Latest from Manufacturing

Success: Pic's spreads across the ditch
Pic's Really Good Peanut Butter made in Nelson will be on the shelves of 700 Coles stores in Australia. It's official: Kiwis prefer to slather their toast with locally made peanut butter. Pic Picot, the founder of Pic's Really Good Peanut Butter, says...

Fonterra unfazed by credit rating cut
Fonterra chief financial officer Lukas Paravicini said the cooperative continued to enjoy a solid balance sheet position, despite a credit rating downgrade by S&P.

Success: High-tech grunt behind growth
A multimillion dollar investment in high-tech automation is the grunt behind growth for a local manufacturing firm.

Manufacturing on rise
A gauge of manufacturing activity continues to point to moderate expansion.

Jobless rate drops to five-year low
New Zealand's unemployment rate has dropped to a five-year low as the nation's economic growth spurs firms to take on more staff.

US Steel invokes Carnegie legacy in revival plan
For more than a century, US Steel's strategy was based on volume - make lots of steel, maximise production to minimise costs. Now getting smaller may help it survive.

Sonar firm reels in Japanese investor to boost R&D
Furuno Electric Co, best known for its fish finder systems, has purchased a 10 per cent stake in Electronic Navigation, owned by the Hodson family.

59 China suppliers fail safety rules - Samsung
Samsung said 59 suppliers failed to provide adequate safety equipment for workers as the smartphone maker struggles to improve labour standards in China.

NCEA report not up to the job
School-leavers would be issued with a certificate detailing their tardiness, attendance and attitude under a scheme called for by employers.

Pink Batts scrap heads back to court
Pink Batts’ maker Tasman Insulation has confirmed that both it and rival Knauf Insulation are appealing parts of a High Court judgment about the term "batts" and how it can be used in NZ.

Drikolor sets out to stir up the paint market
Auckland-based drikolor is aiming to stir up the paint industry by developing pigment powders anyone can use to mix their favourite colours.

Richard Archer: Predicting the food of the future
The industry has pulled huge amounts of salt and sugar out of food but are fearful that consumers will see "low-salt" or "reduced sugar" as meaning "reduced flavour", writes Richard Archer.

Pink Batts win High Court scrap
One of Pink Batts' competitors has failed to convince the High Court the term "batts" is in common use in NZ and that Pink Batts' trademark of this word should be revoked.

Formula exporters race for deadline
The Government announced last week that 12 of this country's 13 baby milk manufacturers had to carry out changes at their production facilities.

Small Business: Firms hardened by financial crisis - expert
Not so long ago there was talk of a crisis in manufacturing. Recent figures, however, show the sector is generally in a more buoyant mood.

Labour's 'unashamedly pro-kiwi' manufacturing policy
A Labour Government would adopt an "unashamedly pro-kiwi'' policy to favour New Zealand suppliers, David Cunliffe said this morning.

Toyota, humans take jobs away from machines
Inside Toyota's oldest plant, there's a corner where humans have taken over from robots in thwacking glowing lumps of metal into crankshafts.

Manufacturing expands for 19th month
NZ's "buoyant" manufacturing sector expanded for a 19th consecutive month as domestic demand for goods fuels economic momentum.

Factory build new homes - report
Around $47,000 could be shaved off the cost of each new place built in factories under Labour's planned KiwiBuild 100,000-house scheme, an opposition spokesman says.

NZ firms ploughing cash into plant
Businesses have been putting their money where their mouths are and investing in plant and machinery, economic growth data released yesterday show.

China trade target has risk: expert
Boosting New Zealand's two-way trade with China to $30 billion by 2020 is achievable but there are risks with New Zealand becoming over-dependent on the Chinese market, says a top economist.

PM to dine with China's President
Prime Minister John Key's visit to China will include a formal dinner with China's President Xi Jinping.

Manufacturing expands for 18th month
New Zealand manufacturing activity expanded for an 18th straight month in February with signs a buoyant economy is creating jobs.

Design skills sold to the world
A chair is a chair is a chair ... how could millions of R&D dollars possibly improve on the object where we park our backsides?

Innovation keeps firm on a roll
With the dairying and high-tech sectors routinely hogging the business headlines, you could be forgiven for thinking New Zealand's manufacturing industry was extinct.