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Saturday, 25 July 2009
A Manawatu-based cluster of food technology companies says there is need for greater collaboration between food researchers.
Food Innovation New Zealand (Finz) -- a joint venture between leading food research organisations -- said today that a survey of 24 leading food production companies had unearthed "a number of challenges".
They included the need for more innovation, and for research organisations to become better at focusing research on commercial outcomes.
Click here to continue reading.
Saturday, 25 July 2009
You probably know of one or two of our CRI's (Crown Research Institutes). Did you know we currently have eight of them! Well, here they are and links to their respective websites. Remember they are there to help us, so don't be afraid to contact them.
- AgResearch Ltd (AgResearch).
- Industrial Research Ltd (IRL).
- Institute of Environmental Science & Research Ltd (ESR).
- Institute of Geological & Nuclear Sciences Ltd (GNS Science).
- Landcare Research New Zealand Ltd (Landcare Research).
- National Institute of Water & Atmospheric Research Ltd (NIWA).
- New Zealand Forest Research Institute Ltd - trading as Scion
- The New Zealand Institute for Plant & Food Research Ltd (Plant & Food Research).
These's links are up on our website, along with a number of other useful links - click here. And if you have any other links that you think other pdma-nzers would find useful, let us know so we can include them.
Friday, 24 July 2009
University of Auckland Business School dean Greg Whittred describes it as one of the trickiest endowments the school has received. Burning a hole in his pocket is $3 million donated by expatriate businessman Charles Bidwill.
The catch: this money is not for a new scholarship or fancy piece of technological whiz-bang.
Click here to continue reading.
Friday, 24 July 2009
Supporting emerging business into export markets will be pivotal for New Zealand's future prosperity, Prime Minister John Key told a business audience last night.
Speaking at the launch of the University of Auckland Business School Entrepreneurs' Challenge, Key said distance from major markets meant New Zealand companies were forced to compete globally at a much earlier stage than even their Australian counterparts.
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Friday, 24 July 2009
An ultrasound tool set designed to quickly measure the commercial worth of forests, has scooped the coveted ninth annual James Dyson Design Award at an award ceremony held in Auckland last night.
Tim Cox, a 22 old industrial designer from Christchurch, says his winning product design could revolutionise New Zealand’s forestry sector, which exports $3.2 billion of products annually.
The other two finalists were both Massey University design graduates – Hamilton’s Jamaine Fraser designed a hydration blanket to aid stranded whales, and Aucklander Dan McLaughlin, created Airaid, which can help people living with respiratory disease. It is a nebuliser which functions by using a foot pump that fills a chamber with air, the air is compressed and used to control the correct dose of medicine administered to a patient through an oxygen mask.
Click here to continue reading.
Monday, 13 July 2009
 TechNZ manages the business investments of The Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. They recently ran a series of workshops around New Zealand called Survive and Thrive Through Innovation. For the workshop they created a very handy booklet which helps companies to prioritise R&D projects. The "Survive and Thrive Through Innovation" workbook explains a six step process to research and development that will help you clarify ideas, establish which are viable and show you what is needed to become more innovative.
Monday, 13 July 2009
The most recent PDMA-NZ meeting, held on May 12, was kindly hosted by Simpson-Grierson in their excellent conference facility overlooking Auckland Harbour.
Over 50 people, from a wide cross section of representatives from industry, government and university, attended the meeting.
 Guest speaker was Dr Jeremy Hill, Chief Technology Officer for Fonterra. Jeremy presented a comprehensive insight into Fonterra’s R&D organisation and practices, supported by case studies from various company business units. Subsequent feedback on the venue, the catering and the guest speaker voted the evening a great success.
Monday, 13 July 2009
 The awards recognise top innovators in the fields of Science and Health; Design and Engineering; Agriculture and Environment; Research and Development; and Information Technology and Communications.
The National Business Review will showcase the top innovators from each of the categories and winners will be announced at a special cocktail event on 25 August 2009.
Click here for further details.
Monday, 13 July 2009
The Go Global Forum for International Business Conference will be held in Auckland on 30 September 2009.
The full day conference will be followed by the International Business Awards event in the evening.
For further details, click here.
Monday, 13 July 2009
Increasingly businesses are faced with environmental requirements from markets, customers and their supply chain. This course helps you understand and practice the key tools, strategies and approaches to ensure that your products, services and business are prepared to meet these challenges and lead in the market.
Wellington: 6/7th Aug
Dunedin: 13/14th Aug
Christchurch: 10/11th Sept
Auckland: 17/18th Sept
Click here for further details.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
NZ Herald reporters have travelled the country to learn how people are coping with the recession. The Business Herald looks at six companies weathering the storm.
Click here to continue reading
Sunday, 12 July 2009
 New Zealand Trade & Enterprise is looking for companies with heath products or services that - with a little help - could crack a US healthcare market bulging with billions from the Obama stimulus package.
The idea is to foster the next Orion Health - the Auckland company that has grown to be New Zealand’s largest software company, with a workforce of around 300 - largely through its success in the US healthcare market.
NTZE’s Focus on Health challenge is calling for contenders to submit business plans by August 31.
For 10 finalists, there will $500,000 in cash and kind prizes, including a June 2010 road-trip around the US to meet potential investors, partners and buyers.
Click here to continue reading
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Kiwi businesses have found product innovation contributing to increased profitability far more than cost-cutting measures.
And in following this course, New Zealand firms are up in the top end of the world league as measured by the Grant Thornton International Business report survey.
Among 27% of New Zealand businesses surveyed, product innovation was rated highest as the most successful initiative to increase business profitability – comfortably above the global average of 20% on this score.
Cost-cutting rated highest among only 9% of companies in New Zealand, well below the global average of 18% who had this as their highest profitability source among the 7,200 privately-held businesses surveyed internationally by accountancy and business advisers Grant Thornton
Click here to continue reading
Sunday, 12 July 2009
The Adoption of PLM Best-Practices
Join Graeme Preston as he describes the journey of implementing a PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) system in a high tech environment, from the initial discovery of PLM software through to post implementation lessons. See how PLM fits into a typical mid sized NZ company and hear about the challenges met and gains made through the cycle of implementation.
Graeme Preston is Quality Manager at Navman Wireless, where he has worked since its formation in July 07. Since 1990 he has worked at electronics and technology companies in NZ and the UK, and he has a strong knowledge base and expertise in production and manufacturing systems and controls. In his current role Graeme oversees Navman Wireless’ PLM system, Development Process and Document Management systems; is Project Manager for new products on the Navman Wireless roadmap; and has overall responsibility for the quality of the Navman Wireless hardware products.
Click here to find out more and register.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
Having spent $1.3 million developing and printing new 3D, webcam-activated All Blacks trading cards, Sanitarium has decided not to spend $400,000 on a media campaign to promote them. Instead, the FMCG company is pinning its hopes on Twitter, Facebook and Bebo. [UPDATE: It's not going so well so far.]
“It’s a big risk, and I had to get it signed off by a lot of people,” Sanitarium senior brand manager Tanne Andrews told NBR. “But why should I spend $300,000 or $400,000 on media when I can reach all the kids through social networks?”
A $30,000 below-the-line campaign will see Weet-Bix push its new product through that Mr Andrews calls “the big four” social networks: Twitter, Facebook, Bebo and MySpace.
Click here to continue reading.
Sunday, 12 July 2009
 Survival in a recession is all about balancing risk and opportunity according to research carried out by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) into successful company survival strategies in a recession.
The ability to be grounded but to have the confidence to take opportunities is highlighted in the research findings.
Four of the seven factors identified as helping firms to survive recessions relate to dealing with the reality (focusing on the core business, improving efficiency, getting rid of non-core operations and business restructuring) while three deal with opportunities (acquisitions, increased advertising and marketing, and more research and development).
The research looked at multinational businesses that survived and prospered through past major recessions including the Great Depression, the Oil Crisis, the Stock Market Crash of 1987, the Asian Financial Crisis and the collapse of the dotcom bubble.
Selected business leaders provided insights into the companies studied based on their own expertise and experience with business issues.
The research identified seven specific strategies that businesses can use to help them deal with recessionary periods:
1.focus on the core business
2.process and efficiency
3.strategic divestment
4.contingency planning
5.acquisitions and strategic alliances
6.increased advertising and marketing
7.increased investment in research and development.
NZTE Chief Executive Tim Gibson said that while the businesses studied were large multinationals listed on the Fortune 500 index, the seven factors identified apply to businesses of any size, trading from any location.
“These are sound business ideas that help firms position themselves for recovery and that any New Zealand company can implement.
“Recessions are notorious for breaking companies. We’re seeing examples of that now. But our study shows that recessions also provide opportunities to reinvigorate a company.”
Tim Gibson commented that the current recession is a game changing event for businesses worldwide.
“The certainties of the last few years ‑ easy credit, rising asset values and strong global demand for products and services – have gone,” he said.
“All businesses need to adjust to this reality, but the clever and courageous ones are also spotting new gaps in their opponents’ defences and making a break for it.
“The companies we looked at all increased growth and profitability during the recessions or the following recovery periods because of the choices they made when times were toughest.
“Businesses should think cautiously in the short term but be ambitious and plan for the long term. There is no doubt that times are increasingly tough, but to survive, businesses have to look to the future.”
Read the full Recession survival strategies research report.
For further information, please contact:
Anna McIntyre, Communications Consultant, NZTE,
phone +64 4 816 8317 or +64 275 498 155 (mobile),
email anna.mcintyre@nzte.govt.nz
Notes for editors:
Several of the research participants are available for comment. Please contact Anna for contact details.
For source article, click here.
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