December 2009 Update

Hello again and welcome to our December Update.

Christmas is fast approaching and we wanted to let you know what we've been involved with recently.

This year has been a challenging one for many businesses involved in the engineering and manufacturing sectors, with the Global Crisis having varying degrees of impact on most of us. Over the last few months the team at AIE have been working really hard on the development of new markets which are starting to show great promise for next year. We have also seen some real benefits from the lean initiatives being put in place around the workshop and offices.

This update contains some of the exciting things we have been involved in over the past few months. Just click on the heading below to go to each article.

We will be having a BBQ on Thursday 17th December from 4pm to 6:30ish for anyone who can join us for a drink and catch-up before Christmas. It would be great to see you there - please RSVP to Sheree (sheree@aie.co.nz) if you are able to come.  Click here to view an invitation.

On behalf of the team at AIE, I wish you and your family a happy, safe, and relaxing Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to working with you in 2010!

Mark Lovegrove
General Manager

AIE Website update

University of Auckland Formula SAE Team

This year, AIE became a sponsor of the University of Auckland Formula SAE: 47 team. The Formula SAE competition is for students to conceive, design, fabricate, and compete with small formula-style racing cars. The restrictions on the car frame and engine are limited so that the knowledge, and creativity of the students are challenged. The cars are built with a team effort over a period of about one year and are taken to the annual competition for judging and comparison with vehicles from colleges and universities throughout the world. The University of Auckland FSAE team competes annually in the Australasian FSAE competition, and has also attended the competition in Germany.

Allied Industrial Engineering provided financial assistance to the team and also the Mounts and Uprights for the M09 car. The Formula SAE team is a great way for these talented students to put their technical knowledge into a project, and AIE is proud to support New Zealand's up-and-coming engineers.


University of Auckland Formula SAE:47 Team car launch and Uprights made by AIE

Movember Madness!

Throughout the month of November, many of the AIE staff sported moustaches in support of Movember. Movember is a fun annual event which supports and raises awareness for men's health – in particular helping the New Zealand Cancer Society with prostate cancer research and the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation with their men's depression programme.

At the end of November we held a 'Mo-off' in which prizes were awarded in various categories e.g. The Ultimate Mo, Military Mo, Criminal Mo and The No Mo. Funds raised were donated to the Movember cause, going to the New Zealand Cancer Society and the New Zealand Mental Health Foundation.

Before and after shots of some of the AIE Movember Team

Allied Industrial Engineering Closure over Christmas Period

Allied Industrial Engineering will be closed for normal business for the three days between Christmas and New Year. We will close at 4pm Thursday 24th December 2009, and re-open at 7:30am Tuesday 5th January 2010.

We will have staff available for planned work during the closure period, and customers with existing contractual agreements will see no change in their level of service.

There will be our normal call-out service over the closure period. The call-out contact number is 0274 887 705.

If other emergencies arise over the closure period, please direct your queries to:

Tim Whalley – Workshop Operations Manager on 0274 379 409
Jason Hughes – Engineering Manager on 0274 318 064
Jevon Priestley – Sales and Marketing Manager on 0275 538 667.

If you are aware of any up-coming work that is planned over this period, please contact our Workshop Operations Manager - Tim Whalley on 07 323 8877 ext 115 as soon as possible for planning purposes.

Allied Industrial Engineering Junior Tarawera 50

The Allied Industrial Engineering Junior Tarawera 50 was a success once again for 2009. Over 160 riders aged between 5 and 55 rode in the two day event. There were several classes in the event, among them - Mini Class, Main Class, and Women's Class. For more pictures and placings please click here.

Allied Industrial Engineering Tarawera 50

Cupola Corners for upgrade to ANZAC Class Frigates

AIE was engaged by multinational defence contractor BAE Systems Australia to supply specialised componentry for ASMD (Anti Ship Missile Defence) upgrade to Australian ANZAC Class Frigates. The purpose of the upgrade to the ANZAC Class is to ensure the Frigates have an increased level of self-defence against modern anti-ship missiles.

We are manufacturing Cupola Corners for the Frigates, which are assembled onto the Towers. To comply with the technical requirements of these items, a substantial procurement process for compliant material was necessary. The complex shape and design of the Cupola Corners required extensive 3D modelling in preparation for CNC machining. We used SolidWorks and Mastercam for programming purposes. Tooling for the Cupola Corners is provided by Iscar.

The project aims to deliver an initial in-service operational capability by mid 2011 followed by an extended operational evaluation period of 12 months. The upgrade will provide the ANZAC class with an enhanced capability for self protection, as well as the ability to protect escorted ships, forming an integral part of the Australian Defence Force's future maritime task group.

Kopu Bridge Replacement Project

Allied Industrial Engineering was recently contracted by D&H Steel Construction to manufacture tapered bearing plates and hold down bolts for the new Kopu Bridge. The Kopu Bridge Replacement project comprises of the construction of a new 580m long two-lane bridge over the Waihou River at Kopu. The bridge will be 12.95m wide with 3.5m wide traffic lanes and 1.2m shoulders.

The existing one-lane bridge built in 1927-28 remains structurally sound, but does not have the capacity to cope with peak flows during holiday periods without causing significant delays. The modern, two-lane bridge will be constructed upstream from the existing bridge with separate cycle and pedestrian facilities.

The new bridge will improve traffic capacity, reduce delays and meet modern safety and structural standards. Construction of the Kopu Bridge started in July 2009 and is expected to be completed by mid 2012.

AIE is proud to have won the tender for this highly competitive project. Our competitive pricing coupled with our impressive quality standards were critical in securing this tender.

Artists' impression of the new Kopu Bridge, Image courtesy of NZTA