Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
Ξ Auckland Airport launches Strata – revamps lounge, wifi
Ξ Engineer defends assessment of quake-damaged Wellington building
Ξ What's next for America's Cup technology - boats with wings?
Ξ Human-like avatar gives glimpse of the future
Ξ Napier Port chief executive announces retirement
Ξ Consent in for five-star hotel in Dunedin
Ξ Scott Technology positioned for good growth
Babcock International’s Australasian CEO for engineering, infrastructure and aviation believes local operations will grow by more than 25 per cent annually, it has been reported in todays Manufacturers' Monthly
David Ruff spoke with the AFR about the potential for the business, which has been awarded contract “to provide offshore helicopter support services” in the Timor Sea for the United States oil and gas company Conoco Philips.
Babcock International has annual global revenues over $9 billion and opened a new regional headquarters in Adelaide on Wednesday.
In Australia and New Zealand, the company was generating revenues of $15 million from four years ago and has seen that rise to $250 million annually.
Last September, Babcock secured a five-year contract to help manage Qantas airline’s aviation fleet in 60 locations across Australia.
There are also further opportunities in engineering, defence, and transport and infrastructure sectors.
| A Manufacturers'Monthly release || April 06, 2017 |||
An Irish insulation manufacturer , Kingspan who also have presence in the New Zealand market, has officially opened its new facility in Somerton, creating 50 new jobs, and setting new standards in energy efficiency.
Victorian Minister for Industry and Employment Wade Noonan congratulated Kingspan at a special ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The Victorian Government has worked with Kingspan to develop the Oherns Road factory – worth about $40 million – by providing funding support and assisting with planning and approval.
The company’s new Somerton base has become Australia’s first ever Green Star rated manufacturing facility.
It includes a 750 kW solar system built into the roof design, and innovative features such as industrial low energy lighting and heating systems.
It’s at least 10 per cent more energy efficient than Kingspan’s other manufacturing facilities.
Kingspan will supply its insulation products to the Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Oceania markets, with 35 per cent of output expected to be exported by 2020.
The Victorian Government supported Kingspan’s investment in partnership with the Federal Government through the Melbourne’s North Innovation and Investment Fund (MNIIF).
MNIIF has since been replaced by the $33 million Local Industry Fund for Transition (LIFT), supporting new investment, and creating jobs for retrenched automotive workers.
These grants have already created an additional 122 jobs from six projects in Melbourne’s north – as the Victorian Government works to build a strong, innovative and sustainable manufacturing sector.
| A Kingspan release | April 06, 2017 |||
Last week I attended a business conference and was talking to a rather sceptical business owner about health and safety and its benefits.
In his view, it was just another thing to do and made no difference to his business. I suppose, depending on the business this could be the case. We then discussed this at some length and I suggested that he look at the converse approach of what would be the impact on his business if something did go wrong. In effect, the what if approach for good risk management. So whats eventuated is that I will be attending his next managers and H&S committee meeting to illustrate the point through a simple yet effective group exercise.
To see how this can work for your business I have put together an article called The Ripple Effect which you can read here.
Gordon Anderson runs Health & safety consultancy Hasmate
Emirates has introduced another service to mitigate the inconvenience of the recent ban on electronic devices on board US-bound flights. First and Business Class passengers will now be able to borrow tablets on board Emirates’ US-bound flights from Dubai allowing them to continue working during their flight.
The new service is in response to the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) directive which requires all passengers travelling on non-stop flights to the US from Dubai to check-in their laptops, tablets, and other personal electronic devices larger than a smart phone.
As part of this latest service, Emirates’ premium customers will have Microsoft Surface tablets equipped with Microsoft Office 2016 available for loan on board. Customers can download their work on to a USB which can be brought on board and plugged into the devices to continue working seamlessly.
The service is complimentary and will be available on all non-stop flights from Dubai to Emirates’ US destinations. Emirates provides connections at Dubai from its five daily A380 services from New Zealand to the US.
For customers who prefer to stow away their personal devices and simply enjoy the award winning inflight entertainment and service on board, Emirates had introduced a laptop and tablet handling service for US-bound customers. This complimentary service has been made available to passengers in all cabin classes since 25 March 2017, which was when the new TSA rules took effect.
This service allows customers to retain and utilise their personal devices until just before they board their US-bound flights. Passengers must then declare and hand over their laptops, tablets, and other banned electronic devices to security staff at the boarding gate, who will pack and tag each device to be stored in the aircraft hold and returned to the customer at their US destination.
Watch a video on how Emirates’ handling service works here.
To date, nearly 8,000 passengers have utilised Emirates’ laptop and tablet handling service on the airline’s 112 weekly non-stop flights departing Dubai International airport to cities in the USA. Emirates has received positive feedback from appreciative customers, and reports an even mix of Economy, Business and First class passengers utilising its laptop and tablet handling service.
These two new services by Emirates gives customers travelling to the US several options, such as: packing their electronic devices into their check-in baggage at their point of departure; the opportunity to use their laptops and tablet on their first leg of their journeys and during transit in Dubai, up to the moment they board their US-bound flight; and for premium customers the choice to continue working on loaned devices on board. Customers can stay connected in the air with mobile phone connectivity, in-seat telephones with SMS and email and live TV on most flights. Currently, over 85% of Emirates’ fleet of passenger aircraft is equipped with Wi-Fi on board.
The TSA directive does not apply to Emirates’ US-bound flights via Milan (EK205) and Athens (EK209). It also does not impact flights departing from the US, or Emirates’ flights to any other destination.
Emirates customers flying to the US can find out more about how the new TSA rules impact them at www.emirates.com/electronicsban.
Emirates serves 12 US airports with passenger flights - Newark (EWR), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando (MCO), Chicago (ORD), Boston (BOS), San Francisco (SFO), Los Angeles (LAX), Seattle (SEA), Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Washington (IAD) and New York (JFK).
| An Emirates release | April 06, 2017 |||
The government’s business innovation agency has launched the 2017 C-Prize, offering challenge prizes to develop great ideas in wearable technology.
Callaghan Innovation CE Vic Crone says the C-Prize incentives, which include a $100,000 grand prize package will stimulate some great ideas, and the very best will become viable businesses.
“We know it takes a lot of courage to make the leap into innovation, and an opportunity like C-Prize can be just the nudge that people with ideas and ambition need to create a tangible concept.”
C-Prize 2017 calls for innovation in three important areas for New Zealand: living healthier, working safer and playing smarter.
Entrants need to create a hardware-software wearable solution that captures and processes user data and communicates feedback allowing the user to act to enhance their outcome.
Entries close July 2, 2017.
VX Sport CEO, Richard Snow, who will be one of the C-Prize 2017 judges, says wearable technology offers an exciting and virtually limitless opportunity for innovators.
“It can not only enhance personal communications for people within their environment, but also to create sensors and analysis that will improve health, wellness and efficiency in our daily lives.”
The first C-Prize, held two years ago, created a huge buzz around drone-tech, and launched the successful Dotterel venture, which has won awards and attracted investment for its noise-reduction technology was showcased as a C-Prize finalist in 2015.
The competition is open to anyone aged 16 and over, living in New Zealand. Entries are open until midnight, July 2, 2017 at www.cprize.nz.
| A CallaghanInnovation release || April 05, 2017 |||
Spark has launched PureCloud, a new customer experience system by Genesys, to help New Zealand businesses manage and service their customers more seamlessly and affordably over the cloud, keeping on top of rising demand for smarter customer experiences.
The new subscription-based contact centre infrastructure brings together inbound and outbound calling, email, webchat, social media, and fax (for those using it), enabling customer interactions to be viewed and managed as single, unbroken journeys across platforms.
Richard Adams, GM Solutions for Spark Digital, said this is the kind of experience customers are growing to expect from businesses:
"More and more, people expect to be able to determine how and when they get in touch with a company, and they expect the experience to be unbroken, regardless of the way in which they make contact.
"We wanted to help New Zealand businesses keep ahead of this growing demand from their customers with a system that would be easy to adopt, affordable to run, and that would make things easier for businesses as well as their customers. PureCloud does all this and more, so we’re thrilled to be bringing it to our customers."
PureCloud comes with enterprise grade security, regular updates and real-time customer information. It can be adopted with just a headset and an internet connection and, being cloud based, enables business continuity through disruptive events such as natural disasters.
PureCloud is available at www.sparkdigital.co.nz/solutions/collaboration/purecloud-contactcentre/.
| A Spark release || April 05, 2017 |||
A renamed and extended Emperor’s Lounge, plus upgraded wifi are among the changes complementing Auckland Airport’s launch of its new Strata Club.
The club is a new app-based loyalty type programme designed to recognise travellers’ choices with personalised services and benefits. Strata Club benefits are offered in tiers based on a customer’s purchases over a year and are available to all international and domestic travellers, regardless of their airline and class of travel, as well as to everyone visiting Auckland Airport’s international and domestic terminals.
The Emperor Lounge, the international premium lounge owned and operated by Auckland Airport, is being renamed Strata Lounge. It is being expanded and refurbished and will open in a new location by August 2017. Strata Club Members will collect Strata Points and accrue tier spend when they book their lounge visit online and 24 hours in advance.
The first stage of wifi infrastructure and services for customers is also complete and complements the launch of the club. Improvements include offering customers a choice of time allowances and data volumes according to their needs and Strata Club tier.
Jason Delamore, Auckland Airport’s general manager – marketing and technology, says Strata Club is one of the ways the airport is investing in getting to know its customers better so they can be provided with more personalised services and benefits.
Examples of benefits include longer access to free wifi, parking upgrades and discounts, and special offers from participating retailers (such as duty free and food and beverage outlets).
| A Travelinc release || April 06, 2017 |||
/INS. Walki has developed a new fibre-based soil mulching solution that is completely biodegradable. This organic mulch type, which is used for weed control and to optimise soil conditions and crop yield, is the first of its kind on the market.
Walki, a leading global producer of technical laminates and protective packaging materials, has developed the first-ever organic mulching solution that is based on natural biodegradable fibres instead of plastic. Mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of an area of soil. It is designed to conserve moisture, improve the fertility and health of the soil and control weed growth. Soil mulching also reduces the need for pesticides, fertilisers and irrigation.
Traditionally, soil mulching materials have been made from plastic, and, most typically, from polyethylene film. While effective, plastic mulch is not biodegradable and eventually becomes waste material that has to be removed from the field and dumped or recycled at a high cost.
It is estimated that more than a million tonnes of plastic films are used for mulching every year around the world. In addition to having to be collected from the fields, the mulch often leaves behind plastic residues, which pollute the soil and reduce its future growth potential. Yields from polluted soil are typically up to 20 per cent lower than those from non-polluted soil.
“Walki’s Agripap solution is the only organic mulch type on the market that is made from paper instead of plastic. It is entirely biodegradable, does not contribute to plastic pollution and, instead, simply dissolves into the soil. It also reduces the need for the chemicals used to control weed growth,” says Walki’s Vice President Technical Products, Sales & Marketing, Arno Wolff.
Walki®Agripap is made from kraft paper that is coated with a biodegradable coating layer, which slows down the degradation of the paper. Without the coating, the paper would degrade in the soil within a few weeks.
Walki’s new organic mulching solution has been the subject of extensive field-testing in Finland. The tests, which were carried out in 2016 by independent research institute Luke Piikkiö, compared the performance of different biodegradable mulches for growing iceberg lettuce and seedling onions. The tests demonstrated that Walki’s Agripap was easy to lay on the fields and delivered excellent weed control. The results in terms of yield and durability were also good.
“Having seen the kind of environmental impact that plastic film can have on the soil, Walki has understood that there is a need for a more sustainable mulching solution. Walki®Agripap is the perfect alternative for the farmers who care about our environment,” says Peter Martin, Technical Service & Development Director, Industrial Packaging.
Following the successful testing and approval of Agripap in Finland and Sweden, the next step will be to complete testing in Europe’s main mulching markets: Spain, France and Italy. Farmers and equipment manufacturers wishing to participate in testing Walki’s new organic mulching solution are encouraged to get in touch with Arno Wolff.
| An NS release || April 06, 2017 |||
Palace of the Alhambra, Spain
By: Charles Nathaniel Worsley (1862-1923)
From the collection of Sir Heaton Rhodes
Oil on canvas - 118cm x 162cm
Valued $12,000 - $18,000
Offers invited over $9,000
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
Mount Egmont with Lake
By: John Philemon Backhouse (1845-1908)
Oil on Sea Shell - 13cm x 14cm
Valued $2,000-$3,000
Offers invited over $1,500
Contact: Henry Newrick – (+64 ) 27 471 2242
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