were called into a meeting and told they were all being made redundant.

The company's 44 staff were given a letter stating while the business' directors had hoped things would improve, it was closing the doors on the basis it was insolvent and was unable to continue trading.

Continue to read the full article here  

|  A Taranaki Daily News release  ||  July 30,  2017   |||

In a world-first refurbishment program to be undertaken in Brisbane, the agreement will see the purchase of 10 ex-U.S. military Black Hawks, to be imported into Australia early next year. The Black Hawks will be brought up to ‘as new’ condition and repurposed specifically for aerial firebombing operations during future bushfire seasons around Australia and New Zealand and for year-round emergency services and disaster relief work.

The aircraft will be refurbished and maintained in Brisbane by Sikorsky. This initiative sees Kaan Air Australia and StarFlight Australia partner to usher in a new era in Australian emergency services and disaster relief aviation.

This agreement with Sikorsky Australia will be a boost for local aviation jobs, potentially creating more than 50 pilot and technical jobs in the long term, including apprenticeships.

John Skeen, chief executive officer of Kaan Air Australia and StarFlight Australia, welcomed the new agreement and said the deal would assist emergency services in filling a significant gap within Australia’s firefighting and disaster relief resources.

Continue to read full article here

| A Vertical release  ||  July 29,  2017   |||

It was an all-New Zealand affair in Orange County, California today as Zespri officially opened its regional office to manage growing sales across Northern, Central and Southern America.

Zespri Chief Executive Lain Jager says Zespri is growing strongly across North America with most of this growth coming from the new gold variety Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit, which is proving hugely popular.

“The New Zealand kiwifruit industry is on track to more than double sales to $4.5 billion by 2025 and an important part of this growth will come from developing markets like North America, as well growing sales in our more established markets. Zespri is relaunching the kiwifruit category in the United States and the wider Americas region to attract new consumers and grow sales,” says Mr Jager.

Kiwifruit in the US is an underdeveloped category at number 21 in the overall fruit bowl compared to ranking in the top 10 for most European and Asian countries. However sales of all kiwifruit in the US – Zespri and other brands – are growing well above general fruit sales.

Zespri SunGold sales volumes in North America have grown over 100 percent over the past two years and are projected to hit nearly US$50 million in 2018/19, as consumers respond to the delicious tropical sweet flavour. At present, around 40 percent of SunGold sales are through Asian-American retail outlets, as these communities are more familiar with Zespri Kiwifruit. However the new variety appeals to mainstream American consumers too, with exciting growth through mainstream customers.

Mr Jager explains that retailers’ needs are changing and Zespri is working with distributors to meet those needs. “By appointing market development managers, we’ve been able to work with key retailers to build meaningful programmes to expand our distribution across the country and returned more value to our retail partners and New Zealand growers,” says Mr Jager.

Zespri is increasing its marketing investment to introduce more people to the great taste of Zespri Kiwifruit with an integrated PR, digital and social media campaign which includes in-store geotargeted mobile advertising, along with new eye-catching retail packaging.

Mr Jager explains Zespri is growing its offshore presence to deliver increased sales around the world, officially opening an office in Dubai earlier this year to service the regions of the Middle East, India and Africa. “More than half of our 450+ staff are based offshore now, with offices in 21 countries delivering sales and marketing programmes in 59 countries around the world this season,” says Mr Jager.

A Maori cultural delegation officially opened the new office at an event with senior Zespri executives, Ambassador Tim Groser and Mayor of Newport Beach Kevin Muldoon, with karakia/prayers and waiata/songs to bless the new whakairo/carving commissioned for the office. Carver James Tapiata has made several other carvings for Zespri offices in New Zealand and around the world and he created this work Te Puawaitanga (The Flowering) for the new office. Around 10 people will be based in the office.

| A Zespri release  || July 28,  2017   |||

Machine tool giant Mazak has passed another milestone in its embrace of “smart manufacturing” with full digitization of its manufacturing plant at Oguchi, Japan. The manufacturer emphasizes data analysis and machine connectivity in its designs — specifically using the MTConnect® open communications protocol and customized data-collection technology — and applies these in its own machine tool production processes, too.

“There is little doubt in the industry that MTConnect will soon be the standard worldwide and the foundation of tomorrow’s digitized manufacturing operations,” stated chairman Brian Papke. “At Mazak, we’ve experienced double-digit increases in productivity and machine utilization in each facility immediately after the implementation of digital process monitoring through MTConnect and our SmartBox technology.”

SmartBox is a network device that collects data from and supplies information to individual machines, and communicates with a wider network via the open protocol.

Oguchi is one of five Mazak plants in Japan, its headquarters location and the site of its R&D operations. The plant manufactures a range of horizontal and multi-tasking machines. A new plant Mazak is building at Inabe City, southwest of Tokyo, is designed according to the "iSMART Factory" concept and will begin producing machine tools in 2019.

Mazak’s first iSMART Factory is its plant in Florence, Ky., which manufactures the complete line of Mazak machine tools. The plant is organized as a series of advanced manufacturing cells and production systems in order to maximize productivity and flexibility. The MTConnect protocol links the machines, work cells, individual devices, and discrete processes, collecting process and product data from each one.

The iSMART Factory concept achieves “free-flow data sharing,” to optimize manufacturing by coordinating all available technology, information, and resources, in line with the theories projected as the industrial Internet of Things (IoT).

In addition to its two ISMART Factories and the one in development, Mazak indicated it would report further details in September.

|  An AmericanMachinist release  ||  Jul28,  2017   |||

Azelis has acquired Chemcolour, a leading supplier of specialty chemicals and food ingredients in Australia and New Zealand, for an undisclosed sum.

The acquisition strengthens Azelis’ presence in the region and positions it among the top distributors in the two countries. Australia and New Zealand are wealthy countries, rich in natural resources with growing populations, said Azelis’ CEO, Hans Joachim Müller, adding that Chemcolour is a great platform to extend agreements with its existing, global principal suppliers.

Chemcolour Australia has a manufacturing plant in Sydney and application and development laboratories in both Sydney and Melbourne. The New Zealand business has its primary manufacturing facility in Auckland with secondary blending facilities in Christchurch. The distributor also performs contract manufacture for several well known companies.

The transaction is expected to complete over the next months. All 90 of Chemcolour’s employees will transfer to Azelis.

|  An Azaris release  ||  July 28,  2017   |||