It’s hard to ignore that the metal industries biggest clients and influencers are government and the public sector – if we want to successfully work with them, knowing the ins and outs of how they operate and think when it comes to procurement is a no brainer. But is our model good? Does it compare…
Worksafe New Zealand has launched a new website on manufacturing safety, full of helpful tips and guides. Manufacturing is vital to New Zealand’s economy employing around 240,000 people. It represents around 10% of the New Zealand workforce but contributes to 21% of workplace severe injury claims. There were 38 fatal accidents between 2008 and 2014…
Everyone has their views when it comes to the 2016 Budget. “Funding lift a thrill for scientists,” NZ Herald. “Top-ups for research bodies part of (business) growth agenda,” Minister Steven Joyce. “It’s likely that business will be feeling more rather than less confident,” BusinessNZ CEO Kirk Hope. “Budget 2016 held few surprises for business and sent a strong…
In response to recent media coverage involving allegations that some building products are unfit for purpose or non-compliant with the Building Code, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) has established a dedicated email address to collect product complaints for analysis and investigation. Even though a number of concerns have been raised in the…
We work in an industry based on well-established and traditional materials. Metals have been fabricated for millennia. Applications have historically ranged from warfare, tooling, building and construction and are now evolving into emerging applications such as geothermal energy extraction and biomedical technologies. Metals, such as steel, are known for their high strength, ductility, and formability.…
SCI has recently released an online based calculator for floor dynamic response prediction. Compared with the manual method proposed in SCI P354, the calculator investigates the floor vibration using finite element analysis of regular grids. For irregular floor grids, existing tools such as the Oasys design software should still be used. The online tool covers…
Responding to the reinforcing steel mesh conformance issue recently highlighted in the media, HERA is driving a policy change that allows our members to deliver better value and remain competitive. With the rapid adoption of the Steel Fabrication Certification (SFC) scheme, our New Zealand steel construction industry has significantly progressed on its way to verifiable…
Engineering’s top achievers were recognised last month at the Institution of Professional Engineers New Zealand’s (IPENZ) 2016 Fellows’ and Achievers’ Awards in Wellington. HERA sponsored one of the awards and notes with pride how many of the winners have strong HERA affiliations. The awards, attended by more than 300 people, were an opportunity to celebrate…
On the 7th April 2016, Arrium Limited announced that Voluntary Administrators have been appointed to oversee the affairs of the company. Staff from Grant Thornton have been appointed to act as Voluntary Administrators for each of the relevant companies including OneSteel. HERA understands since this announcement that the administrators have changed to KordaMentha and Grant…
The NZMEA are compiling a list of occupations for consideration to the first round of the 2016 Review of Essential Skills in Demand lists (ESID). They are seeking input from companies who are experiencing labour shortages that could be classed as either an Immediate Skill Shortage or a Long Term Skill Shortage. If you are experiencing specific areas of…
As members of the steel fabrication chain, we are all aware of the current worldwide steel oversupply situation, leading to steel prices here in New Zealand being at their lowest for some 14 years and virtually unchanged since the HERA steel import statistics started in 2000. This low steel price helps the steel users to…
No doubt many HERA News readers are aware that New Zealand structural steel designers have had access to the free Fabsec FBEAM® design software. With a total of 159 individual licenses issued in New Zealand, this is a widely-used software package that produces efficient steel designs. Last year, at least 6,000 tonnes of welded beams…