Investment supports state-of-the-art technology

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     12th June, 2009

Research and development investment supports state-of-the-art technology

Investment by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology has helped Rotorua-based building manufacturers Lockwood develop state-of-the-art technology that will support export growth for the company.

Established in 1951, Lockwood specialises in building wooden homes using a patented system where the walls are locked, rather than nailed, together. In 2006, funding of $816,000 was provided by TechNZ, the business investment programme of the Foundation, to support development of a machine that automates processing of timber components for Lockwood homes.

The machine, dubbed ‘Apollo Mark III’ and being unveiled in Rotorua today (Friday 12th June), is a first for the New Zealand building industry. Designed by Auckland company Aspen Design, it works with a Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) system which produces a drawing of the structure and programmes exactly where planks need to be cut. The data is then sent to the machine which cuts the planks to size, straightens any bends and labels them so the builder knows where they fit.

The new machine is expected to result in a ten-fold increase in output says Lockwood’s Research and Development Manager Jeff Parker.

“Even six months ago we wouldn’t have been able to bid for jobs involving hundreds of houses because our manual systems were too slow. Now we could quite easily take on  projects of that scale,” says Mr Parker.

n earlier TechNZ investment in 1999 helped fund development of Lockwood’s CAD system and Hamish Campbell, Northern Regional Manager for TechNZ says the subsequent, 2006 investment was a logical step towards full automation.

“The Lockwood system is well established and highly regarded. It’s great to see the company continuing to innovate and aggressively using research and development to grow the business.

“It’s also an excellent example of applying smart technology to wood, a traditional commodity product, to move into higher value production,” says Mr Campbell.

Lockwood’s export markets include the Pacific Islands, the Middle East, India and Australia where its building system is often favoured for its ability to resist earthquakes and typhoons and handle temperature extremes.

Jeff Parker says in addition to giving the company access to more international orders, Lockwood’s new technology offers potential to expand offshore production capability.

“Previously our production systems relied heavily on the knowledge and experience of individual staff which made it difficult to replicate them elsewhere. With automation, we have the ability to internationally scale up our business which could involve some production offshore.”

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