A South Waikato ginseng producer is ready to approach potential investors to increase its production and exports with the help of funding of up to $40,000 from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). Maraeroa has 20 hectares of high value wild simulated Asian panax ginseng growing on the forest floor of its 5,550 hectare pine plantation. The group is looking to double the size of its ginseng plantation by raising capital and having a purpose designed processing factory built at Pureora. Maraeroa C Incorporation is using its MPI funding to compete an investment information memorandum and business plan for potential…

A high-tech tent hospital has improved New Zealand’s ability to save lives and give emergency health care when disasters strike at home or in the wider South-West Pacific region. The new portable medical facility has helped the New Zealand Medical Assistance Team (NZMAT) earn World Health Organization classification as a Type 1 Mobile and Fixed Outpatients Emergency Medical Team, becoming the 13th team worldwide to achieve the standard. “We’re thrilled to gain WHO classification because it means our team meets international standards and we’re self-sufficient to provide emergency health care for at least 100 patients per day for 14 days,…

The NZMEA signals an even stronger focus on supporting globally competitive manufacturers with the launch of a new nameWith the changing face of manufacturing and the increasing global opportunities advanced technologies offer, the NZMEA has introduced a new and simply stated name supported by a strong logo that reflects where it wants to take the industry into the future - The Manufacturers’ Network. “We are hugely proud of our history, having supported manufacturers and manufacturing since 1879. But today the industry is different. With a global reach and growth opportunities relying more and more on collaboration, strong networks and an…

 September 17 Edition Click here to open                

Aluminium from end-of-life cars to be recycled into new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles£2 million project cuts waste and helps reduce carbon emissionsExtends existing scheme to recycle scrap aluminium from manufacturing processRecycling uses up to 95 per cent less energy than primary aluminium production Jaguar Land Rover, the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturer, is expanding the use of recycled aluminium in its car bodies to cut waste and reduce carbon emissions. The £2 million project, called REALITY, has found a way to enable the closed-loop recycling of aluminium from end-of-life vehicles back into high-performance product forms for new vehicle body manufacture in…

Rangiora-based Vaico​ is the latest Canterbury firm to come up with new seismic technology. Co-director Ashton How and his brothers set up the business 10 years ago dealing in above-ceiling installations. After the earthquakes they turned their full focus to seismic bracing of storage racks holding pallets of goods. Ashton How, of Rangiora-based Vaico, which makes bracing systems for racking systems in warehouses. Safety in distribution warehouses and supermarkets become a major issue in 2011 when Canterbury experienced 14,000 earthquakes, approximately. Like many of the best inventions, the solutions appeared self evident in hindsight - a bar that falls down…

Smart factories are a key aspect of the fourth industrial revolution, but a factory can’t evolve into a smart factory unless its workers evolve, too. The skills gap has a lot of manufacturers wondering about what the future holds. Should employers offer more pay to entice existing talent? How can we encourage students to pursue STEM and skilled education? As if finding skilled workers wasn’t hard enough, the industry is changing so fast that many careers end up being moving targets. Companies can’t implement cutting-edge digital solutions if their workforce doesn’t have the skills to use that new tech effectively.…

 August 17 Edition Click here to open                

The sale and manufacture of wash-off products containing plastic microbeads will be banned in New Zealand earlier than previously expected, Associate Environment Minister Scott Simpson announced today. “Microbeads pose a high risk to our aquatic and marine environments. They are too small to retrieve or recycle, do not biodegrade, and are mistaken by marine life for food, causing long-term damage to marine animals,” Mr Simpson says. The ban will take effect six months after World Trade Organisation notification, which will take place when the regulations are gazetted in November. Microbeads will be fully banned in New Zealand by May 2018.…

On Monday, the New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association (NZMEA) hosted a forum to discuss policy issues of importance to manufacturers, featuring Hon Steven Joyce, National MP and Minister for Finance and Infrastructure, Grant Robertson, Labour's Finance Spokesperson, and James Shaw, Co-Leader of the Green Party. This was a great opportunity to hear three representatives from major parties engage with NZMEA members in a quality discussion on manufacturing, and today the NZMEA is releasing its list of policies for the 2017 election. Mr Dieter Adam, CE, NZMEA said, “With the election only 7 weeks away, it’s important that all parties…

Probably because of the unprecedented earthquake rebuild, Canterbury has produced the most number of entries for the National Kitchen and Bathroom Association (NKBA) 2017 Excellence in Design awards to be announced at Pyrmont in Sydney on Friday, August 11. Auckland, easily New Zealand’s biggest city, usually has the most entries. Other entries for the event have come from Wellington, Southland, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Taranaki and Hawke’s Bay. Last year’s supreme kitchen design award winner Auckland designer Morgan Cronin is a judge this year. The awards are being held off shore for the first time so designers can attend the…