34 | Prolam leading the market The PLX Portal is a strong timber bracing solution with excellent load-bearing and spanning capabilities. Prolam T T Kim Newth REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT Proud to support Prolam with quality Sharpening and Saw Supply! FROM CONTRACT SERVICES TO SAW, KNIFE & TOOLING SUPPLY www.checkmate.co.nz Rotorua - 07 345 3944 Napier - 06 843 0921 Nelson - 03 547 3923 sales@checkmate.co.nz PROUDLY PROLAM’S PREFERRED SUPPLIER OF SAWLOG Founded in 2002, Prolam is a New Zealand company that has grown from strength to strength through the years. Today, the company is recognised as a leader in the design and manufacture of innovative engineered timber solutions. Prolam’s Founder and Managing Director John Woodman started the solutions-focused company with a very clear purpose in mind – ‘building better together’. Today, Prolam supports engineers, architects and construction professionals to design and build with strength, confidence and ease with premium engineered timber. Melding quality, leading-edge products with exceptional customer service, Prolam has evolved to become a preferred supplier in the New Zealand design and build market. “Getting the right product, where and when you need it, is absolutely vital in an industry that’s driven by deadlines, and the Prolam team knows it,” says John, adding that last year was one of the busiest ever for his team. The momentum continues to build in 2024. There is a real industry buzz around their latest addition to their product range – the PLX Portal. Constructed from three glue laminated (or glulam) timber elements – including Prolam’s trademarked and patented PLX20 Beam – the PLX Portal is a strong and sustainable timber bracing solution that’s a smart alternative to steel equivalents. The reinforced beam boasts excellent load bearing and spanning capabilities, while the portal system has been designed to ensure exceptional bracing capacity. “This makes it the perfect solution for architectural features ranging from large internal openings to garage and window portals or anywhere you want high bracing low thermal bridging but only have a narrow wall space.” With its lightweight construction and straightforward bracing system, the PLX Portal is a builder’s dream and, with timber elements sourced from renewable and sustainably managed New Zealand plantations, it is a much more sustainable choice than steel alternatives and comes with far better thermal properties. Incidentally, Prolam’s PLX20 Beam won recognition for the company last year, with Prolam named as a finalist at the 2023 Timber Design Awards in the Innovative Timber Manufacturing and Technology category. Another frontrunner in the Prolam range are Prolam Exposed Trusses, which are ideal for architects and builders seeking structural solutions and the on-trend look of exposed timber in spacious open plan interiors and alfresco areas. “Our exposed timber trusses are a brilliant blend of form and function, combining the beauty and strength of timber with the structural integrity and dimensional stability of our engineered glulam solutions. The visual grade timber can be machine finished or band sawn, ready to be oiled, stained or painted to achieve the desired aesthetic.” Prolam offers a complete truss design and manufacturing service, which combines easy specification and building compliant PS1 certification via the Prolam Specifier, expert advice and designs from their in-house structural engineers, and the ability to have trusses supplied and delivered through frame and truss merchants nationwide. The Prolam Specifier, the company’s online specification tool, is trusted and used by over 5,000 architects, engineers and building professionals to design structural timber elements. The re-opening of an 80-year-old sawmill in Motueka last year marked an exciting new chapter for the business. This mill supports the manufacture of Prolam’s structural timber solutions and is playing a pivotal role in meeting building industry demand for more sustainable, locally made building materials in fast led-times and at competitive prices. John says the mill also represents a step change in Prolam’s production capability. “Our investment in new and proven milling technology has enabled us to establish a vertically integrated glulam production facility where we debark logs, mill, kiln dry and treat the timber ready for the lamination process.” Over the past decade, a number of timber mills have closed across New Zealand. Thanks to a smart investment strategy, Prolam has got this one up and running again. It is a real positive for both the timber processing industry and the local economy.
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