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Tuning your Production Engine
May 28, 2025 @ 9:00 am – 6:30 pm

We invite you to attend the
New Zealand Manufacturing Industry Conference
Tuning your Production Engine
In conjunction with SouthMACH 2025 – May 28, 2025 – Wolfbrook Arena, Addington, Christchurch
For our conference this year we are taking a different approach. The primary target audience will be operational leaders – operations, production and manufacturing managers, but also, and quite specifically, team leaders – especially those with ambitions to take on greater responsibility. That doesn’t mean top-level managers and business owners aren’t welcome, but substance and form of the conference programme will be tailored to engage with the target audience. What that means:
• Emphasis on contributions ‘from the coal face’ – war stories from those with scars on their backs
• Emphasis on tangible outputs –what worked, what didn’t, and what are the measurable results?
• Most presenters will have been directly involved in the work they will report on
• We’ll create opportunities and encourage the audience to interact with the presenters throughout each session.
For our workshops with have chosen three related topics:
- Leading through change, keeping hearts and minds onboard
- Improving productivity through raising levels of engagement
- Using digital tools to improve productivity on the shop floor
Ticket prices include catering and a social hour at the end of the function
• Top-tier leaders (MD/CEO/GM): $485+GST
• Tier-2 leaders (operations, production, manufacturing managers, etc) $340+GST
• Tier-3 leaders (team leaders and equivalent) $220+GST
• Full Paid-up members of MAKE│NZ receive a 15% discount on the above – click here to register
• For more than four registrations per company, please contact us for a special offer: dieter@makenz.org
Conference Programme
| 9:00-10:00 | Welcome to SouthMACH | SouthMACH opens at 9 a.m. – Feel free to come in early and see the exhibits at SouthMACH |
| 9:00-10:00 | Check-in and day registration | |
| 10:00-10:10 | MC | Welcome and introduction |
| Theme 1: Leading through change | ||
| 10:10-11:10 | Rebecca Phillips & Ben Rae (Comfort Group) | The Comfort Group is in the middle of a major move -shifting its operations from Auckland to Ohinewai (Waikato). Ben & Rebecca will share their experience with managing that transition |
| 11:10-11:40 | Tony Smale (FORTÉ Management) | Motivating people – how to get it right in different cultural contexts |
| 11:40-12:10 | Panel discussion – Convenor: Natalie Smith (Kiwicare) | On the Panel: Natalie, Rebecca, Ben and Tony |
| 12:10-13:00 | Lunch Break and ability to see the exhibits at SouthMACH | |
| Theme 2: Raising levels of engagement | ||
| 13:00-13:30 | Lucien Thiele & Natalie Smith (Kiwicare) | Improving engagement at all levels – how we got that to work, and what the impacts on our business are |
| 13:30-14:00 | Sara Ogier & Michael Anderson (Wyma Engineering) | Achieving and maintaining high levels of genuine engagement – the Wyma experience |
| 14:00-14:30 | John Eatwell (Strategic People Group) | Engagement. What is it really about? |
| 14:30-15:00 | Panel discussion – Convenor: Rebecca Phillips (Comfort Group) | Panel discussion – Convenor: Rebecca Phillips (Comfort Group) On the Panel: Rebecca, Lucien and Natalie, Sara and Michael, John |
| 15:00-15:20 | Afternoon Tea and networking (with presenters) | |
| Theme 3: Making the boat go faster | ||
| 15:20-16:20 | Nathan Hay (Argus ManuTech) | Argus has recently put a lot of effort into adopting digital tools that help them to improve productivity. Nathan will share how they got there, and what mistakes to avoid |
| 16:20-16:50 | Carl Broxup, (CHC Engine Centre) | Getting ERP to work with lower-level manufacturing process management software – we FINALLY got it to work! |
| 16:50-17:20 | Panel discussion – Convenor: Ben Bainbridge, CHCEC | On the Panel: Ben, Carl & Nathan |
| 17:20-17:30 | MC Wrap Up | |
| 17:30-18:30 | Social hour – Drinks and Nibbles |
For MAKE│NZ Community members, there’s a 15% discount on tickets. If you’re not yet a member we’d love for you to sign up HERE
If you’re having any trouble getting a ticket or would like to enquire about discounts for sending four or more of your team, don’t hesitate to reach out to dieter@makenz.org or sabine@makenz.org.

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