Providing Increased Construction Efficiency

“A key benefit is early close-in, which means we avoid delays due to weather; removing the need to reschedule sub-trades and reducing unplanned equipment hire costs.“

Through good all round partnering at each step of the process from system development to supply, James Hardie is helping its customers build better homes for the future.

James Hardie and regional volume builder, Universal Homes, have realised the benefits of a strong business partnership – a partnership that has supported Universal Homes in the completion of hundreds of builds each year and make a serious contribution to the resolution of Auckland’s Housing shortage.

James Hardie Regional Manager – North, Troy Spence, says James Hardie values strongly the relationship with Universal Homes as it provides numerous advantages, including strong collaboration and open communication between the James Hardie technical team and Universal Homes design and build teams.

“Working closely with Universal Homes architects and project managers during the design stage allows early identification of potential issues and Universal Homes staff provide critical feedback about the buildability of the systems. James Hardie staff then spend time onsite providing installation tips and techniques prior to the build, working with the Project Managers to ensure solutions are practical and easily implemented onsite, ultimately reducing build times.”

Building Partnerships

This type of collaboration also allows Universal Homes priority access to new products and systems, fostering ongoing innovation between both companies. James Hardie uses feedback from Universal Homes to refine its systems and increase product performance.

Spence says it is the perfect partnership as innovation is at the core of both businesses. “The partnership works well because we mutually benefit from continuous improvement of our products, processes, and services.”

Universal Homes also benefits from James Hardie’s strong relationships with channel partners, including two key distribution networks, PlaceMakers and Carters. These organisations provide a high level of service and support to Universal Homes’ Project Managers on-site and best practice is shared with each organisation’s sales team, assuring quality and consistency at each step.

Another benefit of this relationship is continuity of supply for the large number of builds in Auckland. Certainty of delivery and consistency is a key focus of the Universal Homes building process – all Universal Homes are pre-designed, using robust, quality materials.

Grant Coutts Construction Manager of Universal Homes says that is why they use HomeRAB™ Pre-Cladding in all their builds. “HomeRAB™ Pre-Cladding is a cost effective pre-cladding that provides increased construction efficiency, which helps us to deliver outstanding value to customers.”

“A key benefit is early close-in, which means we avoid delays due to weather; removing the need to reschedule sub-trades and reducing unplanned equipment hire costs. Because HomeRAB™ Pre-Cladding provides certainty in the project schedule, sub-trades can be booked well in advance, which is critical in a resource constrained market.”

For example, during an industry shortage of brick layers, Universal Homes used HomeRAB™ Pre-Cladding to close in builds early, so delays from trade availability did not affect other works on-site.

Each panel is engineered with a green water repellent sealer to keep moisture out, while ensuring the panel remains dry. This means that when the product is exposed to the weather it will not warp or shrink and can be exposed for up to 180 days.