Hyundai Motor Co. and its affiliate Kia Motors Corp. will seek to push sales of environment-friendly vehicles as part of efforts by the South Korean automakers to meet increasingly stringent global emission standards and fuel economy requirements.
Hyundai Motor Group chairman Chung Mong Koo, who presided over a meeting of executives heading overseas offices, directed them to expand production and sales of such vehicles globally, according to an e-mailed statement. Hyundai plans to introduce its Ioniq gasoline-electric hybrid in the U.S. and Europe, after starting sales in January in South Korea. Kia plans to sell the Niro hybrid in the U.S., Europe and China.
Chung’s push for eco-friendly cars comes as Tesla Motor Inc. prepares for its debut in South Korea, where such models comprise less than 1% of 21 million vehicles. Automakers are expanding their lineup of alternative-energy vehicles with companies such as Toyota Motor Corp. as they come under pressure to improve fuel economy and meet increasingly stringent emission rules.
“We need to expand (the) eco-friendly car lineup and strengthen sales, production capabilities to lead the eco-friendly car industry,” Chung, who heads both Hyundai and Kia, said in the statement.
Hyundai and Kia have said they plan to have 28 environment-friendly vehicles in their lineups by the end of the decade, including electric cars and hybrids.
The automaker will accelerate the introduction of its Genesis luxury brand globally, according to the statement. Hyundai spun off its luxury marque into a standalone brand as it seeks to move upscale and compete against the likes of Toyota’s Lexus.
Hyundai plans to start sales of the G80 mid-sized sedan and the bigger G90 sedan in the U.S. this year, while the G90 will be introduced in the Middle East, the company said without providing a time frame.
Source: Industry Week
The consumers price index (CPI) rose 0.4 percent in the June 2016 quarter, Statistics New Zealand said today. This follows a 0.2 percent rise in the March 2016 quarter.
“Higher petrol and housing-related prices were countered by lower prices for meat and domestic air fares,” consumer prices manager Matt Haigh said.
Petrol prices showed the largest upward contribution, up 5.3 percent in the June 2016 quarter. This follows falls of 7.7 percent in the March 2016 quarter and 7.0 percent in the December 2015 quarter.
Annual CPI remains at 0.4 percent
The CPI inflation rate remained stable, at 0.4 percent, in the year to the June 2016 quarter.
Housing-related prices continued to be the main upward contributor, up 3.3 percent in the year. This increase was influenced by higher prices for newly built houses, excluding land (up 5.6 percent), and rentals for housing (up 2.3 percent).
Transport prices made the largest downward contribution, down 5.3 percent in the year as prices for petrol and domestic air fares fell.
"Petrol prices were 8.1 percent lower than a year ago, despite the increase this quarter as international crude oil prices recovered from their February low," Mr Haigh said. "Petrol makes up around 5 percent of the CPI basket."
Excluding petrol, the CPI showed a 0.8 percent increase in the year to the June 2016 quarter.
The CPI measures the rate of price change of goods and services purchased by New Zealand households. See the interactive CPI visualisation for further information.
Download: Consumers Price Index: June 2016 quarter – media release (PDF, 1 page, 145kB)
Spirit AeroSystems Inc. is installing one of the world’s largest autoclaves at its Wichita, Kan., facility. The new autoclave is 120 feet long, has a 30-foot diameter and an internal volume of more than 78,000 cubic feet.
The autoclave, which is one of nearly 40 at Spirit’s Wichita location, in part of a 94,000 square-foot expansion to Spirit’s Composite Fuselage Facility, where the company makes the carbon-fiber nose section for Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner. As one of the largest manufacturers in the world, and Wichita’s largest employer, Spirit has composite expertise for large, complex aerostructures as well as jet engine nacelles.
“Spirit continues to invest in our composite manufacturing capability and this latest expansion will help us meet record demand for the products we build,” said Terry George, Spirit’s vice president of the 787 program. “Spirit’s capabilities in composites are unmatched, and we are looking forward to continuing to meet our customer’s composite manufacturing needs.”
The autoclave won’t be the only huge machine in that facility. Spirit also has a four-story-high “Electroimpact” automated fiber placement machine that creates the Dreamliner’s airplane’s cockpit and forward cabin section by laying strips of carbon fiber on tooling in the shape of the Dreamliner’s fuselage section.
Spirit has also been busy with production of parts for the Boeing 737. According to a recent article on Kansas.com, by early 2017 the company will be manufacturing 47 parts of the Boeing 737 per month – the highest rate since the company was founded 11 years ago. The article adds that Boeing’s unfilled orders for the 737 — including its current Next Generation and new Max variants — stand at 4,385. At 47 airplanes a month, that figures to nearly eight years of building 737s.
Source: Composites Manufacturing July 18, 2016
The Government has approved the purchase of a new naval tanker for the New Zealand Defence Force which will be ice-strengthened and winterised for operations in Antarctica, Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee says.
The project will cost $493 million and will support a full range of NZDF deployments, including maritime sustainment and humanitarian and disaster relief operations.
The vessel will be built by South Korean firm Hyundai Heavy Industries and is expected to be delivered in 2020.
It replaces the 30-year-old tanker HMNZS Endeavour, which currently provides fuel to Royal New Zealand Navy and other partner nations’ ships and embarked helicopters, and supplies fuel and fresh water to support land operations.
Mr Brownlee says the new tanker will undertake a similar role.
“The Defence Force can’t operate without fuel, water, ammunition and other bulk goods, and the most effective way to deliver fuel to ships, aircraft and vehicles deployed overseas is by tanker.
“This vessel will be significantly larger, will be able to refuel two ships at a time while underway, carry and refuel Defence Force helicopters, produce and store water, and store and transport bulk goods.
“The Government has also opted to include ice-strengthening and winterisation features, representing a very useful enhanced capability when compared to the current tanker.
“This will allow it to deliver fuel and other goods to support Scott Base and McMurdo Station, during summer months once an icebreaker has cleared a path.
“It is important that New Zealand has a significant asset capable of supporting our presence in Antarctica and our interests in the Southern Ocean more generally.
“It will increase New Zealand’s contribution and help further demonstrate our long-term commitment to the Antarctic Joint Logistics Pool with the United States,” Mr Brownlee says.
The recently-released Defence White Paper placed greater emphasis than previous White Papers on protection of Southern Ocean resources and supporting New Zealand’s civilian presence in Antarctica. HMNZS Endeavour is due to retire in 2018.
A press release from the Minister of Defence, July 18, 2016
Gerry BrownleeDefence
Share
About this SiteContact UsSitemapLegalPrivacyAccessibilityCopyrightwww.govt.nz
Defence Minister Gerry Brownlee leaves today to attend the Counter-Daesh Defence Ministers’ Meeting being hosted by US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter in Washington on 20 July.
He will also represent New Zealand at the Counter Daesh Foreign Ministers’ Meeting being hosted by US Secretary of State John Kerry, also in Washington, on 21 July.
“As we have seen recently, Daesh continues to pose a significant threat not only to the citizens of Iraq and Syria but also the wider world,” Mr Brownlee says.
“These meetings provide an important opportunity to engage with other partners involved in the global coalition to counter the threat posed by Daesh.
“Receiving first-hand observations from those in the field and ensuring a coordinated response to tackling Daesh is important.
“We will be discussing the progress being made across all the coalition lines of effort, including the military campaign.”
New Zealand has around 100 troops alongside 300 Australians undertaking a Building Partner Capacity mission at Taji Military Base near Baghdad.
New Zealand’s commitment to this mission was recently extended until November 2018 and the Government has agreed, in principle, to training stabilisation forces required to ensuring law and order in Iraqi towns, cities and territories won back from Daesh.
A press release from the office of Gerry Brownlee
A total of 15,691 candidates appeared in the entry test for admission to the public sector engineering universities of . . .?
Dave (left) and Nate (right) Evans, cofounders of Fictiv, believe anyone with an internet connection should have access to production-grade manufacturing machines (image courtesy of Fictiv).
Dave and Nate Evans, cofounders of Fictiv, run what they describe as “a manufacturing platform” from a small office in San Francisco’s Civic Center. Walking inside, you come across whiteboards with scribbles and doodles, staffers squinting at Macs and PCs, and a friendly, fluffy golden retriever that belongs to an employee. What you don’t see are rows and rows of 3D printers and CNC (computer numeric controlled) machines cranking out parts.
How, then, does Fictiv deliver on its promise to produce your 3D printed parts in 24 hours and machined parts in three days? The answer rests with the way Fictiv harnesses its network of manufacturing partners.
Dave, a Stanford-trained mechanical engineer and one of the earliest employees of Ford’s Research Lab in Palo Alto, is Fictiv’s CEO. Nate, a designer, artist, and entrepreneur with a master’s degree in Chinese, is Fictiv’s Chief Experience Officer. (Nate’s title is abbreviated as CXO, thus the awkwardness of having two CEOs is averted.)
“Fictiv is the most efficient way for manufacturers and industrial designers to fabricate their parts,” said Nate. His vision is, “anyone with an internet connection should have access to the kind of production-grade machines Ford or Tesla would use.”
Fictiv built the software infrastructure to submit digital files, get quotes, and place orders. Users get a series of technology and material options relevant to the production method they’ve specified (for example, inexpensive PLA parts, strong ABS parts, or transparent parts in 3D printing).
Fictiv’s online ordering system automatically inspects the submitted part to ensure it can be made (image courtesy of Fictiv).
A key component of Fictiv’s browser-based software is the automated design for manufacture (DFM) analysis. Dave explained, “When you upload a part, the software is looking at it to see if the part can be produced.”
If the geometry is flawed or unsuitable for machining, the customer gets instant feedback, with suggested remedies. In the preliminary estimate, the analysis is software-driven. But once the customer requests a full quote, a mechanical engineer on Fictiv’s staff inspects the file in person.
While some crowd-funded startups may have no qualms about uploading their concepts to a cloud-hosted software, many in traditional manufacturing, such as automotive and aerospace, still wrestle with the security concerns of the cloud. Dave said, “That’s why we sign a lot of NDAs,” but also pointed out the concerns may be disproportionate to the real risk.
“When you’re emailing your design to get quotes, you don’t know what happens to those file attachments,” he said. “With our system, only the vendor who’s going to produce the part will get to see the file — nobody else.”
The actual production is done by its manufacturing vendors, who are recruited, vetted, and brought on board with rigor and diligence. The vetting process takes two weeks, Dave revealed.
“Machine shops go through ebbs and flows,” Dave pointed out. “So we leverage the idle machines to produce parts on demand. We bundle a lot of orders from different customers and drive business to a vendor, so we have a lot of purchasing power.”
Currently, Fictiv targets startups, innovators, inventors, and designers who need parts produced in quantities of 500 or lower.
With the ability to produce low-volume parts at a reasonable cost, 3D printing empowers a whole new wave of makers, innovators, and inventors who would not otherwise be able to turn their ideas into reality. However, most 3D-printed parts do not have the same strength as machined metal parts. Metal parts are easy to produce in CNC, but the technology favors large volume production. The fact that Fictiv’s platform offers both choices for low or moderate volume is significant.
Stratasys, a 3D printing machine maker, offers on-demand manufacturing services through its Stratasys Direct Manufacturing division. Production options include PolyJet, stereolithography, laser sintering, and CNC machining.
Another on-demand additive manufacturing vendor, CloudDDM, gets its speed advantage by building its operations close to the UPS distribution center in Louisville, Kentucky. The company offers single-day turnaround for 3D-printed parts. Makers, inventors, and engineers may also turn to 3D Hubs, a site that lists 3D printing service providers by region, to produce their prototypes.
For small and midsize businesses that do not have onsite production facility, on-demand manufacturing service providers fill a critical need. They become the remote manufacturing arm, an extension of the in-house design team.
Her Majesty always committed to Commonwealth but Doctrinal UK commentators bamboozle naïve NZ counterparts
Three powerful figures are now ranged behind a restoration of the Commonwealth trade and emigration bloc centred on Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.They are Her Majesty the Queen, foreign secretary Boris Johnson, and international trade secretary Dr Liam Fox.
Her Majesty is known to favour a return of the active and operational Commonwealth era. The Queen is the head of the Commonwealth and has remained its consistently most ardent supporter.
Foolishly, what is left of the print media here, and which is in thrall to elements of the UK newspapers of the type that sends begging letters for donations to random New Zealanders, has been seriously misled.
This is because speeches written for Her Majesty, which she is obliged under the terms of the British Constitution to deliver word for word, had been naively taken by, for example, The Guardian, to indicate that the Queen had doubts personally about Brexit.
In the event it is the Queen’s privately uttered give-me-three-good-reasons that is now taken by the non-doctrinal dailies in the UK to have accurately reflected the royal view concerning membership of the EU.
Foreign secretary Boris Johnson’s support of the Canada-Australia-New Zealand bloc has been unreservedly-voiced during his previous job as mayor of London.
New trade secretary Dr Liam Fox who visited New Zealand while he was chairman of the Conservative Party made a point while he was here of talking to everyday New Zealanders in order to get his own views on attitudes.
Dr Fox was an un-reserved Brexiteer who made no effort to hedge what turned out to be a successful bet on his part. He campaigned on what he saw as the unsustainable level of immigration created by EU membership.
From the MSCNewsWire reporgters desk July 18, 2016This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Sandvik Coromant will reveal for the first time at IMTS 2016 new connectivity-based solutions designed to help manufacturers optimize their machining and decision making process. The new solutions have been developed to improve every aspect of it, from design, production planning and through machining to post-process analysis and intelligence.
Digitalization within manufacturing is increasingly important for the digital manufacturing future success of machine shops the world over however; embarking on this transformational journey brings also challenges and complexities. To help manufacturers overcome them, Sandvik Coromant has devised digital solutions that support those looking to take steps towards a connected future.
“Sandvik Coromant has a long heritage of bringing new technology developments to the metal cutting industry, each of which is based on the values that our customers hold highest, such as greater productivity and profitability,” says Magnus Ekbäck, Vice President Business Development at Sandvik Coromant. “Connected software and hardware does the same thing but in a different way. At IMTS, visitors will discover how advancements such as data exchange and machining intelligence will improve efficiency and optimize production processes. New technologies open new possibilities and we are keen to share our knowledge and help customers take the lead in digital machining.”
The data collected at each step of the digital machining processes combined with Sandvik Coromant’s competence in interpreting and optimizing them will provide manufacturers with better insight about their machining environment and ultimately help them increase their overall profitability. For those wanting to discuss how best to benefit from digital advances such as connectivity, digital machining and big data, as well as the latest machining trends, leading experts from Sandvik Coromant will be available at IMTS 2016 to engage in discussion and address visitors’ specific inquiries. A wide selection of tools will also be on show at the exhibition, some of which will be taking part in live demonstrations.
IMTS 2016 takes place on 12-17 September at McCormick Place, Chicago, USA. Sandvik Coromant has two booths at the show, W-1500 (West Building) and NC-509 (North Building, Hall C).
Source: A Sandvic Coromant press release July 14,2016
“It is a normal part of any FTA,” points out Auckland Chamber of Commerce head Michael Barnett.
If a complaint has been made then there is a process both countries are required to go through. Both countries would be looking into it, said Mr Barnett.
He was commenting on a news report that China was threatening retaliatory measures against New Zealand over alleged dumping of cut-price steel on the New Zealand market.
For more information contact Michael Barnett, mobile: 0275 631 150.Michael Barnett, Chief Executive, Auckland Chamber of Commerce.
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