12 | Business Canterbury - Thelning Design Innovation T T Kim Newth Innovative engineering boosting business growth The TDI robotic depositor is also on an Australian pie production line, where it is being used to draw smiley faces atop pies at the rate of 225 pies per minute. “It’s about utilising machinery to do jobs that are really not that suitable for people.” REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT For a small Christchurch company, Thelning Design Innovation (TDI) is making an outsize impact on productivity by helping New Zealand companies scale up and transform their operations using advanced engineered machinery and automation solutions. Founder Nelson Thelning, an experienced engineer with a background of machinery development, launched his business a decade ago to provide an advanced engineering and automation service to New Zealand industries facing various production challenges. “At that time, there was very little opportunity for New Zealand manufacturers to take advantage of automation and utilise technology to be more efficient.” Nelson explains. “Hardly anyone was offering that service. Instead, there’s been this tendency in New Zealand to throw people at processes, even though labour’s expensive and it’s often hard to find people willing to do those repetitive tasks in manufacturing. “We’re only a small company, but we’re adding a lot of value and the projects we’re completing are quite significant. We’re developing unique bespoke machines, customised to requirements, that are suitable for any industry.” Thelning Design Innovation employs a skilled team of six, including technical director Arthur Woolhouse, who brings a wealth of business leadership and technical engineering expertise to the TDI team, having previously founded and managed a successful composite product manufacturing company in the UK. Nelson notes that Business Canterbury has been a consistently positive source of support and encouragement for TDI, serving as a business enabler, keeping their team up to speed with relevant legislative changes and economic trends, and facilitating business networks. “We’ve had some really helpful business advice and support from them, particularly around that Covid time when they wrapped a team around us. They help spread the word on our services to other potential clients – it’s support across multiple layers. We share the same objective of wanting to help Canterbury businesses improve and grow.” In the field of food manufacturing, TDI is fast scoring wins for companies seeking greater scale and efficiency. For example, TDI’s robotic depositor is being used by Christchurchbased Baker Boys to add mashed potato swirls on top of savouries. This engineered solution has automated an onerous task that was physically demanding, and the production process is now much more efficient. The TDI robotic depositor is also on an Australian pie production line, where it is being used to draw smiley faces atop pies at the rate of 225 pies per minute. “Previously, they were having to run their production at 50% capacity, because manual resource was too slow and they couldn’t secure enough staff – adding this has provided a big boost to their business.” As Nelson observes, automation is ideal for production tasks that are difficult, unpleasant, unsafe or repetitive. “It’s about utilising machinery to do jobs that are really not that suitable for people.” Construction is another area where TDI’s engineering expertise is making a real difference. A few years ago, TDI developed a large machining centre for a company in Yaldhurst (Bode) producing modular homes from SIP panels. Essentially, the machining centre enables flat- pack homes to be efficiently produced in a factory, before being sent to sites around New Zealand. The past two years have not been easy for many New Zealand businesses. TDI’s preparedness to think outside the square has helped them weather challenging times. For example, TDI secured a contract last year to manufacture net-cleaning machines for aquaculture on behalf of another company, (Bossaqua). “That was a key strategic decision for us,” says Nelson. “We’re now looking forward to bigger projects with the likes of George Weston Foods. “What we’re finding is that large capital projects that were put on hold two years ago are now starting to come back again – it’s really exciting to see that confidence return with companies again looking at how investment in innovation can help them pursue bigger opportunities both here and internationally.” Proud to supply quality robotic and automation hardware to Thelning gantries & robot 7th axes automation & drives hygienic robots www.cncdesign.co.nz/products
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