Items filtered by date: Tuesday, 02 December 2014

Higher than forecast tax revenues are the primary reason the Government accounts for the first five months of the financial year are ahead of forecast, Finance Minister Steven Joyce says.

The Government’s financial accounts to 30 November 2016 were released today, and they show that the Crown’s Operating Balance before Gains and Losses (OBEGAL) was a deficit of $768 million, which was $936 million better than the Treasury projected at the Half Year Fiscal Update (HYEFU).

"Stronger economic growth is flowing through to the Government's tax take'" Mr Joyce says. "Tax revenue for the five months to November is $460 million ahead of forecast in the Half-Year Update, and $1.4 billion ahead of Budget 2016 forecasts."

Mr Joyce says that it is appropriate to remain very cautious in terms of what the increased tax receipts might mean for the full-year financial result.

“Treasury's Half-Year Update forecast a $473 million surplus for the whole 2016/17 year,” Mr Joyce says. “It is far too early to say whether that surplus will be able to be achieved.

"These accounts include the first tranche of the Government's expenses related to the Kaikōura earthquake, with just under $700 million of EQC estimated costs being included. It will still be some time before the full cost of the recovery is known."

"The Earthquake again demonstrates the importance of the National-led Government’s prudent financial management. Getting back to surplus and repaying debt in the good times means we are in a position to support communities at times like this when they're in need.

“More generally these accounts underline the importance of strong fiscal discipline as we continue to build up our financial resilience in a relatively uncertain world. We need to remember that Budget 2016 forecast only a small surplus for the full financial year.”

| A Beehive release  |  January 26, 2017  ||

Fuss about citizenship reminiscent of Takaro Lodge Flap.

Midas Silicon Valley investor Peter Thiel backed Facebook, Paypal, and Xero. But his founding of crime and insurgency systems developer Palantir currently valued at $20 billion can be considered less than helpful to floundering New Zealand law-and-order systems producer Wynyard Group.

On Wednesday, 02 November 2016 in:-  Wynyard Class Action Must Identify Litigation TargetsMSC Newswire reported: “Wynyard for example walked into this kind of Silicon Valley deep-pocket storm when it found itself confronted with sometime New Zealand resident and Tolkien buff Peter Thiel’s Palantir crime product.”

Underpinning Mr Thiel’s right to New Zealand citizenship is his passion for Tolkien.

The name Palantir comes from the Lord of the Rings in which the Palantir was a magical seeing stone that let you see what was happening in lands far off.

Mr Thiel’s skill has been to see what is about to happen in the rather closer internet era once described by Bill Gates as representing the epoch of “disintermediation” in which people dealt directly with the people and services they required.

Mr Thiel’s strong and highly visible support for the election of President Donald Trump can itself be seen now quite clearly.It was based on an understanding that the new President could communicate directly with voters rather than having to deal with them via the intermediary of the established media.

Mr Thiel’s activist support for President Trump can also be viewed as triggering pique from New Zealand’s Labour Party Opposition to the bestowing upon him of New Zealand citizenship.

Otherwise Mr Thiel is a photofit personified of all New Zealand’s activist yearnings.

He supports openly all major societal alternative and libertarian thrusts, notably the right for people to live on man-made islands beyond legal jurisdictions in a concept known as “seasteading.”

He is an ardent proponent of peoples’ right to privacy and put the pervasive celebrity tittle-tattle internet site Gawker out of business by financing the legal action against the site on grounds of intrusion by showman Hulk Hogan.

He is the leader of the second generation of California innovators who sprang up in the footsteps of Bill Gates and Steven Jobs.

This set is sometimes described as the Paypal Mafia, the network of former employees and co-founders that includes SpaceX’s Eion Musk and LinkedIn’s Reid Hoffman.

Mr Thiel now stands identified as the jewel in the crown of the New Zealand government’s campaign to see installed here information technology disruptive-scale investors to seed development in the home-grown industry.

One of the reasons that the government is evasive about this whole daring strategy is that it also encompassed Kim Dotcom.

Like Mr Thiel who emigrated with his parents to the United States, Kim Dotcom was also born in Germany.

It is likely that the government will now informally approach Mr Thiel with a view to his outlining investments other than Xero that can be said to be in the national interest.

Mr Thiel, for example, is said to be actively engaged in life sciences, notably in the field of postponing or even eliminating death.

In some ways the fuss about Mr Thiel’s New Zealand citizenship resonates with the campaign in the 1970s against United States oilman Stockton Rush.

Mr Rush and his family moved to New Zealand to create Takaro Lodge, a hunting and fishing retreat with an emphasis on conservation and located coincidentally in the same Wanaka lakes region favoured by Mr Thiel.

However and all those years ago it became known that Takaro Lodge had been fitted in whole or part with gold plated plumbing fitments.

These gold taps now became a class warfare icon.

Bill Rowling was the first New Zealand Labour Party prime minister from a privileged background.

Newly installed he was determined to publicly demonstrate his working class credentials which now took the form of a campaign against Mr Rush and his lodge and of course his taps.

Meanwhile, out-of-pocket and patriotic New Zealand investors in the until quite recently NZX listed Wynyard Group will find themselves cherishing a singular and not unreasonable hope.

It is that Mr Thiel can be persuaded to put his shoulder to the wheel in restoring their forensic systems producer to solvency.

Mr Thiel is considered the major holder of Palantir.

Wynyard Group had its beginnings in Christchurch with the Jade organisation which in the 1970s invented one of the world’s first programming compilers, i.e. a programme that generated other programmes.

The Wynyard Group investor class action group is currently evaluating its options in regard to the now insolvent onetime NZX main board company.

On their agenda at their forthcoming meeting might now be a motion calling for a formal approach to their newly revealed fellow citizen, Peter Thiel.

|  From the MSCNewsWire reporters' desk  |  Thursday 26 January 2017  ||

More reading:  Wynyard Class Action Must Identify Litigation Targets

Prime Minister Bill English and Communications Minister Simon Bridges today announced Ultra-Fast Broadband (UFB) will be extended to more than 151 additional towns, providing up to 85 per cent of New Zealanders with access to fibre by the end of 2024.

The second, $300 million phase of the Government’s UFB programme was launched in Amberley, north Canterbury, this morning.

Following intensive commercial negotiations, the Amberley event marked the awarding of contracts between Crown Fibre Holdings and four partner companies: Northpower, Ultrafast Fibre, Chorus and Enable.

“Phase two of the UFB build will see fibre rolled out across all mainland regions, to 151 more towns plus 43 suburban fringe areas around the larger centres which were covered by the first phase of the programme,” Mr Bridges says.

“This will provide around 423,000 additional New Zealanders in both rural and urban areas, from Ruatoria to Reefton, with access to world-class broadband.”

All towns identified in the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the UFB extension will receive access to fibre, plus additional areas that weren’t included in the RFP.

“Regional connectivity is critical to our economy and to New Zealand’s future,” Mr Bridges says.

“Rolling out faster, more reliable internet is a vital part of our plan in developing a productive and competitive economy, improving health and educational outcomes and creating more jobs for Kiwis and their families.

“By the end of 2024, approximately 85 per cent of New Zealanders will have access to fibre, far exceeding our original target of 80 per cent by 2022. This will put New Zealand among the leaders in the OECD for access to fibre.

The first phase of the Government’s UFB programme is ahead of schedule in delivering fibre to the premises of 75 per cent of New Zealanders by 2019.

The second phase of UFB installations will start in 2017 and be completed between 2018 and 2024. Phase two of the build will see each build area be completed within a 12 month period in order to provide as little disruption as possible.

Further information is available at www.broadband.govt.nz.

|  A Beehive release  |  January 26, 2017  |

Suppliers to the automotive industry are facing the same challenges world-wide, how to supply their products fast, economically and flexible while considering the individual demands of their customers at the same time. In order to increase the quality of their products and reduce costs at the same time, the Canadian supplier Deco Automotive replaces three existing older bending machines with three state-of-the-art automatic CNC 100 E TB MR VA pipe bending lines by Schwarze-Robitec. The company will profit from the integrated high-performance control system NxG by increasing its output and optimizing cycle times.

"Based on their own constant optimizing processes, our customers demand high requirements from their pre-products and with that, as supplier our requirements are also increased. In order to provide the customer with products in different versions and large quantities at a consistently high quality, we continuously invest in the further development of our production processes", says Ray Metzner, Manufacturing Engineer at Deco Automotive. The company, headquartered in Toronto, Canada, belongs to the global Magna Group and manufactures various automotive components including vehicle frames and structures, and engine cradles. Among the customers of the automotive supplier are international original equipment manufacturers. Deco uses a total of four production lines and manufactures more than 1,750,000 products per year.

Project requirementsDue to the continuously high demand and a high annual output, Deco Automotive is dependent on reliable and intelligent pipe bending machines, which provide excellent results in terms of degree of automation, precision, speed, and bending processes. Before being accepted by automobile manufacturers, steel pipes run through the fully automatic cold bending process at the production facility in Toronto. Subsequent manufacturing steps include hydroforming, laser cutting and welding. The number of bending processes performed at Deco reaches 12 million per year. Up until now, the automotive supplier reached this volume by using a total of nine bending machines spread over four production lines. Seven of the machines come from Schwarze-Robitec, whereby three pipe bending machines were already in use for more than 20 years. The reason for the replacement of the old equipment with three new CNC 100 E TB MR VA made by Schwarze-Robitec was for Deco, that the bending and handling process is ensured to continue reliably and efficiently. "In 20 years, we have purchased a total of 13 pipe bending machines from Schwarze-Robitec and we have come to appreciate the very high quality and durability of the machines. We value the high technical expertise of the employees and the comprehensive services, such as remote maintenance, and decided at the end of 2015 to continue the partnership", says Mr. Metzner.

Automatic pipe bending lineFollowing an extensive consultation and planning phase in cooperation with Deco Automotive in Canada, Schwarze-Robitec produced three pipe bending lines tailored to the requirements of the automotive supplier. "We expect the new bending cells to provide significantly improved production and anticipate to reach our production targets even faster", says Mr. Metzner. Of the three CNC 100 E TB MR VA machines two machines are right- and one is left-bending. In addition, the multi-stack bending machines are equipped with a pipe magazine, a weld seam finding device, an automatic loading and a removal device. The electrically operated systems process round and oval tubes that are 2.8 m long and have a diameter of up to 76.2 mm including a wall thickness from 1.2 to 3 mm. The process is fully automated: The pipes to be processed are taken randomly from the tube magazine and fed to the integrated weld seam finding device. This device aligns the pipes in accordance with their weld seam position. Following the alignment, the pipe is passed on to the pipe bending machine. To do this, a mandrel is used which supports the tube on tight radii from the inside. A fully automatic loading arm then removes the finished bent tube from the machine and places it on a conveyor belt. From there, the tube continues to the hydroforming equipment. Another feature of the solution are the integrated raised, vertical travel routes. This allows pre-loading the pipe bending machine, while parallel to this function a finished bent tube is removed at another location. 

(Photo caption to the right  – CNC 100 E TB MR VA  The electrically operated systems process round and oval tubes that are 2.8 m long and have a diameter of up to 76.2 mm.|

NxG high performance control systemCompared to the pipe bending line, which had been in operation at Deco until today, the new machines are equipped with the high-performance control system NxG. An advantage of the new control system are the significantly reduced non-productive times, as individual steps of the bending process were arranged synchronously. "With the NxG control system, it is possible to prepare the next step simultaneously to executing a machining operation. For example, while a pipe is supplied to the tool, the clamping functions close almost completely”, explains Bert Zorn, Managing Director at Schwarze-Robitec GmbH. “When the tube then reaches its target position, the tool is immediately ready for the next bending step – this allows users to shorten the cycle times and production objectives are reached more quickly". In addition, a diagnostic and maintenance tool integrated into the control system minimizes downtimes. The intuitive operability, the high performance control system also contributes to an ergonomic and efficient way of working. "The pipe bending machines made by Schwarze-Robitec produce reliable, accurate, and high-quality products and yet the machines are easy to use for our staff", says Mr. Metzner.

Conclusion: Short cycle times and no downtimesDue to the new automatic bending cells made by Schwarze-Robitec, the automotive supplier was able to optimize the cycle times and increase the production output of higher complex shapes and materials. “With the new pipe bending machines and the bending programs of the control system NxG, we have reduced cycle times significantly," says Mr. Metzner. With this, the accuracy that the company produces and the repeatability of its equipment in the production process is outstanding. "The predecessors of our existing machines have been operating in multi-shift operation flawlessly for almost 20 years. In addition, we received continuous services from Schwarze-Robitec, from their engineers in Cologne, and the employees of the US subsidiary – for us, this is a win-win situation."

| A Schwarze-Robitec release  |  January 25, 2017  ||

Schwarze-Robitec GmbH – the companyThe company, founded in 1903, is one of the leading international experts in the sector of tube bending machines. At its headquarters in Cologne, the specialist for cold bending machines currently employs 130 staff. The company is represented worldwide via long-term partner enterprises. Since 2015 Schwarze-Robitec has opened its own subsidiary in USA for customers in North America. The bending specialist already manufactured the world‘s first CNC-controlled tube bending machine back in 1977. To date, more than 2,700 machines have been sold – some of them have been used in production unrestrictedly for far more than 35 years. The Schwarze-Robitec product range includes, in addition to tube bending machines and bending tools, tube perforating machines, measuring stations, as well as solutions in the area of special machinery construction. The reference list of the tube bending expert includes, without exception, all renowned leading manufacturers from the automotive industry, energy sector as well as shipbuilding. Above and beyond that, the company solutions are employed in the aerospace sector as well as many other industries. Detailed information about Schwarze-Robitec can be found in the Internet at www.schwarze-robitec.com.

(PR.co.nz) NZ’s largest Trade Show organiser, XPO Exhibitions (XPO), is working hard to continue the growth of SouthMACH at a time when there’s a positive vibe in the manufacturing and engineering industry. On the back of a great event in 2015 (the first under XPO’s new ownership) and a fantastic EMEX 2016 (both of which experienced significant increases in exhibitor & visitor attendance), SouthMACH 2017 will be held at the Horncastle Arena, Addington, Christchurch from 24-25 May. Showcasing the very latest innovations, equipment, technology, services and products to industry professionals, the event again will feature a comprehensive educational and professional development seminar series with keynote speakers and workshops.

This year’s event includes a number of soon to be announced special features showcasing amazing product innovations from the South Island’s leading Design and Manufacturing Companies. These companies are leading the world in technology advancement and innovation as well as providing an example of great collaboration between industrial designers and manufacturing industries.

SouthMACH 2017 is well on track to deliver a record number of exhibitors showcasing products and services that reach across the current themes within the technology sector such as Robotics and Automation, 3D Printing, Energy Efficiency and Industry 4.0. A full seminar program over the two days will touch on these themes and provide a forum for education, discussion and the sharing of knowledge and expertise, critical in the sustainability and growth of the industry.

Another important issue and a focus for SouthMACH 2017 is the shortage of skilled staff within the manufacturing industry in New Zealand and therefore business continuity and efficiency. We’re also excited to announce that Competenz (in collaboration with NZMEA) will be running Apprenticeship ‘best practice’ workshops on both days for employers to de-mystify the process of employing an apprentice. Also: school leavers will appreciate an increased awareness of this alternative pathway by participating in the speed interview sessions that will be part of the workshops.

SouthMACH 2017 is supported by more industry associations and professional bodies than ever. The New Zealand Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Maintenance Engineers Society of New Zealand and Canterbury University are now also joined by Callaghan Innovation. They all will bring their specific expertise to SouthMACH and are there to support the industry through sharing their knowledge and expertise.

If your customers are manufacturing or processing goods or services, using General Engineering, Machine and Metalworking Technology, Plant Automation & Maintenance, Engineering Software & Computerisation, Welding, Cutting & Plastics Engineering, Fluid Engineering or measurement, Control & Instrumentation, SouthMACH 2017 offers opportunities you can’t afford to miss.

SouthMACH 17 will provide an effective, engaging and dynamic forum allowing those in the industry to connect and grow, and in doing so, foster the growth and development of many of the South Islands and New Zealand’s manufacturing, engineering and technology associated businesses.

Prime locations are limited so enquire today at www.southmach.co.nz or call or email Exhibition Sales Manager, Aad van der Poel on 09 976 8350 / 021 314 199 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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Workplace Relations and Safety Minister Michael Woodhouse is pleased to announce the appointment of Jenni-Maree Trotman as a new Member of the Employment Relations Authority (the Authority).

The Authority performs a very important role in New Zealand’s employment relations system, investigating and working to resolve employment relationship problems.

“Ms Trotman is an experienced employment lawyer who will join the Auckland office for a term of three years,” says Mr Woodhouse.

“The breadth of Ms Trotman’s work and particular strength in commercial law will be a real asset to the Authority.

“I have no doubt that her skills will complement those of the current members and I wish her all the best in her new role.”

Background information on appointee:

Jenni-Maree Trotman has been a Barrister Sole since October 2005 and in legal practice for nearly 18 years. As a barrister, she specialises in employment law, litigation and building disputes. She holds an LLB and a BA from the University of Auckland.

|  A Beehive release  |  January 25, 2017  ||

Nearly 69% of logistics professionals are worried about a global retreat from free trade, a survey has found.

Logistics firm Agility, in its annual report on emerging markets, said the concern follows the election of Trump, UK’s vote to leave the European Union and the collapse of a number of regional and global trade talks.

It also said of the 800 global logistics professionals asked, 42.8% said they felt the IMF’s emerging market growth forecast of 4.6% for 2017 was too optimistic.

Alongside the industry survey, the report compiles an annual index ranking emerging economies on their attractiveness to logistics providers. China, India and the UAE topped the list of 50 this year.

The report said robust growth and reforms to taxation and the economy pushed India into the number two spot, overtaking the UAE, while the industry survey named India as the country with the most logistics potential and where respondents said their companies were most likely to invest.

Almost half of the ranked countries saw their score fall compared to last year, a sign of stagnation in global trade growth, the report said.

The UAE, ranked number three overall, was the best country for business climate, logistics infrastructure and for transport connections. Gulf countries scored particularly well on indicators for business climate.

Nigeria and South Africa were among the countries that fell the furthest in the rankings compared to last year, nine places and four places respectively. Conversely, it was some of the smaller African countries, including Kenya and Ethiopia, which saw some of the biggest rises.

Iran was the most improved country, climbing eight places to become 18th overall. The logistics industry was “fascinated [by] the implications of its emergence from years of international isolation,” the report said.

Of those lowest ranked in the index, most were experiencing some form of conflict or unrest the report noted.

The index ranked countries based on markers indicating market growth, accessibility, stability and connectedness, among other things.

Top five emerging economies for logistics:

1. China

2. India

3. UAE

4. Malaysia

5. Saudi Arabia

Five worse emerging economies:

1. Mozambique

2. Angola

3. Myanmar

4. Lebanon

5. Libya

|  A Supply Management release  |  January 24, 2017  |

Engineers are concerned about the risk that earthquake-prone buildings pose to public safety in the Wellington region, and fully support the Government’s move to compel building owners to secure facades.

New Zealand Society for Earthquake Engineering (NZSEE) President Peter Smith says during this period of increased earthquake risk in Wellington, Lower Hutt, Marlborough and Hurunui, it’s important to secure facades and speed up remedial work.

"These facades need to be secured, particularly because many of them are in popular retail areas like Cuba Street, Riddiford Street and Jackson Street.

"Engineers are very conscious of the lives lost when facades collapsed in the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Thirty-nine people were killed and more than 100 people injured as a result of masonry falling onto footpaths and roads."

Structural Engineering Society (SESOC) President Paul Campbell says that while shorter, stiffer earthquake-prone buildings weren’t affected by the Kaikoura earthquake, they still pose a significant risk to public safety.

"Every earthquake is different - and earthquakes don’t test all buildings equally.

"On 14 November, as the earthquake waves travelled through rock away from Kaikoura, high frequency waves dissipated as heat.

"But low frequency waves experienced less resistance and reached Wellington. These low frequency waves created resonance in mid-height buildings, causing severe shaking.

"The next earthquake could be quite different and it’s important that earthquake-prone buildings are dealt with."

Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene says engineers’ key concern is public safety.

"We welcome the Government’s announcement that it will establish a fund to support building owners.

"If there is an aftershock centred closer to Wellington, securing the facades could save many lives.

"Since 14 November, there’s been fantastic industry and regulator collaboration.

"We are all working hard to improve resilience and make Wellington more prepared for whatever might come next."

|  An NZSEE release  | January 25, 2017  |

France’s Political Class Blind to PS votes going to FN

The breaking of France’s presidential glass ceiling by Marine Le Pen promises to be more shattering than any fall-out connected with the now broken presidential hopes of Hillary Clinton.

This is because the fall-out will be a compound one blended from the glass ceiling effect and the upset triumph of President Donald Trump.

The French political class which is far more pervasive than anything their English-speaking counterparts can put forward is only just realising the truth that has been hiding in plain sight.

It is that Marine Le Pen and her Front National Party have a very good chance of winning the pending presidential general election.

As with their English-speaking counterparts the French political classes only in the last few weeks have understood that she is short circuiting the sectors that customarily act as middlemen between politicians and voters.

We are talking here of once-admired categories such as academics, think tank intellectuals, and of course journalists.

Marine Le Pen channeled Donald Trump before Donald Trump started running for President.

The most recent milestone on her own presidential route is the embarrassing back tracking of academics, think tankers, and journalists on the outcome of the primary within the Republican Party for its presidential candidate.

France’s commentators, much more esteemed than their counterparts in the English-speaking zone, had stated that the winner would be the more liberal of the two conservative party front-runners, Alain Juppe.

In the event the party plumped for the more right-leaning Francois Fillon.

As a result of this France’s biggest circulation daily Le Parisien did something that its English-speaking zone counterparts have still signally failed to do.

This was to acknowledge that its employees’ wishes manifested as fact and that opinion now had to be separated from news.

It banned from its pages all tendentious reporting and, more importantly still, opinion polls.

Even so, the French intellectual class, traditionally cherished in a way that its English-zone counterpart is decidedly not now radiates a fresh formula.

This holds that, yes, Marine Le Pen may perhaps be head-to-head with Francois Fillon in the first stage of the presidential elections.

But that she will be washed out in the second stage or run-off procedure in which French voters are required to unambiguously list their preference.

As with their US and British counterparts the commentariat cannot bring itself to ask itself from which sectors Marine Le Pen will draw her votes in this head-to-head or sudden-death challenge.

These votes are increasingly being seen as being drawn from the current ruling party the Socialist Party which has become so unpopular that its chances of regaining the Elysee are not even being considered.

Marine Le Pen has promised to close the book on political correctness and all that it contains. This means globalisation (think EU) and multi-culturalism (think the religiously affiliated version.)

This is music to the ears of provincial France where local products are being swamped by lower-cost competition from the rest of the EU.

She would seek détente with Russia which since the US and EU led embargo has ceased to take France’s surplus farm output.

She will stem the tide of immigrants who are viewed by this same sector (think “deplorables”) as lowering wage rates and putting pressure on accommodation and social services.

Meanwhile Marine Le Pen while keep the emphasis on France’s imperial world-power yearnings, notably in Oceania, where she has long had a soft spot for New Caledonia.

|  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. |  Wednesday 25 January 2017  |