Laurie Green, Managing Director | Cut to Size Plastics
Construction companies across Australia are benefitting from cost-effective measures to ensure their infrastructure assets are protected against the effects of our harsh climate.
Repeated heating and cooling over many seasons eventually results in older assets buckling or cracking when old bearings have exceeded their lifespan, corroded, lost their flexibility or become bound rigid. This often happens with bridges, pipelines, aqueducts, ramps and other structures.
These structures still have to carry the same loads, or transport the same contents, but now offer much less protection at all to vital contents, including people and vehicles on bridges and water, slurries, oil, gas and chemicals in pipelines.
Technology has come a long way since many of these items were first installed some 30 to 40 years ago. One focus of Cut To Size Plastics and its Hercules Engineering division that has been gaining momentum in recent years is cost-efficient and maintenance-free alternatives.
Slip joints and structural bearings can now incorporate high performance combinations of engineered thermoplastics and stainless-steel facing surfaces that don’t break down in the way that earlier types of bearings used to deteriorate.
They are engineered to accommodate the vertical and horizontal stresses imposed by expansion, contraction and varying loads, thereby greatly reducing downtime and maintenance.
Engineering for low maintenance is essential whether you are involved in carparks, walkways and bridges, or working on elevated section of pipelines serving remote resources and industrial projects where you can’t afford to have pipelines out of commission or needing frequent maintenance.
By Paul Miller, Business Development Manager | BPM Industries Australia
Construction is a multi-billion dollar industry in Australia, and due to the nature of the game some people try to cut corners when it comes to delivering projects on time and on budget. Due to this there is a great deal of responsibility on both the suppliers of building products as well as principle contractors and architects to ensure we’re providing fully compliant high quality products that will provide the greatest long term value for clients by lasting the test of time.
Louvres and architectural façade features are often the final product to be placed on a building. However, the longevity of their aesthetic finish can make all the difference to a façade. At BPM Industries Australia, we place a strong emphasis on ensuring that our products are made to last and only work with accredited applicators to apply finishes to our products so that the quality our clients receive on hand-over is to the highest standard years and decades later.
It’s all too common in the industry where suppliers will provide non-compliant finishes to clients in order to secure the contract and meet the required budget. This is unprofessional behaviour, and leads suppliers giving the industry a bad reputation as well as enforcing the false perception that commercial grade finishes are no different to common house paint and will start to show signs of fading in just a few short years when properly applied commercial finishes can provide film integrity warranties up to and exceeding 25 years.
Everyone in construction including suppliers, fabricators, contractors and architects should renew their focus on understanding the benefits and risks involved with protective commercial architectural finishes. Search out and endeavour to work with contractors who have a good company ethos, invest in the suppliers with a commitment to supplying high quality products compliant with Australian Standards, and reap the rewards of having delivered a project that not only holds its architectural appeal but minimises ongoing rectification and maintenance costs. By being diligent and committed to quality, the product and the construction industry, will be something we can admire for decades.
About the author
Paul Miller is Business Development Manager of BPM Industries Australia, who design, supply, and install architectural louvres and façade features for some of NSW’s biggest projects.