September quarter inflation, due for release next Tuesday, is expected to be low, Assistant Governor John McDermott said in a speech to the Bay of Plenty Employers and Manufacturers Association in Rotorua today.
Dr McDermott said that inflation is expected to rebound in the December quarter and be at the bottom of the target range. It is important to understand why inflation has been lower than expected by the Bank and other forecasters, in order to set monetary policy going forward.
“There are several reasons for low inflation – both here and abroad. In New Zealand, tradables inflation, which accounts for almost half of the CPI regimen, has been negative for the past four years. Much of the weakness in inflation can be attributed to global developments that have been reflected in the high New Zealand dollar and low inflation in our import prices. Strong net immigration and increased labour market participation have also boosted the supply potential of the economy, meaning that New Zealand has been able to grow at a robust pace without generating significant inflation.”
There also appear to have been changes in how inflation is generated in New Zealand: the drivers and composition of net immigration influence the degree of associated inflationary pressure for any given migration flow, and inflation expectations appear to now place more weight on past inflation outcomes than they did prior to the global financial crisis.
“The Bank will continue to closely monitor developments in the drivers of inflation and investigate any persistent changes in how inflation is generated.
“The Bank’s goal remains to keep future annual CPI inflation outcomes between 1 percent and 3 percent on average over the medium term, with a focus on keeping future average inflation near the 2 percent target midpoint.
“As described in the September OCR review, monetary policy will continue to be accommodative. Interest rates are at multi-decade lows, and our current projections and assumptions indicate that further policy easing will be required to ensure that future inflation settles near the middle of the target range.”
Useful resources
* Read the speech* Policy Targets Agreement
Time to change the oil on your applications? It’s worth keeping an eye on the latest Inventor / Vault Updates that are released for your products.
We’ve had a few cases recently of users reporting the following issues:
New Copy Design (Vault 2016) – Part number property not updating (and other property issues) when performing Copy Design.Frame Generator (Inventor 2016) – Frame member description not being updated when changing memberBoth of these have been resolved/improved in recent Service Packs and updates. The reason for the “improved” status is that there may still be some fringe cases that cause issues with the Copy Design property updates, but most of the cases we know about have been resolved.
You can get the updates here:
Please note, that Vault hotfixes and updates should not be applied unless you know exactly what you are doing. If you don’t administer the Vault system at your workplace, forward this post on to your IT department. All clients and the server have to have the updates applied at the same time. Alternatively, you can engage us to do this work for you.
If you have moved to the 2017 products, then you should find that those issues don’t affect you, but if that’s not the case, we’d like to know about it.
The 2017 products have been out for a while now, and feedback has been good. If you’d like to take advantage of the new functionality, then we can help with that.
Perhaps you haven’t even seen what’s new in the 2017 products. If that’s the case, then you might want to take a look at these links:
Right, time for a coffee while those Inventor / Vault updates install.
Time to change the oil on your applications? It’s worth keeping an eye on the latest Inventor / Vault Updates that are released for your products.
We’ve had a few cases recently of users reporting the following issues:
New Copy Design (Vault 2016) – Part number property not updating (and other property issues) when performing Copy Design.Frame Generator (Inventor 2016) – Frame member description not being updated when changing memberBoth of these have been resolved/improved in recent Service Packs and updates. The reason for the “improved” status is that there may still be some fringe cases that cause issues with the Copy Design property updates, but most of the cases we know about have been resolved.
You can get the updates here:
Please note, that Vault hotfixes and updates should not be applied unless you know exactly what you are doing. If you don’t administer the Vault system at your workplace, forward this post on to your IT department. All clients and the server have to have the updates applied at the same time. Alternatively, you can engage us to do this work for you.
If you have moved to the 2017 products, then you should find that those issues don’t affect you, but if that’s not the case, we’d like to know about it.
The 2017 products have been out for a while now, and feedback has been good. If you’d like to take advantage of the new functionality, then we can help with that.
Perhaps you haven’t even seen what’s new in the 2017 products. If that’s the case, then you might want to take a look at these links:
Right, time for a coffee while those Inventor / Vault updates install.
Time to change the oil on your applications? It’s worth keeping an eye on the latest Inventor / Vault Updates that are released for your products.
We’ve had a few cases recently of users reporting the following issues:
New Copy Design (Vault 2016) – Part number property not updating (and other property issues) when performing Copy Design.Frame Generator (Inventor 2016) – Frame member description not being updated when changing memberBoth of these have been resolved/improved in recent Service Packs and updates. The reason for the “improved” status is that there may still be some fringe cases that cause issues with the Copy Design property updates, but most of the cases we know about have been resolved.
You can get the updates here:
Please note, that Vault hotfixes and updates should not be applied unless you know exactly what you are doing. If you don’t administer the Vault system at your workplace, forward this post on to your IT department. All clients and the server have to have the updates applied at the same time. Alternatively, you can engage us to do this work for you.
If you have moved to the 2017 products, then you should find that those issues don’t affect you, but if that’s not the case, we’d like to know about it.
The 2017 products have been out for a while now, and feedback has been good. If you’d like to take advantage of the new functionality, then we can help with that.
Perhaps you haven’t even seen what’s new in the 2017 products. If that’s the case, then you might want to take a look at these links:
Right, time for a coffee while those Inventor / Vault updates install.
FUTEK has introduced a new range of digitally configurable strain gauge amplifiers designed to provide both analogue and digital outputs via USB.
The analogue outputs of the new IDA100 can be used to send information directly to a PLC while the USB output is used to simultaneously verify the correct functioning of the system. The amplifier also eliminates the need for manual adjustments using dip switches and potentiometers, which can cause unnecessary interruptions. Micro adjustments and calibrations can all be done electronically using FUTEK’s IDA100.
The dual output IDA100 offers an amplified analogue output as well as an amplified digital output, with the analogue output having a bandwidth of 1 kHz, and the digital output, a variable bandwidth of the selected sampling rate / 4.
Unlike traditional power supplies that introduce noise to an application, the IDA100 is designed to power on via the 5V USB connector, minimising the interference of noise in the sensor platform.
The bipolar output of the IDA100 digital amplifier with software selectable excitation voltages of ±5 or ±10 VDC allows the user to select the appropriate voltage for their desired resolution.
Similar to FUTEK’s IAA analogue amplifier series, the IDA100 is also designed with an integrated 35mm DIN rail clip. The high retention USB connector ensures that the power supply to the IDA100 will not be affected should the connector experience a tug or pull during use.
FUTEK is represented in Australia and New Zealand by Metromatics .
New Zealand is in danger of missing the boat on securing a trade deal with the UK before it leaves the EU, says New Zealand First Leader and MP for Northland Rt Hon Winston Peters.
“Australia has got the jump on us – they’re well ahead of New Zealand in putting their case forward before the exit is official.
“Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull says they are ‘getting in early’ and hopes for a ‘very strong, very open deal’.
“A wise move for a country relying on trade.
“Since the Brexit vote Mr Key has spent an inordinate amount of time talking up a trade deal with the EU, and making various international trips.
“Advancing New Zealand’s interests with the UK should have been at the top of his list.
“Sitting back and relying on historic ties and friendship is fruitless when it comes to negotiations on trade – it’s much more cut throat.
“While Mr Key did rush over to London after the Brexit vote, it was only to shake hands with departing PM David Cameron, when he was literally packing up his office. Hardly a priority for this country.
“It never augured well for New Zealand when Trade Minister Murray McCully said after the Brexit vote, ‘it’s early days’ and Mr Key said our trade negotiators were very busy, so we wouldn’t be ‘looking to lend people’ to the UK which has a deficit of trade negotiators.
“Australia had the presence of mind to lend the negotiators, and establish its interests early, especially given Britain will take time to re-establish trading agreements after so long in the EU,” says Mr Peters.
Last year, Dubai made headlines when the United Arab Emirates National Innovation Committee announced plans for the world’s first 3-D printed office building made with fiber-reinforced polymer composites according to an article in Composites Manufacturing. However, it appears the region has more plans for large-scale 3-D printing projects, as the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) recently announced Convrgnt Value Engineering (LLC) will design and construct the first 3-D printed laboratory building in the world.
“The building will be printed using a system of robotic arms at the desert location,” said Convrgnt executive Vibin Paul. “The risks of working in an unshielded open environment have to be addressed and the logistics accurately controlled during the printing operation.”
DEWA says the laboratory will be built as part of the Research & Development (R&D) center at Dubai’s Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Solar Park, and will conduct research on drones and 3-D printing technology.
The drones and 3D-printing lab include 4 sub-laboratories: the Electronics Lab, the Software Lab, the Mechanical Lab, and the Prototype Lab. The project will also include an outdoor testing facility. The Electronics Lab will conduct electrical design and repair services for drones that can be used by R&D staff, and DEWA employees. The Software Lab will develop and provide DEWA with innovative products, research, and educational solutions.
Earlier this year, Dubai proclaimed that 25 percent of all buildings in the city will be 3-D printed by 2030. Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, CEO of DEWA, says these historic 3-D constructions are part of the city’s “3D Printing Strategy.”
“The construction of the 3D-printed lab ... reflects our ongoing efforts to achieve the directives of our wise government. The Dubai 3D Printing Strategy is a unique global initiative to use technology for the service of humanity, and promote the status of the UAE and Dubai as a leading hub for 3D printing technology by 2030,” said Al Tayer.
The concept of 4D printing isn't a new idea, but processes that use new types of environmental stimuli keep on appearing. 4D printing is usually defined as 3D printing with materials that change shape in response to light, heat, water, air pressure, or other factors. It usually combines 3D printing with shape-memory materials.
The latest is a new process developed by a team at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). Researchers there have 3D printed shape-shifting structures that can fold and unfold themselves, or expand and contract in size, when prompted by changes in electricity or heat. The primary shapes they created were printed with shape-memory polymer inks developed by the team using a direct-ink writing 3D printing process.
The KT-100 Katana from Rigaku Analytical Devices is said to be the only handheld alloy analyzer certified to strict MIL-STD-810G standards: the industry’s first drop-tested analyzer for metal and alloy identification in industrial environments.
The handheld, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) analyzer is applicable for metal fabrication, positive material identification in petrochemical plants and scrap metal sorting requiring fast, accurate and robust methods for alloy identification to promote profitability and product quality. The analyzer is designed for use in scrap yards, plant environments and fabrication shops, and features an IP54 rating for use in wet environments.
The KT-100 Katana is designed for on-the-spot metals classification, including aluminum grades, and features QuickID software. The analyzer offers auto surface preparation with its DrillDown feature and features an extended battery life. GPS enables instrument tracking.
Celebrated on the first Friday of October every year Manufacturing Day USA is celebrated nation wide. Although there is a twist to this, the day can be celebrated at any time so any day of the year can be Manufacturing Day, all events just need to be registered on the Manufacturing Day website.
There have been a total of 2,650 seperate events organised for 2016 which is a pretty good indication of how important these days are seen in motivating the next generation of manufacturers.
Industry Week Media's website features a number of items that are well worth a look at as is the ManufacturingDay website.
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