Environment

Flat world created from a range of anglesRena

By Mike Bishara

Don’t tell the guys at Mt Maunganui Engineering that things were a little slow to get going when the Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef near Tauranga last year.

Within a few days of the October 5 grounding they were asked to help by Tauranga Engineering Industries – the local contact point for Maritime New Zealand appointed salvage company Svitzer.

“From then on we were working round the clock from October until Christmas.”

Tauranga Engineering Industries only did machining so it fell to the Mt Maunganui Engineering team to build platforms on site and in the workshop to provide a level playing field from which the salver Svitzer could complete its tasks.

”We just got rung up to see if we were keen to do some work – and they need it done tonight – this is like 4pm. We were back here at 7pm and went through until 8am in the morning,” says owner and managing director of Mt Maunganui Engineering Rick Leach.

It’s an ill wind that blows nobody any good certainly held true for the company.

“It was right at the time we’d finished the project up at Waihi for Newmont Waihi RenaGold, we were back here for about a month or two looking at each other thinking ‘oh shoot, it has gone a bit quiet – and then bang – off we went.”

Mt Maunganui Engineering made all the platforms hanging off the Rena which held Svitzer’s generators and bits and pieces – including the portaloo, which needed a lifting frame because nothing was level.

“We had just enough time to catch our breath after Waihi before we went full on for three months working on the Rena,” says projects supervisor Karl Simmons.

“It was design/build – and some of it was build/design,” he laughs.

Specs often came via “chicken scratchings” on a bit of paper.

“The first night we had one of their guys from Svitzers here on CAD who said ‘Look, l’ll draw it up for you as you go. We just said don’t worry about it, our guys will do it.

“He started drawing up this platform and I said our guys had already build it out there in the workshop – they’d already finished,” says Mr Leach.

“We had a lot of of our guys cutting the lugs by hand, we had some lugs that just clipped over the edge of the boat and probably made 50 of them there if not more, at various times.”

Only a couple of days elapsed from the time the Rena ran aground to the knock on the door at Mt Maunganui Engineering – and work was well underway within a week.

“It did seem a long time when everything was happening – but you look back at it now and think they did pretty good getting the oil pumping from the ship in the timeframe that they did,” says Mr Leach.

“It’s not like we have that happen every month or every week – the conditions Renawere pretty horrendous out there at times, it wasn’t easy walking around on it. Some of the platforms were tested in the shop to make sure they fit on to the container and then they were flown out.

“Others we had half of the platform that would clip in and half we had to weld into place on site. The last landing platform we actually built on the side of the ship.

“We shortened up a section here, then made the rest on board because you just couldn’t measure it because of the angles.

“You have to give it to those guys out there, just walking out on the deck was 22 degrees,” says Mr Simmons.

A reputation for service lead to success

Mt Maunganui Engineering was begun in 1984 by Ron Spence with just two staff.

“It just progressed through the years into a company that at one stage had 40 employees – at the moment we have got 20,” says owner and managing director Rick Leach.

“I was fortunate enough to buy the company eight years ago in 2004 – and that was coming from doing my apprenticeship here as well right from the start.Rena

“We don’t specialise in one item but in general engineering – we cover mild steel, stainless steel and a little bit of aluminium."

Mt Maunganui Enginering has a lot of experience in tanks and piping.

The company is covered for a lot of pipe work – 15 different weld procedures for various metals.

Welding equipment is mostly BOC, with three mobile welders, a few Lincolns and $20,000 worth of STT (surface tension transfer) electron beam welder which is capable of a fair bit of variety.

“It’s just a matter of getting the right operator for that,” says Mr Leach.

In the workshop itself there are both vertical and horizontal rollers.

“We can pretty much build a tank from scratch ourselves – from the sheet coming in the door to rolling it,’ says Mr Leach.

“The majority of the company’s work out of town is on larger projects with key customers like Newmont and its gold mine in Waihi.

“Newmont kept us busy for the first six months of the year and last year we had two separate projects upgrading the piping and tanks plus some stainless steel piping.

“Last year we’ve had two different projects up there, replacing tanks and a bit of piping work with general maintenance as well," says Mr Leach.

Recently Mt Maunganui Engineering has been making safety guarding for the Huntly coal mines.

Around the Mount itself, the company finds most of its work with Bulk Storage Terminals and in general maintenance work at the port.

“The port’s quite big for everybody – they’re out there, they don’t just go to one local company,” says Mr Leach.

"We’ve certainly been lucky in the past two years, the first six months of each year, we’ve had these projects up at Waihi."

You get the feeling that a big part of Mt Maunganui Engineering’s “luck” comes from its understated role as part of the Mount community.

Most of the staff have been with the company for years or have left to try different pastures and come back.

“I would imagine if we totaled it all up we would get an average of probably 8-10 years,” says Mr Leach.

”There’s still four or five of us who have been around from the time I started my apprenticeship here. Projects supervisor Karl Simmons was one of those who went away and came back.

“I did my apprenticeship here for about eight years, left for a couple of years then came back. The variety of work is a factor.

“One moment we are working underground at Huntly, then working on the Rena.

“Then up in the gold mine or working on a chemical plant, you just don’t know where you going to be,” says Mr Simmons.

The company gets a lot of youngsters through the local school and they come one day a week to get some job experience.

Everything from sweeping the shop floor to working on Orica Chemnet’s trailers which have come in for maintenance work.

“I was born and bred here anyway and went to the Mount college, so when they came in and approached me about it, I said: “Look if you’ve got guys there who are keen to learn the engineering trade, I’ll be available for them to do it – I don’t want anyone who’s just going to turn up to have a day off school.

“There are no decent tradesmen around now because of what happened with the apprenticeships a few years back.

“I’m a believer that you cant knock it if you haven’t got any apprentices – we always try to have at least one,” says Mr Leach.

Visit: www.mounteng.co.nz

 

Entries open for 2012 Concrete3 Sustainability AwardsConcrete3 Awards

The Cement and Concrete Association of New Zealand’s (CCANZ) 2012 Concrete3 Sustainability Awards are now open for entry, offering those in the construction industry the chance to be recognised for their sustainable achievements. 

In its fifth year, the awards are open to anyone in the construction industry – from architects, designers and engineers to contractors, builders and clients.

CCANZ chief executive Rob Gaimster says it is vital to support the industry’s successes in the field of sustainability.

“The Concrete3 Sustainability Awards recognise those within the construction industry who are embracing sustainable practices as a genuine business concern.

“By assisting practitioners to share their knowledge and experience, as well as acknowledging their success, the Concrete3 Sustainability Awards are key to raising the bar in terms of responsible design, build and operating practices across environmental, economic and social areas of endeavour."

Mr Gaimster says there will be five categories from which a supreme winner will be selected: Excellence in Residential Concrete Construction, Excellence in Commercial Concrete Construction, Excellence in Civil Concrete Construction, Excellence in Concrete Innovation, and Excellence in Concrete for the Community.

“Examples of sustainability come in all shapes and sizes, from the smallest residential job to a multi-million dollar civil project,” he says.

The 2011 Supreme Award was accepted by Peddle Thorp Architects for their revitalisation of an existing Auckland multi-storey office building at 21 Queen Street, preserving its concrete frame and core while creating vibrant and thoroughly modern spaces inside and out.

Mr Gaimster says this example of adaptive reuse will quickly become the benchmark for what can be achieved through the imaginative redevelopment of concrete structures in terms of resource management, (embodied) energy efficiency and design potential.

Wade Jennings, associate director with Peddle Thorp Architects, also believes that New Zealand’s existing commercial structures present a tremendous opportunity to reinvigorate urban environments and reduce energy consumption during construction, as well as improve energy efficiency during occupation.

“Winning the Concrete3 Sustainability Award is a fine endorsement of the collaborative approach and dedication of a talented design team and the vision of a forward thinking client,” he said.

The 2012 Awards entries will be judged on any of the following criteria:

  • Lean production less waste
  • Managing natural resources
  • Minimising energy use
  • Protecting against pollution
  • Respect for people
  • Setting performance targets
     

Entries remain open until Friday, 31 August 2012.  Entry information and forms can be found at www.sustainableconcrete.org.nz

The winner will be announced at a presentation at the 2012 New Zealand Concrete Industry Conference, 12 October 2012 in Hamilton.

For further information please contact:
Adam Leach
Email: adam [at] ccanz [dot] org [dot] nz
Phone: (04) 915 0383

 

Up for a challengeTrico Industries director Rod McIntosh and manager Peter Jenkins have been serving the industry for more than four decades

For the past 42 years Trico Industries Limited has stayed busy undertaking jobs big and small for all types of general engineering.

Founded in 1970 by manager Peter Jenkins in partnership with Tony Boerdyk – who left the company in the early 1980s – Trico has always had a versatile approach to any challenge and that cando attitude has kept the company going when imposing issues such as deflated markets and cheaper overseas’ products have closed down other businesses.

Beginning operations in a tin shed on the rear of a section in Leonard Road Penrose, Trico began manufacturing fork hoist components for Loadlift and heat treated pins and bushes for tanner Engineering, as well as fabricating guards for Auckland Sewing company and hoppers for AHI. But as more work came in and they were approached to repair shipping containers, Trico moved to more suitable premises in Leonard Road where they could continue to develop machining capability and adapt the business to meet the growing requirements of container repairs. They purchased a petrol driving drill so that minor repairs could be carried out on containers onsite on the wharf without the need to transport them to and from their factory.

A few years later Trico moved to larger premises in Gadabor Place in Mount Wellington where an existing overhead three tonne gantry crane and another that they built themselves created the ability to handle 40 foot shipping containers with ease.

Seeing a hole in the market and always looking for new possibilities to augment the wide variety of engineering jobbing work Trico relied on, Peter decided to manufacture a range of press brakes in New Zealand. For a period of several years until cheap imports made manufacturing and selling impossible, over 120 EZEWAY press-brakes were manufactured in-house varying in capacity from 30-250 tonne and 1.2 metres-six metres.

Trico were the first in New Zealand to have a light beam guarding system and Peter says that all of the EZEWAY pressbrakes he manufactured had overly productive working lives with very few problems.

While the reality of cheaper imports is now part and parcel of the many challenges New Zealand engineering fabricators face, Peter still says it was sad that the company just couldn’t compete with overseas imports and had to stop manufacturing their own brand of press-brakes.

“It was a nice part of our business and it was sad to see it go. But that’s the way New Zealand’s gone. We had 17 employees back then and one of the other things we’ve lost to cheaper imports is our own skill base in New Zealand.” Peter says.Trico Industries director Rod McIntosh and manager Peter Jenkins have been serving the industry for more than four decades

"We have built and machined a variety of steel products including collapsible hydraulic round moulds for manufacturing fi breglass tanks and pipes etc. from 400mm diameter by 12 metres long to 3 metre diameter by 12 metres long."

But in keeping with its versatile approach and open mind to requests and challenges, Trico has continued to offer competitive solutions to a wide range of engineering jobs. The company has fabricated large aluminium remelt smelter components, a 40 foot truck chassis complete with three axle self-steering bogies, and plastic granulating components. They have provided a fish mill plant for a Russian Trawler, large eight metre high Caltex Petrol signs, 44 large flanges 600-700 nominal bore out of 50 mm thick 316 stainless steel for a GEO thermal power plant.

Other recent work includes split concrete moulds for forming concrete columns, rotary spiral freezing machines for chicken factories, as well as several machines for the steel reinforcing industry – for straightening coils of reinforcing bars from 6mm to 16mm diameter into spirals 300m diameter to 2.5 metres diameter, with a variable pitch.

Trico has also manufactured a variety of components for local manufacturing and servicing companies. They currently specialise in reconditioning worn and manufacturing new press-brake tooling to clients’ specific needs with their 4.3 metre stroke milling machine at very competitive prices with a prompt turn around time.

From humble beginnings in a shed, Trico has stayed true to its core business as a versatile jobbing shop and has adapted and refi ned over an impressive 42 year history. Peter is proud that many of his clients have been with Trico for a long time and is still keen and willing to face any challenge.

“That’s who we are – general engineers up for a challenge. We’ve always enjoyed that” Peter says. “We’re prepared to have a go at anything in engineering.”

 

Fresh air for sharp German operationsAbove left: Leitz New Zealand brand manager Rob Carey and Viking manager Ross Metcalf work together to provide thelatest technology in extraction systems

While an established name in Europe, Leitz Tooling is relatively new here. The German company with a over 200 sharpening centres, ten production plants and 37 international sales companies throughout the world, has set up shop In Auckland and offers tool sharpening services for a wide range of materials.

Leitz’ New Zealand brand manager, Rob Carey says that while a good deal of their work is with wood working tools, they also sharpen tools used with fibre glass, aluminium and fibre cement. With the capability to sharpen all tungsten carbide and polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tools, Leitz can maintain the tools’ integrity over their working lives.

The branch in Penrose is the very latest addition to Leitz’ global presence and is stocked with the sort of state-of the-art machinery that one would expect from German manufacturers.Above: Newly installed Keller Vario (Sinbran) unit

The dust extraction system is one example of the latest technologies in use. The Keller Vario (Sinbran) unit is Leitz’ preferred option for all of its sharpening centres and is an exceedingly efficient filtration system using Sinbran filter element – a combination of sintered, porous polyethylene and GORE-TEX® membranes.

This level of filtration technology is the highest on offer here and ensures not only high machinery performance, but legible noise levels and optimum safety levels. “We’re really pleased with it,” Rob says. “It’s excellent, low maintenance, hassle free and extremely quiet.”

In New Zealand, Viking are the agents for Keller and also provided all of the ducting for the unit in Leitz’ service centre. Viking’s manager, Ross Metcalf says: “We design, supply and install and for each specialised machine you need the correct air volume and pressure to ensure the tooling operates at optimum performance. We used a V-Duct system – a modular, clamp together dust extraction system.”

For more information:
Viking Tel: 09 835 4090
Visit: www.vikingltd.co.nz

 

Environment friendly coatings from SwedenThe new Silver MaxPhase contact coating replaces costly gold plating in production of electrical components

A material that can replace gold on electrical contacts has been developed by Impact Coatings, a Swedish company which traces roots back to the research labs at Linköping University.

Silver MaxPhase™ is a metal alloy that performs like gold in terms of electrical conductivity and resistance to wear and corrosion, but at a fraction of the cost. This offers significant savings and cost control for connectors and other electrical components.

Using Silver MaxPhase is also a substantially better environmental choice than gold plating, as no hazardous chemicals are involved in the process.

“We want to challenge the idea that gold plating is the only option for electrical contacts. An average mobile phone, for instance, has five to 10 connectors that could be coated with Silver MaxPhase,” says chief executive Henrik Ljungcrantz.

The coating is qualified according to the IEC 60512 and IEC 60068 standards for low voltage and low contact force connectors that are normally gold plated, such as battery and I/O connectors for mobile phones.

Silver MaxPhase has the potential to be used for a wide range of connectors and other components.

The metal alloy is applied by physical vapor deposition (PVD), a process that takes place in a vacuum chamber where the material is evaporated and condensed to form a thin film on the object. Impact Coatings has developed the material, as well as processes and machinery for applying the alloy in high-volume production.

PVD is a cost effective, high quality and environment friendly surface treatment. In general, coatings consist of metals or ceramics, usually nitrides, carbides and oxides.The gold replacement coating Silver MaxPhase is applied by physical vapor deposition – for example in machinery for high-capacity reel-to-reel processes

With this highly flexible method, thicknesses of the coatings can be varied from a few atomic layers up to approximately 10μm. A wide range of coating materials and thicknesses means PVD can be custom-made to applications.

The coatings can be optimised for various characteristics such as electrical, mechanical, optical and decorative.

In PVD, the substrate does not need to be metallic or electrically conductive, making it possible to coat non metallic isolators, plastic and ceramic objects.

The possibility of maintaining low process temperatures below 100 degress Celsius further increases the number of applications. PVD is used industrially in a wide spectrum of industrial applications. The most common are semiconductors, CD/DVDmedia, tools, mechanical components, automotive components, sensors, biomedical and optics.

The use of PVD is increasing rapidly in other industries to replace less environmentally-friendly chemical and galvanic methods. Impact’s technology can broaden the use of PVD to even more applications.

Evaporation in PVD can be forced by several methods. The method Impact Coatings most commonly uses is magnetron sputtering, where the coating material is “blasted” from the target by a plasma.

The company offers a range of PVD machinery that can be integrated into existing production flows, with much smaller footprints than a traditional wet plating plant.

The range of machinery includes systems for high-capacity reel-to-reel coating of metal strips, systems for coating of individual metal parts and systems for coating of plastic components.

With significantly reduced environmental impact compared to plating with gold, Silver MaxPhase production lines can be installed without conflict with environmental legislation.

 

Growing demand creates more spaceArtist’s rendition of completed Faculty of Engineering buildings

Auckland University’s Faculty of Engineering is set for a multi-million dollar redevelopment, including new hightech laboratories, the creation of a new engineering research facility and the expansion of existing buildings The upgrade is estimated to cost $216 million and will take four years to complete.

As part of the redevelopment engineering buildings 403 and 404 at 20 Symonds Street will be completely refurbished and extended by several floors creating 5,000 m2 more useable space. This will allow the Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Engineering Science to relocate back to 20 Symonds Street and free up space for the Faculty of Science, where ECE is currently located.

The Ray Meyer Building at the Tamaki Innovation Campus is also being refurbished, and adjacent to it a new engineering research facility is to be built - providing an additional 5,000 m2 of space for large scale research projects.

Faculty of Engineering Dean Professor Michael Davies says the redevelopment will transform the faculty’s teaching and research facilities and benefit the entire University.

“The building programme will bring two departments back to the heart of the faculty and create state-of-the-art teaching and learning spaces as well as providing facilities for research that are of an internationally leading standard.

“All of this will be within an environment that has been designed to encourage interactions between students and staff from different disciplines. This will strengthen the collegiality that has always been a strong feature of the faculty and encourage interdisciplinary research,” says Professor Davies.

The Council’s approval recognises that the faculty has grown substantially since its current buildings were constructed, mainly in the late 1960s, and that many of the current facilities are outdated and inadequate, he says.

“It also recognises that there is continuing strong demand for engineering graduates and that the faculty has been very successful in growing its postgraduate numbers and external research income, particularly in recent years,” says Professor Davies.

 

How to engineer ruins to richesPicture courtesy Royal New Zealand Air Force

Letter from Andrew Cryer

Many of the most treasured landmarks in countries such as Britain are ruins of old buildings – especially those with those with a significant or memorable history. They are part of the nation’s legacy and also, of course, they are of great interest to visitors.

New Zealand has comparatively nothing of this nature but now, thanks perversely to the horrors suffered by Christchurch, we have an unrepeatable opportunity to keep one for posterity – the loved and greatly-mourned Anglican Cathedral.

There has been so much controversy over whether or not it should be rebuilt at a cost of many millions or, for safety reasons, be totally demolished – a move which, to me, savours of ecclesiastical vandalism.

Surely the answer is to bring the building down to a level at which it will pose no danger and retain the ruins as an integral feature of Christchurch.

It would make more sense to transform this area into an attraction for the city, as well as a commemorative site in honour of those who died during the quakes, than to totally rebuild on the site, which must surely now be recognised as a gamble.

Why not keep it as a ruin with plaques detailing its remarkable history? Maybe it could stand on an island in the centre of a lake which could be reached via a pedestrian bridge. Around the lake could be a pleasant relaxation area where families could play and picnic.

A new cathedral could be built on a new site less likely to be affected by any future quake. This, I suggest, would be the ideal solution. I am sure it would be appreciated by future generations.

 

Keeping employees safe is good for businessPeter Ramsden

By Peter Ramsden

Most of us will have given some thought to the tragic events at Pike River. The scale of waste is enormous. The loss of lives and potential of those who died. The emotional toll on friends and loved ones, as well as those involved in the aftermath. The cost of the efforts to bring the mine under control, and now the cost in time and money of multiple inquiries. The cost at a personal level, and to the country as a whole.

We would all like to know what went wrong at Pike River. But how many of us are asking “what is preventing that from happening in my business?”

There is one simple guiding principle: if you employ people, you are morally and legally responsible for their safety.

Profits are vital to the existence of any business. But pursuit of profit is not sufficient reason to gamble with the health or safety of employees.

There are cases where profitability has been substantially increased by focusing single-mindedly on safety. The stand out case is Alcoa, the giant aluminium producer. In 1987 Alcoa established the target of zero injuries. This was a very clear message to all employees. It was a requirement that all accidents and near misses had to be reported to the CEO within 24 hours, with the results of the investigation and the corrective action plan to be on his desk within three days.

Alcoa found that to improve the safety of its employees, it needed to develop a profound understanding of its own manufacturing processes. The benefits were that knowledge and skill levels of employees improved, and with this came an ability to improve quality, efficiency and safety. This resulted in improved profitability and market capitalisation.

Lines of communication opened up as employees became more involved in improvement activities and began to feel more valued and respected. Safety opened a window into all the underlying factors that affected Alcoa’s performance.

How can we be sure that every person in our organisation is safe at work?

There are at least three aspects to consider in answering this question:

1. Has the process been designed and constructed so that it is safe to operate?
2. Have the people operating that process been well trained in its safe and efficient operation?
3. Do production or maintenance people perceive that they are under such constraint or pressure that they might take potentially hazardous shortcuts?

These might seem patently obvious, but let’s look a little further.

How a process is originally designed and constructed is one thing. How it is maintained and operated can change the original design intent. A critical point here is that there must be a regular and systematic method of evaluating hazards in the process and in the work area. A method of evaluation which results in a numerical score will help to focus improvement efforts. For example: risk = probability x exposure x consequences.

Where: Probability ranges from “happens often” (10) to “virtually impossible” (0.1). Exposure ranges from “continuous” (10) to “very rare” (0.5). Consequences range from “disaster” (40) to “temporary disability” (3).

Using this method, even hazards that are not similar can be ranked and compared, and plans made for their management. Who provides the training, to what standard, and how do we know that the trainee really understands the job, the required outcome, hazards and so on?

Training is too important to leave to the last person who learnt the job. The work area must be set up to the standard that is expected to be maintained, and the training must be done by a responsible person who is aware of hazards, waste, efficiency and information flow. How many times have you seen people revert to doing a job the way they were first shown - even if that was years ago. And how many accidents involve new or occasional operators?

Is there a written operating procedure that sets the standards, with a test, which is required to be signed off by the trainer and trainee? Yes, we are talking about in-house qualifications which may or may not be integrated with NZQA unit standards.

How is the operating procedure updated? The operating procedure can only be as good as the organisational knowledge at the time it was written. Are operators requalified when the operating procedure is updated?

Is there an open and reliable communication system that enables everyone in the whole organisation, every day, to comment on safety, hazards observed, and accidents or near misses? Are these comments conveyed quickly to senior management, and taken seriously? In an old-fashioned dictatorial command and control environment, people are often reluctant to comment, ask questions or make suggestions that contradict the views of management because their perception is that it could be harmful to their career. Is the prevailing management style one of commanding, or is it one of coaching and respect for people?

We have seen at Pike River the cost of ignoring safety. We have seen at Alcoa that focusing on safety can enhance business performance. Achieving a safe workplace requires similar thinking to achieving high levels of performance; continuous improvement, development of people and elimination of waste.

An organisation with a Lean culture, where simple systems are in place to help everyone to identify problems, where change and improvement is day-to-day business, where problems are discussed openly and solved properly, and where everyone is focussed on a common goal will not only perform well, but will automatically become a safer place to work.

Is your workplace safe from an accident or even a disaster? What makes you think so? Safety in your workplace is your responsibility. Could your organisation be the next Pike River?

Peter Ramsden is the director of Lean Thinking Ltd, and specialises in implementing Lean.

For more information:
Visit: www.leanproduction.co.nz

 

All good things which exist are the fruits of originalityCompac Sorting Equipment

Compac Sorting Equipment took out the top honour at the New Zealand Hi-Tech Awards in May. Judges described the company as “the Rolls Royce of its industry”, citing its “laser-focused priority on market-driven R&D” as a key reason for its global success. “A world class innovator, delivering 21st century technology that makes its agricultural customers, including those in New Zealand, more competitive.”

In 2001 Compac completed the first commercial installation of its market-leading InVision 9000 blemish grading system for a citrus customer in California.

And in 2003 the company installed one of the largest sorting lines in the world – a 40 lane by 60 metre long pre-grade line with the InVision 9000 blemish system and a 12-lane by 70 metre packing line – for Sun Pacific in California.

This 40 lane line for mandarins and oranges is capable of sorting 400 fruit per second amounting to around 1.4 million fruit per hour.

The latest offshore success for the company is a US$15 million order from the US. “Bigger than a football field, this is a 40 lane, 100 metre long turnkey sorting system that will handle 20 million mandarins a day,” says R&D manager, director and 16 year veteran of the company, Nigel Beach.

“The longest design we have done in the past is 80 metres.

“We have a team of more than 50 engineers, covering a variety of disciplines from mechatronics to electronics to software. Our systems are fairly modular so up-scaling them is not a problem as we have software in place that will actually design the lines a customer wants,” says Mr Beach.

The company was founded in 1984 by Hamish Kennedy who grew up on a kiwifruit orchard in Kerikeri. While completing a master’s degree in electrical engineering, he designed and built an electronic sizer and packing line for his family’s kiwifruit packing operation.The winning team, from left, marketing co-ordinator Nathan Soich – sales and marketing director Dave Buys, mechanical design manager Marcus Davies - R&D manager Nigel Beach and chief executive Ian Fulton. Photo by Darryl Carey

The machine was a great success and he was asked to build more sizers for neighbours and others in the industry seeking accuracy of sizing and innovation in fruit packing.

From this start in the family orchard, Compac has grown to be a global leader in the development of fruit and vegetable sorting technology with operations now across the globe, including North and South America, Asia and Europe. The company employs more than 300 people worldwide.

In 1991, the first export order was landed – an eight-lane unit installed for the largest kiwifruit packer in France. In 1993 Compac released the revolutionary roller-carrier system which combines the functions of rotation for singulation and a new optical system, with precision four-point weighing and dual-side tipping of fruit to the desired outlet on a single conveyor.

The patented carrier is considered by the fruit industry as one of the most versatile and flexible designs available and is able to handle a wide range of produce.

In 1995 the first Compac sizers were installed in the United States. A government grant in 1998 helped the company develop a method of testing fruit for sweetness using NIR (near infrared) technology.

“Since then we have developed technology for not only blemish grading and frost sorting, but sugar testing, plus increased software functionality for standard colour and weight produce sorting."

NIR sorting uses a light source focused to illuminate a piece of fruit as it passes under the NIR system. Some of the light penetrates the fruit and is retransmitted – this effect can be observed by holding a fruit to a bright lamp in a dark room. The fruit will glow at a distance from where the light is shining on it.

The colour of the transmitted/reflected light is affected by the internal properties of the fruit.Compac Sorting sales and marketing director Dave Buys holds the trophy aloft

A high brix (a measure of taste/sweetness) fruit will absorb more light at certain wavelengths than a low brix fruit.

This colour difference, too subtle to be seen by the human eye, contains information about the internal properties of the fruit. The fruit reflection is measured by a spectrometer. This is an extremely sensitive colour detector, used to measure the colour difference in the transmitted reflected light.

A digital signal processor (DSP) is used to process the information from the spectrometer and estimate the brix acid or other internal properties. The information is processed by the sorting software and used as part of the fruit sorting information.

“The area of vision technology, electronics and software are key focuses for us as we further develop and enhance our product lines,” says Mr Beach.

In April 2008 Compac took a 50 percent stake in Hastings-based Fruit Handling Systems (FHS). This was the first time the company had invested in an already established company.

Fruit Handling Systems’ focus is on the production of infeed equipment and bin filling systems which operate after the main Compac sorter. The partnership allowed Compac to further develop its turnkey solution strategy for customers.

“New areas that we are looking at for development, apart from ever better vision technology and its associated software, are at the orchard end of operations and the greater use of robotics in packing and orchard processes,” says Mr Beach.

“Also we are widening the types of fruit that our systems can handle. We recently developed a cherry sorting system and are presently looking at developing machinery for larger potato types, mangoes and small melons,” he says.

For full details of the 2012 HiTech Awards visit www.hitech.org.nz

 

Hutt Workshops wins ACC best practice awardKiwiRail

KiwiRail’s Hutt Workshops has won the ACC best practice award at the Wellington Gold Awards.

The win recognised the Workshops' electrical, maintenance and administration teams achieving 10 years of no lost time due to injury as well as the site's overall work to achieve a zero harm culture.

“The staff at Hutt are rapt, the teams worked extremely hard to achieve 10 years without a lost time injury which is not an easy task considering the nature of the heavy engineering environment they work in,” says Workshops manager Karl Bouterey.

“I am extremely proud of the change in behaviour towards health and safety at the site over the last decade or so. Staff have really embraced the zero harm culture we are trying to achieve and have come up with some innovative ways to encourage safe working practices.

“One of the things people find most interesting about the practices at the site is we have work teams doing group stretching exercises before their shifts. It can look a little strange, a group of men and women in overalls doing lunges but it is things like this that have really made a difference at the site.

“It is no secret that heavy industry in New Zealand including rail has a tragic background. A few years back we started focusing on getting a better understanding of the incidents that were occurring so that we could work to isolate and eliminate the contributing hazards. What we found was that most incidents were the result of a task repeatedly being undertaken incorrectly.

“In order to change this we have invested a lot of time into ensuring staff have the correct training and support to get it right. After all we want our staff to come to work, do their job and go home to their families at the end of each day as fit and well as when they started the shift. For us, safety is as important as quality, cost, meeting deadlines and customer service.”

The Hutt Workshops employ 185 full time staff and have a long history of rail engineering, operating as a locomotive manufacturing and maintenance facility since 1929.

In recent years, Hutt Workshops main focus has been overhaul programmes and refurbishment projects, of which many are extensive and require the facilities specialist skills, capabilities, plant and tooling.

“The workshops are continuing to deliver some significant results with staff working above and beyond to meet deadlines. For instance last month alone we worked on 14 locomotives and also remanufactured over 1000 industry critical components,” Mr Bouterey says.

The Gold Award was presented to Hutt Workshops by Associate Minister for ACC Craig Foss.

The Gold Award will be proudly displayed at Hutt Workshops along with a plaque the site recently received to recognise the 10 year lost time injury free achievement.

 

Engineers use games console technology to make 'space building blocks'Surrey engineers use games console technology to make “space building blocks”

Space innovators at the University of Surrey and Surrey Satellite Technology Limited (SSTL) are developing ‘STRaND-2’, a twin-satellite mission to test a novel in-orbit docking system based upon XBOX Kinect technology that could change the way space assets are built, maintained and decommissioned.

STRaND-2 is the latest mission in the cutting edge STRaND (Surrey Training, Research and Nanosatellite Demonstrator) programme, following on from the smartphone-powered STRaND-1 satellite that is near completion. Similar in design to STRaND-1, the identical twin satellites will each measure 30cm (3 unit Cubesat) in length, and utilise components from the XBOX Kinect games controller to scan the local area and provide the satellites with spatial awareness on all three axes.

Docking systems have never been employed on such small and low cost missions and are usually reserved for big-budget space missions to the International Space Station (ISS), or historically, the Mir space station and the Apollo program. The STRaND team sees the relatively low cost nanosatellites as intelligent “space building blocks” that could be stacked together and reconfigured to build larger modular spacecraft.

SSTL project lead Shaun Kenyon says, “We were really impressed by what MIT had done flying an autonomous model helicopter that used Kinect and asked ourselves: Why has no-one used this in space? Once you can launch low cost nanosatellites that dock together, the possibilities are endless – like space building blocks.”

The STRaND-2 twins will be separated after launch. After the initial phase of system checks, the two satellites will be commanded to perform the docking procedure and, when in close proximity, the Kinect-based docking system will provide the satellites with 3D spatial awareness to align and dock.

Dr Chris Bridges, SSC project lead says, “It may seem far-fetched, but our low cost nanosatellites could dock to build large and sophisticated modular structures such as space telescopes. Unlike today’s big space missions, these could be reconfigured as mission objectives change, and upgraded in-orbit with the latest available technologies.”

Other applications include the safe removal of space debris and spacecraft maintenance, with a low cost “snap-on” nanosatellite providing backup power, propulsion or additional on-board computing capability.

About SSTL
SSTL is the world's leading small satellite company, delivering operational space missions for a range of applications including Earth observation, science and communications. The company designs, manufactures and operates high performance satellites and ground systems for a fraction of the price normally associated with space missions, with over 400 staff working on turnkey satellite platforms, space-proven satellite subsystems and optical instruments.

Since 1981 SSTL has built and launched 36 satellites – as well as providing training and development programmes, consultancy services and mission studies for ESA, NASA, international governments and commercial customers, with its innovative approach that is changing the economics of space.

About Surrey Space Centre
The Surrey Space Centre (SSC), a research centre of the Faculty of Electronics and Physical Sciences (FEPS) at the University of Surrey, is a world leading Centre of Excellence in Space Engineering, whose aim is to underpin the technical development of the space industry through its advanced research programmes. SSC, comprising over 90 researchers, develops new innovative technologies which are exploited by the space industry.

Surrey's pioneering small satellite activities started in 1979 as an academic activity at the University, leading in 1985 to the formation of a highly successful spin-out company – Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL).

For more information:
Visit: www.sstl.co.uk

 

Machine Tool Alignment - 14 June

Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) presents the Machine Tool Alignment seminar on Thursday 14 June 8am - 4pm.

Click here for more information.

 

Link between climate change and paint particlesFive tethered balloons would loft 1.5 million tonnes of titanium dioxide particles into the stratosphere each year. The balloon size is far larger than any launched to date to avoid ‘blow over’ from the fierce winds that the tether will experience 10 km above the Earth. The cost of the technology is significantly cheaper than other proposed stratospheric particle injection systems such as aircraft, artillery, and even tall towers. (Picture credit: IChemE/A Revell)

A new geoengineering concept has been opened for further research after the suggestion that dispertion of paint particles in the upper atmosphere could combat climate change.

Developed in the UK, the concept advocates dispersing benign titanium dioxide particles as used in paint, inks and sunscreens into the stratosphere to deflect the sun’s rays.

Peter Davidson, a chartered chemical engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a former senior innovation advisor to government, will call for this geoengineering concept to be researched as an insurance policy to cope with possible catastrophic effects of global warming if CO2 emissions are not reduced fast enough.

“While it’s essential that we work to reduce carbon dioxide emissions now, it would be wise to have a well-researched emergency system in reserve as a Plan B,” says Mr Davidson.

The idea may sound like science fiction; but the concept in fact mimics the earth-cooling effects of large volcanic eruptions which occur several times a century. When in 1991 Mount Pinatubo erupted in the Philippines, it caused temperatures to drop by around 0.5 degrees celsius around the globe for two years, ending most talk of global warming during this period.   

The eruption threw 20 million tons of sulphur dioxide into the stratosphere, forming a fine mist of sulphuric acid particles that spread over the globe in a matter of months.

As the size of volcanic aerosol particles is similar to the wavelength of sunlight, they scattered a small proportion of the light (~1 percent), and hence its heat back into space. The Earth cooled.

Adding sulphuric acid to the stratosphere degrades the ozone layer, and may cause regional changes in precipitation. A benign but similarly sized particle is required and Mr Davidson suggests Titanium Dioxide (TiO2), mankind’s most commonly-used pigment. It is stable in air, non-toxic and seven-times more effective at scattering light than sulphuric acid. Titanium is abundant in the earth’s crust and five million tonnes a year of pigment is produced currently so supply appears feasible.

With a candidate particle identified, the next challenge is devising a system to effectively and economically lift and disperse millions of tons of particles some 20 km (~65,000 feet) up into the stratosphere, so they stay up for a couple of years and do not immediately get rained out.

Mr Davidson says, “The impact of global warming is predicted to be most severe on the world’s poorest peoples, both because of their lack of resources and because of where they happen to be living. I would hope we could ensure that these peoples have a stake in decision-making and the opportunity to have their voice heard, alongside the richer countries, and appropriate NGO’s (for example environmentalists), as well as other bodies.

“Ideally an independent charitable trust funded by a variety of stakeholders from around the world would research not only the technology but suitable governance, legal and ethical frameworks,” adds Mr Davidson.

The total capital cost of the balloon, tethers, ultra high pressure pumps, and the production and transport of the particles is estimated to be £500 million plus £600 million in annual operating costs. These costs are perhaps thirty times lower than the next best technologies considered, such as large numbers of very sophisticated jet aircraft, and do not have the same carbon footprint.

“Space mirrors on the scale needed and 20km tall towers are likely to be for the 22nd century not this one,” says Mr Davidson.

Very approximate estimates are that over a million tonnes of titanium dioxide per year would need to be dispersed to keep planetary temperatures constant if CO2 levels in the atmosphere double. If such an insurance policy was needed this would have to be done for 50 to 150 years. Ocean acidification would be a worry but this might be still worse if such temperature control did not keep methane emissions from melting arctic tundra or seas under control.

At current prices, supplying these particles would cost around £3 billion per year or around 50 pence per person per year.

Mr Davidson says, “Creating a suitable insurance policy for climate remediation is a vital task. It will not do to underestimate the challenges. Much research and work on governance is still needed, but a vision is now on offer for debate, and development where potential means of solving some of the most difficult technical challenges have been identified. It would be short-sighted to put-off research of such a safety-device – like trying to develop a life-jacket when you’re swept out to sea and struggling in the water.”

For more information:
Matt Stalker, IChemE communications manager
Phone: +44 07802 834459
Email: mstalker [at] icheme [dot] org
Visit: www.icheme.org

 

Potential, perception and politicsDr G Charles Clifton

By Dr G Charles Clifton, Associate Professor of Civil Engineering, University of Auckland School of Engineering

In mid-March, I was summoned to the Canterbury Earthquakes Royal Commission (CERC) to give a presentation on New Technologies in Steel Buildings.

This was part of a three-day hearing on new building technologies, which covered the history of seismic design, base isolation, new building technologies in reinforced concrete, steel and timber, architectural implications, professional and regulatory implementation.

It represented the best opportunity that structural steel interests have had to present the case to the Royal Commission on how steel structures have performed in the very severe 2010/2011 Canterbury Earthquake series.

That news is very good. Well-designed and detailed multi-storey steel-framed buildings performed well, exhibiting a damage threshold signifi cantly higher than expected, meaning they are almost all being able to be returned to service with minimal, or in one case, no structural repair.

This is especially the case for steelframed buildings supporting composite floors, comprising concrete on steel deck on steel beams. None of these floor systems suffered damage requiring structural repair, even in the case of one steel framed building which suffered differential settlements of over 100mm and a total settlement of almost one metre due to ground instability – and is being demolished because of this.

This performance has been significantly better than that of any other multi-storey building flooring system.

The Canterbury earthquake series has put the spotlight firmly on low damage solutions for new buildings and how the steel industry can deliver on these.

First, through continuing the current standard practice of composite floors and continuous columns in all buildings. These two features increase strength and stiffness, and the ability for buildings to self-centre following severe shaking.

Second, through the use of slightly adapted existing systems, such as EBFs with bolted replaceable active links, MRFs with sliding hinge joints using high hardness steel shims, CBFs with uplifting columns or buckling restrained braces and thirdly with some of the new systems under development, such as tensioned steel shear walls, rocking steel shear walls, linked column frames, sliding braces.

Thus, steel is well-placed to be a prime material and system choice for the Christchurch rebuild.

While this will be the largest rebuilding project in New Zealand’s history, a capacity assessment by SCNZ has shown that the industry has the capacity to provide for 100 percent of the rebuild being steel framed systems.

However, structural steel solutions face very strong competition from the concrete and timber interests promoting new technologies in their respective materials.

Both groups are well-funded for this promotional work, especially timber which is also supported by a current major research programme under the Structural Timber Innovation Consortium.

Balanced against this is the excellent joint and combined support for structural steel and composite systems from the technical base of HERA, technical and promotional base of SCNZ and the research work underway at the engineering schools of Auckland and Canterbury.

Broadly speaking, the approach being taken by concrete interests is: “We know our existing solutions have not delivered low damage performance but that is old technology and the new solutions we have developed (such as use of rocking shear walls) will deliver this promise.”

Timber interests are also promoting these solutions, as well as the benefi ts of prefabricated large component construction for floor systems and walls, and minimal use of in-situ concrete.

While there are significant unanswered questions around some aspects of the timber systems’ performance, these solutions have merit and potential.

To ensure the steel industry gets its fair share of the forthcoming Christchurch rebuild, it has to do the following and do it well:

  • Emphasise the contribution of composite floors and continuous columns to the excellent performance of existing structural steel systems
  • Develop low damage design and detailing solutions, including designs and standard connection details and widely disseminate them
  • Monitor what the other materials groups are saying and counter incorrect claims, for example that the timber solutions are less than half the weight of steel or concrete solutions – timber and steel solutions for multi-storey buildings have similar weights when thin composite concrete floors on steel decking are used
  • Work with concrete and timber researchers to see where steel can be used compositely with these materials to deliver new, high performing solutions.

All this is currently being done, meaning that structural steel’s role in the rebuild of Christchurch will avoid the pitfalls of politics, will meet and exceed people’s perceptions of what is possible and will deliver on the potential that this rebuilding opportunity presents.

 

New man at the topGeoff Pearson

The Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia has appointed 20 year automotive industry veteran Geoff Pearson as executive director.

SAE-A President Bill Malkoutzis says an exhaustive search has secured a leader who will bring innovative ideas and diverse industry experience to the role.

“Geoff has been active in SAE-A programs for many years, particularly the international Formula SAE-Australasia education competition for engineering students hosted by the society at the end of every year,” he says.

“SAE-A has a wonderfully diverse membership spanning the full spectrum of automotive engineering. We have experts in engine development, chassis design, aerodynamics, vehicle dynamics, mechanical and body repair, crash investigation, insurance assessment – the list seems endless,” says Mr Pearson.

About SAE-A

The Society of Automotive Engineers – Australasia (SAE-A) promotes excellence in automotive engineering and is committed to the protection and betterment of the environment. Its members are engineers, scientists and technicians working across the entire spectrum of the Australasian automotive industry – vehicle and component manufacturers; vehicle service, repair and aftermarket sectors; importers, insurance services, fuel suppliers, government authorities and students. SAE-A is a council member of the International Federation of Automotive Engineering Societies, and is linked to SAE-International and the International Pacific Conference on Automotive Engineering.

For further information:
Geoff Pearson, executive director
Tel: +61 03 9696 5190
Email: executive [at] sae-a [dot] com [dot] au
Barry Oosthuizen, SAE-A editor
Tel: +61 (0)413 185 135
Email: editor [at] sae-a [dot] com [dot] au