Balance of Payments and International Investment Position: Year ended 31 March 2016Key facts at 31 March 2016: Of New Zealand’s $227.4 billion total investment abroad, 62.9 percent was in Australia, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Of the $386.4 billion foreign investment in New Zealand, 58.3 percent was from Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Japan was New Zealand's fourth-largest inward ($11.8 billion) investment partner. It was also our fourth-largest outward ($8.0 billion) investment partner, moving up from fifth in 2015. New Zealand’s foreign-currency-denominated external debt was $111.6 billion (93.5 percent of which was hedged). Balance of…

New Zealand Pharmaceuticals, the specialty biopharmaceuticals manufacturer, is researching ways to use alternative raw materials in the manufacture of new products due to a potential shortage of bile supply from cows. The 45-year-old company was originally set up by a consortium of New Zealand meat companies to extract and purify biochemicals from meat processing by-products. Its first products were pharmaceutical intermediaries for the global healthcare market, extracted from cow and sheep bile. The Manawatu-based company is best known for making high purity bile acids, which comprise the majority of turnover. It’s the world’s second-largest manufacturer of cholic acid, which is…

Fox Solutions, a fresh produce packing house equipment supplier, is proud to announce the release of its full stainless steel construction Pouch Bagger. The Pouch Bagger is custom built specifically for fresh produce handling, to support the growing trend of pouch bags in the industry while keeping food safety top of mind. In working with their customers to identify areas for operational efficiencies, Fox Solutions saw a need to simplify and streamline the pouch bagging process that has been a largely manual practice or been done with equipment retrofitted for fresh produce.

The global corrugated packaging market is expected to perform better than other paper-based packaging materials, according to a new outlook report to 2021 from Commodity Inside.  The study found that the food and beverage sectors will continue to be the largest consumers of corrugated packaging, where the growth is expected to be underpinned by online retailing. Morrisons’, Britain’s fourth biggest supermarket, has recently teamed up with Amazon to offer fresh and frozen products to the UK customers. Amazon has already been offering thousands of chilled, frozen and perishable products from local shops in the US market.  “In the non-food sector,…

Konecranes will be a major sponsor of the Australian Steel Convention. Part of the deal includes the company demonstrating its UNITON crane at the event. The crane is designed for materials handling, manufacturing and maintenance applications. “Our continued support of this convention provides us with a valuable opportunity to discuss the steel industry with other experts and help shape its future into one that is safe, efficient and reliable,” said Konecranes Managing Director, Australia, New Zealand and Philippines, James Dowe. Dowe will be attending Konecranes’ booth at the convention, along with Konecranes Head of APAC Region, Steve Gagnuss, National Industrial…

New releases for sail and power to take centre stage in New Zealand. As usual the Auckland On Water Boat Show (AOWBS), which opens this week at Viaduct Harbour in Auckland, features a veritable who's who of on-water craft for both sail and power. The AOWBS has traditionally been the event where local boat builders and importers launch new products and announce new agencies, and this year looks like being the same. Well-known yacht brands on display will include DuFour and Grand Soleil, Beneteau, Bavaria and Jeanneau, many of them showing new models for NZ. Team Windcraft will be showing…

Detroit, Michigan -- September 26, 2016 -- Alcoa has developed a new method for joining aluminum to a wide range of other materials, including steels, magnesium and composites. Alcoa is one of the largest aluminum producers in the world and has a vested interest in lowering barriers to use in aluminum in the automotive sector. The new method is a breakthrough in resistance spot riveting called the RSR joining system. According to a statement from Alcoa, RSR technology can join dissimilar materials using the same equipment as conventional spot welds but offers automakers the flexibility to switch between it and…

Methven Limited was awarded the Supreme Award at the 2016 New Zealand Plastics Industry Design Awards Gala Dinner for their Aurajet AIO Twin Shower System.  Methven have reinvented showering with new and innovative concepts to form and control water droplets and spray. These provide a highly efficient, luxurious showering experience from a uniquely styled halo shaped showerhead. The judging comments highlighted that this New Zealand development is based upon comprehensive market research and features considerable design originality. A range of plastics materials have been employed to meet specific part requirements. Tooling and production are complex and have followed classic concept…

The early ramifications of the insolvency of Hanjin Shipping, which entered Korean administration on 31 August, have been startling, but in some ways unsurprising given Hanjin’s position as the world’s seventh largest container line operator. Against the uncertainty is the consequence that goods are now being seriously delayed in getting to market, a “double whammy” result of ships having to stand off ports for fear of arrest (or ports refusing entry), and port operators detaining boxes as security for Hanjin debts. Accordingly the cargo supply chain has had to consider exposures and remedies opposite other parties in the logistics chain,…

Encouraging suppliers to buy into “Heathrow as a way forward” keeps them engaged and primed while waiting for a decision on the third runway, the airport’s head of procurement has said. “We get the supply chain on board and they become part of the team to get this over the line. And as a result of this being successful, it then unlocks their contracts for their real work to begin.” said Ian Ballentine. He said his message to suppliers was: “You can either sit on the fence and wait for it... or you can work with us as a collaborative…

On the face of it, U.K. supercar maker McLaren would seem an odd partner for Apple Inc. as the consumer electronics and software giant seeks to crack the global auto industry. With its racetrack heritage and gas-guzzling models priced from 126,000 pounds ($165,000), Woking, England-based McLaren is a world away from the mainstream auto market, which Apple appears to be targeting and where it would face brands with a global profile to match its own. Yet McLaren’s rich history in Formula One, the most elite level of auto racing, means the company has as much in common with Apple as…