Founded by Max Farndale 1947 - 2018
It was the era of black and white television, The Beatles, and the space race between the US and Russia to the moon. It was the 1960s and on the other side of the world, in his garage in little New Zealand, a man was making crystals to generate radio frequency. That man was Warren Robinson, founder of Rakon. Back then, Warren saw a large gap in the market for crystals and so he decided to make his own. The company became incorporated on 4 April 1967.
Fast track fifty years where connected technology is in use more than ever, and diverse applications are evolving rapidly. The company continues to design and make frequency control devices based around quartz. However, today, there is a plethora of communication and location systems which all require accurate clocking signals to generate precise electrical, radio or optical signals in networks and systems everywhere – and at the heart of many, is a Rakon product. This week the company is celebrating across its multiple sites worldwide.
Rakon CEO Brent Robinson says the competitive nature of the industry and rapid pace of technology requirements makes the milestone particularly significant.
“It is an incredible achievement to not only endure within a highly dynamic technology driven industry such as ours, but to continuously innovate and push technology boundaries, and we are immensely proud of this milestone.”
So has being a kiwi-led company played a part in Rakon succeeding?
“Certainly the can-do attitude and transparency we have had with our customers has forged very strong relationships with them and that is something inherent within the New Zealand culture. Also our relative isolation to the rest of the world provided the opportunity, particularly in the early GPS days, to develop in-house our own proprietary test equipment completely unique to what else was available, which gave us an advantage.
“However, largely we have achieved this milestone through the sheer drive and determination of our highly talented team of engineers and professionals worldwide. We have built a truly global manufacturing, R&D and customer/application support platform. Supporting that is a great team who are united with the same passion and curiosity to continually go beyond conventional performance limits.”
Diversification has also been strongly part of the company’s strategy and Robinson says continuing to diversify, evolve and shape the business to customer requirements will be essential to succeed in the years ahead.
In 2015 the company diversified through its investment with Thinxtra – an Internet of Things (IoT) business. In February this year, Taiwanese company Siward Crystal Technology Company Limited took a 16.6 percent share in the company, giving both companies a broader range of products and alternative channels, into new and existing markets.
“Listening to our key eco-system partners, staying abreast of developments and evolving the business accordingly to meet their requirements − and those of the industry − is mandatory” Robinson said.
Rakon has a proud history of delivering industry ‘firsts’, has won a number of industry and supplier awards and its products can be found in many international programmes.
| A Rakon release || April 05, 2017 |||
The Reserve Bank today began publishing new monthly statistics that will provide greater insight into the structure and activities of the banking sector.
Head of Macro Financial Stability, Bernard Hodgetts, said the Reserve Bank has worked closely with banks to develop the new statistical collection on the sector’s balance sheets.
“Since the global financial crisis there has been increased demand from the general public, media and financial analysts for more detail in financial statistics, and for these statistics to cover more areas – particularly in banking.”
The new banking statistics include breakdowns of financial instruments, including loans, securities, deposits and borrowings. They replace the existing statistical framework first introduced in the late 1980s, which was known as the Standard Statistical Return.
Statistics manager Steffi Schuster said that, with lending to households now making up a larger share of bank lending, a more comprehensive breakdown of mortgage lending to households is timely.
“Users will be able to see the banks’ mortgage lending portfolio broken down by payment type, such as interest-only, revolving credit and principal and interest. Residential investor mortgage lending will also now be separately identified.”
Comprehensive sector breakdowns have also been introduced in the collection and aligned with Statistics New Zealand’s Statistical Standard for Institutional Classifications (SCIS). “We have further expanded the business sector statistics to capture data on agriculture, commercial property and other business lending activity. For the first time, business loans fully secured by residential mortgage have been identified,” she said.
The Bank plans to expand the statistical series even further later this year and publish data that provides more detail about bank deposits, as well as lending to the business sector and commercial property sector.
“We understand the importance of data continuity, so some key statistics such as credit have been backdated to provide comparable historical data. Statistics for most new series will be available from the December 2016 month
New banking statistics can be seen in more detail on the reserves bank website here
Another year has gone by, and Autodesk has been working hard to bring you innovative CAD features to help you design the next aerodynamic bike, energy-efficient building, high-speed railway, or anything else you can dream up.
In this latest release of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT, you’re able to:
Check out the full AutoCAD 2018 Preview Guide to learn more about the new features, how to access them, and why we think you’ll love them.
If you’re on an AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT 2017 subscription license or maintenance plan, you’ll get all your updates as they become available, right in the Autodesk Desktop App. Just accept the update, and you’ll be up and running with the new features immediately. If you have any issues of updating your latest version, please do not feel hesitate to contact CADPRO Systems, our dedicated team is always there to help.
Subscribe Now: Take advantage of 25% OFF* by purchasing the latest release of AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT 2018.
Follow this link for more information CADPRO Systems
| A CADPRO Systems release | Wednesday 5 April 2017 |||
/ins Low investment. Long life. High performance.
T-model is as rare as an entry level waterjet cutting system based on very high quality standard. Water Jet Sweden has for decades been building quality waterjet cutting machines for the most demanding customers. A craftsmanship rooted in Swedish industrial tradition with machine installed all around the world. The new T-model is based on that tradition.Meeting a tough requirement specification
The T-model is Water Jet Sweden’s first machine model with a flying bridge construction widening the already broad product range. It has been designed to meet a list of very specific requirements: It had to fit into a container to get low transportation cost. It had to be quick and easy to install and must be easy to operate. The result is a complete machine system available at a market price from around € 100 000. This is a completely new price segment for Water jet Sweden as a manufacturer.
A multi-purpose waterjet cutting tool
The T-model is a multi-purpose waterjet machine designed for in-house production, part manufacturing, design workshops, engineering workshops and prototype workshops, cutting any kind of material of various size and shape. You get all the basic functions you need. Metal cutting, composite cutting, glass cutting, stone cutting, tile cutting, rubber cutting, plastic cutting, wood cutting, you name it. With the T- model you are able to cut virtually any material with the same cutting tool, up to 200 mm thick.
Five Year Performance warranty and awarded reliability
T-model is operated with a real CNC control system from Fanuc, who for the last decades has been awarded best reliability and availability in the world. The machine system is powered with original intensifier pumps from BFT and KMT, which are leading European and American high pressure pump manufacturers. The waterjet cutting machine itself include the unique extended five-year performance warranty, built by the same experienced Swedish engineers as the rest of Water Jet Sweden product range. Water Jet Sweden guarantees that it will keep the same tolerance requirements after five years, or 10 000 hours, as when the machine was first delivered.
The T-model meets a new market but deliver the reliability and comfort of a high end cutting system.
| For more information visit http://waterjetsweden.com || April 04, 2017 |||
What a Difference three years has made to the Media Class
Out the book came on its triennial pre-election rotation shaming mission this time of the military. Broadcasters adopted solemn visages to hype the soufflé. Print columnists responded piously in their customary and secondary Pavlovian pick-up role.
The public responded. With indifference. The media class had flailed away at the usual levers. They were no longer connected.
Less than a year has passed since the two New Zealand newspaper chains first lodged their merger application with the Commerce Commission. Yet industrially it is an epoch ago. It is as if during these 11 months that the age sail had given way to steam which in turn had given way to internal combustion. Consider what has happened during this short space of time:-
What a difference three years makes. What a difference 11 months makes.
The free model meanwhile scythes at ever accelerating speed through the communications sector, notably books and newspapers.
In the sector at large there remains though some curious ironies. For example this week Spark’s Xtra subscribers found that accessing what they were paying for, their email service, was labyrinthinely complex, if possible at all.
While access to the Spark free news service was instantaneous.
| From The MSCNewsWire reporters' desk || Wednesday 5 April 2017 |||
Foreign Minister Murray McCully welcomes the Angolan Minister of External Relations Georges Rebelo Pinto Chikoti, who he will meet in Wellington today.
“This visit presents an opportunity to deepen this relationship, including through discussing ways to increase trade flows. Angola had one of the fastest-growing economies of the past decade, and appointed its first ever Ambassador to New Zealand, resident in Singapore, last year,” Mr McCully says.
“New Zealand and Angola served together as non-permanent members of the UN Security Council from 2015–2016. Angola is a leader in the Southern African region, and it provides an important voice on African peace and security issues. Our mutual Security Council terms also provided an opportunity for increased engagement between our two countries.”
While in New Zealand, Minister Chikoti has also met with the Minister of Trade and the Minister for Primary Industries, and will discuss business opportunities with the fisheries sector.
| A Beehive release || April 05, 2017 |||
Air New Zealand has today revealed a new Economy seat design at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg to be introduced on the airline’s Airbus A320/A321neo (new engine option) fleet.
The airline has worked with UK aerospace seating company Acro Aircraft Seating on the slim-line design, a key feature of which is wider seats. The window and aisle seats will be one centimetre wider than those on the airline’s current international Airbus fleet, with the middle seat three centimetres wider ensuring a better sense of personal space across the row.
The design also features a new seat cover developed in conjunction with New Zealand company Flight Interiors which customer testing has demonstrated delivers superior comfort levels for longer.
Air New Zealand General Manager Customer Experience Anita Hawthorne says the design of the new seat was customer-led with the airline and Acro keen to address key areas of customer feedback and further improve the inflight experience.
“The slightly wider middle seat helps balance out the fact that window and aisle seat customers enjoy a greater sense of space. We currently have many customers who state a preference for window or aisle seats and it’s possible the new design may see the middle seat get a boost in popularity.
“We have a long history of innovating and of thinking outside the box for solutions so we were fortunate to work alongside a like-minded partner such as Acro. We believe what we’ve co-designed is not only practical from an operational perspective but importantly a more comfortable and spacious experience for our customers,” says Ms Hawthorne.
Acro Chief Executive Officer Chris Brady says the seat attracted plenty of attention at the Aircraft Interiors Expo when it was unveiled today.
“To reveal the new seat at this event, which showcases all the very latest innovations, technologies and products for cabin interiors was hugely exciting and piqued a lot of interest in the new product from other airlines and the wider industry alike,” Mr Brady says.
Air New Zealand has 13 Airbus A320neo aircraft on order to replace its current A320 fleet. The airline will receive a combination of A320neo and A321neo.
| An Air New Zealand release || April 05, 2017 |||
Corrections has signed up its 100th employer to offer prisoners jobs in a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Waste Management today, says Corrections Minister Louise Upston.
The partnership will see Waste Management work with Corrections and offer prisoners jobs when they are released, including drivers, administration, computer operator, runners, landfill operators, general operators, labourers, diesel mechanics and call centre roles.
“It’s great to have Waste Management on board,” says Ms Upston. “There is huge potential in this partnership and I look forward to seeing it to develop and offer more employment opportunities for prisoners on release.
“Through these partnerships, Corrections is providing employers with motivated and skilled workers for a wide range of meaningful jobs.”
“We know that having stable employment plays a huge role in reducing the likelihood of reoffending once someone leaves prison. That is good for the prisoner, their whanau and the communities they return to.”
Alongside Waste Management, other employers that have signed MoUs with Corrections include Global Bus and Horticulture NZ to provide career training and sustainable employment.
Corrections delivers a wide range of education and employment training programmes in prisons including horticulture, manufacturing, construction, painting and hospitality. In the last financial year, around 9000 offenders were engaged in employment-related activities.
“The training and rehabilitation programmes in prison ensure that these people are well-equipped with quality, employable skills that are widely recognised by employers,” says Ms Upston.
“Many prisoners have limited work experience before going to prison and it’s fantastic to see these programmes making a real difference and helping get them successfully placed into employment.”
Corrections has its own recruitment service to connect offenders with meaningful jobs once they are released from prison. Over the past five months, around 300 people with convictions have been placed into long-term, sustainable jobs.
Corrections has also run an Employment Support Service over the last three years which provides job placement and in-work support for prisoners due for release and for offenders on community sentences. To date the programme has helped 137 offenders find jobs.
To support Corrections’ employment partnerships, Ms Upston will be hosting employer breakfasts in Hamilton, Christchurch and Wellington over the next few months. Employers will be invited to come and learn more about partnering with Corrections to provide jobs for offenders.
| A Beehive release || April 04, 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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