Using connected technologies to gain business value The recent Rockwell Automation TechED event in Melbourne attracted record numbers and revealed the latest techniques and technologies to help maximise manufacturing and production operations. With a focus on advancing industrial automation and solving business challenges, the event brought together the best in the industry including end users, system integrators, distributors, partners and machine builders. “TechED has established a reputation as the industry’s only multi-day, hands-on event focusing on the latest technologies to help maximise assets and information across operations. The number of people attending TechED is growing year upon year because it…

 With technology being predicted to become New Zealand's number one exporting sector, the time has come to set out the vision. CEO of the Centre for Advanced Engineering and author of the recently released book Innovate! Richard Bentley shares his thoughts on how we can speed up the process with Idealog. Professor Shaun Hendy (9 August) commented on the slow progress New Zealand has made toward the development of a technology-based exporting sector. As he reflected, the occasional successful start-up is not nearly enough. In my recent book Innovate! , I present a detailed analysis of the state of our…

Development of technology to help build the world’s first hybrid-electric passenger jet plane is among Victoria University of Wellington projects to receive nearly $29 million in the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's 2017 Endeavour Fund. Five Victoria projects have been successful in this year’s science investment round, announced this morning by Science and Innovation Minister Hon Paul Goldsmith. Dr Rod Badcock from Victoria’s Robinson Research Institute is leading the jet plane project, which was awarded $6.3 million over five years. The Institute is an international leader in the field of superconductivity—a key mechanism needed to develop cleaner aviation technologies,…

Waste Management NZ is currently trialling their first electric truck for wheelie bin waste collections, which will start work on New Zealand streets from October this year. Christchurch will be the first city in the Southern Hemisphere to put a 100% electric residential waste collection truck into service. More electric trucks will arrive into Waste Management’s fleet in other cities around New Zealand towards the end of 2017. Waste Management announced its move towards a fleet of electric vehicles in September last year as part of its Sustainability Commitment. Waste Management NZ’s first electric truck. The company has introduced more…

Ingram Micro has announced a partnership with Vertiv, formerly Emerson Network Power, to deliver data centre solutions to businesses in New Zealand writes James Henderson New Zealand Reseller News The deal comes amid an Auckland office expansion for the distributor, after signing the lease to take over the Umbrellar building that shares the company’s head office site on the North Shore. From a vendor perspective, Vertiv will provide the complete range of products and services within a critical IT infrastructure framework, targeting industries such as telecommunications and internet services, banking and finance, transportation, power, logistics, and retail. As a result,…

Growing evidence shows that the downside of super-fast connectivity and ultra-fast broadband is producing an equivalent lift in cyber-attacks, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says. Muller, just back from the multinational Global Tech Leaders Dialogue in Melbourne yesterday, says many nations involved in the forum confirmed increasing cyber-attacks along with faster connections. “This week alone we have seen sophisticated scams using fake government websites and email addresses,” Muller says. “The national cyber emergency response team CERT NZ have identified and exposed scams such as the fake IRD tax rebate email scam and the fake Ministry of Primary Industries exporters advisory…

Kiwis need to keep talking about cyber security as criminals are using technologies to find new ways to undertake crime, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says. Criminals are using advanced technology but so are the good guys, he says. Biometrics, the use of thumbprints or retinal scans, are increasing. Muller made the comments following the release of the latest report by CERT NZ, the new government cyber security emergency response team. In its first three months of operation CERT NZ received 364 reports of cyber security incidents costing companies more than $730, 000. “It is fantastic to see that organisations…

New Zealand is not alone in attracting and retaining women in tech, a leading tech specialist says. Andrea Hancox, NZTech’s national director of government relations, says the whole world faces the issue of attracting and retaining women in tech and introducing tech to young women as a choice of career. The Ministry of Women has released a guide Decoding Diversity targeted at attracting and retaining girls and women in tech education. The guide is for secondary school teachers, university lecturers, code club volunteers and other community group leaders, potential employers, career advisors, industry professionals, recruitment personnel, students and parents. Hancox…

Emma Tucker writes in deZeen that bicycle company Brompton has borrowed Formula One racing technology to create an electric version of its bestselling folding bike. Aimed at easing city dwellers' commutes, the Brompton Electric relies on a battery that clips onto the front of the bike and stores away into a separate bag for easy carrying. Brompton partnered with Williams Advanced Engineering – part of the Williams Group, which also owns the Williams Martini Racing Formula One team – to develop the bike's bespoke motor. It is calling Brompton Electric the most technically advanced model it has ever produced.  "We've…

Living up to New Zealand’s reputation as a standout digital nation, the tech sector and the government will stage a major international tech summit in Auckland next year, NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says. The Digital Nations conference on February 18 and 19 2018 will be a forerunner to the Digital 5 summit to be held later that week in Wellington. The D5 is a network of the world’s most advanced digital nations, with a shared goal of strengthening the digital economy. It was founded in London in 2014 by the United Kingdom, Estonia, Israel, New Zealand and South Korea.…

New Zealand start-up manufacturer REYEDR (pronounced rider) has announced the latest in augmented reality (AR) smart tech for the safety-conscious motorcycle enthusiast. The REYEDR HUD is a heads-up display that retrofits to a motorcyclist’s helmet and shows speed, navigation, distance and more. It runs on the REYEDR smartphone App to provide the rider with key information about the bike, route and ride group. It also has the ability to alert emergency services in the event of an accident. Using a retrofit approach, the HUD fits on the chinbar of any full-face motorcycle helmet and converts it into a smart device.…