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As our lives become increasingly digital, our reliance on smart machines grows. But who's making those machines and how can those manufacturers ensure the production of new technologies has minimal negative impact on the world? New Zealand's high tech manufacturing sector is thriving, with innovators finding brilliant ways to turn unlikely materials into high value items, and to construct technology that is used in coveted products globally. Join us in Christchurch, the city of opportunity, and meet the New Zealand innovators who are building a better place.
What does high tech manufacturing in New Zealand look like? In 2018 the answer is rapidly evolving, but one thing is for certain: it’s not a production line in a dark and dingy factory. As traditional modes of mass-manufacturing have moved overseas, New Zealand’s industry has adapted to become a sophisticated niche player in specialist manufacturing. In this myth-busting session, key note speaker David Chuter will take everything you know to be true of high-tech manufacturing and turn it on its head.
How helpful is the Kiwi “No.8 wire” trope in a time of unprecedented technological change? In this panel discussion, you’ll meet the innovative New Zealand high tech manufacturers that have seized upon global industry pressures as opportunities to create thriving businesses. Whether they’ve worked out how to manufacture something no one else in the world can, or - thanks to clever high tech solutions - can do it faster than anyone else, they’re proof that it’s possible to retain a competitive edge in a tough global climate.
A new era in manufacturing demands a workforce with a more diverse set of skills than ever. In this session, three people working in a new category of design roles in high tech manufacturing will share what they do for a day job, and how they got there. It will also explore methods for attracting creative talent for design engineering.
Option 1. How to use the art of storytelling to connect with your global customers
Learn how being of New Zealand (as opposed to ‘from New Zealand’) can play a powerful role in building and creating meaningful relationships with your customers and distributors. The hands on workshop will help you engage with your customers through storytelling and by infusing the values and characteristics that make us the ingenious Kiwis we are. “Marketing is no longer about the stuff that you make, but about the stories that you tell.” Seth Godin
Option 2: The future is female: the skills shortage and how to fix it
High tech manufacturing is critically short of skilled workers, and yet many young people are not even considering manufacturing despite the attractive career opportunities it offers. Women in particular are drastically under-represented. This workshop – with three 10 minute presentations followed by Q&As - looks at high tech manufacturing demographics, and how initiatives to make them more reflective of the general population will benefit the industry at every level.
Option 3: How SMEs can employ advanced manufacturing effectively
Whether it’s the use of collaborative robots or smart logistics, advanced manufacturing technologies can dramatically streamline workflows, and are no longer out of reach for small to medium businesses. This workshop looks at the two key mistakes SMEs tend to make when it comes to adopting advanced manufacturing technologies, and how to avoid them.
Revolution Fibres is a world-leader in a nanofibre prodcution process called sonic electrospinning. Their nanofibre has a multitude of applications, including one product, Xantulayer, which strengthens carbon composites and another, Activlayer, a water soluble, collagen-based fibre that carries skincare ingredients directly to the skin. In this session Founder and Managing Director Iain Hosie and his team will tell their story and showcase the latest applications of their product all over the world.
Seismic shifts are coming to high tech manufacturing, and the prospect of jobs lost as automation approaches has governments and people working in manufacturing nervous. But are they right to be scared? What exactly does the fourth revolution in manufacturing mean for the workforce? What does the economy stand to gain? Offering a glimpse into the future is Professor Olaf Diegel, a professor of product development at Lund University, Sweden, and expert in industrial consumer design and 3D printing. He’ll present the good and the bad news for high tech manufacturing, and lay out some of the educational challenges that lay ahead.