Metals NZ Industry Conference 2011 - Speakers Papers/Presentations
Hon David Carter, Minister for Economic Development
Speech
David was appointed Minister of Agriculture, Minister for Biosecurity and the Minister of Forestry following the 2008 General Election. He was first elected to Parliament in 1994 as the MP for the rural electorate of Selwyn. In the 1996 General Election, he won the Banks Peninsula electorate. In 1999 he became a list member based in Canterbury with specific responsibility for the Banks Peninsula electorate. Following the Christchurch earthquake is has been made Acting Minister of Economic Development
Noel Davies, Chairman Metals New Zealand
Presentation
Noel Davies is first of all an entrepreneur a skill which was acknowledged in 2003 by him receiving the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award in the Manufacturing and Distribution Category. Noel is also notable business leader with interests in several companies and is amongst others the Chairman of NZ Fresh Cuts and Managing Director of Hydraulic Fluid Connectors. He started as a HERA Executive Member in 1992 as the representative of the New Zealand Engineering Federation, was HERA Chairman from 2003 – 2006 and now represents the Heavy Engineering Research and Educational Foundation on the HERA Executive and is it’s current Chairman. Noel was actively involved in the development of the Metals New Zealand concept and has been elected inaugural Chairman of Metals New Zealand.
Dr Rick Boven, The New Zealand Institute
“Strategies to Leverage Prosperity from NZ Niche Market Manufacturing”
Economic performance has been disappointing for a long time but ambitious targets have been set. The question now is how to lift performance sustainably to achieve the targets. The presentation will begin by assessing the economic performance gap and some of the reasons for it. The contribution manufacturing can make New Zealand’s economic improvement will be highlighted. The roles of innovation, savings, capital, talent and other productivity drivers will be examined, and policy priorities will be proposed. Some observations on manufacturing performance will be offered, and directions for improvement suggested.
Simon Linge, President New Zealand Steel & Pacific Islands
“The Impact of Asia on the NZ Domestic Steel Industry”
Simon Linge spent six years working and living in Asia both in Malaysia and China. The NZ domestic steel industry continues to be challenged by global forces eg, imported fabrication and steel on iconic projects. China’s steel industry has grown significantly since the mid 1990s. China is now the world’s largest steelmaker and steel consumer. In 2010, China produced over 600 million tonnes of crude steel, over 44% of the world’s steel. Simon would like to share his perspectives from his time in Asia, how the Asian economies and the China steel industry in particular could impact NZ as a country and a steel market.
John Blakey, CEO Competenz
“Perceptions of Productivity”
What is the first action that comes to mind when medium sized businesses look to improve productivity in the workplace? It is training people. But what do they actually do when changes are implemented? The results of a survey of 200 medium-sized manufacturing businesses undertaken by Competenz in July 2010 give an insight into business owners’ and managers’ perceptions of productivity. The results give pause for thought. There is no widely accepted strategy for productivity improvements and when improvements are made, they are often not the first thoughts that come to mind.
The survey also revealed that high profit growth firms take a considerably different approach to improving productivity than low profit growth firms. Although high growth firms seem to instinctively know the most effective actions to take, when it comes to implementation, they do not always follow through on their favoured actions. Worryingly, 22% of businesses would not seek advice on improving productivity and those who would seek advice face a major issue – who do you ask?
This survey raises issues that need to be addressed if New Zealand is to tackle the productivity dilemma. The presentation will look into what these issues are and suggest ways changes can be made to make a difference. Unless the perceptions of productivity in the manufacturing industry, employer of 11.5% of the workforce, are addressed, progress nationwide will be slow.
Dr Wolfgang Scholz, HERA Director
”Heavy Engineering Industry Strategy Review with Focus Profitability”
In conjunction with a survey of the HERA Membership, the HERA Executive is reviewing the HERA Strategy. Main focus is on improving our industry’s profitability and aligned with this its competitiveness and sustainability. The paper will report on this comprehensive review and what it means in terms of HERA activities for the next 5-10 years.
Prof. Shaun Coffey, CEO Industrial Research Ltd
"Partnering in R&D to Deliver Innovation”
Several studies in New Zealand suggest the country is good at generating innovative ideas, but poor at moving them into scale-up production. These studies further identify the “do-it-yourself” attitude and No.8 wire mindset as major impediments to productivity improvement. Shaun Coffey, Chief Executive of Industrial Research, which serves a range of industries with an emphasis on the manufacturing, processing, biopharmaceuticals, medical and energy sectors, will discuss how partnering – and working collectively – is one way that this problem can be addressed.
Nick Inskip, HERA Industry Development General Manager
“The Heavy Engineering Industry Development Road Map”
Everything in industry works better with a process and that includes industry development activities. The HERA Industry Development Roadmap Process was developed to identify market opportunities, link them to companies and then identify and facilitate the research required to support the companies in developing products for the markets. The process involves concurrent activity and is focused on emerging niche market opportunities. The process export targeted and has been applied to two broad opportunity areas which will be outlined.
Pieter Burghout, CEO BRANZ
“Construction Industry Productivity and the Research Needed to ‘Lift the Game”
Productivity within the industry has become a hot topic, starting with the release of an industry Taskforce Report in 2009, the formation of a public/private Construction Productivity Partnership in 2010, and the beginnings of a research programme to tackle this important issue for the industry and for New Zealand Inc. Every 10% of efficiency gain in the construction industry translates into on-going GDP growth of 1% per annum, so improving industry productivity is a target worth chasing. Pieter’s presentation will update conference delegates on where the productivity research agenda and other construction sector productivity developments are currently at, discuss next steps, and invite further input and support.
Dr Stephen Hicks, HERA Structural Systems General Manager and Dr Roger Pope, Technical Consultant to BCSA
“Sustainability - Its Your Business”
Prior to him taking on his current position, Stephen was Senior Manager of Building Engineering at the Steel Construction Institute (SCI) in the UK. In his 11-years at the SCI, he has been involved in a wide range of activities to promote the proper and effective use of steel in construction. Stephen is best known internationally in the fields of steel-concrete composite construction and floor dynamics
Stephen will describe: why the New Zealand steel industry cannot afford to ignore sustainability in its current and future business activities; why the Sustainable Steel Council has been formed; what sustainable work practices may need to be adopted by the sector to ensure that steel solutions are not disadvantaged and that business is not lost to competitors. Roger will provide an international perspective with respect to current European activities in this area and, among other things, will discuss Sustainable Steel Construction: Zero Carbon Steel Solutions; Impacts on Selection of Steelwork Contractors; and Responsible Sourcing.
Sustainability Part 1
Sustainability Part 2
Ecobuild
Dr Roger Pope is a consulting engineer who specialises in steel construction. He is a specialist technical consultant to the British Constructional Steelwork Association (BCSA) and Tata Steel Europe. He is chairman of the BSI Technical Committee for Design and Execution of Steel Structures and a member of several other technical committees dealing with British and European Standards including the sustainability of construction works. He also undertakes visits to BCSA Member Companies to assess their capabilities as part of the BCSA’s Sustainability Charter Membership scheme.
Roger was visiting New Zealand as a member of the British Delegation to the International Steel Constructor’s Group (ISCG) meeting held at the end of March in Pahia and HERA is fortunate to have him speak at the Conference. He will update on recent European and UK activities relating to steel construction industry.
Tony Smale, Management Consultant
“Making Money From Your Business’ Hidden Opportunities”
In New Zealand, we have to work half as long again to earn each dollar compared to our equivalents in Australia. That’s not right, we need to do something about it and we can. New Zealand businesses have a conversion problem. They are clever, inventive and resourceful yet they struggle to convert all that into productivity and profit.
For the last twenty years our productivity has been growing less and less and in 2007 and 2009 productivity actually went backwards (Figures not available for 2010). That means that we are having to run faster and faster just to stand still. We’ve used a lot of our innovation to squeeze out cost and we’ve been very successful. But now we’re on a treadmill of diminishing returns. Our businesses are pretty much as efficient as they can be. Yet clearly, being efficient isn’t enough. We need to expand our innovation horizons and focus on creating new revenue and profit streams. That might sound daunting but we are surprisingly well placed – because our businesses are full of opportunities that we are, as Kiwis, pretty much blind to. The workshop is about looking at businesses productivity and opportunities from a fresh perspective and the great thing about that is, changing perspective requires nothing more than an open mind.
Because we are practical, down to earth people we tend to see the value in practical down to earth things. But a funny thing happened on the way to the 21st century. Between 1978 and 2006, the value of a typical business has changed from being made up of 80% physical assets and 20% intellectual or intangible assets to the other way around. The real value in the modern business lies in the knowledge, the systems, the quality programmes, design and construction expertise rather than the assets that appear on the depreciation schedule and balance sheet and that we are more familiar with. Businesses have invested in these assets just as much as in the physical plant. They should expect the same returns and they should put at least as much effort into managing them.