2013-05-01 09:56:13 // Sim Ahmed
// The Idealog Blog
Sim Ahmed talks the Modtec founder and chief executive Bruce Davies about designing and manufacturing workplace ergonomic products and working with teams overseas.
2013-03-25 10:52:34 // Robert Hickson
// The Idealog Blog
Oh, the wondrous things coming off printers these days – houses, bone, and gun parts . See more examples at Mashable. Some gush about 3D printing following the personal computer trajectory.
2013-01-14 12:03:57 // Elizabeth Davies
// The Idealog Blog
| 9 comments
Those splitting hairs over the best way to separate egg yolks from whites, wonder no more – the Yolkr is here, and raising funds on Kickstarter after six months spent perfecting the design.
2012-12-20 11:15:14 // Catherine Beard
// The Idealog Blog
Making products in New Zealand is vital to a healthy economy. But reports of a manufacturing crisis are grossly exaggerated.
2012-12-18 10:03:51 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
| 3 comments
Christchurch design consultancy W2 has designs on storming the growing motorhome industry with the Romotow, a patented campervan model it says offers up to 70 percent more floor area than traditional types.
2012-12-17 12:44:57 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
New Zealand deer fibre makes up the key component in the world’s most exclusive sock (and quite possibly the most expensive ever), launched this month by Harry’s of London.
2012-11-27 10:09:22 // Esther Goh
// Idealog #41: interact
| 1 comment
Timber processing ain’t the sexiest of industries, but these bikes put a new face to the business.
2012-11-23 12:38:11 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
A wireless vibration sensor being developed by a Victoria University student could provide a low-cost solution for engineers to monitor the damage of buildings affected by earthquakes – and, more impressively, harnesses the kinetic energy generated by the tremors in order to power itself.
2012-11-21 12:16:27 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Auckland-based company A-Ward Attachments has taken out the 2012 Swedish Steel Prize, holding its own against the likes of Volvo and John Deere.
2012-11-19 09:23:23 // Josh Martin
// Idealog #41: now
Centrifuge technology is usually the domain of laboratories and blood donor centres, but it's at the core of Beemaxx's latest innovation.
2012-09-26 09:13:00 // Josh Martin
| 3 comments
Innovative designs from Dyson will look smart and keep their fans cool this summer. And it might cost a fair whack, but it's cheaper than a new finger.
2012-08-21 14:15:18 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Cavalier Bremworth is launching a new carpet backing, Flashbac, that's made entirely from recycled wool carpet.
2012-08-20 15:06:38 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
Supermarket bags, milk bottles and sawdust could be turned into building blocks, thanks to technology developed at the University of Canterbury’s wood technology research centre.
2012-08-02 10:22:09 // Idealog
| 1 comment
Industrial Research Ltd and the University of Auckland are coming together to set up a Joint Graduate School in Innovative Manufacturing and Materials, with an eye to producing the scientists and engineers of tomorrow.
2012-03-15 16:39:16 // Esther Goh
// The Idealog Blog
Renalldoors has just dropped $1.5 million on a state-of-the-art manufacturing gizmo, the first in New Zealand, and plans to tap into a growing market for timber, following trends in Europe, particularly as the Christchurch rebuild gains momentum.
2012-03-15 13:55:54 // Idealog
Manufacturing activity enjoyed a sizeable lift in activity for February, according to the latest BNZ - BusinessNZ Performance of Manufacturing Index, reaching a high not seen since April 2010.
2011-11-04 11:40:55 // Sarah Robson
| 1 comment
More funding will be injected into the science sector to transform Industrial Research Limited (IRL) into an advanced technology institute, Prime Minister John Key announced yesterday.
2011-10-26 17:04:28 // Esther Goh
Kiwi food and beverage exporters need to focus on adding value if the sector is to live up to its full growth potential, an industry report released today shows.
2011-08-01 08:30:16 // Idealog
// The Idealog Blog
A trade show is hoping to capitalise on the hordes of visitors set to descend on New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup and showcase local food suppliers to international importers.
2011-07-27 08:44:50 // Idealog
A new method of producing wood-plastic pellets has been licensed by Crown research institute Scion to a company that will see it commercialised in Europe to the tune of $10 million in royalties.
2011-07-14 14:30:10 // Idealog
There would be plenty of reasons for the manufacturing sector to slow down, but it’s holding up nicely, according to the latest PMI stats.
2010-11-18 16:10:52 // Keith Newman
// Idealog #30: features
A new twist on fire pumps could see a tiny Hawke's Bay workshop booming in a new niche market. Keith Newman visits the innovators of Tikokino.
2010-09-03 15:05:26 // Dwight Whitney
// Idealog #29: export
Generally country of origin is just one of a number of factors people take into account when electing to buy or not to buy—but, okay, a ‘Made in North Korea’ tag may be an instant turnoff unless you love the Dear Leader.
2010-07-22 14:55:19 // Amanda Cropp
// Idealog #28: features
When Keith Alexander realised a childhood dream and reinvented the trampoline, he also created a global business and relaxed thousands of nervous parents. By Amanda Cropp
2010-07-13 14:59:57 // Vicki Holder
// The Idealog Blog
| 1 comment
Taking a well-deserved break with his family in Hawkes Bay, a slightly weary furniture designer David Moreland reflects on surviving in the design game.
2010-07-01 17:30:32 // Hadyn Green
// Idealog #28: features
| 4 comments
The sneaker. It’s a cheap canvas shoe with a cheap rubber sole—or at least it used to be.
2010-01-05 09:44:28 // Matt Cooney
// The Idealog Blog
A bit of wood, a battery and a switch, and you practically have a sentient machine. Just the thing to get the thought process restarted for the new year.
2009-07-31 09:49:03 // Matt Cooney
// Idealog #22: features
| 2 comments
When guitarist Ben Fulton went electric, he found the only way to get the right sound was to make his own gadgets—and other guitarists agreed. But how do you turn a garage business into an international boutique brand? First, you find someone to share your dream—like Geoff Matthews.
2009-06-18 16:21:52 // Stephen Jewell
// Idealog #21: now
| 1 comment
Author Cory Doctorow is a merciless critic of the mega-corporations that seek to control creative content—and he’s happy to give his own work away for free
2009-05-06 14:29:47 // Deirdre Robert
// Idealog TV
Imagine your car breaks down and you need a new part shipped from Europe. Or your tooth breaks and you have to wait for a new crown to be crafted. Don’t panic, says Professor Olaf Diegel of AUT University: simply print a new one.
2009-03-27 11:00:13 // Amanda Cropp
// Idealog #20: features
Cousins Celia and Caro Allison have a lot in common. A cartoonist and a fashion design respectively, they both trained at Wellington Polytechnic, live and work in Lyttelton, drive silver Toyota Caribs and are obsessive recyclers. But most of all, finds Amanda Cropp, they’re both deeply committed to keeping their products New Zealand-made
2007-11-02 18:26:39 // Gena Tuffery
// Idealog #12: features
| 2 comments
China’s Mayland Design Exchange—MayDE to its friends—is marrying our creative can-do with their manufacturing know-how. Could ‘MayDE with New Zealand’ be just what ‘Made in China’ needs? Idealog finds out. Plus: How Kiwi students are designing answers to Chinese lifestyle problems.
2007-10-02 15:20:52 // Kris Herbert
// Idealog #11: now
Tauranga-based bed manufacturer Design Mobel wants to turn bed retailing on its sleepy head. In partnership with Saatchi & Saatchi, the company has created Okooko, an international concept store that focuses on the bedroom as a sanctuary of rest and replenishment
