HERA has identified a need for greater uptake of Industry 4.0 technologies to improve productivity in the construction industry. At the same time, we are also building our own capabilities in Industry 4.0 focusing on Construction 4.0, in particular in what we have coined “Fabrication 4.0”,”Sustainability 4.0” and “Monitoring 4.0”. We have already previously announced…
We’re excited to let industry know that Fanqin Meng has joined our Structural Systems team to assist with our focus on structural fire performance research. Fanqin is joining the HERA Structural team for a six month period to contribute to two key structural fire projects. These projects will be conducted in collaboration with the University…
Steel structures performed exceptionally well during the February 22, 2011 Christchurch earthquake. Such earthquake performance confirms that steel is the ultimate low-damage solution for modern multi-story buildings and structures. The performance also showed that the applicable New Zealand design and fabrication standards are safe – even though some minor damage in steel structures were reported…
We’re excited to announce that HERA’s long-anticipated Composite Design Software is now available for our members. In 2019, our Steel Research Panel identified it was important to develop electronic tools to support AS/NZS 2327 to allow our membership to better exploit the benefits of this standard. Responding to that feedback, we are pleased to release…
Mental health is something that businesses are needing to think more deeply about when it comes to the health and safety of their teams. Workplace pressures including job insecurity, the stress of deadline pressures and more is leading to dangerous mental health outcomes – which left unchecked is not good for our industry as a…
We’d like to advise industry that a Heavy Engineering Research Levy Act Amendment Order 2021 was signed by the Governer-General on 5 July and published 8 July. This has been something that we have been working on with the MBIE innovation policy team and Customs for quite some time. MBIE’s role has been to coordinate…
Recent media has really increased the need for the sustainability credentials of steel to be shared more widely. This comes following inklings of a wood first policy, as well as statements from Minister Nash saying that: “There is nothing you can do with steel and concrete that can’t be done with timber.” These are concerning…
Data on the cool down phase for timber structures is something designers and regulators need to consider when it comes to load carrying capacity of CLT structures. This thinking comes about after noting an interesting paper in the recent issue of Fire Safety Journal highlighting the critical aspect of the cool down phase for timber…
In the age of Industry 4.0 and advanced quality control systems, Longveld has become the first New Zealand stainless steel fabricator certified by HERA Cert. This process has seen them meet the requirements of the International Institute of Welding Manufacturer Certification Scheme IIW ISO AS/NZS 3834 Part 2 – Comprehensive. A drive to expand…
While critical technical aspects associated with treated timber in construction remain unsolved, the ‘wood first policy’ is the wrong decision at the wrong time. There needs to be better science based understanding of fire safety and health and environment issues. We need only look at treated timber data in New Zealand, issues associated with treated…
HERA is pleased to report the release of our updated Living Standards Framework assessment and supporting resources. This comes following our work which started in 2018 when we commissioned BERL to assess the metal industry’s contribution to the NZ economy using the Living Standards Framework (LSF). That was a pivotal publication as it was the…
Our recently commissioned HERA Report R5-89 shows steel plays a key role in the circular economy. The study was undertaken by thinkstepANZ and showed an impressive 72% of steel scrap in New Zealand is recycled, and that recycling steel scrap produced in Aotearoa New Zealand provides significant environmental benefits – despite the need for transport…