KURTIS LONGMAN
NZAS IS&T: SUPERINTENDENT IT & GROUP CYBER SECURITY
“Innovation is just a part of our day-to-day thinking.”
Kurtis always heard stories from his friends
He'd heard stories about the interesting technologies they were using at Tiwai and the cool things they’d get up to. When the opportunity came up for a role, he applied and was fortunate enough to get it.
Kurtis explains how common it can be for IT contractors and well-known vendors to arrive at the plant with work to do, and leave feeling surprised to have learned something new.
Automated operations and industrial innovations, such as their virtual reality technology, is what sets Tiwai apart from other smelters.
“Innovation is basically part of our DNA,
"It’s partly down to kiwi spirit and partly down to the challenges of the last 50 years – we’ve had to innovate, and innovate better than the rest of the world to stay ahead of the curve.”
It’s the special mix of smart people, with great ideas, that makes working at Tiwai so special. Kurtis and the IS&T team would probably get two innovation requests per week.
“There’s massive opportunities for technology and innovation in the future at Tiwai”
Kurtis Longman
Protecting our people and our process
The stability and safety of the cyber and IT platform is paramount in producing a great product.
“Protecting our people and our process is a vital part of our operations – because the smelter is automated. If things go wrong, the risks associated are both physical and kinetic. Safety is a massive focus.”
