Manufacturing prosperity

The nation has an enviable record in agricultural production, and in tourism, sport and recreation. These will remain important contributors to GDP. But without the development of a more dynamic manufacturing and services sector, New Zealand will not be able to achieve objectives like closing the gap with Australia.

IRL takes seriously its mandate to work with industry to grow the manufacturing sector. In the last six months alone, we have extended our reach to almost 70 additional companies to provide research support. New initiatives, such as our co-investment programme, have met with excellent industry uptake. Clearly there is interest in expanding this sector of the economy.

In this issue of IRL Solutions we showcase some examples of our engagement with industry. These include Rakon, one of New Zealand’s most successful companies, which saw in IRL an ideal research partner when it needed world class microfabrication expertise and facilities to scale up its production of crystal oscillators for the global GPS, telecommunications and aerospace markets. With its scientists working alongside our own, Rakon gained the knowledge needed to tailor–make its own development facility and significantly ramp up production (see page 8).

IRL’s improved fortunes are a sign of the continued development and growth of high value manufacturing in New Zealand. Of particular promise is the ascent of the industrial biotechnologies sector, as reflected in the success of GlycoSyn, IRL’s discovery, development and GMP manufacturing arm, whose world class chemical engineering expertise has enabled it to bring an increasing amount of international business to New Zealand (see page 10).

While the correlation between R&D and economic returns is undeniable, it has to be said that the benefits go much further than this. As demonstrated during the recent tragedy of the Christchurch earthquake, it was the newer buildings – those benefiting from more recent industrial research and development to determine safer structures and materials – that were more likely to survive the incredible forces unleashed.

Responding to the Christchurch event will be a slow process. But it will be enhanced through a collaboration between government, industry and the country’s vital repositories of scientific and engineering expertise – the same approach that will help New Zealand as a whole lift its game on the global stage.

Shaun Coffey
Chief Executive