Daylight Saving this weekend is a good time to check on the amount of sleep you are getting to keep yourself and others healthy and safe as you work, says WorkSafe Chief Executive Nicole Rosie.
“People who are tired and fatigued are 30% more likely to have an accident. Both businesses and workers have a responsibility to manage fatigue and the risks that arise from it.
“Work and personal demands can often make it difficult to get the sleep we need to function safely throughout the day,” Ms Rosie said.
WorkSafe has a fatigue quick guide with information for businesses and workers to explain their respective responsibilities to manage fatigue.
Fatigue is a work-related health risk if it reduces our ability and alertness to work safely and effectively. Fatigue can affect people’s feeling of wellness and wellbeing and impact productivity. It can also lead to safety incidents.
It is a state of physical and/or mental exhaustion which can impact our ability to function safely. This may lead to errors and an increase in workplace health and safety incidents, with potentially serious consequences for both workers and businesses.
“According to our 2015 Health and Safety Attitudes and Behaviour Survey, 43% of workers in sectors with a high risk of injuries and fatalities reported working when overtired,” Ms Rosie said.
WorkSafe is currently working with other regulators including the New Zealand Transport Agency, Civil Aviation Authority and Maritime New Zealand to look at ways to better support workers and business to manage fatigue in the workplace.
The aim is to develop key cross-industry information for businesses, workers and their families about how to recognise and manage fatigue in the workplace.
| A Worksafe release || September 21, 2017 |||
Memorandum of understanding signed to combine European steel activities in 50/50 joint venture
Positioning as strong quality and technology leader
Annual synergies of €400 million to €600 million expected
Signing of agreement targeted for early 2018 and closing by 2018 year-end
thyssenkrupp and Tata Steel have today signed a memorandum of understanding to combine their European steel activities in a 50/50 joint venture. Their aim is to create a leading European flat steel player to be positioned as quality and technology leader. The new entity is set to have pro-forma sales of about €15 billion and a workforce of about 48,000, currently at 34 locations. Shipments are envisioned to be about 21 million tons a year.
Dr. Heinrich Hiesinger, CEO of thyssenkrupp AG: “Under the planned joint venture, we are giving the European steel activities of thyssenkrupp and Tata a lasting future. We are tackling the structural challenges of the European steel industry and creating a strong No. 2. In Tata, we have found a partner with a very good strategic and cultural fit. Not only do we share a clear performance orientation, but also the same understanding of entrepreneurial responsibility toward workforce and society.”
Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Steel: “The Tata Group and thyssenkrupp have a strong heritage in the global steel industry and share similar culture and values. This partnership is a momentous occasion for both partners, who will focus on building a strong European steel enterprise. The strategic logic of the proposed joint venture in Europe is based on very strong fundamentals and I am confident that thyssenkrupp Tata Steel will have a great future.”
To be named thyssenkrupp Tata Steel, the planned joint venture will be managed through a lean holding company based in the Netherlands. It is to have a two-tier management structure comprising a management board and a supervisory board. Both boards are to have equal representation from thyssenkrupp and Tata. The codetermination structures in Germany, the Netherlands and Great Britain will be retained.
thyssenkrupp intends to contribute its Steel Europe business to the planned joint venture. There are also plans for the joint venture to include thyssenkrupp MillServices & Systems GmbH, a steel mill services provider that is part of the Materials Services business. Tata would add all of their flat steel activities in Europe.
The memorandum of understanding signed today paves the way for thyssenkrupp to involve employee representatives at thyssenkrupp AG and in the Steel business in the process ahead on an ongoing basis. All employee participation rights will continue to be respected as before.
In the months ahead, due diligence will be conducted. In the process, the negotiating parties will give each other access to confidential business documents to the extent permissible between competitors. Based on this as well as on discussions with the entire Supervisory Board, it is envisaged to sign a contract in early 2018. Closing – the effective start of the joint venture – could take place in late 2018 following antitrust approval by the relevant authorities.
Synergies within the joint venture
In the initial years – from closing onward – the joint venture partners plan to focus on establishing the joint venture and leveraging synergies. These are anticipated among other things from integrating sales, administration, research and development, joint optimization of procurement, logistics and service centers as well as improved capacity utilization in downstream processing. After the ramp-up phase, the joint venture partners expect annual synergies of €400 million to €600 million.
Additionally, the production network is to be reviewed starting in 2020 with the aim of integrating and optimizing the production strategy for the entire joint venture. It is not yet possible to quantify the additional synergies from this integration in detail. The scope for optimization also depends on numerous external factors such as the outcome of the Brexit negotiations and the implications that follow. Other external parameters include the development of the regulatory environment in areas such as emission trading and international trade policy.
The two joint venture partners expect that leveraging the cost synergies across the entire entity will require a reduction in workforce over the years ahead by up to 2,000 jobs in administration and potentially up to 2,000 jobs in production. This burden is expected to be shared roughly evenly between the two parties, which means a total of about 2,000 jobs at thyssenkrupp.
“We will not be putting any measures into effect in the joint venture that we would not have had to adopt on our own. On the contrary: By combining our steel activities, the burdens for each partner are lower than they would have been on a stand-alone basis,” said Hiesinger.
The steel industry has faced massive challenges in Europe for many years: Steel demand is characterized by a lack of dynamic. There is structural overcapacity in supply and constantly high import pressure. This leads to the fact that various stages in the value chain are operating well below capacity. Consequently, all producers are under pressure to fill capacity and forced to pass on restructuring gains to the market time and again. The result is a downward spiral and a need for restructuring about every three to four years, with major steel assets coming under threat of closure in the medium term.
Reasons for partnering with Tata Steel
There are five reasons why combining the European steel activities of thyssenkrupp and Tata is the best possible next consolidation move:
Economies of scale: Economies of scale are a key success factor in a market caught up in ongoing consolidation. Combining the No. 2 and No. 3 in Europe results in a powerful new No. 2 for quality flat steel with a very competitive market position and promising growth prospects.
Complementarity: The businesses of thyssenkrupp and Tata are a good complementary fit. thyssenkrupp is stronger in the OEM sector while Tata’s strength lies with industrial customers. The main operating locations in Duisburg, IJmuiden and Port Talbot have good logistics links and serve customers in different, economically powerful regions. That makes for significantly broader overall coverage of customer sectors throughout Europe.
Performance orientation: The steelworks of thyssenkrupp and Tata rank among the most efficient facilities in Europe. Thanks to effective cost management, both producers operate at a profit. The two companies have paved the way for this over recent years, piece by piece and independently of each other: Tata, for instance, with the restructuring of Port Talbot and by selling long steel activities, and thyssenkrupp with the sale of CSA and capacity adjustment at HKM.
Innovative strength: Both partners aspire to quality and technology leadership in the European steel industry and continually develop innovative products and solutions for customers. High-tech steels are frequently the basis of industrial value chains in Europe and a key competitive differentiator.
Culture and capabilities: The two partners each have a highly capable and dedicated workforce who strongly identify with their company. thyssenkrupp and Tata have a cultural DNA equally characterized by the will to embrace change in order to secure their future. And both companies have the backing of strong shareholders through a trust structure that perpetuate the ideas and values of the original owners.
Further milestone on strategic way forward
Steel Europe will be accounted for on the balance sheet as a discontinued operation after signing. From closing of the transaction, the 50-percent share in the joint venture will be accounted for using the equity method, meaning based on the proportionate carrying amount of the investment. When the joint venture comes into effect, this will bring about a significant improvement in key balance sheet ratios for thyssenkrupp AG, most notably in the equity ratio and in gearing (ratio of net financial debt to equity). At the same time, the move creates a solid financial structure for the steel business.
The planned joint venture marks another key milestone on thyssenkrupp’s strategic way forward. In its evolution into a strong industrial group, thyssenkrupp has two priority aims: reducing dependency on the highly volatile steel business and enabling optimum development of all business areas.
Heinrich Hiesinger, CEO of thyssenkrupp AG: “We have always targeted the best solution for thyssenkrupp. A joint venture with Tata is the only option that addresses the structural overcapacities in the European steel market, that creates substantial added value through synergies and at the same time is in line with our corporate culture. This also marks a clear commitment to our roots, as the joint venture enables thyssenkrupp to retain its involvement in steel.”
Packaging Innovations London 2017 | London event sees big names and record visitors
With over 4,300 visitors in attendance over the two days, Packaging Innovations and Luxury Packaging London 2017 was the most successful edition to date.
Busy Aisle
Unilever, Bulgari, Innocent, ASDA, Superdrug, The Body Shop, Chanel, Heineken, Harrods, Dyson and Mars were just some of the major names at the show, as well as leading entrepreneurs Peter Jones from Dragon’s Den and Made in Chelsea’s Francis Boulle. Over 4,300 visitors attended over the two days viewing products and services from 180 leading exhibitors and taking in more than 18 hours of educational content.
James Drake-Brockman, divisional director, Easyfairs’ Packaging Portfolio, commented: “What a show! Not only did we welcome more visitors and host more suppliers than ever before, but we also successfully introduced our
New for 2017, The Pentawards Conference brought together the best and brightest from the packaging design industry, covering everything from the best ways to tell a brand’s story and how to deliver innovation through design, to the added value possibilities when designing through technology. Some of the brands and agencies passing on their knowledge included Bulletproof, COTY, ButterflyCannon, Diageo and Kinneir Dufort.
Speaking at the Pentawards Conference, Asa Cook, creative director, Design Bridge London, discussed ‘packaging design for the goldfish era’. Commenting on research conducted by Microsoft that shows people now have a shorter attention span than goldfish, Cook said that it is now necessary for design to ‘tell a story quickly and through multiple media’ to avoid audiences becoming distracted. Cook concluded that, in an age of social media, if you succeed in creating something engaging, ‘consumers will create the advertising for you’ and they will do it organically.
Continue to read the PackagingNews release by Toby Corbin here . . .
| A PackagingNews release || September 20, 2017 |||
New Zealand is rapidly becoming a significant digital nation where technology is positively impacting on almost all traditional sectors such as banking, agriculture and tourism, the NZTech annual report says.
Technology's momentum is now pulling along organisations from right across the New Zealand economy and tech has become the country’s fastest growing industry.
NZTech chief executive Graeme Muller says their membership is rapidly growing to include not only tech firms but also banks, government agencies, universities and large traditional non-tech corporates.
“NZTech has developed a national alliance, like a Star Alliance for tech, which now consists of 12 associations that, as of May 2017, collectively represent 423 organisations, who employ almost 100,000 people. This growing not for profit community is committed to creating more prosperity for New Zealand underpinned by technology.
“Working with NZ Story, NZTE and MBIE we have also started the development of a New Zealand Tech Story to assist exporters. The international perception that New Zealand produces good food and is a great place to visit can be enhanced through building our reputation as a high-tech nation.
“In May, to further develop our international reputation, NZTech produced Techweek’17. The Techweek team coordinated a national network of event hosts, city partners, government agencies and tech organisations, delivering 287 events across 24 towns and cities during the week. In May 2018 Techweek will be run again throughout New Zealand with a focus on attracting hundreds of investors and international delegates to see our best NZ tech.
“Another significant project, the LookSee campaign, was designed in partnership with WREDA, Workhere and Immigration NZ to help attract high quality tech talent to New Zealand. Offering 100 senior developer roles and free flights to job interviews attracted 1.8 million people with 48,000 applying for the roles. We now have a database of over 19,000 experienced tech workers ready to shift to New Zealand if the right job opens up.
“In terms of local talent, we have been inspiring girls into tech, by partnering with the Ministry of Youth, to expand ShadowTech Day to eight cities. A day where women in tech roles have a year 10 girl shadow them to experience what it is like to work in the tech sector. Work also continues with the Ministry of Education on the introduction of the digital technology curricula into all schools at all ages in 2018.
“NZTech will continue to raise the profile of the tech jobs as great places to work, and tech firms has critical for the future growth of the economy ,” Muller says.
The new NZTech board is Mitchell Pham (Augen – and chair), Barrie Sheers (Microsoft), Eva Sherwood (Oracle), Mike Smith (IBM), Paul Deavoll (Spark), Leigh Flounders (Latipay), Melissa Firth (Te Papa), Rachel Kelly (SparkTank), Sarah Hindle (Tech Future Lab), Kim Connolly-Stone (MBIE), Tom Chignell (Unitec) and Robett Hollis (Aranui Ventures).
For further information contact New Zealand Technology Industry Association chief executive Graeme Muller on 021 02520767 or Make Lemonade media specialist Kip Brook on 0275 030188
| A MakeLemonade release || September 21, 2017 |||
Ground-breaking research into design’s economic contribution to New Zealand’s economy has shown that during the last year alone design contributed $10.1b to New Zealand’s GDP (approximately 4.2%). The research launched in late July 2017 by Hon. Steven Joyce Minister of Finance, was undertaken by PwC and commissioned by DesignCo. Professor Claire Robinson, convenor of DesignCo, said at the launch of the research “There is a strong correlation between national prosperity, economic growth and a thriving design sector. International evidence confirms that design leads to more competitive firms making and selling higher value products and services.
“The research reveals that if design were treated as an individual industry its contribution to the New Zealand economy would be larger than agriculture and on a par with retail trade ($10.6b), and food, beverage and tobacco product manufacturing. The sector also provides approximately 94,200 FTE design positions in New Zealand, roughly 4.4% of employment,” Professor Robinson said.
For the purposes of the research the definition of design is broad in nature — it is a process or series of processes to create a proposition in any industry. Design is dynamic and can stretch across a number of applications, industries and occupations. It is because of this broad nature that the project group determined that the current classification system for industries and occupations in New Zealand did not adequately capture design in all its forms. As such, a project reference group developed a classification system for design. The classification has five levels, including the design disciplines of design education, graphic design, innovation / invention, interactive design, motion design, product design, service design, spatial design, and strategy.
The research shows that the manufacturing industry contributed the greatest amount to design-related economic activity in 2016 with $2.7b. Product design and interactive design disciplines are the two biggest individual contributors towards design’s GDP, with over $4.5b of economic activity coming from these two disciplines (46% of the total).
The study indicates a broadening use of design as an effective process; in exporting firms, technology, health, conservation, the public sector and within cities. Ludo Campbell-Reid, head of the Auckland Design Office and Auckland’s design champion said: “There is an international movement that is centred on cities that are transforming themselves through great urban design. We need to make sure that people understand the impact that design can have. Great design is good for the environment, good for business and good for social cohesiveness. Well-designed schools reduce truancy, well designed hospitals are better for your health, and well-designed cities are better for health and happiness. Design in the 21st century, with the rise and rise of technology and interactive and open-source consumer platforms, is being harnessed more frequently, for a wider set of purposes and with increasing impact,” Ludo Campbell-Reid said.
Professor Robinson said: “DesignCo partners will continue to connect with the constituent parts of the New Zealand design eco-system in a systematic and regular manner, telling the story of New Zealand’s design excellence, rectifying the paucity of information about the design sector and gathering statistical data on the value and impact of design in New Zealand.
| A DesignCo release || September 20, 2017 |||
The FoodBowl and DWC FoodTech are pleased to present a tailored one-day training course providing food manufacturers (and supporting industry) the practical information needed to manage heat processing options, health risks, guidelines and compliance.
The continued rapid growth in consumer demand for chilled foods has seen a proliferation of a wide range of products utilising an increasing array of packaging and processing systems. The need for widespread distribution means that manufacturers must maximise shelf life without compromising food safety. Whilst chilled foods are perceived as fresh and healthy, there can be increased risks.
This workshop will address the issues involved in the production and distribution of safe chilled foods.
New Zealand company Ubco will officially unveil its newest electric farm bike on the first day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland
Ubco’s 2018 dual electric drive (2X2) utility bike aims to allow farmers to ride silently alongside their herd while saving on costs and reducing environmental damage.
In the past, the Kiwi company has received acclaim for previous models of the bike in the US, Australia and New Zealand. Ubco chose to unveil its new model for the first time in Ireland “due to its influential farming community and its suitability for the Irish market”.
The bike reportedly produces no emissions, has no external drivetrain or combustion engine, doesn’t flood when laid on its side and weighs only 63kg.
The bike is also “extremely economical”, costing less than €1/120km to run, the manufacturer claims.
Commenting on the global launch, Ubco CEO Timothy Allan said: “The new 2018 2X2 is designed to take riders further than ever before, allowing them to also explore an on-road environment.
There’s no compromise on power and grunt, but you also have greater control off-road when going up-hill, through mud and forest tracks, or over unsealed roads.
“Aside from that, it’s whisper-quiet – so you can enjoy the environment as you ride.”
Allan also claims that the near-silent running of this cross-paddock transport also creates less stress for stock, as well as maintenance costs being greatly reduced.
According to Ubco, the bike’s lightweight frame and low centre of gravity also make it a safer option than a traditional quad bike.
The electric bike has a range of 120km, with a charge time of between six and eight hours. It also has a top speed of 45kph. Ubco will be located in the New Zealand Pavilion at Stand 268, Row 11, Block 3 at the ‘Ploughing’ site in Co. Offaly.
Robots endangering workers has been the driving force behind a German startup writes Oliver Sachgau for Bloomberg and publiashed recently by Industry Week. Increased safety would mean robots could work more efficiently and at a faster pace when near humans
Two years ago, a robot crushed a 22-year-old man to death at a Volkswagen AG factory in Germany after the maintenance worker became trapped in an area usually off-bound to humans. While this type of tragedy is still relatively rare, efforts to improve safety are intensifying as factories around the world become increasingly automated.
Now, in a development that’s drawn interest from car makers including Volkswagen, entrepreneurs Roman Weitschat and Hannes Hoeppner, working at the German Aerospace Center outside of Munich, say they have designed a way to better safeguard interactions between humans and robots with the aim of allowing them to work more closely.
Their newly-created company, Cobotect GmbH, is using the decades-old concept of airbags to cushion potentially dangerous automated parts and prevent workers from getting hurt. Increased safety would mean robots could work more efficiently and at a faster pace when near humans, according to the researchers.
Continue to read the full article on Industry Week here . . .
| An Industry Week release || September 18, 2017 |||
Beginning today, Monday 18 September 2017, CADPRO System's Matthew Weake will be running their Autodesk workshops starting with Tauranga today, Invercagill on Tuesday, New Plymouth on Wednesday and Napier on Thursday. Then next week it's Christchurch's turn on Monday, Hamilton on Tuesday and finally Auckland on Wednesday the 27th.
A busy time for the CADPRO team for sure which includes Peter Crawley, Scott Moyse, Gavin Bath and Matthew. You can register and access the details for each workshop via this link.
The purpose of these events is to highlight the changes made to Inventor, Nastran-InCAD, HSM and Vault over the last few years that users should consider using. They are considered ‘nuture’ events to help customers realise the value of tools they have available to them and get the chance to meet a couple of the people that they ask for support at CADPRO.
CADPRO have been using, supporting, implementing and training these products since they became available – for Inventor that was 1999! Matthew started with Solidworks 97+, he then moved to Mechanical Desktop 2 (AutoCAD R14 based) and then to Inventor. He then took a short break to go dairy farming and came back suitably refreshed to help CADPRO consolidate the company as a leading force in Australasia in the design sector.
CADPRO took on HSMWorks as the Master Reseller for Australasia and for the last 3 years and have been supporting it through all the progress to Inventor HSM, Fusion 360 and now to the Product Design and Manufacturing Collection and when Autodesk bought NEi Nastran have been working with the product as it matured into Nastran-InCAD.
For all of us involved in the manufacturing space, our clients are probably sick of us promoting data management, Matthew has been known to say! But in reality he is being a little harsh on himself, data management is often overlooked as a task that needs to be managed and there are there are really good reasons for every client to be using Vault in its various forms.
Look forward to catching up with you all over the next couple of weeks. You can register right here
Regards
Matthew Weake
Mob: +64 274 820 845
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The roll-out of a soft plastics recycling scheme in Nelson today means New World, Countdown and Pak’nSave supermarkets in the South Island will offer the service, Environment Minister Dr Nick Smith says.
“The Love NZ Soft Plastics Recycling Programme is the next logical step for households in reducing waste. It means people can take the likes of bread bags, shopping bags and frozen vege bags to these supermarkets for collection, re-manufacture and re-use,” Dr Smith says.
“Most households now recycle paper, cardboard, glass, metal cans and hard plastic containers, and the extra challenge with soft plastics was finding a practical way of collecting them and keeping them clean enough for re-use. The programme is already running in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington and Canterbury and will now roll out to stores from Nelson to Invercargill.
“These additional South Island locations mean the programme reaches its goal of 70 per cent of New Zealanders having access to a drop-off facility within 20km of their home.
“A Government Waste Minimisation Fund grant of $700,930 supports this joint initiative between the retail sector, the packaging industry and the Government to enable the recycling of soft plastics.
“The soft plastic collected is turned into useful products such as benches and bollards, extending the life of this valuable resource. The programme will now be available at more than 350 stores nationwide, and includes South Island New World, Countdown and Pak’nSave supermarkets.
“This initiative builds on the work we have done with hard plastics, like the opening last month of the Flight Plastics processing facility in Lower Hutt, which received a $4 million Government grant. This facility has the capacity to turn more than 200 million plastic drink bottles a year into high grade food-safe packaging.
“The soft plastics programme is a great example of how businesses can make positive changes that enable every-day New Zealanders to divert plastic waste from ending up as litter or landfill. Its North Island roll-out will continue next year, with Rotorua, Tauranga and Palmerston North.
“The success of the programme to date clearly shows New Zealanders’ enthusiasm for reducing waste to landfill. This year more than 200 tonnes of soft plastics have already been collected for recycling.
“It is needed regardless of the debate on single use shopping bags. I welcome the announcement yesterday by Foodstuffs that they are exploring a charge on single use supermarket bags but the soft plastics problem is far larger than just the single use supermarket bags.
“This innovative and collaborative approach has proved successful in other locations and I’m looking forward to seeing Nelsonians embrace it,” Dr Smith concluded.
| A Beehive release || September 18, 2017 |||