Electric vehicle
selection set to
take off
New electric vehicles will hit the
market at a rapid pace over the
next two years, not-for-profit
group Drive Electric says.
That is because the push towards
electrifying the world’s vehicle
fleet is gathering momentum, with
many countries setting deadlines
of between 2030 and 2040 to
end the sale of new internal
combustion engine cars.
Drive Electric board member Dean
Sheed says original equipment
manufacturers (OEMs) have been
pouring money into electric and
autonomous vehicles in order to
keep up with the deadlines.
Auckland to host
international AI
conference
Auckland has won the bid to host
top international conference
in the fast-moving world of
artificial intelligence in 2020.
The International Conference
on Autonomous Agents and
Multiagent Systems (AAMAS) will
come to New Zealand for the first
time in its nearly 20-year history.
More than 500 delegates from
around the world are expected to
attend the five-day conference in
April/May 2020.
AAMAS is the largest and most
influential global conference
focused on agents and
multi-agent systems – key
elements of artificial intelligence
which are widely applied in
robotics, smart mobile systems
and decision support systems.
10 May 2018
Straterra: dairy/steel industries to
be hit by offshore exploration ban
New Zealand’s exports and energy security will be compromised
by the government’s decision to stop issuing permits
for offshore drilling, according to minerals sector industry association,
Straterra.
“New Zealand needs to continue to take advantage of its energy
reserves as technology develops that enables emissions
reductions – in New Zealand and globally,” Straterra chief executive,
Chris Baker says.
“New Zealand’s exports will suffer as a result of this decision.
Not only does New Zealand export fossil fuels, which are not
counted in terms of New Zealand’s emissions, New Zealand’s
export dependent economy is relatively energy intensive.
High levels of energy are used to produce heat for industrial
processes. The dairy and steel sectors for example are dependent
on New Zealand’s competitive advantage in energy.
“Without cost effective energy sources production costs in
our export sectors would be higher and New Zealand less
competitive in the international markets in which we compete.
“If New Zealand does not take advantage of its energy reserves,
investment and business will shift offshore, our export
receipts will suffer and New Zealand workers, regions
and government would lose out in terms of employment and
revenues.
“As a back up to renewable sources, fossil fuels also play an
essential role in providing energy security in New Zealand. We
might note, during the recent storm lightning strikes halted
gas processing and gale-force winds reduced wind farm output
meaning coal fired generation had to come into play."
N E W S : I N D U S T R Y M A T T E R S
NHP to
acquire
Rockwell
Automation
NHP Electrical Engineering Products
(NHP) announced the acquisition of the
Rockwell Automation related business
assets from Rexel Industrial Automation,
a business of Rexel Australia.
As part of the transaction, NHP has
been granted exclusive distribution
rights for the complete range of Rockwell
Automation products, systems and
solutions throughout New South Wales
and South East Queensland.
“We are proud and excited to be expanding
our relationship with NHP
across the South Pacific region as we
work together to further enhance the
efficiency of our customers, by delivering
smarter, safer and more sustainable
operational outcomes through Rockwell
Automation’s Connected Enterprise
solutions and by providing a simpler
model to engage with our businesses
across the South Pacific. We would like
to thank Rexel for their strong partnership
and collaboration over the past 17
years in this region,” says Scott Wooldridge,
managing director Australia and
New Zealand, Rockwell Automation.
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Scott Wooldridge, Rockwell Automation (left) and NHP's Stephen Coop