There is a lot of confidence in the manufacturing sector at present, which is a great place to be after the challenges faced since 2008 relating to the global financial crisis.

Even our manufacturng exporters are pretty bullish despite the high dollar, and I think this is due to the sector embracing innovation and productivity improvements. Reason for more inspiration.  

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

The manufacturing sector experienced its fourth consecutive increase in expansion levels during September, according to the latest BNZ - BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index (PMI). The seasonally adjusted PMI for September was 58.1. This was 1.1 points higher than August, and the second highest result recorded so far for 2014. More...

MBIE have been looking at areas where the Rules of Sourcing could be improved or made clearer for agencies and suppliers. A few are substantive, so they're asking for your feedback to find out exactly how it might affect you. All of the proposed changes are identified in a working draft, which you'll find here. There's also a link to the survey, which asks some specific questions about the  proposals and whether there are other things that may need to be clarified. Consultation closes 5pm on 5 November.

Commercial fishing partnership Precision Seafood Harvesting
took out the title of New Zealand’s most innovative organisation at the New Zealand Innovators Awards 2014, with a new way of harvesting fish that allows small fish to escape and for any non-target fish to be returned to the sea alive and unharmed. Organisers say entries were up 60% from last year and competition for the various awards was tough. More...

Data is the basis of many new enterprises, including digital business. The Government has committed to providing free access to public data for commercial use – including a large range of surveys conducted by the Statistics Department, land titles, aerial photos and maps held by Land Information NZ, geodata and boundary data by Koordinates, and many other publicly available sources of data.

Many NZ businesses are developing enterprises including new apps, based on publicly available data. Click here for more information or contact Paul Stone 027 233 3349 pstone@linz.govt.nz

If you're thinking of taking on a new apprentice or trainee, time's running out to benefit from the Reboot Subsidy. New apprentices/trainees who sign up for training before 31 December 2014 are able to apply for $1000 towards the cost of tools and off job course costs, or $2000 for those training in priority trades areas. Employers are eligible for an equal payment. Contact your Industry Training Organisation for more information.

Robotic assembly, 3D additives, new smart materials, networked factories and new business models will be just some of the topics on the agenda at the next Callaghan Innovation workshop in Auckland. International manaufacturing thought-leader Frank Wagner's will leading the workshop to help NZ manufacturers keep up with the latest trends. Read more and book your space here.

Paypal founder Peter Thiel's 2012 investment in Xero caught the attention of US media - and the eye of several other top tier US venture capitalists who have followed Thiel's lead and invested in promising New Zealand companies. More...

Plastic bottles aren't usually thought of as environmentally-friendly, but ecostore has found a way. They're switching all of their bottles to a new sugarcane-based alternative that's actually good for the planet. Founder Malcolm Rands has sent out a challenge to all other companies to do the same. Read the article here.

Research into innovation shows it to be a process that can be subjected to many of the same disciplines we normally associate with other business functions such as accounting, manufacturing and sales. Dr. Peter Lee is currently adjunct professor, lecturer to MBA students about commercialisation at The University of Auckland and coach to New Zealand companies.  He has demonstrated through practice that tools for innovation can be adapted to our local circumstances and increase our international competitiveness.  More...

A major boost to New Zealand workplace productivity could come from an unlikely source – lifting the literacy and numeracy skills of your employees. The Skills Highway programme explains the hows and whys, and provides a number of valuable resources. The Tertiary Education Commission also provides a Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Fund to help employers put training in place. If your business has 20 or more employees you can apply for the next round of funding. Email cmurdoch@businessnz.org.nz or click here to find out more.

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