September 2016 Award winning supplier of SOLIDWORKS in Australia and New Zealand
www.nzmanufacturer.co.nz
10 FoodTech PackTech MHL
6
Preview
Manufacturing Technology How 3D printing is revolutionising manufacturing.
25
Smart Manufacturing How do you get a job that doesn’t exist yet?
‘Protecting’ our FTAs or Waste-to-Energy supporting remaining local systems used manufacturers? in Europe will protect our water Widely used technology routinely ignored in New Zealand claims process engineer. European technology that converts milk and meat processing plant effluent into self- contained waste consuming and energy generating plants is now available in New Zealand. Napier industrialist Ken Evans said the technology allowed milk and meat processing plants to become their own standalone waste treatment units with the added advantage of these plants using the waste so consumed as their own source of energy. As an example he cited large scale milking centres in Europe that were self sufficient in power simply because all the waste they generated was converted into electricity. He said that the era in which factories could discharge their waste in any volume or in any proportion into the public domain should have ended many years ago. It was now time to apply a readily available
continued on page 21
Around mid-July 2016, Fairfax Media raised the spectre of NZ ‘steel dumping’ claims on imports from China. The response from our Prime Minister was to play it down, whilst MBIE would not even confirm or deny whether it had received two complaints from NZ producers. Trade Minister Todd McClay, whilst in Indonesia, said it was not appropriate for him to comment politically!
of clarity compromises sound forward planning.
Such reluctance from our Government and its officials to clarify what the true situation is has been further clouded by an “out of left field” rejection of very recent exports of Zespri kiwifruit by China, because of phyto-sanitary concerns - causing Zespri to further tighten its already stringent handling protocols.
As the CEO of an Australasian company with a chain of 46 branches, I am in a position to observe the different approaches by our respective governments (and in Australia, by their States too), and the Australian aluminium industry has taken on and won several anti-dumping cases on extruded aluminium and aluminium products (like ladders and platforms).
Comments from Wellington quickly denied that the rumoured steel dumping claims had any connection with a somewhat coincidental non-tariff barrier for NZ kiwifruit. All parties, including Zespri have been very circumspect in their response, seemingly to avoid any ramping-up of retaliation from Beijing, or the prospects of compromising the planned re-negotiation by MFAT officials of the existing FTA with China (originally commencing from October 2008). Such apparent reluctance by our nation’s political representatives to be transparent to its own business sector makes for less confidence, and the absence of clarity compromises sound forward planning. Such apparent reluctance by our nation’s political representatives to be transparent to its own business sector makes for less confidence, and the absence
You may ask why does an aluminium manufacturer and fabricator enter a debate on NZ steel dumping claims? Well, it’s quite simple.
However, in NZ, whilst the highest standards of design and strength are applied to our products, the same standards (or even border inspection) do not appear to be applied to say imported aluminium ladders. And failures with imported ladders have been a common problem as have rock bottom prices, because of cheap substandard materials! We are also well aware of substandard steel pile casings not meeting standards on bridges and overpasses on the road construction south to Hamilton, and serious concerns about the strength and flexibility of reinforcing mesh. So as someone who started work serving in the steel and manufacturing industries, including fabrication, welding and erection work in steel buildings, and
continued on page 34
Affordable 3D design Still the best value-for-money investment for designers. Not just for solid parts and assemblies. Powerful tools for sheet metal design and development.
Purchase annual maintenance to receive new versions and upgrades, access to user forum and support. Geomagic Design provides all the features and tools for mechanical and sheet metal design. Geomagic Design can be installed on as many computers, at any locaon that has internet access, as you want and you can acvate/de-acvate the installaons yourself as you move between locaons.
enquiries@baycad.biz
06 8337093
www.baycad.biz