Nov 30, 2017  -  In a manufacturing plant at Dongguan, a nondescript town about an hour outside the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen, a robot arrives to collect the latest box of Huawei smartphones rolling off a production line writes Mark Jennings for Newsroom. Stand in the robot’s path and it politely tells you (in Mandarin) to move aside. The robots are busy here – this plant produces 1.3 million smartphones a month; some will likely end up in New Zealand. Huawei sold 139 million phones last year and ranks third behind Samsung and Apple. Robots are steadily replacing people…

Nov 28, 2017 -TBWA Group division Eleven PR has been appointed to launch the iconic Krispy Kreme doughnut brand in New Zealand.  The expected opening of Krispy Kreme’s retail and manufacturing plant in Manukau is due in early 2018 and construction of its retail store and manufacturing facility is already underway. Sydney-based Krispy Kreme chief executive Andrew McGuigan says he is excited by the venture and the company’s entry into New Zealand. “It’s a fantastic brand and one that has been around for 80 years. “Krispy Kreme will be one of the many Transtasman brands we manage with Eleven PR…

Nov 27, 2017 - Primary sector and manufacturing employees may find themselves with some interesting new colleagues in the next few years as researchers develop robots that can be trained to work alongside people in factories and the great outdoors.  A two-year, $2m project funded by the Science for Technological Innovation National Science Challenge Board is examining how next-generation robots can work with humans in a safe and flexible manner.  Researchers will focus on developing robots to work in small-scale manufacturing and unforgiving outdoor environments. Such technology could become a global specialty of New Zealand robotics businesses, with great export…

Nov 27, 2017  -  When China's Haier bought Fisher and Paykel Appliances in 2012, Rod Oram worried the New Zealand company would shrivel and die. Five years on, Rod reports the New Zealand operation is actually thriving under Haier's ownership.  A space half the size of a rugby pitch in East Tamaki tells you a lot about the history and future of Fisher & Paykel Appliances. Built 20 years ago, the cavernous building on its Auckland site first housed electronics manufacturing for its healthcare division. Back then, that was the height of product and technology sophistication for the company. In…

8 Nov 2017 -  Maungatapere residents Gwen and Peter Ras were inspired to introduce a new hot water technology while searching for a more efficient system for their family home.Northern Advocate.  Gwen and Peter Ras have launched Calitec, a company which is introducing a new type of hot water heating system to New Zealand. Having spent 10 years working with heat pump technology, including eight years as a Home Tech heat pump franchisee in Northland, Mr Ras said Calitec is manufacturing the technology which he claimed can save 70 per cent on energy bills. Calitec is planning to open the…

7 Nov  -  When it comes to designing a washdown-friendly facility, it really starts before a company even begins to build the factory.  That’s according to Elis Owens, director of technical services at Birko, which offers integrated food safety solutions provided by highly trained and experienced professionals.  The company should ask itself if the actual structure of the facility has been designed in such a way that will make it amenable to effective cleaning, and if the equipment has been designed and built following the principles of sanitary design, he explains. “It should be designed in a way that can…

6  Nov  -  Mining giant Rio Tinto Group is adding two alumina refineries in Australia to the Pacific Aluminium portfolio in an effort at sweetening the deal for potential suitors, according to a trio of sources claiming familiarity with the matter. According to an article run by Reuters earlier this week, Rio Tinto included the QAL and Yarwun refineries to Pacific Aluminium’s existing assets, which include Australian smelters at Bell Bay, Boyne Island, and Tomago, and New Zealand’s Tiwai Point smelter. Sources indicate that the addition of the two refineries could boost the overall value of the portfolio by another…

6 Nov  -  A New Zealand insurance underwriting agency is providing an exclusive cover for manufacturers which are facing major challenges in relation to recall of contaminated food and beverage products. About 40 manufactured food products have been recalled so far this year, up from 25 for all of last year, Delta Insurance casualty manager Dinesh Murali says. Delta Insurance is a New Zealand based insurance provider and has an office in Singapore. They provide a range of specialty commercial insurance products. The New Zealand manufacturing sector is experiencing strong growth and is a standout on the international stage. Annual…

1 Nov - New Zealand wiring company, Fero, is on the move. And unlike most companies moving overseas, Fero is moving to Samoa. From China to Samoa to be exact. The family-owned company saw an opportunity in Samoa when Yazaki Samoa closed its doors. Yesterday, General Manager, Sam Fulton and Managing Director, Greg Fulton, were at their new premises at Vaitele. While there is a lot of work to do, they are looking forward to growing their company and to help Samoa. While it is not common for a major manufacturing company to set up in Samoa, for Sam and…

31 Oct:  New employees with Directors of Sleepwell International as well as Management staff of S.S.A.B.  New employees with Directors of Sleepwell International as well as Management staff of S.S.A.B. “United we stand, divided we fall.” This is a guiding principle for 20 new employees of the company who will be working on renovating the whole 7,000 square meters of what used to be the Yazaki premises. The company is now starting on building offices, wood works as well as technicians and air compressors. One of the Directors, Tuatagaloa Aumua Leung Wai, said these are the first steps of the…

31 Oct:  T Britain’s manufacturing sector could unlock £455bn over the next decade and create thousands of jobs if it cracks the fourth industrial revolution and carves out a successful post Brexit future. That is the conclusion of a government commissioned review on industrial digitalisation, published today and led by industry chief Jürgen Maier, the UK and Ireland boss of German engineering giant Siemens. Continue here to read the full article on The Guardian   ||  October 31,  2017   |||