On 29 October, the University of Auckland launched the Bruce McLaren Centre for High Performance Engineering at Shed 10. Jonathan from our team was there as a member of the industry advisory board for the University's Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing and Design. We want to share what that role involves, and why we think the new Centre matters to New Zealand manufacturers.
How the advisory board came about
In 2024 the University established a new research centre that brought together the work of the Centre for Advanced Materials Manufacturing and Design, the Centre for Advanced Composite Materials and the Plastics Centre of Excellence. It's based at the Newmarket campus, and it reflects how the activities of those three groups merged between 2021 and 2023.
To go with the larger group, the Centre set up an industry advisory board with representatives from its different stakeholder groups. In early 2024, Jonathan was approached to join as an industry leader in additive manufacturing in New Zealand, on the recommendation of his PhD supervisor, Prof. Olaf Diegel.
The board meets formally once a year to review the Centre's activity and plans for the year ahead. Beyond that, its job is to give an industry perspective on what the Centre is doing, help set strategic direction, and promote the Centre's work in our sector.
What the Bruce McLaren Centre will be
At the board's first meeting in 2024, the Bruce McLaren Centre for High Performance Engineering was proposed. The University has since approved a $45M building programme to reconfigure the northern end of the Newmarket engineering building, creating a "discovery" centre and a "workshop of dreams" space.
At the launch, the Vice-Chancellor outlined the three pillars the Centre will focus on: the Workshop of Dreams (the facilities), the Bruce McLaren Academy (people) and the Discovery Centre. The Centre's patron, Amanda McLaren, spoke about her support for the Centre and her vision for her father's legacy. PhD student Olivia Gordon introduced the Centre and asked for support for its next stage, with a further $80M still to be raised.
Why it matters to us
Additive manufacturing sits where research meets production, and that's where we work every day. We help manufacturers and exporters move from concept to market through prototyping and low volume manufacturing, using engineering-grade polymers and HP Multi Jet Fusion technology. Having a seat on the advisory board lets us bring that practical, hands-on view into the conversation: what manufacturers actually need, where additive manufacturing is delivering, and where the gaps are.
It also keeps us close to the research and the people shaping where high performance engineering goes next. For the drone, marine, agritech, motorsport and general engineering businesses we work with, that connection helps us stay current, and we're glad to be contributing from the Bay of Plenty.
We'll share more as the Centre's plans develop. In the meantime, if you're working on a product that needs to go from idea to something you can test, or from prototype to a low volume run, we'd like to hear about it.
Contact us to discuss your manufacturing challenge or product development project, and let's see if we can help you get to market more efficiently and cost effectively.
