Business South October 2020

66 | “Once we get up and running we will be employing approximately 15-20 people and we are now focused on recruiting a team committed to the highest standards of timber construction in New Zealand.” MANUFACTURING Hector Egger New Zealand Swiss pre-fab technology comes to NZ TT Natalia Rietveld The 3500sqm Cromwell prefabrication factory will begin manufacturing for residential and commercial projects starting January 2021. H ector Egger New Zealand is rapid- ly nearing completion on its new 3500sqm Cromwell prefabrication factory and will begin manufacturing for residential and commercial projects starting January 2021. Hector Egger NZ is a timber construction company that specialises in the offsite man - ufacture of high-tech timber structures and prefabricated timber panels and elements for residential and commercial building construc- tion. The company’s prefabricated building methodology is structured to reduce labour and material costs, improve quality, reduce waste and decrease onsite construction time by as much as 50 per cent. With help from the Provincial Growth Fund (PGF) which loaned $600,000 for the project, Hector Egger NZ has been in development for the past three years as a joint venture between Switzerland’s Hector Egger Holzbau AG and Queenstown-based business partners, Tristan Franklin and Stephan Mäusli. Hector Egger Holzbau AG has over 20 years’ experience in offsite manufacturing, oper - ates three factories in Switzerland and is well regarded as a leading innovator in the Swiss timber prefabrication industry. Tristan says the idea to establish a division of Hector Egger in New Zealand came from a conversation with his then neighbour Stephan, who had maintained a relationship with the Swiss owner following a joint project some years before. Their conversation highlighted some of the difficulties with construction in the region such as adverse weather prohib- iting work on site, particularly during winter, and a shortage of skilled labour.  Tristan says by taking the work offsite into a controlled environment and using computer-numerically controlled (CNC) machinery, they are able to eliminate a lot of that pressure. The Cromwell factory is designed to the ex- act size and specification of the largest Swiss factory and incorporates the same manufac- turing processes that have been developed by the parent company over the past 20 years. One of the keys to offsite prefabrication is early engagement in the project to ensure that the building design follows the process of Design for Manufacture and Assembly. This ensures that the project team includ- ing architect and engineer are also engaged in optimising the process for manufacture and assembly. Taking this collaborative approach reduces duplication on documen- tation and ensures that the offsite manufac - turing component is an integral stage of the project development. Another key to offsite prefabrication is that manufacturing of timber panels and elements only starts when the slab prepara- tion is underway so that panels and elements can be delivered just in time to site and ready for assembly. “We will assemble our own panels and ele- ments onsite or alternatively we can provide an experienced installer to work alongside a main contractor if preferred by the client. “For a standard house we can be closed in and weathertight within a week meaning that the external and internal trades can hit the building at the same time and substantially compress the project timeline,” Tristan says. “All timber panels are delivered to site fully lined, insulated with glasswool or blow-in fibre, fitted with conduits and flush boxes, windows and door openings pre-cut to mm tolerances and external wall and roof ele- ments lined with a breathable and waterproof facade membrane.” The company’s focus is on housing de- velopment projects with limited typologies, high-performance and passive homes and projects with repetition of elements such as commercial buildings, schools and multi-sto- rey residential and mixed-use buildings. “By replicating the same typology we can spread the design cost across multiple units and ensure a very efficient manufacture and assembly process. This is where we become very cost effective for the client,” Tristan says. Based on a standard 150sqm house size, Tristan says the factory is capable of producing the equivalent of two houses a week, equating to 80-100 houses per year on a single shift or 150 houses per year on a double shift. “Once we get up and running we will be employing approximately 15-20 people and we are now focused on recruiting a team committed to the highest standards of timber construction in New Zealand. ”“By establishing our business in Crom- well we are bringing world-leading IP to the region (and New Zealand) as well as helping to diversify the economy away from tourism and hospitality post Covid-19.”