Check out what's been happening at Monkeytoe in August in our latest monthly news feature.
A note from Budd
G’day all. We’ve got a lot going on – on both sides of the Tasman. We’re doing our bit to keep not just ourselves and our teams safe, but also our operations running during the most recent COVID speed bumps.
The good news is that, despite varying degrees of restrictions, we’re hardly slowing down. We’re taking measures to ensure lead times are kept to and the solutions are flying out the door. We’re also expanding our facilities at the head office in Taranaki which will give us even greater capacity to manufacture custom aluminium structures and our XBEAM systems that have taken the market by storm both here and across the pond in Aussie.
And we’re not just taking over in the platform space, either, as you’ll see this month. Congrats to the winners of our rugby ball competition who put forward some pretty inspired alternative applications for the XBEAM. Hopefully we’ll see XBEAM making its way into all sorts of spaces like theatre riggings, earthquake strengthening, or even rugby posts!
This month we take some time to look at our work at Caddens Corner, Sydney. We also dip into Monkeytoe applications in the food and beverage industry, where it’s not just lightweight accessways and customisable solutions; it’s also about making things easier – and safer.
I reckon that’s worth talking about.
All the best,
Budd Prestidge, General Manager
Caddens Corner, Sydney
Caddens Corner is promising to transform your ideas of a corner store. On the foothills of the Blue Mountains, Penrith City’s latest shopping complex will soon be opening with a full line Woolworths, BWS, specialty shops, fresh food and dining as well as a childcare centre, medical centre and gym.
With over 5,000sqm of specialty retail and dining outlets to work with, they need the best platform and access systems – and we at Monkeytoe were more than happy to help.
As a large complex, there’s a big need for platforms to host the HVAC units, as well as access ways that help navigate the solar panel-studded roof. Caddens Corner’s project managers approached us to design and fit out 13 platforms for the complex, as well as enough Hushmonkey screening to divert any noise from shoppers so they can enjoy the full range of the complex with ease.
We’re looking forward to the opening slated for this spring. You’ll be able to get there soon via the Great Western Highway, the M4, or Werrington Train Station.
XBEAM: More than just a platform
We’ve been singing the praises of the XBeam all year. It’s little wonder – after all, it’s the beam that’s raising the bar.
It’s revolutionary, lightweight and reconfigurable. It’s lighter than steel and can span longer distances than steel or aluminium. Unlike steel, it requires no special maintenance or corrosion protection. It also has an exceptionally low deflection for superior acoustic performance, meaning less vibration and noise transmission to surrounding structures.
But it’s more that the best beam for structural situations where weight is an issue.
Over the last couple of months, we reached out to you for your most innovative suggestions for XBeam applications. Congrats to our competition winners, who came up with some incredible ideas and walked away with Monkeytoe rugby balls to kick around.
Answers started with some well-realised potential solutions that we can definitely see appearing in the next year: bridges and gantries, mezzanine floor structural supports and earthquake strengthening.
We even got some great ideas for theatre and movie riggings, canopy structures, mining equipment platforms or even a set of quality rugby posts!
The XBeam really is more than a platform. So keep throwing those applications at us, and watch this space.
A hunger for innovation – Monkeytoe in the food + drink sector
We’re being approached more and more by industry leaders in food and beverage manufacturing who are realising the incredible potential for our XBEAM and aluminium solution.
What’s great about our solutions – if we say so ourselves – goes beyond providing safe access for any hard-to-reach space, such as stairs to cooling towers, stepovers for internal raised pipework and access to service equipment in restricted spaces.
They’re also safe to work with. Since aluminium’s corrosion rate is 1/100th of that of steel, an aluminium access solution requires less maintenance and is less reactive to common food and beverage industry compounds and chemicals like water. That means no interruptions with repainting every few years, and less risk of contamination.
Add to this the modular quality of our systems and no need for on-site welding, the quick installs will minimise any chance of downtime so the milk and honey can keep on flowing.
Fonterra recently saw the chance to improve the access systems at the Clandeboye plant in Timaru. The Southern Hemisphere’s largest producer of natural mozzarella cheese, Fonterra’s Clandeboye plant’s cheese tops more than 80% of the pizzas in Australia, China, South East Asia and the Middle East. That’s quite a slice of the market!
The dairy co-operative approached us looking for a turnkey solution for a high-level walkway/service platform to access their roof-mounted condensers. We came up with a lightweight aluminium solution that is engineered to run along the top of the pallet racking and provide a permanent and safe access method.
This custom solution was easy to configure, fits their unique space requirements, and won’t require any special ongoing maintenance. This Monkeytoe will last a lifetime!
Fonterra certainly keep us busy. With the investment of a new cool store at Fonterra’s Whareroa site, just south of Hawera on the North Island’s West Coast, came the challenge of investing in new ideas to ensure ongoing cost reductions and functionality in a facility that will serve the dairy giant for years to come.
As a food-manufacturing site, regular cleaning of roof areas is must. We provided a permanent roof edge safety system to supersede temporary scaffolding. As the project was already in the construction phase when we were invited, we needed to move quickly with the design to ensure that the handrails were in place when needed. Despite the time pressure on the Monkeytoe team, the result was a resounding success – not only financially (coming in at only 25% above scaffolding costs) but also aesthetically: the finished system looks superb!
The handrails were accompanied by a full-access walkway, stairs, ladders, and pipe and cable tray mountings, which used the renowned MKT fixings, designed especially for the non-penetrating D630 roofing system.
We’ve got stacks of food production examples that are really shining, such as the safe and compliant custom access to storage silos and production equipment we completed for the Oil Seeds Products plant, and a wall-mounted parapet, walkways, stiles, duct supports and stairs for Nestlé Marton.
XBEAM from the experts’ mouths
We sat down with experts in design, architecture and building – and our own GM Budd – to talk about how the XBEAM system is a game changer.
Head down to the bottom of the Xbeam page and find out what Tane Pratt of Pacific Environments Architects thinks about the potential of XBEAM’s longevity and versatility, or the potential of faster, more efficient on-site fitouts for Josh Laurenson, Director of Laurenson Building Co. in Auckland.
9 Better Efficiencies with Monkeytoe & XBeam
Get our latest ebook 9 Better Efficiencies with Monkeytoe & Xbeam from our website.
For people like structural engineer Ric Low, builder Josh Laurenson, and indeed any designer worth their salt, efficiency is a big driver. It’s the way we deliver great performance – faster, more economically, with better use of space and other resources.
This thinking undergirds all our work at Monkeytoe, and especially our latest product the XBeam, which is longer, lighter and stronger than the steel solutions of the last century. Head to the download page and see how the XBeam is helping designers, architects and engineers realise some incredible new solutions.