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message from the executive director

As we near the end of the year, 2016 is shaping up as better than 2015 for the manufacturing sector, with the PMI remaining in a state of expansion each month. The first 10 months showed expansion only varying by 2.8 points, with most months seesawing between the 55 and 57 point range.

While we have strong building and construction activity, the prospects for manufacturing remain very positive.

The tech sector is also contributing strong growth - as shown in the latest TIN100 Report. High-tech manufacturing, biotechnology and ICT are all on the rise across every region of the country, with total revenue up 12% to $9.42 billion.

So there really is no denying the fact that manufacturing is having a huge impact on how well the New Zealand economy fares. It employs quarter of a million New Zealanders, accounts for $22.6 billion (11%) of the economy, contributes $12 billion in wages, and earns billions in export revenue every year.

Catherine Beard
027 463 3212 or cbeard@businessnz.org.nz

In the zone – PMI

New Zealand's manufacturing sector experienced almost identical levels of expansion as August, according to the BNZ - BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI) for October at 55.2. The sector remains solidly in expansion in almost all months since October 2012.

BNZ Senior Economist, Craig Ebert, said that "Although the PMI couldn't quite hang onto its relatively high level of 57.5 in September, at 55.2 in October it was still handsomely positive – certainly well above its long-term average of 53.2". More...

Western Europe’s consumer-goods industry in 2030

Several trends are already clear today and show no signs of reversing - such as the rise of purchases moving from offline to online channels. CPG companies must reinvent themselves if they are to survive and thrive.

This article outlines the ten trends that will most affect the consumer-goods sector in Western Europe in the coming 15 years. It also highlights new operating models that hold promise as future growth engines for CPG companies. More...

New Zealand Procurement Excellence Awards

These awards are a great way to recognise those demonstrating procurement excellence.

Categories include:
1.    Young Procurement Professional of the Year
2.    Procurement Team of the Year
3.    Procurement Professional of the Year
4.    Successful Procurement Change
5.    Sustainability Project of the Year

The finalists in these categories will vie for the title of ‘Supreme Winner’ to be chosen by the judges. All entries must be received by 1st March 2017. Anyone can submit a nomination and further information is available on the entry form - contact Cate at nz.procurement.awards@nz.ey.com. More...

Consumer Product Safety - Guidelines for Suppliers - have your say

An international standard on consumer product safety could have a major and positive effect on New Zealand suppliers, products, and consumers. Standards New Zealand is most keen to hear what your views are on adopting this standard for use here.

Standards New Zealand has set up a committee to look at adopting the international standard ISO 10377:2013 Consumer product safety – Guidelines for suppliers. This means that, if adopted, the standard could be applied in New Zealand.

 The public consultation period ends on 19/12/2016.

Click here to view a draft of the standard and to make comments.

Business grant and mentoring package

Quest Apartment Hotels NZ has launched the second #MyBizQuest campaign aimed at Kiwi entrepreneurs who are keen to get a business idea off the ground or take an existing project to the next level. 

The winner will receive a business grant worth greater than $15,000, which includes direct investment in business infrastructure priorities, travel and accommodation expenses to support business development, mentoring from Quest and the public relations benefits of being promoted as the #MyBizQuest 2017 winner.

Entrants for #MyBizQuest 2017 are invited to upload a short video (up to 60 seconds) to the Quest Apartment Hotels (NZ) Facebook page describing their business ambitions and why they deserve to be the winners of #MyBizQuest 2017. Entries close 31 January 2017 and the winner will be announced in late February.
 

Educating Supply Chain Professionals

I was recently a speaker at a NZPICS Supply Chain conference – along with supply chain professionals from Fisher & Paykel Healthcare, Douglas Pharmaceuticals, Fonterra and the CEO of APICS in the USA. 

This is a great organisation that provides training and qualifications for supply chain and operational professionals.  A lot of the presentations included a plea for more students to be encouraged to train as supply chain professionals. This is particularly important as the number of jobs and the complexity of supply chain management increases every year. Now with globalisation and digitisation, international supply chains are an increasingly important focus for many businesses. You can check out NZPICS here.

How to plan in a world of uncertainty - survey

How can you plan when there is so much uncertainty?  This question is addressed in a University of Otago, research project to study how senior managers make decisions about which foreign markets to enter and how they conduct business there.

Filling in this quetionnaire should help stimulate your thinking about how you select and enter overseas markets - you'll also have acces to its findings. These will also provide valuable insights for policy makers, practitioners and academics about international business decision-making and opportunities.

Please click here to take the questionnaire (about 20 mins).

Workplace Health and Safety – It isn’t that difficult

Here's a useful article by HazardCo Health & Safety Technical Director, Greg Tetzlaff about getting an effective H&S system in place, the business benefits, what to think about - making sure everyone in the organisation is given a say and a role to play - and how to make it happen. More...

MobileTECH Primary Industries 2017

Following on from the huge success of last year's event,  sponsors are now being booked in for MobileTECH Primary Industries 2017 – Disruptive Innovations Reshaping The Sector, in Rotorua, New Zealand, 22-23 March 2017.

This event brings together our rural industry leaders, technology developers, engineers, researchers, entrepreneurs, innovators and early adopters to discuss, showcase and learn about new innovative tools & technologies that can improve efficiencies & productivity of these industries through connectivity.

Could this be an opportunity for your organisation? More...

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