The car industry, the computer industry and even the machine industry present every few years new and modern designed models.
Why? To be able to attack new markets and new customers. However, it is hard to see something new in the conveyor industry. Most of the unit conveyor systems were developed 15, 20 or even 50 years ago and are still sold today in a construction, which remembers on the patents of the British toy manufacturer Frank Hornby, who has already registered his patent of a “Meccano” kit in 1901.
Now, the two young founders of the start-up Avancon SA are ready to revolutionize the conveyor industry with this new and streamlined concept. It’s full of innovative and functional ideas and has been patented worldwide.
Originally, Dieter Specht had developed this system for Interroll. But it didn’t fit to their philosophy. So he found two enthusiastic entrepreneurs, Denis Ratz, he has a bachelor of science in business informatics and Dr. Daniele Gambetta, who has a PhD in electric machines. They established in Ticino/Switzerland a new start-up under the name Avancon SA (from Avant-garde and Conveyor).
The CEO, Denis Ratz showed the new conveyor system to some large and important manufacturers of conveyor- and logistics-systems and got a very positive response.
| An Avancon SA release || <ay 03, 2017 |||
For more detailed information on the Avancon SA products and who to contact email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The engineering.com office is swarmed daily with new product news, gee-whiz technology, and each and every “paradigm shift.” In the midst of it all, I was surprised to get an invitation to the launch of AutoCAD 2018.
“AutoCAD—is that still around?” asked one of our editors.
It seems as though it never went away. Rumors of AutoCAD’s demise, helped by the rise of Inventor or Fusion 360 on the mechanical side and Revit on the BIM side, were ... well, just rumors.
“We still have millions of users,” assured Rob Maguire, director of Autodesk’s AutoCAD product line.
Maguire has gathered a handful of “influencers,” aka social media wonks, power users and select old media, to Autodesk’s San Francisco office to see that the patient is not only alive and well, but is being improved. (Read more about the product improvements in our previous report.)
The dozen or so of us gathered in Autodesk’s office. We wondered when we had last seen each other. It was definitely before we started being called “influencers.” We recount the days when an AutoCAD release was Autodesk’s biggest news—highly anticipated, occurring 18 months or 2 years, max. A major release was trumpeted months in advance by a PR staff, with a wave of information going out to the press and bloggers. The CAD world would wait with bated breath for our reports. That is what we liked to think. In the last couple of years, major releases of Autodesk software have not even warranted a press release. If we were lucky, we heard about it, someone at Autodesk wrote about it on a blog post.
Continue to the full article here | An engineering.com release || May 02, 2017 |||
Climate Change Minister Paula Bennett and Finance Minister Steven Joyce have asked the Productivity Commission to review how New Zealand can maximise the opportunities and minimise the costs and risks of transitioning to a lower carbon economy.
“This next step in our climate change work programme will enable us to properly assess the economic trade-offs that we’ll need to make to meet our ambitious 2030 Paris Agreement target,” says Mrs Bennett.
“In the long-term – 2030 and beyond – New Zealand will likely need to further reduce its domestic emissions in addition to the use of forestry offsets and international emissions reduction units, although these will continue to remain an important part of the country’s climate change response for meeting our targets.”
“New Zealand’s domestic response to climate change is, and will be in the future, shaped by our position as a small, globally connected and trade-dependent country” says Mr Joyce. “The Productivity Commission is well-placed to dispassionately assess which of the many ways of reducing emissions will make the most economic sense for New Zealand.”
Given that climate change is an economy wide-issue, the Commission will be able to draw considerable expertise from a range of stakeholders including: central and local government, the Climate Change Iwi Leadership Group, relevant industry and NGO groups, scientific and academic bodies and the general public.
The government is already taking action to support meeting the 2030 target of the Paris Agreement, this includes:
“This complements the work undertaken by the Parliamentary cross-party group GLOBE NZ, as well as the Government’s expert advisory groups on agriculture, forestry and adaptation,” says Mrs Bennett.
“We look forward to the final report and recommendations for how New Zealand should manage a transition to a lower net emissions economy, while still maintaining and improving the incomes and prosperity of New Zealanders,” says Mr Joyce.
The Commission will report back by 30 June 2018.
| A Beehive release || May 02, 2017 |||
New Zealand's pavilion at the World Expo 2020 in Dubai will have strong potential to showcase this country’s primary industry products and innovation in sustainability.
So says Catherine Beard, chief executive of ExportNZ.
The Government has just announced New Zealand will participate in World Expo 2020, to be held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is committing $53.3 million to construct a NZ pavilion.
Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges says “that will allow Kiwi businesses to highlight their innovative products and services and open doors to new export markets”.
The expo site will be about 2 sq.km and will contain three themed areas: opportunity, sustainability and mobility. NZ has been invited to participate in the sustainability precinct.
Beard told Rural News Dubai is the largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the UAE is NZ’s largest export market in the Middle East and the country’s 12th-largest trading partner.
“In addition NZ is close to securing a free trade deal with the wider area of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) which includes the UAE and Saudi Arabia,” she says.
“If the trade deal comes off then our exports will become even more competitive than they are now and there will be increased interest from NZ firms to tackle those markets.”
This expo in Dubai will be an important showcase for NZ’s country brand, showing the range of things we can do as a country with a sustainability theme, Beard says. “GCC countries are rich in oil and gas, but lack farmland for food production and have high demand for imported food and drinks,” she says.
“NZ’s trusted dairy and meat exports meet some of that demand and there is increasing interest in food service exports into hotels, restaurant chains, etc.
“GCC countries are also motivated to reduce their trade reliance on oil and diversify their economies into high-tech and service sectors.”
Beard says the focus of NZ’s stand will be showcasing our innovation in sustainability, showing we can do more than just sell commodity products.
“I imagine we will be showcasing sustainability in farming practices right through to manufacturing and services.”
Bridges says showcasing NZ to the world is a crucial aspect of boosting economic growth. Expo 2020 will provide a springboard to promote us as an innovative, solution-focused economy to the 25 million visitors expected to attend from Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia.
“It will also allow us to build on our strong economic and transport links to the UAE, which acts as a global air and sea logistics hub, providing access for NZ exporters to a much wider region. We’re already well connected by five direct daily Emirates flights, contributing $700 million to the economy,” says Bridges.
The expo will run from October 2020 to April 2021.
The organisers expect about 180 nations to participate. NZ is among the first 20 to formally confirm attendance.
| A Rural News release || May 02, 2017 |||
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More than 100,000 employment agreements have been completed using an online tool refreshed by Business.govt.nz just over one year ago, says Small Business Minister Jacqui Dean.
“As a Government we are committed to helping New Zealand’s small businesses thrive, and the Employment Agreement Builder is just one way we’re helping small businesses get ahead,” Ms Dean says.
“Using the Employment Agreement Builder you can create employment agreements tailored to meet the needs of your business, with clauses clearly labelled mandatory, recommended, or voluntary.
“Accessible online, mobile-friendly, and with the ability to save users progress, this tool adds up to more time for business owners to work on their business, and less time on compliance.
“Since the tool was refreshed 127,671 people have visited the site to create employment agreements and learn about their rights and responsibilities, with the tool receiving a 95 per cent positive feedback rating.
“An employment agreement is the foundation of a good employment relationship, clearly setting out expectations for both employers and employees, and helping to avoid disputes.
“With the Employment Agreement Builder and other Business.govt.nz tools such as the Workplace Policy Builder we are making it easier for businesses to create positive and productive workplaces,” Ms Dean says.
| A beehive release | May 1, 2017 |||
Foreign Minister Murray McCully has appointed diplomat Jane Coombs as New Zealand’s next Ambassador to France.
“New Zealand’s relationship with France is one of our most long-standing and vibrant, and it remains an important partner within the European Union,” Mr McCully says.
“Since 2014, we have been jointly commemorating both the 100th anniversary of the First World War and the death of thousands of New Zealand soldiers on French soil.
“France is one of our major trading partners in Europe and our relationship will prove important in our forthcoming negotiations for an FTA with the EU.
“The Ambassador to France is also Permanent Representative to the OECD. Contributing to and drawing from the OECD economic assessments and peer review processes are a valuable way to benchmark New Zealand’s economic performance.”
Ms Coombs is currently Divisional Manager of the North Asian Division at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. She has also served as Manager of the Americas Division, Deputy Chief of Mission in Washington DC and Ambassador to Korea in Seoul.
Ms Coombs has accreditations to the Principality of Monaco, Portugal and Senegal.
| A beehive release || April 28, 2017 |||
Ξ Employment agreement tool proving popular
Ξ The Overseas Investment Office has given approval for the sale of Sistema to Newell Brands.
Ξ Fire Service amalgamation means 40% increase in fire insurance levy
Ξ New Zealand's first 3D-printed electric car being built in Otara
Ξ Genesis buys Nova lpg business
Ξ John Key Joining the Board of Air New Zealand
For developing the Helix Dumper, an innovative wagon solution that is highly durable and far more efficient than other ore wagon offerings, Kiruna Wagon has been named a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017.
The Swedish Steel Prize is an international prize that honors the art of engineering and innovation in the steel industry. This year Kiruna Wagon from Sweden, is one of four finalists for this year’s prize, which will be awarded during a ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden on May 11 a path that New Zealand's A-Ward Attachments trod on their journet to taking out the 2012 award with their flexible system for management and transportaion of metallic scrap using high-strength steel which compresses and packs the metallic scrap in containers.
“Our customer had found a small design that they wanted to make into a large dedicated wagon concept. There were many challenges to overcome, including how to achieve a carrying capacity of a 100-ton payload, while keeping the wagon light,” explains Fredrik Kangas, Managing Director at Kiruna Wagon.
The resulting Helix Dumper is a lightweight wagon structure with a high payload and an ingenious offloading solution that has an unloading speed of 25,000 tons per hour, which is twice that of other systems.
The design utilizes high-strength steel extensively in the structure of the wagon as well as for the stiffeners around the wagon body and for the top rail of the wagon. Wear-resistant steel is used in the two arches at the offloading site.
“The Helix Dumper is designed in a way that minimizes wear, which was one reason we believe that our choice of materials was optimized,” says Kangas.
When comparing with other systems, a complete unloading system for the Helix costs 1/7th of what a rotational wagon cost. Furthermore, the Helix uses parts of the potential energy of the ore to push the wagon forward as it unloads. This means no extra energy is required and there is much less dust with almost no noise.
The jury’s motivation for selecting Kiruna Wagon as a finalist for the Swedish Steel Prize 2017 is:
“Kiruna Wagon has developed an innovative dumper wagon system for long-haul rail transport and efficient unloading of minerals. Use of advanced high-strength structural and wear-resistant steels made it possible to design lightweight wagons combined with a stationary Helix terminal for on-the-fly rotary unloading. With its nearly doubled unloading rate, the Helix system is superior to all conventional solutions and solves many problems related to sticky aggregates. The terminal system is very cost effective, in terms of both investment and operation.”
For nearly 20 years, the Swedish Steel Prize has recognized and rewarded small and large companies as well as institutions and individuals who have developed a method or product that utilizes the full potential of high-strength steel. The winner will receive a statuette by the sculptor Jörg Jeschke and a cash prize of SEK 100,000 that SSAB encourages to be donated to a charity of the winner’s choice.
Read more about the Swedish Steel Prize on www.steelprize.com.
| A Swedish Steel prize release || May 02, 2017 |||
New Zealanders will have to pay an extra 40% in their insurance fire levy from July despite the key selling point of the Government’s amalgamation of fire services being ‘efficiency’ - according to a new report being published today by the Taxpayers' Union. The Government's reform package will result in an immediate cost increase of $80 million for little or no increase in services, despite claims by Peter Dunne, who has driven the reform, that the amalgamations will save money.
Taxpayers’ Union Executive Director Jordan Williams says, “Total fire services costs will shoot up by $80 million per year despite efficiency being the key promise by Mr Dunne of these reforms. What is worse, the Government has increased the economic burden on New Zealanders without any comparable increase in the level of service.”
“According to the Government's own figures, efficiency gains years down the track will not even recoup 12% of the forecast increase in costs due to the amalgamations.”
“Despite rhetoric by politicians that these reforms are about saving money, according to official estimates, the emperor has no clothes. The costs are forecast to skyrocket.”
The Fire and Emergency New Zealand Bill is in the final stages of passing in Parliament and will centralise both urban and rural fire services under the funding of the insurance levy on 1 July 2017.
Mr Williams says, “Currently, only New Zealand First are blowing the whistle on this issue. The question is, why haven’t the other parties done their homework and held Peter Dunne to account for what appears to be an enormous own goal? His reform, which he’s sold on the basis of ‘efficiency’ will, in fact, cost New Zealanders’ hundreds of millions over the next few years alone.”
The report's author, Mac Mckenna, says, “New Zealanders currently pay less than a third of the cost of Tasmania - which has a similar fire climate to New Zealand - where rural and urban fire services are centralised. Tasmanians pay $293 per person compared to only $86 in New Zealand. Despite that, the Government is adopting the Tasmanian business model.”
“Not only are the costs going up, but the reforms will mean insurance holders are unfairly targeted to fund the fire service. For example, foresters, who seldom insure, will now pay 38% less in protection whilst Mum and Dad households are paying 40% higher levies on their insurance. How is that fair?”
“The changes do nothing to incentivise self-insurance and actually rewards those who opt out of insurance altogether.”
The report “Bomb Fire; briefing paper on reforms to the fire service and the costs” is available at www.taxpayers.org.nz/bomb_fire.
| A Taxpayers Union release || May 01, 2017 |||
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