The Maintenance Engineering Society’s 2016 SKF National Maintenance Engineering Conference is returning to Hamilton’s Claudelands Showgrounds this November with more new developments to add value to engineers assembling from all around the country.
For many years, the society has created a host of activities preceding the conference, designed to add value to the attendee’s experience. The annual field trip to local industry is a special opportunity enjoyed by all, taking place whist the public have a peek at the Trade Expo. The evening icebreaker cocktail evening is not to be missed too, for its fun, food and friendliness.
While engineers have come to enjoy the benefits of participation, the society has been quietly working away on one of its longer term goals; bringing training opportunities to the attendees.Organisers believe that engineers will appreciate linking their conference presence in with the opportunity to improve or refresh their technical skills with short course training. Minor options have been offered in previous years with encouraging support but the focus has been low key and the venues have tended to been offsite.
This year the organisers reckon they have it nailed, unveiling the first true Conference Training Village which will run on Tuesday November 8 at the conference venue. Purpose built as an adjunct to the Conference and Exhibition Hall, the concept is rapidly gathering favour as attendees and technical suppliers cotton on to the benefits of the concept. Already, the menu of available training is an attractive add-on to the Hamilton conference; asset management, materials, compressed air systems and health and safety are available to attendees and the general public, providing an opportunity to get alongside some of the main conference speakers:
Asset management is a feature topic of this year’s conference and the training village offers a brace of options for attendees. Society asset management spokesman Dr Steve Boshoff is offering a valuable “Introduction to Asset Management” session, while Guy Brandon is focusing on RCM for those wanting to concentrate on one topic. Conference international speaker and SKF Global Business Manager Egon Doyer will deliver a dedicated asset management workshop.
Kaeser Compressors offer an opportunity to attend their hugely popular session on compressed air fundamentals, terminology, control systems and troubleshooting specifically tailored to New Zealand industry.
Barry Robinson from SAFE Engineering is back with another of his technical training sessions on fundamental connections between material selection, manufacturing processes, and failure. Aimed at up skilling everybody in the organisation from apprentices to managers, the Training Village session will feature the latest technical tips on preventing common welding failures.
2016 has seen significant focus on health and safety and to help deliver their nationally acclaimed Health and Safety Made Simple and JSA Made Simple sessions, HasTraks Danica Wells will be assisting Craig Carlyle with a number of training slots.
Such a wide ranging choice of topics and presenters at an one-stop location has never been offered to engineers before and the society is excited about the opportunity to help engineers lift their game. MESNZ is acting as the facilitator for the Training Village and bookings are made directly with the training providers. A number of further opportunities in HVAC, infra red thermography and instrumentation are in the pipeline as we go to print so to stay up to play with the latest offerings, download flyers or book, readers should go to http://www.mesnz.org.nz/conference/training-village/
Meanwhile, the conference proper is swinging into full gear with an expanded Exhibition Hall, a full programme of national and international speakers and registrations filling up rapidly for the two day event on November 9,10 at Claudelands Event Centre in Hamilton. The 2016 SKF National Maintenance Engineering Conference is specifically designed to provide engineers a forum to explore solutions for their workplace from technical to preventative maintenance, health and safety and maintenance management. Delegates will hear from international and national experts as well as their own peers and spend a lot of time rubbing shoulders with those who share common solutions as well as exploring the latest technical solutions from the largest maintenance engineering focused exhibition in New Zealand.
Representing maintenance engineers, the non profit society strives to keep the entry cost as low as possible and has once again managed to provide the lowest cost opportunity in the Southern Hemisphere with entry fees as low as $495+GSTpp (subsequent delegate) and single day pass options available. RRP is $725+GSTpp. Pre-registration is essential and this can be done on line at http://www.mesnz.org.nz/conference/registration/ or by calling Leanne Powley at 09 296 1333
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA--(Marketwired - Sep 13, 2016) - To enable IT service providers to capitalize on fast-moving trends in key technology sectors, Westcon Financial Services has opened offices in Australia. The move signals a strong commitment by the company to support its customers with innovative financial services that can help accelerate their growth potential. Industry veteran Mark Hegarty has been appointed director of Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) operations with responsibility for leading the company's business strategy and operations, as well as managing and delivering its financial solutions and products portfolio for Westcon-Comstor's Australian and New Zealand customers, partners, and manufacturers. Based in Sydney, Hegarty will report directly to London-based Christian Roelofs, managing director, Westcon Financial Services.
"Mark brings a great deal of industry and financial services experience to the Australian operations," Roelofs said. "He is ideally suited to help us expand both our team and product offering in a rapidly changing marketplace."
Hegarty has more than 25 years' experience in the financial services industry, working recently for CNH Industrial Capital as national sales manager and, prior, as managing director of Future Finance Corporation.
"Investment decisions are no longer about lease versus buy, and Westcon Financial Services can provide creative and innovative financial solutions tailored to today's 'Everything-as-a-Service' business model," Hegarty said. "We are now in a unique position to provide Australian and New Zealand partners and customers with an integrated offering from the beginning of the engagement."
"The expansion of the team signals a strong commitment to the international financial services business. We now have a foundation across core geographies to accelerate the strategic objective of providing Westcon-Comstor customers with financial solutions that enable a genuine competitive advantage," Roelofs said.
Westcon Financial Services has also recently invested in a director for its North American operations, Paul Christensen, as well as a commercial director for its U.K. operations, Paul Tweehuysen.
About Westcon-ComstorWestcon-Comstor (WestconGroup Inc.) is a value-added technology distributor of category-leading solutions in Security, Collaboration, Networking and Data Center. The company is transforming the technology supply chain through its capabilities in Cloud, Services and Global Deployment. Westcon-Comstor combines expert technical and market knowledge with industry-leading partner enablement programs. Westcon-Comstor delivers results together through deep partner relationships. The company goes to market under the Westcon and Comstor brands.
Takes Us Back To Our Roots.
A group of over 50 enthusiastic engineers were treated to a lesson in New Zealand history and heavy engineering when A&G Price opened their Thames plant up to the MESNZ Kaeser Compressors Network Evening in August.
The A&G Price story started in the 1860’s in Auckland when two pioneering English brothers, Alfred and George Price, opened an engineering workshop in Onehunga. After burning that factory down, the brothers made the call to move the operation to Thames, at that stage larger than Auckland thanks to the booming gold rush. The links forged (pun intended) with gold mining, rail and crushing equipment reverberate through the company’s heritage today. A & G Prices built the first 100 steam locomotive’s for NZ rail and a total of 298 steam & Diesel electrics through to the 1960’s.
A century and a half later and the company is still supplying high quality engineering to New Zealand and the world. Items like track links for APC’s from the Singapore Army, railway carriage components for NZ and Australia and 3m x 40mm wide long solid bronze cast hooks for Australian primary industries.
A&G Price enjoys strong demand for these products because of their experience, reputation and quality systems. In a strange twist, customers burnt by price driven Asian products are returning to Thames when they realize the true cost of poor quality. While the challenge for A&G rice is in repositioning the company to deal with the modern world, as the last one stop foundry in New Zealand, the company is a physical reminder of why the New Zealand government needs to work a lot harder to support industry. Railway carriage contracts are a classic example of letting work leave our shores to the detriment of centuries of experience.
While the engineers were surprised at the scale, quality and size of the workshop equipment, able to machine up to 40 tonnes, 6.3m diameter and 10m long, many had not experienced a foundry operation and it was this feature that was the star of the show. From the design of the patterns, 3D modeling, pattern molding, to learning how the molten metal travels through the cavities in the mold and the effects of cooling, the group were treated to a lesson in the engineering black arts.
Topping off the tour of the foundry was a show put on especially by the A&G Price team for the group, a 500kg cast steel pour of a wharf bollard. The teamwork and science that goes into the pour was a credit to their art, underscored with the calm reaction to a mold failure. A rare blow out of the mold resulting in molten metal cascading to the floor was quietly dealt to without stress, a direct contrast to the possum like stares of the gathered group!
The Kaeser Compressors Network Evenings are hosted to showcase local operations and provide networking opportunities for engineers across all regions of New Zealand. The evenings offer the opportunity to take a look at the host operation and discuss common issues and solutions in a relaxed after work environment. Open to interested members of the public, the nights are well patronised as proven at A&G Price. As well as learning firsthand about the capabilities and achievements of the A&G Price team, the group enjoyed light refreshments and benefited from the opportunity to network with their peers, taking new connections and solutions back to their workplaces.
The Maintenance Engineering Society is active across New Zealand, providing opportunities for maintenance engineers and manufacturing operations to network and share innovations and experiences; both at these regional events and at their annual national conference. The 2016 National Maintenance Engineering Conference, to be held at the Claudelands Event Centre, Hamilton in November is shaping up as the largest ever, with a major Exhibition Hall featuring 60 exhibitors, a Training Village featuring short course training opportunities and 200 attendees expected for the main conference. Registrations are now open and filling fast. Details can be found at http://www.mesnz.org.nz/conference/.
Expectations that the global glut of oil production would start drying up later this year have been dashed with a sudden collapse in demand coming at a time when supply is still expanding, the International Energy Agency says.
The IEA's keenly-observed monthly Oil Market Report found oil demand growth slumped from a robust 1.4 million barrel per day (mb/d) in the second quarter to a two-year low of 0.8 mb/d in the third.
After purchasing a Haas TM1-P 3-axis CNC Milling Machine, Bruno Pfister contacted CADPRO Systems to find out about a product called Autodesk Fusion 360. His goal was to design and manufacture BMX components in New Zealand for competitive grassroots and professional riders.
This webinar tells his story about the development of cranks and chain rings recently used at the BMX world championship in Columbia.
Webinar DetailsDate : Wednesday 21st September 2016Time : 10:30 am - 11:30 am NZST
Presenter:
Scott MoyseMFG & CAM Technical SpecialistAutodesk Expert Elite– CADPRO Systems Ltd, NZ
After purchasing a Haas TM1-P 3-axis CNC Milling Machine, Bruno Pfister contacted CADPRO Systems to find out about a product called Autodesk Fusion 360. His goal was to design and manufacture BMX components in New Zealand for competitive grassroots and professional riders.
This webinar tells his story about the development of cranks and chain rings recently used at the BMX world championship in Columbia.
Webinar DetailsDate : Wednesday 21st September 2016Time : 10:30 am - 11:30 am NZST
Presenter:
Scott MoyseMFG & CAM Technical SpecialistAutodesk Expert Elite– CADPRO Systems Ltd, NZ
The Reserve Bank today, Wednesday 14 September 2016, announced the schedule for the release in 2017 and 2018 of its quarterly Monetary Policy Statements (MPS), the interim Official Cash Rate (OCR) reviews, and the six-monthly Financial Stability Reports (FSR).
The Bank last year published release dates to the end of 2017, and these are confirmed.
In August 2016, the Bank announced that it would use the following rules for the release schedule:
· The Bank will publish the MPS on the second Thursday in February, May, August and November. Each MPS includes an OCR announcement.· There will be three intervening OCR reviews, to be released on the fourth Thursday of March, June, and September.· The FSR will be published on the last Wednesday in May and November.
Head of Communications Mike Hannah said the schedule ensures that the Bank captures the latest key economic data available for its policy decisions.
The Bank reserves the right to make changes to this schedule, if required, due to extraordinary circumstances. In such an event, the markets and the media would be given as much notice as possible.
Announcements are made at 9.00am on the day concerned and are posted to the Reserve Bank website shortly after. Media conferences are held at the release of MPSs at 10:00am and FSRs at 11:00am, and these are live-streamed on the Bank's website.
The 2017 and 2018 release dates are as follows:
Monetary Policy Statement / Official Cash Rate announcements
9 February 2017 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
23 March 2017 OCR
11 May 2017 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
22 June 2017 OCR
10 August 2017 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
28 September 2017 OCR
9 November 2017 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
8 February 2018 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
22 March 2018 OCR
10 May 2018 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
28 June 2018 OCR
9 August 2018 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
27 September 2018 OCR
8 November 2018 OCR & MPS Media conference & webcast
Financial Stability Report
31 May 2017 FSR: Media conference & webcast
29 November 2017 FSR: Media conference & webcast
30 May 2018 FSR: Media conference & webcast
28 November 2018 FSR: Media conference & webcast
Nuplex Industries Limited (Nuplex, NZX/ASX code: NPX) advises that the Scheme of Arrangement (Scheme) with Allnex New Zealand Limited (Allnex) has been implemented today., Tuesday 13 September 2016.
Accordingly, Allnex (a subsidiary of Allnex Belgium SA/NV) now owns all of the shares in Nuplex.
For each Nuplex share held on the Scheme Record Date (7.00 pm on Wednesday 7 September 2016), shareholders were:•today paid the Scheme Consideration of NZ$5.43; and•yesterday paid the compensatory dividend of 3.150NZ cents.
Nuplex Chairman Peter Springford said “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank our employees, shareholders and customers, both past and present, for your support.” Nuplex has requested to be delisted from the NZX Main Board and removed from the official list of the ASX from the close of trading today, 13 September 2016.
In accordance with the Scheme Implementation Agreement, the current directors of Nuplex have resigned with effect from implementation of the Scheme, and Marie van In and Paul Craig have been appointed as directors of Nuplex from that time.
Straight from The Huffington Post - August was the hottest month ever recorded. Well not for us Down Under but maybe our turns coming. So read on:
Surprise, surprise: Last month was the hottest August ever recorded, marking the 11th straight month that global heat records have been shattered, according to NASA data.
The agency broke the bad, though perhaps not entirely unexpected, news on Monday. August had a global average surface temperature of about 1.76 degrees Fahrenheit above average, NASA said. It also tied with July as the warmest month ever recorded since record-keeping began in 1880.
“We are well on our way to the warmest year recorded,” the Union of Concerned Scientists wrote in an email to The Huffington Post this week.
If deemed the hottest year ever, 2016 will be the third year in a row to boast this unfortunate title.
Science and Innovation Minister Steven Joyce has today announced a total investment of over $209 million over the next five years in new scientific research projects through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) 2016 Endeavour Fund.
“The Endeavour Fund is a very important fund in the Government’s ten-year vision for a highly dynamic New Zealand science system,” Mr Joyce says. “It invests in excellent science that is designed to have a positive impact for New Zealand economically, environmentally and socially in a three to ten year timeframe.
“It sits alongside the Marsden Fund, which is designed to promote discovery science, the Health Research Fund, administered by the Health Research Council, and the business-led R&D programmes of Callaghan Innovation.”
“This year’s successful recipients will make a visible and measurable contribution to our country through excellent science.”
The Endeavour Fund supports both Smart Ideas initiatives and larger Research Programmes. Smart Ideas initiatives catalyse and rapidly test promising, innovative research ideas, and contracts are awarded for two to three years. Research Programmes are awarded for three to five years and support ambitious research ideas, with high potential to deliver significant impact for New Zealand’s economy, environment, and society.
Up to $10 million per year in total will be invested in 28 projects under the Smart Ideas initiative, and up to $38 million per year in total will be invested in 28 Research Programmes.
Successful applications for 2016 include:
“Excellent scientific research that delivers great results is critical to lifting innovation and economic growth, and improving the lives of all New Zealanders,” Mr Joyce says.
“I congratulate all successful applicants and look forward to the discoveries that this investment will make possible.”
The successful proposals were selected by the MBIE Science Board, an independent statutory Board, following a review by independent experts. The new research contracts will begin on 1 October 2016.
More information on the successful research programmes can be found here.
Steven JoyceScience and Innovation
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