June 2010 Update

Hello and welcome to our mid-year update. This e-update lets you take a look at some of the interesting things we've been involved with over the last few months.

We are really excited to be once again finalists in the BOP Export Awards – as a business we are working hard at growing our business offshore, and being recognised in this way is a real credit to all our staff.

Due to our significant growth and strong future workload we have 2 vacancies available at AIE. We are looking for an Engineering Estimator - Mechanical, and also a Sales Engineer - Mechanical.

Our business is increasing its range of services to the Power Generation sector, with the recent MRP Kawerau Geothermal Station Turbine inspection a great example of the skills we are able to offer. This project was a real partnership between us and the team at MRP, which delivered a well planned and executed shut completed on time and within budget.

It is rewarding to see staff excelling in their recreational activities. We are pleased to be able to support Sam Clarke – our Multisport superstar!

Assisting our customers is what we are all about, and gaining feedback is really important to help us improve. The recent use of the Net Promoter Score is a very good way of getting a reliable indicator on how we are doing – thanks to those customers who have been involved in this – your feedback will certainly help us to improve – we want an even better score next time!

I could not end this note without referring to the progress we are making with our Lean Journey. We have implemented a number of Lean Manufacturing tools over the past months, and are starting to see our company culture develop into a learning organisation that thrives on continuous improvement and respect for others. The real results will come when all customers see us as providing the very best in quality, on time, at reasonable cost – always.

Have a look around our website and latest news articles if you have not done so recently by clicking here or on other links below. The marketing team are doing a wonderful job of updating the site with new case studies, videos, and pictures of work we are doing.


Mark Lovegrove
General Manager

Bay of Plenty Export Awards

AIE is once again a finalist for the Bay of Plenty Exporter of the Year award. The 2010 BNZ Partners Export Awards recognise Bay of Plenty businesses who display innovation, growth and leadership in exports. There are a variety of award categories focussing on service to export, innovation in export, and growth and profitability in export.

Allied Industrial Engineering was named as a finalist in the Sharp Tudhope Exporter of the year 2010 category. All finalists in this category had to display the following:

*Outstanding foreign exchange growth
*Leadership and direction
*Excellence in marketing
*Export strategy and business planning
*Commitment to quality management

Our Sales and Marketing Manager - Jevon Priestley has also been nominated for the Export Achiever award. This award goes to individuals who have made an outstanding effort towards success and growth in exports.

We are thrilled to be nominated for these awards, and have our fingers crossed for the awards ceremony on the 25th of June.

Turbine Inspection Movie

The team at Allied Industrial Engineering are constantly coming up with innovative methods and solutions to support our customers. Our Engineering Team recently assisted Mighty River Power in the Turbine Warranty Inspection located at their Kawerau Steam Turbine Generation site.

Our skilled staff created an animated 3D computer model of the disassembly and re-assembly of the major power generation components: the Turbine and Generator.

Click here or on the image below to watch a video and see the 3D Modl of the recent Turbine Warranty Inspection at the Kawerau STG Site.

Turbine Inspection Warranty at MRP Kawerau STG Site

AIE Employee competes in the 2010 Coast to Coast

Earlier this year, AIE employee Sam Clark competed in the 243 kilometre Coast to Coast Multisport race. AIE sponsored Sam's entry fee and clothing for the gruelling race, but the rest was up to him!

The race took competitors on a 243-kilometre trek from Kumara Beach near Greymouth to Sumner in Christchurch. Overnight downpours meant the race format had to be altered for the safety of the competitors. The mountain run was changed to a steep 30km run up Otira Gorge and the original 67km kayak on the Waimakariri River had to be dropped, while the cycle leg was extended from 70km to 145km. However the torrential rain did not stop Sam from conquering the Coast to Coast multisport race, and he was placed 15th in the men's section.

Great results Sam – congratulations!

Assessment and Repair of 5 ANZAC Frigate Propeller Blades

5 ANZAC Frigate Propeller Blades were sent to Allied Industrial Engineering to be assessed and then repaired. AIE performed specialist 3D scanning on each individual blade. Each blade was 3D Scanned and following this the mesh data was overlaid and deviation analysis undertaken to ascertain significant differences in the shape of the blades. The deviation analysis is accurate down to 0.02mm.

Each blade was compared to the others in the set and to the manufacturers drawing to ensure they were not bent or warped. Crack testing was also carried out on the blades at AIE's premises.

Each blade was individually balanced in a custom designed balancing jig to ensure when the set is bolted to the propeller hub the risk of significant vibration is eliminated.

The effectiveness of the Prairie Air Emission Hole System was tested to ensure the holes on the leading edges of the propeller blades were not blocked. These holes help reduce the hydrodynamic noise which originates at the propeller.

It was found that the mating and sealing surfaces of where the blades mount to the propeller hub were not satisfactory. This had the potential to result in oil leakage from the propeller hub. By machining these surfaces to the required specifications, this issue was put to rest.

Once the repair is completed the set of blades will return to the NZDF Rotable Spares Store. Click on the photos below to see more information.


 

AIE attends World Geothermal Conference 2010


Allied Industrial Engineering recently exhibited at the World Geothermal Conference in Bali, which had over 2,000 registered participants. AIE's presence at the WGC 2010 reinforces our commitment to the Geothermal Industry and gives us the opportunity to establish partnerships with other leading geothermal markets in Asia Pacific such as Australia, Indonesia and the Philippines.

Opening Ceremony at the World Geothermal Conference.

 

Staff Training and Developments


Andre van Niekerk, Nigel Shaw, Rozelle Cunningham and Simon Jarvinen are furthering their studies in Mechanical Engineering and Management. They chose to study towards their Level 5 Certificate and Level 6 Diploma to increase their skills and further their career opportunities.
AIE has a highly skilled and experienced workforce and we are committed to their continuous professional development. We provide on-going training for all staff to continue to be able to offer high quality specialist services.

Apprenticeships


Congratulations to Sam Moore, Dujon Taniwha and Geoff Scott who completed Level 4 of the National Certificate in Maintenance and Diagnostics earlier this year. Sam, Dujon and Geoff are currently working for AIE in the light machining and fabrication areas.

We currently have 4 apprentices taking part in the ATNZ Apprenticeship scheme. If you are interested in our apprenticeship scheme or know of someone that might be, please click here for more information.


Sam Moore receives his Apprenticeship Certificate

Net Promoter Score

The Net Promoter Score is a customer survey that AIE uses to help us evaluate how satisfied our customers are with our service. The Net Promoter Score is the standard we use for measuring customer loyalty from their feedback and helps us to focus our efforts and resources on how all of our employees treat customers.

We calculate our Net Promoter Score by asking our customers, "How likely is it that you would recommend AIE to a close friend or colleague?". We are very pleased with our results so far and are using our customer's feedback to increase our score even further.

Job Vacancies at AIE

We are looking for people to join us in the following positions:

Engineering Estimator - Mechanical

Sales Engineer - Mechanical

Click on either of the position names above to find out more information or register your interest. You can check out the vacancies on our website by clicking here or pass this newsletter on if you know of someone that might be interested in working at AIE.

"A good leader shows optimism in the face of challenges"