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Vertex BD software facilitates seamless client engagement for an innovative modular floor manufacturer and positions Super-Span for future opportunities.
Partner content from Vertex BD
Being a ‘first mover’ and transforming the construction industry one innovation at a time was a decision that Super-Span, with their range of light-gauge steel (LGS) modular floor systems, embarked on in 2019. The decision to launch the business was in direct response to the growing awareness and acceptance of the advantages that offsite construction delivers directly to a building site: it simply saves time.
The opportunity to improve on the conventional onsite assembly of cee purlins, which are often used for structural support in walls and as floor joists, found a natural solution with Super-Span’s LGS roll forming machines. Michael Walker, Managing Director at Super-Span, said, “We believed there was a niche for modular flooring solutions, and as a former builder, if you can save weeks on a build with a modular floor system, it just makes sense.”
Super-Span’s modular floor system can manufacture a wide range of floor systems to clients’ specifications.
Market acceptance for Super-Span’s innovative LGS modular flooring system followed a similar trajectory to many innovations in the building industry: builders needed to have it seen and used. “There was a lot of apprehension, and product awareness was a big issue. So, we grew it organically; client by client, builder by builder,” said Walker.
“Once smaller builders realised the value and the efficiency that your modular floor systems delivered, the larger builders and the multi-residential builders took note of that, and we grew the business in that direction.”
Super-Span’s diverse clients required the ability of their LGS roll forming machines to be easily configured and adapted for each job, and with roll forming machines located in Queensland, New South Wales, and Western Australia, the choice of software to work seamlessly across their manufacturing assets to accept and share files with clients was a crucial element in their success. From the outset, the decision was made to use Vertex BD software for all their roll forming machines. “It’s highly customisable, and there’s real value in that,” commented Walker.
“If you look at it in comparison to some manufacturers of roll forming machines, they have their own proprietary software, which means there’s no customisation; it’s off the shelf, and that’s what you get. The advantage with Vertex BD is that you’re not locked into a particular outcome. You can customise it and manipulate it to the outcome you want. There’s a lot of sophistication in Vertex BD: it’s next level.”
“Interfacing with clients, fabricators, and builders with information is important, and with Vertex BD, it has a lot of import/export functionality with clients which makes engaging with them a seamless exercise.”
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The next evolution of their business model is already taking shape, with Super-Span now supplying floor cassettes.
“We’ve recently supplied floor cassettes in different states, and right now we’re finalising floor cassettes for a 100-unit development. Offsite manufacturing these components is increasingly a really important part of what we want to do, and it’s further positioned us as a unique supplier to the market,” concluded Walker.
