The Future is Composite: CSA Presents Pilot Plant to Stakeholders

The HERA-led Composite Structural Assembly (CSA) research project funded jointly by FRST and the industry partners celebrated a major achievement with the opening of its manufacturing pilot plant. CSA Business Development Manager, Rosemary Scofield, and Technical Research Manager, Richard Green, were supported by HERA, NZ Steel and Hornell Industries in delivering an update to stakeholders in the form of a Product Pinpoint.

Attendees came from CSA joint-venture organisations including Winstone Wallboards, Dimond, Tandarra Engineering, Stanley Construction, Uniservices, University of Auckland and AUT, as well as NZ Steel and HERA. The Pinpoint began with a presentation at NZ Steel revisiting the CSA core contract aims, highlighting the achievements, reinforcing the product suite’s value proposition and proposing a vision for the way forward to commercialisation.

The group then visited the newly-established pilot plant where Richard Green described the manufacturing process and showed examples of the finished product, some of which were to be sent for testing for fire performance. The project is due to finish in September this year at which point there will be an exemplar test building constructed and a number of smaller projects earmarked with early adopters for the next phase. Interest is already being shown for using the panelised system in a business park, housing and disaster relief shelters.