Firms urged to work together

New Zealand manufacturing companies need to collaborate more to remain competitive with overseas manufacturers, says New Zealand Trade and Enterprise.
Its sector director for specialised manufacturing, David Penny, says many countries are now setting manufacturing strategies and encouraging collaboration.

While there are advantages in companies being individualistic, there are also downsides in terms of needing to build a competitive capability as a nation.

"And that is where no company is an island unto itself," he says.

"It has to allow itself to be part of a system."

Penny's comments come ahead of a one-day workshop in Auckland where plans will be advanced for a national manufacturing strategy.

Organisers of the November 30 workshop - the Manufacturing Vision Group - hope the day will give greater voice to an industry often treated as a poor cousin.

Group chairman Michael Pratt said manufacturing had not received as much exposure as could be justified by the string of successful manufacturing companies.
He hoped the gathering of industry leaders, Government and union representatives would produce a vision for the future, strategies to meet global challenges and a research and development agenda.

The workshop, facilitated by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise, will be followed by regional workshops to share ideas on how companies could become world-leading manufacturers and could lead to recommendations for policy initiatives.

Issues expected to be discussed include infrastructure, free-trade deals, workforce skills and competition from China.

Pratt, dean of the Waikato University Management School, said the workshop was an affirmation of the significance and importance of the sector that employed 26 per cent of the workforce and produced nearly $20 billion, or 15 per cent of GDP.