The steel industry continues to face a challenging economic environment due to the economic slowdown in China, volatility in financial markets, sluggish growth in global trade, and low prices of oil and other commodities. In the first quarter of 2016, per the World Steel Association, global steel production decreased 3.6% to 386 metric tons (Mt)…
Everyone has their views when it comes to the 2016 Budget. “Funding lift a thrill for scientists,” NZ Herald. “Top-ups for research bodies part of (business) growth agenda,” Minister Steven Joyce. “It’s likely that business will be feeling more rather than less confident,” BusinessNZ CEO Kirk Hope. “Budget 2016 held few surprises for business and sent a strong…
Quite simply put – yes we can! Low enthalpy-based power generation has recently seen a number of new entrants into its research and development sphere – strongly reaffirming its untapped potential. Couple this with growing climate concerns – it seems the time has never been better to serve a growing energy need worldwide. At HERA, we’ve…
The new Workplace Health and Safety legislation has been in force for a month and a good level of discussion has been happening within business circles. Certainly directors, owners and managers are far more ‘tuned into’ the requirements of this business critical function than previously as they become more familiar with new accountabilities. This is…
We work in an industry based on well-established and traditional materials. Metals have been fabricated for millennia. Applications have historically ranged from warfare, tooling, building and construction and are now evolving into emerging applications such as geothermal energy extraction and biomedical technologies. Metals, such as steel, are known for their high strength, ductility, and formability.…
The Ministry of Business Inovation and Employment (MBIE) and Commerce Commission announcement that some concrete reinforcing steel mesh supplied into the New Zealand construction market doesn’t comply with New Zealand standards has caused considerable concern. Resulting in HERA staff recently being the target of extensive media attention with varying degrees of accuracy in being quoted.…
It is eight years since the global financial crisis (GFC) started and few would say things are ‘back to normal’. But most companies who survived have adjusted to the new normal of sluggish global growth, and in New Zealand’s case, marginal domestic growth. Looking back its obvious what happened: The GFC caused the purse strings…
As members of the steel fabrication chain, we are all aware of the current worldwide steel oversupply situation, leading to steel prices here in New Zealand being at their lowest for some 14 years and virtually unchanged since the HERA steel import statistics started in 2000. This low steel price helps the steel users to…
Being in New Zealand, it is easy to sometimes think that we are alone in the world – cut off from the mainstream and doing things our own way. And to some extent that is true, we are geographically isolated, we don’t have a multitude of large corporations driving innovation and pulling our smaller companies…
The thirteen members of the HERA Executive are largely elected by HERA members and typically are representatives of HERA’s key stakeholder groups. Some are co-opted and represent the views of associated organisations such as the Manufacturers & Exporters Association (NZMEA) and Steel Construction NZ (SCNZ) or, as in the case of key stakeholder and member…
When our Director Wolfgang Scholz, advised me it was time for another year’s review, it felt like it was just a short while ago that last year’s review was delivered. The pace has been relentless and it has been another year full of action for our industry and for HERA. The 12 monthly rolling total…
Steel volumes being processed through industry are on the rise, which is a good indicator of activity. The statistics show us that after an almost 40% fall due to the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) volumes have reached the peak before last which was in 2005 and are close to reaching pre-GFC levels. The impact of…