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Automation and repeatability central to SipForm manufacturing strategy.
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Western Australia-based SipForm is expanding its manufacturing capability as its modular building system based on SIP technology (SIPs) gain greater traction across Australia’s housing and offsite construction sectors.
The company recently moved into a new 1,320 square metre manufacturing facility, replacing its previous 350 square metre operation, with Director Jonathan Goldsworthy describing the move as a response to growing demand and increasing acceptance of alternative construction systems.
“We’d been in product development for so long and we got to the point of market acceptance where we were comfortable enough to build out,” Goldsworthy said.
SipForm manufactures prefabricated SIP wall and floor systems comprising an insulated EPS core bonded between structural facings, creating a fully insulated building envelope manufactured in a factory environment before being assembled onsite.
While SIP systems have existed internationally for decades, Goldsworthy believes the Australian market is only beginning to shift towards broader adoption, particularly as governments and developers search for faster and more energy-efficient construction approaches.
“Our primary driver is government,” he said. “Governments have really started embracing modern methods of construction and breaking down that door.”
SipForm positions the system as both a construction efficiency solution and a building performance product. The company says its modular building system can reduce build times by up to 50 per cent while lowering onsite labour requirements, waste generation and transport movements compared to conventional construction methods.
The system is also designed around thermal efficiency, with the continuous insulated core reducing thermal bridging and lowering operational energy demand.
“We’re trying to be more efficient in every aspect of what we do — material use, waste reduction, labour and energy usage,” Goldsworthy said. “We’re very much an efficient company. Doing more with less is the future.”
Factory workflow and automation driving expansion
According to Goldsworthy, the new facility has already delivered measurable operational improvements despite continuing to use much of the same manufacturing equipment.
“We’ve already proven that the larger footprint and more regulated throughput increase efficiency,” he said. “That was reflected in a 30 per cent time saving on our first project.”
Rather than machinery limitations, he said the company’s biggest production constraint had previously been space and workflow movement inside the factory.
“Over the years we’ve built up machinery with the capacity, but our constraint was space.”
SipForm also introduced new recycling systems at the plant to process EPS waste and offcuts internally as part of a broader push towards sustainable waste management.
The company used factory simulation software Simio to model workflow and throughput before establishing the facility, allowing it to identify bottlenecks and production inefficiencies.
Goldsworthy said the company’s next stage of growth would increasingly focus on automation and repeatable housing delivery rather than one-off bespoke projects.
“I equate it to the Tesla model,” he said. “We’ve gone through the Roadster phase with all the flashy architectural models, and now we’re moving into the Model Y and Model S phase.”
The company currently operates manufacturing capability in Western Australia and northern New South Wales, with additional factories planned nationally over the next one to two years.
Despite growing momentum, Goldsworthy acknowledged Australia’s attachment to conventional construction methods remains one of the sector’s largest barriers.
“I always say our biggest competitor is Bruce in the ute,” he said.
“It’s ingrained in the culture that this is how a house should be built.
Goldsworthy believes increasing pressure around labour productivity, housing delivery and energy efficiency will continue accelerating adoption of factory-manufactured systems such as SipForm across the Australian market.
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