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.…
The Ministry of Business Inovation and Employment (MBIE) and Commerce Commission announcement that some concrete reinforcing steel mesh supplied into the New Zealand construction market doesn’t comply with New Zealand standards has caused considerable concern. Resulting in HERA staff recently being the target of extensive media attention with varying degrees of accuracy in being quoted.…
It is eight years since the global financial crisis (GFC) started and few would say things are ‘back to normal’. But most companies who survived have adjusted to the new normal of sluggish global growth, and in New Zealand’s case, marginal domestic growth. Looking back its obvious what happened: The GFC caused the purse strings…
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…
Being in New Zealand, it is easy to sometimes think that we are alone in the world – cut off from the mainstream and doing things our own way. And to some extent that is true, we are geographically isolated, we don’t have a multitude of large corporations driving innovation and pulling our smaller companies…
The thirteen members of the HERA Executive are largely elected by HERA members and typically are representatives of HERA’s key stakeholder groups. Some are co-opted and represent the views of associated organisations such as the Manufacturers & Exporters Association (NZMEA) and Steel Construction NZ (SCNZ) or, as in the case of key stakeholder and member…
When our Director Wolfgang Scholz, advised me it was time for another year’s review, it felt like it was just a short while ago that last year’s review was delivered. The pace has been relentless and it has been another year full of action for our industry and for HERA. The 12 monthly rolling total…
Steel volumes being processed through industry are on the rise, which is a good indicator of activity. The statistics show us that after an almost 40% fall due to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) volumes have reached the peak before last which was in 2005 and are close to reaching pre-GFC levels. The impact of…
October saw Minister Steven Joyce in overdrive on Innovation Policy releases. First as Minister for Science and Innovation, he launched the National Statement of Science Investment 2015-2025 and a little bit later, as the Minister for Economic Development, he also launched the “Building Innovation” Chapter of the 2015 Business Growth Agenda. Both documents have a…
The media has been full of the news that Fullers ferries are adding two additional 34 metre, 360-seat ferries to their fleet. More importantly, they are having the vessels built by Q-West boat builders in Whanganui. The total value of the order is $16 Million. Q-West built Fuller’s existing Te Kotuku high speed catamaran that…
Announced in the Budget on the 21st May was an item around the establishment of independent regional research institutes. The intent being that the Government would provide funding towards the establishment of a number of institutes to be located in regional areas and not in the three large centres of Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. The…
The late September announcement that Australian company Leighton Contractors has been appointed as preferred contractor for the pre-construction phase of Christchurch Hospital’s new acute services building, has local manufacturing industry members question if the tender process applied by the Christchurch District Health Board (CDHB) followed the Government Procurement Rules as required by law. Oct52015 An…