“We should be doing things better and we should be better at doing what we’re doing”
Andrew Fowler, Managing Director of Austruss and his team, based in Mittigong New South Wales, see innovation at the heart of their business and are proud to be part of the change in Australian construction industry, to manufacture buildings in a more efficient and environmentally-friendly way.
Andrew explains “This industry hasn’t innovated a lot in the last 100 years” and “it’s getting more expensive by the day to undertake projects.” “If we don’t continue to innovate and do things more efficiently, that’s going to be a problem in the long term. We’re going to use more energy and create more pollution because we’re creating things in a more complex manner.”
Part of Austruss’ drive to innovate in a traditional industry is their move into modular construction and bathroom pods, meaning that they can produce all parts of the pod or section of the building in their new factory facility. “In this new facility, what we’ve actually got is a builder’s heaven – under light, without rain, 24 hours a day, without noise restrictions – we’ve got our own substation with 40, 000 V coming in to it” Says Andrew. Austruss have chosen the Framecad System to be at the heart of this new facility, to design and produce the light gauge steel framing used in Austruss’ construction work.
For Andrew, one of the drivers to move into modular construction was the control that this method of building provides, “By trying to control something within a controlled environment, its done the first time and it’s done properly the first time”. The efficiency and precision of the Framecad System also means that wastage is reduced and accuracy assured. Ensuring a high end finished product was also a reason that Austruss have moved to modular construction.
“The quality, the reduction in labour required on site and reduction in materials handling on site – that’s the efficiency that this kind of operation provides to the building industry.” Austruss’ is able to provide a “one stop shop” for builders and assist with all aspects of the construction process. Andrew comments that “We organise all the installation, all the deliveries, all the galvanising; all the other elements that go into building a building all into one process.”
Andrew says “Any business has got to aim to be more streamlined as time goes on, and we got to improve processes to make it better and that’s part of why we’ve gone into modular building, because we’ve seen the gains that we’ve made within this” Andrew and his team have been impressed with the world wide movement towards prefabricated and modular construction, and the increasing uptake of light gauge steel framing and the Framecad System.
“If these other people around the world are doing it, why can’t we do it? People who do things outside of what everyone else are doing are the ones that move forward.”
Geared to attract local residents, Sagebrush is a 90-unit building nestled in the foothills of East Gros Ventre Butte and overlooking Flat Creek. Perfectly situated near downtown Jackson, Sagebrush aims to be one of the most popular complexes in the area — and a project Douglass Colony was proud to work on.
When FrameTech Systems outgrew their existing manufacturing facility, they knew it was time for a bigger, more flexible space. As experts in cold formed steel (CFS) construction, they also knew exactly which method they would use to bring that space to life. So how did their award-winning CFS facility come to fruition?
Having made the switch to FRAMECAD’s automated construction system in April 2016, prefabricated steel framing experts SBS Group have used their FRAMECAD system to make significant savings for their customers whilst delivering an accelerated construction process.
SBS Group are continuously working to deliver exceptional results for their customers in a fast and effective manner. The Langdon Apartments are another great example of their dedication to providing accurate, high quality Cold Formed Steel solutions.
