Connections_Sept-Oct_2011

AUSTRALIAN CANVAS AND SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION INC.

Vol 11 No 4 Sept/Oct 2011

Brilliant structures Award winning installations

The excellence of the Expo All the news, views and pictures

Training and development Courses on offer

AWARDS for Excellence 2011 Marvellous marquees Eye catching structures

Young Gun

ACASPA’s youngest winner ACASPA Members News • Training and Events • Members Spotlight • Developments

Contents CONNECTIONS magazine is published on behalf of the Australian Canvas and Synthetic Products Association Inc.

by CommStrat Limited.

PUBLISHER CommStrat EDITOR Nicola Card CREATIVE Timothy Hartridge DESIGNER Odette Boulton CONTRIBUTORS Lawrence De Paoli, Meleah Maynard.

SALES Yuri Mamistvalov yuri@commstrat.com.au CONTACT EDITORIAL nicola.card@commstrat.com.au office@acaspa.com.au COMMSTRAT ABN 31 008 434 802 Level 8, 574 St Kilda Rd Melbourne Vic 3004 www.commstrat.com.au ACASPA Suite 201, 22 St Kilda Road, St Kilda 3182 VIC Phone: 03 9521 2114 Local call: 1300 555 787 Fax: 03 9521 2116 www.acaspa.com.au

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Page FEATURE:

Disclaimer: Except where specifically stated, the opinions and material published in the magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher or the ACASPA Council.

ACASPA MATTERS

BUSINESS MATTERS

02 ACASPA officers’ report 04 Office report

18 News and views

A post-Expo look at the ACASPA agenda

TRAINING

06 ACASPA matters

36 TAFE spreads its tentacles

Members’ activities and achievements

48 ACASPA benefits

Comprehensive list of association services

49 Membership form

SPECIAL EXPO FEATURE 08 Expo 2011

All the news and pictures

20 Excellence Awards: Winning ways

Oasis Tension Structures takes the crown

22 Excellence Awards: Raising the bar

Category winners and their amazing work

Industrious trainer Lawrence De Paoli makes inroads across the nation

TECHNICAL FEATURE 40 Extreme tented weddings

Extraordinary structures

SPOTLIGHT ON ACASPA MEMBERS 44 HVG, Shann, Bricos, ATS, Buz Software and Serge Ferrari

38 Excellence Awards: Young gun

TRAINING AND EVENTS

52 Trade events across the globe

Robert Bull of EH Brett shows early talent

COVER: The top Award for Excellence at this year’s awards went to Oasis Tension Structures for their skilfully sculptured inverted cone that was specially designed for a schoolyard.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 1

ACASPA MATTERS From the ACASPA office Overall, what a fantastic and positive vibe was generated

by ACASPians throughout the three-day Expo, what great bonhomie.

THE AFTERMATH… Ana Drougas It’s over, it’s done, but the glow continues to flicker and sparkle as Mina and I in the office plus the justifiably proud Expo Committee continue to receive compliments about this year’s Expo. Yes, I agree it was a standout and yes, I am proud of that, but let’s be realistic — one Expo is the sum of many, many people and many, many more parts.

Our 56 exhibitors would be shaking their heads in furious agreement at this I am sure!

Their strenuous efforts to deliver innovative, eye-catching displays — that in my mind form the heart and soul of any exhibition — paid off fully: visitors were effusive in their praise over the look and feel of the display hall in its entirety. And I am delighted the show attracted so many; we calculate nearly 2000 visitors passed through the doors.

We are pleased to bring you a special feature in this magazine on some of the many highlights of Expo 2011. We are enormously grateful to Joseph Dean for so kindly 2 · CONNECTIONS

taking so many pictures — they are what really capture the true spirit and character of an event. The pictures also manage to transport us back to the fun that was had by all, don’t you think? Particularly on the Black and White themed night.

Of course our Awards for Excellence winners deserve to be very proud of their achievements, and we are pleased to showcase their quality workmanship through the insights and images on these pages.

To me it shows us for what we are — one committed collective working together with a common purpose. That brings me to the warm and wise words of Council of Management newcomer Tom Gastin of Pattons. I would like to echo his aspirations for the association, which can be read on page 6. He has successfully captured our essence, our raison d’etre, and also articulated a vision of the bigger picture that we can embrace.

With an eye on the future, I would be remiss if I did not sincerely thank Brendan Hall

for so ably taking charge as President during the past twelve months, during which time ACASPA cemented its position on many important aspects that carry the association forward.

A firm foundation has been laid for the very popular Glenn Barlow who now takes over the mantle of ACASPA President. Glenn’s commanding yet cool — and wickedly humorous — presence before and during the Expo is his trademark and we are fortunate indeed to now have Glenn at the helm of our great organisation.

Finally, welcome to the new look Connections magazine.

We hope you enjoy the new layout that has been designed to provide an easier and clearer read and comes with a sharper, more ‘arty’ style that befits our industry, which, after all, is all about style and substance.

Style and substance — I think Expo 2011 clearly demonstrated that.

PRESIDENT’S REPORT Glenn Barlow Let me start by saying it`s an absolute privilege and honour to have the chance to represent ACASPA in the role of president.

The past two years on COM have been a fantastic experience; having the chance to work alongside such a group of professional and driven people with the common goal of making our industry sustainable and relevant for many years to come is something I never take for granted and always enjoy.

Following in the footsteps of someone with the credibility of Brendan Hall is a challenge; his leadership over the past 12 months has been exceptional and all members are the better for it, I personally thank Brendan for his work over the past year.

On the back of an amazing Expo in Sydney where Exhibitors, patrons and the whole vibe were all at an unprecedented level, I think the message coming out was relevancy. It came through loud and clear that members realise the importance of moving the association forward with the times and combining the amazing platform that has been set by our members over the years with the wave of fresh and new ideas coming through from some of the amazing young leaders among us.

This year`s AGM proved to be one of the most important meetings in the association`s history, vibrant debate over a name change led to a resounding show of passion and confidence by way of a unanimous vote of YES to a new name.

This decision along with an overwhelming support for accreditation to roll forward is to me a show of confidence in all of us to move to another level; COM will now work tirelessly to present the name that represents all aspects of our membership base.

The year ahead will be an exciting and busy year, on top of a new name and accreditation, a re-vamped Shade Committee, a focus on our young leaders along with many other issues all leading into Expo 2012 in Melbourne where we plan to enhance our relationship with Window Coverings Association and deliver another super event for our industry.

Finally on a personal note, to all of you who have wished me well since my appointment as president, I thank you and I hope over the next 12 months I contribute to allowing your business to move forward and prosper.

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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 3

ACASPA MATTERS ACASPA business…

UPDATE BY ANA DROUGAS There’s rather a lot to report this time around so I will be as brief as possible covering several matters that provide an overview of the association’s agenda.

Ringing in the COM changes We welcome Glenn Barlow to the role of President; Lance St Hill to the position of Vice President; and ‘newcomer’ Tom Gastin to the COM. At the same time we acknowledge the wonderful contribution of Brendan Hall as President who now assumes the role of Treasurer. Kent Williamson and Gary Smith are now in their second year, and Richard Verboon has stepped down and carries our thanks with him.

In the name of cost and efficiency, the COM will continue to hold phone conference calls but also start to meet more via Skype rather than travelling interstate. This will save us all time but we anticipate being just as productive!

Name change During the recent AGM a 30-minute heated debate took place over association names put forward for consideration; those being: Australian Textile or Fabrics Association (ATA or AFA); Australian Industry Textile Association (AITA), or Australian Textiles and Fabricators Association (ATFA).

Several long-time members argued the current name represents the association’s charter. But Chris Smith took the floor, stating “in this room there are many ACASPA members who are young at heart, however, there are not many who are young members.”

Tom Gastin of Pattons asked: “Who would not renew if the name was changed?” while Ron Gottlieb suggested emotion be removed from the debate.

4 · CONNECTIONS

To me, these were defining moments of the AGM. Eventually the matter went to a vote — with only one red card held up in a sea of green cards. Where to from here? A branding and marketing company will be appointed to gain input from members about a new name in a process that will be fully democratic. We aim to have matters agreed and confirmed by Christmas so we can then carry that new name in all promotions, sign writing, stationery, website, Expo 2012 marketing and more.

Stay tuned…

Our next Expo — being held in Melbourne in late May 2012 — is now just eight months away, so it will soon be full steam ahead for the 2012 organising committee.

This year’s Awards for Excellence drew a range of superb entries.

Winners feature in this issue and the remainder will be showcased in future issues. We hope to receive more entries next year, particularly in the awnings, canvas, marine and basic domestic sectors.

Please do not be shy, surely the project you are working on is worthy of an entry?

Other business

Global event

Accreditation is very much alive and well on the agenda. It’s no simple or easy task, there are complexities in every quarter when standards are drawn up and monitored so we do not expect immediate progress but in the long-term it will be based on commonsense, as well as fair and workable. Building on the good work of the previous committee, we welcome a revamped Shade Sail Committee. Nominations are now being called for the revised committee, which will also undergo a name change to reflect and represent all areas of structures and sails on a national level.

I’d like to make special mention of all the overseas visitors present at the Expo: Jeff Sponseller of Miller Weldmaster, Ohio, US; Fabio Rigato of Naizil in Italy; Tim Keogh of China Sail Factory, Hong Kong; and Jamie Nute and Frank Sinclair of Sinclair Equipment, California, US. And from Christchurch, New Zealand: Paul Rutlidge of Professional Interface Ltd; Barry Wybrow of Shade Plus In; and Murray Seaward of Gourock.

Reflections on the Expo This magazine issue carries full coverage of the look and feel of Expo 2011, one that drew many compliments. Many remarked too on how quickly the three days passed, some have suggested a return to a four-day event! What do YOU think?

New member We’d like to welcome Michael Dascal of Windsor Trading Co, phone 03 9553 1122, 0412 389 133. info@windsortrading.com.au

Staffing the office And finally, many of you will know that I have trimmed my working week to four days, Monday to Thursday, however business continues as normal as Mina Geremia will be staffing the office on Fridays.

ACASPA COUNCIL OF MANAGEMENT AUSTRALIAN CANVAS AND SYNTHETIC PRODUCTS ASSOCIATION INC. Suite 201, 22 St Kilda Rd St Kilda, Vic 3182 Telephone: (03) 9521 2114 Local Call: 1300 555 787 Facsimile: (03) 9521 2116 Email: office@acaspa.com.au Web: www.acaspa.com.au ASSOCIATION MANAGER Ana Drougas Email: office@acaspa.com.au PRESIDENT Glenn Barlow Nan’s Tarps 25 Vaughan Street Lidcombe NSW 2141 Mobile: 0409 273 284 Tel: (02) 9649 2334 Fax: (02) 9646 1361 Email: glenn@nanstarps.com.au VICE PRESIDENT Lance St Hill Fabric Solutions Australia Pty Ltd PO Box 6283 Yatala DC Qld 4207 Mobile: 0400 103 534 Tel: (07) 3807 0200 Fax: (07) 3807 8217 Email: lances@fabricsolutions.com.au COUNCILLORS Brendan Hall Bradmill Outdoor Fabrics Unit 3, 100 Fulton Dve, Derrimut Vic 3030 Mobile: 0416 280 757 Tel: (03) 9368 2222 Fax: (03) 9368 2211 Email: bhall@bradmilloutdoor.com.au Kent Williamson Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) 25 Dawson Street Brunswick, Vic 3056 Ph (03) 9925 9182 Fax: (03) 9925 9129 Email: kent.williamson@rmit.edu.au www.rmit.edu.au Gary Smith Campbell & Heeps 5/125 Highbury Rd, Burwood, Vic 3125 Mobile: 0419 311 899 Telephone: (03) 98086911 Fax: (03) 9808 3148 Email: gsmith@campbellheeps.com.au Tom Gastin Pattons – Textile Fabrication 80 McDougall St, Kirribilli, NSW, 2061 Mobile: 0414 952 007 Telephone: (02) 9955 2563 or 1300 799 980 Fax: (02) 9959 3158 Email: tom@pattons.com.au

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NEWS Movers and shakers…

A round up of who is doing what, where

01 01 W elcome to COM — Tom Gastin Tom Gastin who is Managing Director of Pattons Textile Fabrication in Kirribilli is the newest addition to ACASPA’s Council of Management.

Connections asked him what he wanted to achieve on the committee. And so, in his words: I am very pleased to now be on the ACASPA Council, and there are several things I’d like to contribute: 1. To help ACASPA’s sustainability well into future generations through increased value to members. With current projects such as accreditation and the excellent work the Shade Sail committee has produced to date, value is ever increasing.

2. To make this industry more appealing to young kids leaving school and encourage them to take up TAFE courses and find a future in industrial textiles.

3. To leverage off the Young Leaders Group to develop platforms for younger members to build confidence and develop 6 · CONNECTIONS

as future leaders in the industry, and finally 4. To help locate more opportunities and jobs for ACASPA members in the ever-growing industry of environmental sustainability and other areas of material development.

“I would love more people to have the same experience that I have had as an ACASPA member.

Senior members have offered mentorship and their advice will stay with me forever. This generous culture that members have developed over the years sets us apart from other industries.

People are always willing to work together not against each other while maintaining healthy competition for the good of the industry. The passion shown from all in this industry is second to none and must be preserved.”

What warm, positive and inspiring words from Tom that nicely set the scene for his position on the Council. We also inquired about Tom’s career to date, which

is also characteristically dynamic.

“On leaving school in 1993, and knowing that university was not for me, I straightaway set about making inroads into the construction industry with an end goal of owning and running business.

In 1999, following a five-year stint in the construction industry, I was lured into this industry by working on textile fabrication projects for the Sydney Olympics, Events, Films and the Rugby World Cup in Sydney. My experience in the construction industry led me to broaden my skills in Shade Structures, Tensile Membrane Structures and other architectural solutions.

I bought Pattons in 2006 with long-time colleague and friend Daniel Halse. Back then it was a small operation specialising in Residential Awnings and Marine Trimming. However our broad skill base led us to grow into a company with three main divisions: Shade Solutions; Staging and Events; and Marine Trimming. Today we design, manufacture and install out of three Sydney locations (including Botany and Cammeray) and we produce goods for local, interstate and international clients. We have a great team of 10 proud fabricators and installers that love what they do.

I’m pleased to say that to date we have won two ACASPA Excellence Awards.

02

02 Lukris hits the ground running Concurrent with their positions at Campbell and Heeps, Luke Painter and Chris Smith have teamed up to establish a snappy new venture and what better business moniker than a fusion of their Christian names. Buoyed by enthusiasm, the duo was a dynamic presence at the 2011 ACASPA Expo, keen to demonstrate their smart new ‘overhead’ and window covering products.

With a factory in Bayswater, Melbourne’s east, their venture is an offshoot of Chris’ dad’s business but by the sounds of things father and son continue to confer closely on all matters.

As Chris told Connections, “Luke and I both still work at Campbell & Heeps. Myself and my wife Zoe basically run it and Luke is an integral part of the operation.

“The Lukris venture is a new and exciting development from the well established Campbell and Heeps base. My father Gary and the Lukris team continue to support each other in a great combination of experience and enthusiasm.”

01 ACASPA Council’s newest recruit Tom Gastin has great plans and ideals.

02 Chris on left, Gary (centre) and Luke Painter at the ACASPA Expo.

05

03 Chris Nolan and Fabio in action at the ACASPA Expo.

03 Italian job Fabio Rigato of Italian based Naizil recently travelled to Australia to spend ten days promoting his company’s tough-as-teflon fabric named Titan W, and he was in full attendance at the ACASPA Expo.

Naizil has teamed up with Chris Nolan of Nolan.UDA to distribute the increasingly popular fabric, and the full range of products was on display at Nolan.UDA’s eye-catching corner stand.

Fabio was able to meet and greet customers to the stand explain the range of Naizil products displayed on the Nolan.UDA stand, and is well qualified to do so.

For eight years Fabio who has qualifications in economics and a background with an airline has been in charge of Naizil’s export market for sales into France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium as well as the Middle East, South America, Australia, China and India.

Half of Fabio’s working life is spent travelling, but his exhausting itinerary is made a little easier by his command of four languages.

Read more about Fabio and Naizil on page 13.

04 A ustech’s new NSW rep At the start of this year Robin Pethybridge was appointed by Greg Schmidt as Austech’s NSW agent. Robin brings with him four decades of industry experience, including 14 years with Elizabeth Machines and four with Miller Weldmaster.

Connections spoke to Robin who said “Since taking on the role with Austech I have found that there are Sinclair Welders (Triad & Spec models) out there that have not been serviced for years. That’s probably because of a lack of agents in the eastern states.

“But now both Greg and I are enthused by my appointment and the work ahead.”

Robin explained that he was in talks with a finance provider and that “paperwork is being sorted for new premises, a workshop and showroom in Mt Kuring-gai, upper Hornsby”.

“Some really good, big, things will be happening by the end of year,” he said.

For more information email Robin at: gosew@optusnet.com.au or call 0413 744 315.

Befitting a magazine cover… the picture perfect bride and groom of Imogen and Peter Stewart. Connections is indebted to Joseph Dean of Wade Design Engineers for providing all the vibrant Expo photographs.

05 Picture perfect

06 Tying the knot

Connections is indebted to Joseph Dean of Wade Design Engineers for providing all the the vibrant photographs throughout the Expo report pages.

Clearly his design talents extend to photography, and Connections readers are the beneficiaries. But as his wife Cathy will attest, Joseph rarely managed to finish a meal as he was frequently up on his feet ‘shooting’ members.

The weekend following the ACASPA Expo was a big one in the Wade household, as Cathy and Joseph proudly witnessed the marriage of their daughter Imogen to Peter Stewart.

The beautiful bride and groom were married at Brisbane’s Kangaroo Point, and festivities kicked on later at Eight Mile Plains.

Which begs the question: did proud father Joseph manage to finish any of the dishes served up or was he once more busy wielding the camera lens?

In early October Lawrence De Paoli marries his fiancée, aged care worker Raquel (‘Kel’) Dawson, in their home town of Lake Macquarie before jetting off to Vanuatu for their honeymoon.

Maybe Lawrence and Kel would like to tune in to the wedding tents feature on pages 40 and 41.

06

06 Lawrence De Paoli and Raquel Dawson.

04 In his role as Austech rep Robin Pethbridge spans the state of NSW.

HAVE WE MISSED YOUR NEWS? Email us at Nicola.card@commstrat.com.au and we’ll run your news in the next issue.

04 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 7

EXPO ACASPA EXPO 2011 On the following pages we report on all the action, all the sparkle, the winners and grinners, the massive success that was Expo 2011. But to ease you into the feature, we have selected just a few of the many pictures that convey the colourful character of the very popular three-day event.

Enjoy…

Above: Stairway to Ivy. Left: Dracula’s less-than-sinister smile.

Right: Joseph Dean with wife Cathy.

Below: Ivy splendour.

Above: Expo Committee extraordinaire.

Left: Funny man Tommy Dean with Ana Drougas.

Below: The Beehive team making a spectacle of themselves?

Above: They will never hear the (tail) end of it…

Above right: The Kelman and Ricky Richards teams get together.

Far right: Go Heather!

8 · CONNECTIONS

A big THANK YOU To JOSEPH DEAN for all the photos taken throughout the Expo.

A SHOW OF EXCELLENCE And the winners are…

Above: Overall winner Dean Spencely of Oasis Tension Structures with Brendan Hall.

Left: Awnings category winner: Krisha Naidoo of Horizon Sail Structures with Brendan Hall Below: Domestic Window Coverings winner: Zoe Smith of Campbell and Heeps with Brendan Hall.

Above: Geosynthetics/Liners category winner: Max Brady of DDT Liners with Bob Cahill.

Right: Shade Structures winner: Mark Lewis of Weathersafe WA and Eric Moonen of Abacus with Ron Gottlieb.

Right: General winner: James Cummins of MakMax with Jim Kelman.

Below: Tension Structures winner (>500sqm): James Cummins of MakMax with Ron Ferster of HVG. Above: Tension Structures winner (<500sqm): Dean Spencely of Oasis Tension Structures with Mike Chapman.

Right: Young Achiever: Robert Bull of EH Brett with Ron Gottlieb.

* Absent: Made 4 Shade, winner of Commercial Windows Coverings category.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 9

EXPO

TICKING ALL THE BOXES If you want to know what people truly think about an Expo, hang around queues of any sort and listen in to the chatter.

This year’s natter was more upbeat than ever ... the unanimous view: there has not been a better or more popular event staged by ACASPA in a long time.

All of the selected venues — perfect. Sydney Convention Centre, excellent — so central, easy to access, all conveniences to hand; plus all the shops and cafes you could hope for a hop-andskip away in Darling Harbour. The monorail close-by for ease of city access. Novotel and Ibis within walking distance of all the action.

Not forgetting the all-important Expo itself. This year’s exhibitors were particularly pleased by the numbers passing through the event — estimated at 2000 — and the high level of genuine interest in goods or products on display. All in all, the perfect recipe, the perfect setting for a truly successful event.

On the social side The rich mix of social events exceeded expectation, and although extreme weather caused the cancellation of the deep-sea fishing trip earmarked for Saturday, it did not deter a dozen intrepid acaspians who braved the elements to scale Sydney’s iconic Harbour Bridge. A crowd of more than 200 assembled for Saturday evening’s Welcome Reception staged at SCC, with its floor-to-ceiling windows displaying spectacular city lights and sparkling water reflections.

10 · CONNECTIONS

Hip-nosis entertained the crowd while the ‘chef’s station’ churned out plentiful quantities of noodle and rice boxes. “No one went hungry that night,” ACASPA Manager Ana Drougas remarked.

Masters of cuisine Participants in Sunday morning’s Fish Markets cooking class commented the event was “just like being on masterchef ”; complete with the big screen broadcast of their culinary master pieces.

Red Faces comes to the Black and White dinner That evening a specially-chartered Captain Cook cruiser whisked party goers over the water to historic landmark Doltone House which played host to the Black and White themed karaoke night.

Mingling among the crew were Darth Vader, Men in Black, Blues

This year’s natter was more upbeat than ever ... the unanimous view: there has not been a better or more popular event staged by ACASPA in a long time.

Brothers, Dracula (sporting a touch of red), 101 Dalmatians, a crew of convicts, a couple of Naval officers and a few pirates… plus two brave ladies sporting curly white locks (closer inspection revealed they were Ana and Mina — the grins gave it away).

Colourful band Jelly Bean Jam enticed everyone on to the dance floor, their repartee ranging from Disco to Swing, Motown to Latin, Funk and Rock to Pop. The group has been in high demand since forming in 1993, clocking up more than 3000 shows. Hats off

to the talented performers: Ron Gottlieb of Ricky Richards; Heather Bradshaw from Bradmills, David Thorburn from Thorline Products; Blues Brothers Danny Ashby and Peter Morecroft from Radins; Joe de Petro from Defab, and Max Hayman from Pattons.

Above left: The superb setting of the Ivy for the Awards for Excellence dinner.

Above right: Rick Haggerty and the rest of ‘the gang’ from Elizabeth Machines

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 11

EXPO Colourful keynote speaker RedBalloon founder Naomi Simson entertained and informed everyone during her Monday breakfast presentation on the rise and rise of RedBalloon, the ‘experience’ gift giving service that caters for a time poor, possessionsrich society.

The company name’s origins?

A 1950s movie in which a young boy befriends a red balloon.

“Red balloons remind us of our childhood and are a symbol of happiness,” Naomi said.

A bunch of red balloons served as an eye-catching marketing tool in the early days when Naomi spruiked for business in Sydney’s Martin Place.

But business did not take off quickly; it was an excruciating twomonth-and-four-day wait for the first customer order.

The lengthy interval was punctuated by Naomi’s husband constantly inquiring how “the project” was going.

A decade on and success of that ‘project’ can best be described as runaway: turnover has soared to $37 million.

Not bad considering just $25,000 start up capital kickstarted the business — all of which was absorbed by web development.

During the GFC sales from the smorgasbord of 400,000 gifts grew a healthy 40% and have since clocked in at 60% annually.

October this year marks the tenth anniversary of the company that was launched just three weeks after the tragic events of September 11 2010.

But as Naomi said: “I wanted my business to be disruptive, others were evolutionary.”

“It is all about facilitating people’s connections to those important to them,” Naomi said.

Points of difference abound.

Within 48 hours of an experience staff members email customers 12 · CONNECTIONS

Above: ’Coolest crooner’.

Above right: Jim and James Kelman at work.

Right: RedBalloon’s Naomi Simson engages the audience.

To accomplish great things,you need to dream, to act, to plan and to believe. asking “How was it?”, and each and every response is noted.

The Chinese recognise the numbers 11 and 22 as auspicious.

Naomi might too, with a call received at 11.22am in this year 2011 marking the sale of the one millionth experience.

Still on numbers: the cost of staff disengagement to Australian business each year is estimated at $27 billion; second highest in the world after France.

“These are staff who idle away their days at work as they are not interested or keen enough in the tasks ahead,” Naomi said.

“It’s a bad reflection on employers; in particular given the

cornerstone of business growth is healthy cash flow.”

By contrast, organisations sporting highly engaged staff are 26% more profitable. (RedBalloon has outranked Google to be listed the Number One workplace.)

Innovation is important for growth and Naomi says it has the dual benefit of presenting staff with a greater sense of purpose.

What distinguishes entrepreneurs? It’s simply a case of having grand ideas that are acted upon, executed. Finishing and completing are important.

To accomplish great things, says Naomi, you need to dream, to act, to plan and to believe.

Other business sessions hit the spot.

More than 110 people registered for each business session, including John Eusson’s presentation on window furnishings and Jane Lynch’s very well received address on social media. All business sessions recorded similar numbers.

In his presentation ‘Structures through time’ Dr Peter Keenan of LSAA stepped back in time to Egypt’s pyramids that were built around 4600 years ago (2630 BCE) on a north south orientation to align with the sun and stars.

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EXPO PVC under tension

no fabric was used in construction however papyrus was a feature.

Fast forward to AD 70 and Rome’s mighty Colosseum sported awnings that shielded spectators from direct sunlight. Attached to two large poles and anchored by rope, the cloth was one of the earliest examples of tension structures. The buildings of the Incas of Machu Picchu in AD 1460 were developed without fabric but were forerunners to patterning, Peter explained.

Above: The Expo party taking off. “Cheers” to a couple of lovely ladies.

Green value

There is lots of evidence that we are keeping the industry powering on.

Meanwhile North American tipis were fashioned from buffalo hide and canvas strips.

Modern tents that allow sun light in but keep heat at bay are attributed to Frei Otto who in 1947 used cotton canvas and panels, also paper strips and ‘broad seams’ on a patterning model.

Fast forward to 1956, Canberra, and the dome at the Academy of Science loomed as a futuristic structure. Hot on its heels was the somewhat distinctive Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne.

Among Peter’s more notable works are Melbourne University mountaineering club dome with its membrane appearing as one continuous structure, complete with a ‘snow load’ shape that caters for weight.

14 · CONNECTIONS

For his part, Bob Cahill of TexConnex covered three beneficial developments: heat-shielding structures, semi-transparent cloths and a special mesh that eliminates odours.

Heat Shielding: Catering for global warming, abnormal weather and heat patterns, the shield aims to reduce solar gain but maintain light.

Retrofitting is relatively simple, providing a very effective heat shield for animal feed lots and other sheds.

Semi-Transparents: Fabrics for structures fused with coloured backlight are a big attraction eg in cafes or in the retail sector.

Mesh to Eliminate Odours: Yes, you heard right.

And it’s opening new markets. Particularly useful in poultry and pig sheds, also compost heaps and around fish, the ground breaking fabric can neutralise ammonia odours, reducing them from 11ppm to 2ppm to zero, but not by acting as an absorbent or collecting residue.

Use of the fabric boosts animal health. How does it work? By manipulating fabric properties.

Adding green value was the focus of the captivating address by Mike Lester who is Principal Engineer with US based Birdair, a Taiyo Kogyo company. Snippets follow.

With an emphasis on sustainability and mindful of carbon footprints, the word ‘dematerialisation’ has entered the vernacular, meaning a reduced amount of material. And the lighter the material weight, the less supporting steelwork required.

Tensile membranes are lightweight and translucent. Tensotherm is a layer of aerogel (“the world’s best insulating solid”) to insulate it from silica gell (minus the moisture). It’s described as inert, stable, water repellent and porous, easy to handle. Derived from a weedlike plant that is related to the hibiscus, Kenaf fabric is a 100% recyclable natural fabric. While TiO2, alias titanium dioxide, is a powdered white pigment used in many applications.

MakMax has incorporated Ti02 in the surface of membrane materials, benefits of which are the self-cleaning properties and air purification (protection from nitrous oxide and sulphide emissions); hence the popular application of large membranes in smelly/smoggy locations.

Seen in a Munich carport with a generating capacity of 141kW, PVs contain an invisible ETFE cushion. Air that is used to inflate cushions chills and condenses then cooler air is recycled through the cushion, saving up to 70% on energy costs.

Overseas visitor Connections managed to corner Fabio Rigati of Italian based company Naizil (www.naizil. com) which has teamed up with Nolan.UDA to market tomorrow’s products today.

“Architects and design engineers are looking for a material they can rely on for mechanical properties and remain as clean as possible,” Fabio explained.

“Durability is important so we have developed new lacquering — a material that is able to protect the fabric and prolong its life.”

He was referring to Naizil’s Titan W which “improves the performance of previous lacquering by adding titanium dioxide which protects the fabric from UV rays which boost the ageing process.” The product has been marketed for about four years but was under development for many years before.

“Our R+D department is always looking for new products to keep us ahead of the market,” Fabio said. Based in north east Italy,

Naizil was established as a small family company back in the ‘50s, now its tentacles reach around the globe, with the family still at the helm and driving developments.

“In conjunction with a Swiss company we’ve recently developed a flexible photovoltaic panel which is sold in modules to be applied on PVC structures,” said Fabio. “This converts rays to electrical energy. The panels are flexible and light and protected with a layer of PTFE for easier installation.”

The modules will be marketed through Nolan.UDA, which has collaborated with Naizil for some time.

“Nolans is well known and established and we’re happy to collaborate with them as they are very reliable,” Fabio said.

Awards spectacular Few would deny that the high point of the three-day Expo is the Awards for Excellence ceremony.

This year the event was staged within the exclusive domain that

is The Ivy on George Street, with talented funny man Tommy Dean acting MC. Characterised by a distinctive, deep throated voice, he’s described as a “Uniquely observant stand up comic”.

The US native has performed in various leading comedy clubs in the USA as well as New Zealand, North America, Europe and South East Asia.

Local TV credits include: Spicks and Specks, Sunrise, The Glasshouse, O’Loghlin, (regular guest and writer), Backburner (writer), Good News Week, Thank God it’s Friday and The Today Show.

After opening with a query on how to pronounce ‘ACASPA’ — followed by enunciation that oozed gravitas — Tommy Dean quipped “Having been married twice I understand the term ‘heightened tension structures’!”

He then launched into a few ‘home truths’ about Australian devotion to all things sport and the quirky demarcation between state residents but

Above left: The Barlow clan takes centre stage.

Above right: Bob Cahill amuses his colleagues.

unification of Aussies when pitted against New Zealanders.

On a more serious note Tommy acknowledged the presence of two ACASPA life members: Des Tebb and Jim Kelman.

But the evening was all about celebrating talent and honouring award winners.

Display of Excellence Daniel Halse from Pattons explained that the four judging criteria were: appearance and workmanship; complexity; design and function.

“And there is lots of evidence that we are keeping the industry powering on,” he said.

Award sponsor Jim Kelman of Wax Converters Textiles spoke of his

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 15

EXPO

Above: “Ahoy me laddies”.

Left: Hair raising trio.

company’s abilities in dyeing and printing and in-house R+D, before thanking all fabricator patrons.

If Ron Gottlieb’s shoe leather ever wears out, it’s because he’s “happy to walk five hundred miles for ACASPA”. He hailed the Expo committee “one of the best” for staging such a variety of events during the Expo.

“All due credit for a first class trade show and for all the congeniality that it has generated. And as for Ricky Richards staff, they are awesome… I can never thank you all enough for helping me do what we do so our families can do what they want to do.”

A full report on the awards can be found on pages 20-34.

The verdict: Expo sparkle and buzz We thought we’d round off this report by rounding up some of the many observations and glowing comments. As follows: Krishna Naidoo of Horizon, “The Expo was very enjoyable and informative… all major suppliers were represented and we spent hours going through it.

Celebrations were also very enjoyable, the Awards Show was great so was the comedian 16 · CONNECTIONS

and we met a lot of people from the industry.

All up very impressive — this is the first ACASPA Expo I’ve been to so I’ve been missing out! We’ll certainly be attending next year.”

Gary Smith of Campbell Heeps observed a “Huge increase in attendee numbers and the [SCC] venue was sensational, everyone raved about it and said how good it was. Everyone has been saying it is the best expo yet. The problem with that is the pressure for next year in Melbourne! The standard is very high and we have a lot of work to do. And only ten months to do it.

Up to 1000 people came through on day one — year prior 1200 over two days, so everyone — exhibitors and ACASPA management was very happy.”

But what was the highlight?

“Simply overall, ran so smoothly like clockwork, very professional.

Done so well. Good things happened at the AGM. People got a lot from RedBalloon. This expo raised the bar as far as quality is concerned.

“Mina and Ana were sensational, just brilliant. It would not have been

the success it was without those two. They were fantastic.

“The night at the Ivy went very quickly, it was a good night, the room was full… great attendance and Tommy Dean was fantastic, sensational, brilliant!”

Austech’s Greg Schmidt reported: “For us the Expo was a chance to introduce our new agent in NSW and to show our new machines as well as introduce staff from the US parent company.

We were busy on our stand the whole time, we did not get lunch or a glass of water the whole two days!

The Ivy was a very nice venue, we talked to lots of people there and the entertainment was great, a great band.”

Becker MD Anthony Wallace said: “We’ve just launched a new range of remote controls that were exhibited at the show. We’ve only been in the industry for about four years and are still forging a presence in the industry, so it’s good for us to be a part of shows.

We were as busy on Monday as the Sunday; it’s definitely one of the better shows we’ve exhibited at. The room looked good — everyone did a really good job

of their stands and there was a lot of positive feedback.

The two social functions I went to were very good as well.

The Expo also provided good exposure for our company newcomer; he could learn about the industry and present himself to people.”

From Robert Bull of EH Brett’s & Sons: “We brought a car load of staff to the Expo, taking advantage of it being in our home town.

Our staff met many reps they deal with over the phone.

I’ve been to the last four expos and there was a real spark about this — the technology was a step ahead, the stands were very well presented, it was exciting seeing new materials and technology… some of which we are considering for our factory.

The social events enabled us to mingle and put a face to a name, and swap ideas. All up it was a really good event, an exhibition of value. There was a real spark and a buzz. The bonus was having coffee baristas on stands!”

Chris Atkins of Atkins Fabrications: “The Expo was really excellent, like a mini IFAI. There was so

much happening and such a great atmosphere in the room.

“Ana and Mina deserve a medal!

Or at least a well-earned rest.”

Dean Spencely of Oasis Tension Structures: “The Expo was really quite good, a bit different to others… it’s always good to see a different perspective from engineers and contractors. You always take something away; no matter how much you know you always pick up a bit.

“There was a good momentum overall, and more people at the awards night than I can remember.”

Continuing, Glenn said he’d attended his first Council of Management meeting two-and-ahalf years ago and it was one of the best decisions he’s made as he’s since been working with “some of the best people in the industry who collectively are positioning the association for the next twenty years”.

“The past twelve months have seen some exciting things: accreditation and name change among them; which will be used for marketing purposes and help us reach our potential,” he said.

“The shade committee is being revamped and members will be encouraged to speak up

about what they want and never be shy of expressing opinion.”

Glenn finished by saying: “This strong and vibrant industry will only get more robust; we need to work together as a collective to progress and enhance our standing.

“We can only get bigger and more powerful.”

The final word Outgoing ACASPA President Brendan Hall declared it “A privilege to serve as president, I have been both pleased and proud to help lay the foundation of many important projects.”

He commended the outstanding work of Ana Drougas and Mina Geremia plus Glenn Barlow and the Expo organising committee of Tom Gastin, Clare Corban, James Formosa, James Kelman, Connie Hellyar and Kirsty Zmisa.

“What a professional team, they acted on all tasks… we are indebted, they have produced the very best Expo.”

Taking the stage, incoming ACASPA President Glenn Barlow described Brendan’s aura as “larger than life”, saying he’d done wonders for the industry. He then presented Brendan with the Past President’s pin, a badge of honour.

The party spirit supported by our local church.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 17

BUSINESS Business matters Paying the price for carbon As Australia moves toward to a clean energy future, the regulatory landscape is set to take a major shift from July 1 next year when the 500 or so ‘big polluters’ will be paying permits of $23 per tonne of carbon pollution.

The strategy: A Clean Energy Finance Corporation will direct $10 million of the funds raised toward renewable energy technologies.

By the end of the decade that coupled with energy efficiency measures - will have cut 160 million tonnes of pollution annually which is the equivalent of taking 45 million cars off the road.

Half the price paid by ‘big’ polluters will be used to offset the anticipated 0.7 per increase in the cost of living during 2012-2013 caused by businesses passing on the carbon price. The majority of households will be paying about $9.90 extra weekly (including $3.30 more on electricity and $1.50 on gas) but receive $10.10 in assistance.

What about small business?

Indirect cost impacts will include higher electricity bills, gas prices and freight costs and there are fears that competitive forces may prevent the ability to pass on the costs.

Although the carbon price will impose “no red tape” on small businesses, the only specific assistance in the carbon package, other than reform of personal income tax, is the small business instant asset write-off for businesses with a turnover of less than $2 million a year.

18 · CONNECTIONS

The threshold will be increased from $5000 to $6500, providing a more attractive tax deduction for new assets, including more energy efficient ones. Knowledge of efficiency options will be boosted by the $240 million being channeled (during 2014-15) into advice for small businesses on energy savings and business sustainably.

The Government also plans to establish a $40 million Energy Efficiency Information Grants program to provide information (via industry associations and non-government organisations) to SMEs on practical measures they can take to reduce their energy costs; and will inject an extra $5 million over four years to improve delivery of clean technology advice and other nongrant business support programs to small and medium businesses.

For more information: www. cleanenergyfuture.gov.au Call the Small Business Support Line on 1800 777 275, or visit www.business.gov.au which includes a grants finder.

Funds to up–skill the workforce Last month the Government launched a $558 million fund to provide 130,000 Australians with the opportunity to learn new skills for jobs in sectors suffering from critical skill shortages.

The National Workforce Development Fund marks “a new direction in training Australians which puts industry at the heart of the process” to boost workforce

participation and meet the demand for skilled labour.

Industry can now make bids to their respective Industry Skills Councils to secure matched funding to train its current or prospective workforce, with small businesses receiving more assistance.

The co-contribution model means that large enterprises will contribute 66 per cent of the cost of training, medium enterprises 50 per cent and small enterprises 33 per cent.

In 2011-12 the Government is also providing $75 million through the Critical Skills Investment Fund to boost the workforce capacity and productivity, targeted initially at the resources and renewable energy sectors. Applications can be submitted until 30 September 2011. For more information visit www.deewr.gov.au/nwdf

Mature age workers Over the next three years the Federal Government’s ‘More Help for Mature Age Workers’ $30 million program will enable 7500 mature age workers with trade relevant skills but no formal qualifications the opportunity to have their skills assessed and formally recognised.

The program is aimed at technicians and trade workers; machinery operators and drivers and labourers aged 50+ in a bid to address skills shortages and productivity. For more information email experience@deewr.gov.au or call 13 17 64.

Powering the future.

Strong dollar tough for many Are recent layoffs in the steel sector an indication of what’s to come with the strong dollar and the accompanying “economic adjustment” (a euphemism perhaps for ‘brace yourselves for worse’)?

As we know, back in March the Australian dollar hit parity with the US dollar and has remained strong ever since. ‘Strong’ of course translates to not so good for exporters, maufacturers, tourism and education. And increasingly consumers are finding it more attractive to shop online for overseas goods.

Particularly hard hit under this scenario are the retail and food sectors; staff layoffs pushed unemployment in Australia to 5.1 per cent in July.

The RBA in early August left the cash rate unchanged at 4.75 per cent, saying (in upbeat manner) “Australia’s terms of trade are now at very high levels and national income has been growing strongly. Investment in the resources sector is picking up very strongly and some related service sectors are enjoying better than average conditions,” but adding (realistically) “In other sectors, cautious behaviour by households and the high level of the exchange rate are having a noticeable dampening effect.”

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AWARDS

for Excellence

Jewel in the crown It’s ACASPA’s night of nights, the industry equivalent of the Logies whereby outstanding talent is recognised; where the best of the best is on display; an opportunity to celebrate the scope and splendor of industry achievements and the people behind them. All that is missing on the night is Bert Newton. More appropriately, ACASPA’s outgoing President, Brendan Hall presented this year’s Top Award for Excellence. That honour went to Oasis Tension Structures.

The fine work of Oasis Tension Structures on the inverted cone at a Melbourne school.

20 · CONNECTIONS

Standing out for its function, form and look, the judges determined that the skillfully sculptured inverted cone that was specially designed for a schoolyard excelled on a number of levels and deserved top billing.

Connections caught up with Dean Spencely of Oasis after the event.

As is so often the case, a myriad of factors have to be considered in the design and execution of a project involving structures destined for exterior use. Not least of which are aesthetics, practicality and longevity. In the case of the project taken on by Oasis Tension Structures there were no exceptions: each of the above was a key feature in the design of a structure destined for a school’s relatively compact courtyard.

Fast forward to project completion and Oasis not only picked up the award for Category 8: Tension structures — coated fabrics less than 500sqm, but also the top Award for Excellence 2011.

The unique project was completed on behalf of Melbourne Girls Grammar in South Yarra.

In the words of Oasis: Conical structures are among the most popular form of coated fabric structure and examples can be seen in nearly every city of the world. However, this conical form is not ‘typical’. It is inverted

and the conical form has been pushed close to one edge of the Catenary cable.

The function of the structure is to provide critical protection of the school students from the elements during breaks in their school day, creating an outdoor leisure environment that mixes native plants with modern aesthetic material technology.

A space where the students could relax and briefly escape the physical confines of school.

Even while raining, they can retreat to this area and have their senses stimulated by the rain drumming on the tensioned fabric while the water is collected and pushed along the highly strung cables, creating a cylinder of rushing water.

Located in suburban Melbourne, the small portion of school land was allocated for the final year students to relax for breaks and lunch for all seasons.

The client requested a lightweight structure that would not impact heavily on the delicate landscape.

This was achieved by attaching to the main buildings and distributing most of the load into the ground through tensioned cables. So the structure appears to float above the landscape, drawing attention to the focal point of crisscrossing cables.

The most challenging thing about this structure was the form finding process and analysis to literally “make it work” due to the constraints created by the offset inverted cone.

This structure and its environment was designed and constructed during one of the most devastating droughts Victoria has endured, where water and its conservation were paramount. In this project, the water is gathered in this giant funnel and collected in the enormous water tanks deep beneath the landscaped gardens.

This water is then used to furnish the plants, ensuring the longevity of the native flora. The fabric used, 1002 T2, was supplied by Innova.

Representing Oasis at ACASPA’s Awards night was Business Development Manager Dean Spencely. Dean told Connections that his winning speech was not prepared because he “gave not two thoughts about an overall win.

After picking up the category prize I had just started to relax and was enjoying a beer or two then came the announcement — so I had to get my mind into gear!

“To win the category 8 award was great, and gain special commendation for Kilvington Girls Grammar was good, but to be named overall winner was a real bonus.”

Dean took the time to explain the intricate nature of the work on the inverted cone.

“The structure had its complications for example the cone was offset, that’s where the complexity was. It was tensioned at the bottom by stainless steel cables that were intertwined so all the rainwater is collected in a tank that is used to water the surrounding native garden.

“The Catenary cable that is positioned around the perimeter of the rectangle enables fabric to be folded over it, not unlike the cuff of a shirt sleeve, and it can be tightened up to increase the tension.”

The fabric was sourced from Innova. “The French-made Ferrari fabric is one of the best you can get in terms of quality. It has the tough T2 coating which gives it more strength and durability and being self-cleaning it is low maintenance compared to PVC. “T2 has been around for about six or seven years; because it is a bit more expensive you do not see it so much in structures.”

What will Oasis do to promote their 2011 ACASPA Award for Excellence win? Dean has already considered the benefits.

“The award win will be posted on our website and we’ll create company brochures and posters

Securing structures underpins strength and longevity.

A space where the students could relax and briefly escape the physical confines of school.

that feature the award win. It will also be placed at the end of all our emails, in the sign-off.

“Our main suppliers for the project were Ronstan (for the cables) and Innova, both of whom will also feature news of the award on their websites. “It all helps cement our standing in the industry.”

Oasis is no stranger to awards.

Back in 1997 the company picked up ACASPA’s overall Award for Excellence and among its many other awards: 2006 Business of the Year in the Melbourne business awards and in 2007 IFAI Award for Excellence in Structures.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 21

AWARDS

for Excellence DDT’s award winning effluent pond cover.

Display of Excellence ACASPA Awards winners 2011 Outstanding talent Few events on the ACASPA calendar are as colourful and vibrant as the annual Awards for Excellence. A popular ceremony that attracts more than 200 members and guests year after year.

The awards present an opportunity for members to showcase their talent and skills in design, execution and delivery of world standard structures.

This year, the ceremony was staged in the sumptuous surrounds of the Ivy in central Sydney, with the event attracting more than 250 Acaspians from across Australia.

There, on a balmy winter’s evening in late July, members gathered under the Ivy’s signature white art deco chandeliers to laud and applaud many of the nation’s finest — and newest — additions to the architectural landscape.

The judging panel that was led

by Glenn Barlow had carefully deliberated over the entries presented from a field of 55

22 · CONNECTIONS

talented contenders before selecting the top designs. On the following pages are the outcomes of their deliberations. And, as readers can see, aesthetically the winning structures are as eye– catching as they are functional.

They showcase the crème de la crème of Australian talent.

Masterpieces are not confined to Australia’s shores, two of this year’s award winners completed work overseas.

Read on for insights into all of the winning entries.

Category 1 — Geosynthetics/liners Sponsored by: HIRAOKA Winner: Darling Downs Tarpaulins / DDT Liners Fabric: 2.00mm LDPE, supplied by GSE Project Title: Floating Cover for Effluent pond Location: Bomaderry, NSW Our client wanted a floating cover for his rather smelly effluent pond, approx 120m x 170m.

Not surprisingly the neighbours were complaining of the smell, as the original cover had failed… probably due to the chemistry of the effluent.

However the pond could not be emptied to allow us to fabricate & install the cover in the usual way.

We supplied 2.00mm thick LDPE membrane, which allowed us to join, then flake-fold several panels worth of the cover at a time, on the bank at one end the pond; flotation beams/gas escape pathways had to be fitted to the (black) underside… then the cover could be launched progressively onto the pond, and ballasted to prevent wind uplift. This was then repeated; each new section being joined (welded) to the trailing edge of the previous one. All up there were five launch stages. Once the cover was fully fabricated and placed in position — and having made allowance to cater for water level fluctuations — we could backfill the perimeter anchor trenches.

Notes: 1. The 21,000 m2 (approx) completed cover weighs in excess of 40 tonnes, plus a few tonnes of ballast tubes.

2. Photo # 2 shows the leadingedge float that ensured edge buoyancy during each launch episode.

3. Four towing cables were attached to the leading edge, and four towing vehicles had to be co-ordinated for an even pull each time.

4. This entry is as much about the processes involved as it is about achieving the very satisfactory end result!

5. The pond cover is working well; the odour is no more, the authorities are satisfied, and our client gets to stay in business.

6. The effluent is held in the pond until it can be cleaned up then released to the environment (irrigated pastures).

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AWARDS

for Excellence

Category 2 Marine Motor Trim and Transport — no entries received Category 3 — Awnings: domestic and commercial Sponsored by: Bradmill Outdoor Fabrics Winner: Horizon Sail Structures Fabric: 802S, supplied by Innova Project Title: George’s Elevations Location: Burleigh Heads, Queensland Having a deck that was approx 100sqm and not being able to use it during inclement weather was an issue for the client who believed that a significant amount of business was being lost.

They wanted a structure that followed the roof line to ensure that their customers were able to enjoy the wonderful water views from this elevated position. The design process was hindered with the many different angles of the roof line and the limited access to the site. After a full survey and measure our designers were able

24 · CONNECTIONS

to overcome these issues with a simple but effective barrel vault design.

Sunscreen rollup blinds were also installed to allow some shielding from the late afternoon sun.

Managing Director Krishna Naidoo explained that this project was completed for an up-market restaurant which is part of a larger family owned chain.

“The very popular and wellrenowned restaurateur George Tassis is a long-term client, with up to 15 restaurants on the Gold Coast and now in Brisbane.

“He’s been a major client for a few years during which time we have refurbished several of his outdoor areas.”

Krishna added that the newly launched Elevations is situated in the lush surrounds of Burleigh rainforest.

“The two level structure that features a large function room is in a nice part of town, on the side of a hill and beside a river. It has superb views over the adjacent rainforest that is part of a national park.”

Below: Nice, neat and super smart; this white awning blends in brilliantly with the adjoining building.

Category 4: Window coverings, domestic Sponsored by: Uniline Winner: Campbell & Heeps www.campbellheeps.com.au Fabric: Soltis, supplied by Innova Project Title: G Screens Location: Malvern, Vic

The design process was hindered with the many different angles of the roof line and the limited access to the site.

This project required us to come up with a system that was clean and minimal, that stopped the sun’s rays penetrating the windows of our client’s courtyard.

Inside the home was heating up and the sunlight was fading the furniture but our client didn’t want to lose the view of the courtyard or feel blocked in. Externally, the window frames had a decorative mould that was quite large, framing the windows and presenting a very nice look. This was important to our client and they didn’t want to lose the look of them, so we had to come up with a way of positioning all the blinds off the wall. We decided to use a screen fabric that would reduce the heat inside and allow vision outside. With our client

wanting ease of use and for the blinds to be relatively strong in the wind, all the blinds are motorised, in full cassette head boxes and running in tracks.

We stood the blinds off the wall using a 50 x 25 steel tube, this allowed us to get out in front of the window frames and gave the blinds great stability off the wall.

The size also suited the overall look of the blinds and all tracking and head boxes were powdercoated to blend in with the wall colour, making them almost disappear when up. Each blind can be controlled individually or all of them at once with the push of a button on the remote.

Our clients were extremely happy with the end result. They loved the look of the blinds and the simplicity of controlling the amount of sunlight penetrating the house.

The aesthetics and functionality of the blinds were exactly what they were after.

Gary Smith of Campbell and Heeps said despite the fact theirs was the only entrant for this category he felt it was “a good job and was very effective”.

He was very involved in the initial stages, assessing the tasks that had to be carried out, and

his son Chris took over on the technical front.

“The sides jutted out from the wall which was a challenge, but Chris worked out the bracketing needed to pack it out from the wall.”

He describes G screens as a “revolutionary development”.

On the night daughter–in–law Zoe who is also involved in the business accepted the award presented by Brendan Hall.

Category 5: Window coverings, commercial (automated and non automated) Sponsored by: IMEX Creative Products Company Name: Made 4 Shade Fabric Name: PolyFX, 3000D PTFE, supplied by Nolan UDA, Poly Global Project Title: Sun Baffles Location: Maroochydore, Queensland

Our commercial customer, being a shopping centre, has a glass atrium extending the entire length of the centre’s roofing, which throws natural light throughout the shopping centre.

Centre management over time received on-going concern from shop owners located inside the shopping centre, over sunlight beaming into their stores. This often resulted in faded stock

Above: A good dose of lateral thinking is behind behind this smart and stylish set of window coverings.

Right: The eye catching and highly functional shopping centre coverings provide cool comfort for customers.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 25

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AWARDS

for Excellence

and frustration for both tenants and customers from the, at times, blinding sunlight.

To cap things off, the centre’s power usage was extreme trying to keep the centre air-conditioned and cool for their tenants and customers.

Our company was approached by centre management to design an internal window covering system that screened sunlight during the morning (till approx 10am) and afternoon (after approx 1pm), while retaining natural light throughout the centre.

This would of course keep the store owners happy and also provide extensive savings on electricity usage, keeping centre management happy!

We had to design a system that not only worked, but was extremely minimalistic and easy to maintain.

Our company came up with a cost-effective design to attach to existing roofing framework and to prevent any need for drilling through steel etc.

28 · CONNECTIONS

This was most important as we were working at roof height of a large two-level shopping centre (15m above ground level). By developing a system that could be fixed to existing framework, there were no metal shavings for customers or staff to contend with and also the installation time was very streamlined and minimised — no excessive on-site labour!

The custom designed awning system known as ‘Sun Baffles’ incorporated five sun baffles per bay over 22 bays throughout the entire centre. The ‘Sun Baffles’ are located inside the shopping centre along the centre of roofing, directly below the glass atrium.

The sun baffles fix to existing rolled roofing framework while not penetrating the steel or compromising the steel coating.

The sun baffles were designed and shaped so as to ensure NO sunlight penetrated the shopping centre tenancies. The Shopping centre is ‘U’ shaped and therefore the sun affects each section

differently at different times of the day. The baffles needed to be very durable, yet aesthetically pleasing and non-obtrusive. The baffles needed to be minimalistic, yet add feature and value to the shopping centre and not detract or look like an obvious ‘add-on’.

Our installers were required to complete all work from a large Boomlift and prior to it being used, structural engineers had to perform loading tests on the second level flooring to ensure it could take the machine’s weight (1600kg).

The second level floor to the ceiling is 10m, and the second level floor to the ground floor is 5m.

Our installers were mainly working over the large open areas between the upper and lower level of the shopping centre, suspended 15m in the air in a small basket much of the time.

Each day shift was spent shaping and making the baffles of varying size depending on where they fixed to the existing framework and

Attention to detail reduces sun glare and heat.

all installation work was conducted out of hours, starting at 6pm and working through to 4am.

Our project proved to be a raving success! The installation process was very streamlined and no interruption to customers or staff was ever experienced.

The sun baffles look fantastic, adding a definite minimalistic, architectural feature to the atrium roofing of the centre. Sun does not penetrate the stores, yet the natural light is still an important feature of the shopping centre and the centre management team is extremely pleased that the baffles have significantly reduced electricity usage.

Category 6: Shade structures — ­ Domestic and Commercial Tension or Framed Structures using shade cloth or PVC mesh Sponsored by: Ricky Richards (Sales) Pty Ltd Winner: WeatherSafe WA / Abacus Shade Structures Fabric: Monotec 370, supplied by Ricky Richards Project Title: Punmu Basketball Court Cover Location: Punmu, WA Four hundred and fifty kilometres south east of the north west coastal town of Port Headland in the Great Sandy Desert is a small aboriginal community of Punmu Rawa, home of the Martu Tribe of Aboriginal people.

Approximately 90kms from the Canning Stock Route, the remote community is home to approximately 400 adults and 80 school age students.

The local Rotary club of Margaret River which has been involved with the Punmu Rawa community consulted the community elders who said that a major redevelopment of the basketball court would be of the most benefit to residents. A handdrawn A4 sketch was provided of a basketball court with a dome cover. Instead of a tin roof they were interested in a fabric structure that would be a bit different, blend into the environment without being too obtrusive and be truly unique to the area.

Our company proposed a curved framed Barrelvault structure with a series of shade sails off the side, and the Rotarians subsequently sought government funding.

A site inspection revealed the existing basketball court was a crumbling mess and required extensive retaining and leveling.

Clearly we would need much cement to build footings and shore up the perimeters.

A concrete contractor from Port Headland advised that the only way

to get the concrete onto site was to set up a batching plant onsite and freight in all the equipment along with all the sand and aggregate, using two huge semi trailers.

Within one week we had the footings dug, rag bolt assemblies set into footings and a new 150mm concrete slab laid for the new basketball court.

The building of the structure posed a whole new set of

problems; firstly we had to get the structure onto the site.

Fortunately people from the Newcrest Telfer Gold Mine which is situated about 120 kms away and is on Martu land were very helpful in many aspects of the project, organising freight, flights and lending 4WDs. We hired a semi-trailer to deliver a crane and two scissor-lifts from Port Headland.

Although Punmu is only 120kms from Telfer, the trip takes about five hours each way in the truck as the road is little more than a rough desert track with a top speed of speed 40 kms per hour.

The equipment arrived two days late which put the pressure on to complete the project in the allotted time, but fortunately a DET (Department of employment and training) work for the dole

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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 29

AWARDS

for Excellence

Special commendation: Advanced Shade Systems Pty Ltd Fabric: Monotec 370, supplied by Pro-Knit Industries Pty Ltd. Project Title: Brisbane Boys College Location: Toowong, Queensland Project: Supply and installation of a curved shade fabric structure over the amphitheatre seating area.

scheme was in progress, so we had about six locals on hand to help us, along with five Rotary club representatives.

Once the build commenced it was pretty straight forward, the problem of access for our scissor lifts was overcome by assembling a frame by running the scissors inside over the court slab.

The dome shaped barrelvault roof structure was 25m wide by 36m long. (900m²); we also incorporated two frames at each end for the basketball hoops into the frame installation.

Once the structure was assembled we simply dragged the shadecloth cover, which we made in one complete piece, along the length of the structure using the two scissor lifts.

The shadecloth was then tensioned and secured to the frame. We then fitted seven 6m x 6m triangular sails to the side 30 · CONNECTIONS

of the structure to depict the Aboriginal flag.

The finished structure is a most impressive sight. The nine metre height of the centre of the structure make it by far the largest building in the community. The structure covers the entire basketball court with a 10m x 4m extended annexe to one side where there is a stage.

The structure has provision to hang netball hoops on the side uprights as well as anti-climbing spikes to deter would-be climbers.

The structure was completed in September 2010 and in the time since it has played host to a basket ball carnival, an official grand opening by the Minister for Sport and Recreation, numerous music festivals, weekly cooking schools as well as a focal point for the whole community.

To see the look of delight in the faces of the locals when the structure was completed was a

Above: Overcoming challenges presented by extreme heat and remoteness, this desert project is worthy of a short story. The team immersed itself in the aboriginal community for the duration of the project.

golden moment. Also for us to be given the chance to experience the culture of life in the desert for a week was a life changing event never to be forgotten.

A week of sleeping in swags, modest accommodation, no beer (it was a dry community) and BBQ dinners in the middle of the desert made us realise how easy we have got things back home.

Brisbane Boys College commissioned a landscape architect to design a new outdoor amphitheatre at the school.

We worked with the landscape architect to ensure that the area would have sufficient shade, and that the proposed shade design would positively contribute to the aesthetic appeal of the college.

This is a unique design as it strays from the normal shade sail, shade structure type of shade system. The purpose of the design was to make sure the amphitheatre seating provided optimal shade during the hottest part of the day.

Taking into consideration the sun’s position at specific times of the day was crucial in the design. A major focus was a cantilever structure to reduce the amount of posts and still provide adequate shade to the amphitheatre.

We commenced the fabrication process once the final design had been approved by the College and the Queensland Government Department of Environment and Resource Management. Additional holes were drilled into the frame for electrical cables, then the steel

Category 7: Tension structures — coated fabrics greater than 500sqm Sponsored by: Halifax Vogel Group Winner: MakMax Australia Fabric: Sheerfill 2, supplied by Taiyo Kogyo Corporation Project Title: Metricon Stadium Location: Carrara, Queensland The original structure built in the late ‘80s played host to a number of events however the venue

has traditionally been a football ground. The decision to redevelop the site was welcomed by many sporting fans.

The newly named and revamped venue is built to accommodate a professional football oval, world standard cricket oval, provision to allow future installation of an athletics field and international standard soccer field including all the associated corporate, media and player facilities.

The local state government funded project secures a future for sport of all kinds in the region, opens the possibility to world class soccer coming to the region as well as other major national and international sporting events.

As with any world class stadium the design incorporated a tensile membrane roof component.

We were engaged to supply and install the 16,600 square metres of PTFE providing cover for three sides of the structure. Architects

The colourful ampitheatre.

was hot dip galvanised and powder-coated for longevity and an excellent finish. The completed frame assembled very easily as each component was carefully engineered and fabricated.

We were employed to construct the shade structure after the amphitheatre was completed.

However, during the initial construction of the amphitheatre large pier footings were incorporated into the structure.

These were designed with the shade structure in mind.

Unfortunately all of the footings ended up at different spacing and different angles. As a consequence the challenge for our design was that every strut, every cleat, every cable and every panel in the fabric top was different. We met the challenge.

Designing a shade structure to be installed in the vicinity of heritage listed buildings will always be challenging because there are many stakeholders to satisfy. The finished product meets the client’s needs since it not only provides excellent shade coverage to the area, but it also blends in beautifully with the surrounding architecture and landscaping.

The client has received many compliments about the structure and says that “it harmonises so well the college feels that it has always been there.”

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 31

AWARDS

for Excellence

Special commendation: Atkins Fabrication Fabric: Sheerfill V, supplied by St Gobain, USA Project Title: Soundshell Location: California, USA

specified the overall shape of the panels providing work points and a schedule. Our engineers, drafters, and project managers made this a reality.

This project was brought about through necessity. The tensile membrane component of the project was brought about by architects’ want for a flexible, lightweight solution to long span, mass roofing. Like most stadia architects worldwide, the architects recognised the lightweight properties of tensile membrane make it the ideal choice for this project.

Our scope broadly included the supply and installation of a 16,000sqm tensile membrane roof and details requiring our attention included water run-off management, waterproofing in areas where trades overlap, and the major consideration — installation methodology on a site without full access.

Architects were specific about almost all aspects of this project other than a few practical details.

We found a solution to water run-off from the structure in the form of drainage. The large area of fabric can collect a huge amount of water. Because fabric is such a flexible medium to work with both 32 · CONNECTIONS

physically and in relation to design constraints we were able to design a steep reverse cone in the low point of every panel.

This reverse conic shape acts as a funnel channelling all water into a siphonic drainage hub. The system needs only 50ml of water to begin siphoning water from the top side of the fabric making it ultra efficient.

We were also responsible for closure details between the tensile membrane roofing and the perimeter solar panels.

Traditional glass solar panels are not our product so an amount of research and understanding went into how this was achieved, with our engineers deciding on an extended flashing arrangement.

Another practical consideration was the installation methodology for the 14,000sqm of fabric on 39 panels. Installation of the fabric roof was the biggest challenge we faced.

Our project manager devised an installation methodology that was both safe and practical. Using a technique similar to that used on a previous project we devised purpose-built work platforms that were secured to the steel frame of the venue. These were used at the inner and outer edge of each panel, giving workers a safe place

Above: MakMax delivered its hallmark professionalism in the execution of Metricon Stadium.

to harness to and continue work.

Great consideration was taken in designing the methodology; we sought guidance from government departments including Workplace Health and Safety bodies. In the process we performed an internal safety audit gaining our own international safety accreditation.

The most impressive aspect would be the rear of each fabric panel, the highly curved shape is unusual for a stadium roof of this size and it adds a point of difference to the overall look of the venue. The flexibility of fabric as a building material is clearly visible by the apparent ease in which these curved shapes are achieved.

We are confident in the job we’ve all done here; the result is a striking addition to the overall venue. I think the look and feel of the space is fitting with the region’s atmosphere.

Having a great design helps to show off our product and I believe this project achieves this goal.

The collaboration of our architects and landscape architect created a 7.9 acre public park, privately maintained by Playa Capital in California USA. This park includes a basketball court, soccer field, playground, bosque, bocce courts, berm gardens and a soundshell with an amphitheatre lawn.

The traditional soundshell has been given an aeronautical quality by the architect.

A roughly spherical tensioned fabric (PTFE coated glass fibre woven material), stealthily perched on two steel feet, conveys a sense of buoyancy. In lieu of traditional guy wires, two ramps radiate and extend out. The form radiates with spatial complexity. The translucent membrane creates a solid opaque white shell which dematerializes visually by night, glowing like a lantern.

Structurally the design transforms potentially heavy rings into trace like ribs. Loads are transferred through a series of transnodal struts. The skeleton simultaneously conveys lightness and dynamic sculptural depth heightened by a pleated skirt rather than a simple surface. One does momentarily wonder if the soundshell is spinning or static. This unique design has been cleverly incorporated in this design by the architect and turned into reality by the project manager and installer.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 路 33

AWARDS

for Excellence

Special commendation: Company: Oasis Tension Structures Fabric: 902 T2, supplied by Innova Project Title: Kilvington Girls Grammar Location: Caulfield, Victoria This structure was designed to provide protection against the elements so that the students of this school could enjoy tennis, netball, basketball or a host of other activities during any sort of weather.

The PVC coated fabric structure is stretched over two large arched portal frames and tensioned through catenary cables to a series of perimeter support frames.

The purpose of the structure was to create a carnival type atmosphere for these outdoor sports, providing a more inviting environment to play all forms of outdoor sports.

Some of the unique features of this project include the 2D truss column penetrations through the fabric — this required pin-point accuracy in procurement and fabrication of both steelwork and fabric. The holes created by the column penetrations were along high tensioned seams and so these areas had to be reinforced appropriately with fabric and steel support plates.

34 · CONNECTIONS

Due to program restraints, the surface beneath the structure was paved prior to Oasis being allowed access. This meant the structure had to be installed using lightweight plant and equipment: the steelwork was installed using a 5t crawler crane while access to most areas was via tiny boomlifts, the weight of both machines was distributed using large marine plywood to avoid damage to the delicate surface.

Industrial twin ropes had to be engaged to access the higher portions that the lightweight boomlift could not reach.

The client was delighted with the finished product: it has been used in all weather conditions during the day and night. The client specifically stated how spectacular the structure looked at night illuminated by lights, a beacon that could be seen for miles.

Category 8: Tension structures — coated fabrics less than 500sqm Sponsored by: Synthesis Winner: Oasis Tension Structures See full story on pages 21–22

Special commendation: WeatherSafe WA Fabric: Ferrari 802S, supplied

by Innova Project Title: Donnybrook Sound Shell Location: Donnybrook, WA

Above right: Fun, functional and portable.

Below: Simplicity and style by Oasis Tension Structures.

We were approached by a local council to help design a portable sound shell to be used for festivals and functions at different locations and towns within the shire.

The council already had one engineer designed structure that they had submitted to a local steel fabrication shop for costing but were not really happy with the design. The steel fabrication shop approached us to help design something that would have more aesthetic appeal and less cost than the original proposal.

Between us we set about designing a portable sound shell.

The steel fab guys designed the base (stage) and we designed the structure and cover.

The initial design that we took back to the Council was the following:

We had the two different structures, made by two separate manufacturers, engineered by two different engineers so it was very important that we were continually in contact with each other to ensure that the two structures would fit together once fabricated.

The base, or stage part, was made in three sections that bolted together. Each of the three sections fit neatly together when stacked for easy transportability. Each section also had adjustable legs so that the structure could sit solidly on uneven ground.

The base was finished with a wooden decking.

The top structure was a barrelvault design with a slanted overhang at the front and rear as well as either side to give good coverage if a function was marred by rain. The six uprights slotted into a formed slot built into the stage frame.

The curved rafters were made in two halves and bolted together in the centre. This was so that the framework could be dismantled into manageable sizes suitable for packing and transportation.

The top frame was constructed with support provisions to take sound and lighting gear.

The frame cover was PVC. It was secured to the frame with rope track at the front, and the sides and

Above: Worthy of a magazine cover, the elegant appeal of this show garden won MakMax accolade from far and wide.

back were made similar to a shade sail with a perimeter stainless steel cable and stainless steel fixing points.

Ideally for a structure such as this you would attach a rope track front and back to tension. Due to the fact that we needed to make the cover easily removable the shade sail style of tensioning with turnbuckles at each fixing point made it a simple matter to remove and refit the cover whenever the sound shell was relocated.

To finish the job off we made a neat black skirt that clipped all around the base of the stage.

Once dismantled the whole structure fits neatly onto an 8m flat bed truck tray for easy transportation to the next venue.

The finished structure was a functional and very visually appealing sound shell.

Category 9: General Sponsored by: Wax Converter Textiles Winner: MakMax Australia Fabric: Polytheme, M7205; supplied

by Eclipse Textiles, Mehler Project: Trailfinders Australian Garden Location: London, UK Our client for this project exhibits annually at one of the world’s most prestigious events, often winning awards for their unique exhibition stands. We were engaged to bring an architect’s design to life in the form of a unique temporary structure.

Our client engaged an architect to design their most recent stand. The architect’s inspiration included themes of colonisation and discovery. Natural shapes and light play a large part in the design brief. We were engaged to bring this idea to life through the architect’s vision. In order to continue the winning tradition for our client we manufactured the structure to the architect’s request. What is unique or complex

about the project? Although the concept was the work of the architect, some of the technical details of manufacture were not conceptualised until our engineers began looking at the design from a practical point of view. Being a self supporting structure we had a fair amount of control over the manufacture and fixing details of the project.

One major oversight in the original design was the absence of natural light on the inner space of the dome-like structure. Engineers and project managers suggested ports in the outer skin that would allow natural light to filter through.

These ports were reinforced so as not to hinder the streams of light.

Three visits from the architect and two prototypes later we had a structure that embodied the architect’s vision and was structurally sound.

The project is definitely a success from all parties’ point of view. Precise engineering and manufacture has brought this project to life. Attention to detail and the perfect simplicity in design

save this project from being just another exhibition stand. Tall enough to walk through but low in points, the structure engages the visitor; stepping under and around the smooth white edges of the structure may evoke a feeling of stepping through a canvas tent on a beach as explorers may have done.

Visitors to this stand are able to look past a crisp white sail as if pulled taut under wind out toward lush green trees. Allowing visitors to touch and feel will surely be a crowd pleaser.

We supplied all elements of this structure from the steelwork, fixings, fabric manufacture, and we also trained the special installation team.

Category 10: Innovation (no entries received) Note: This does not mark the end of awards coverage; forthcoming issues of Connections will feature all runners up. This popular ongoing segment puts on show the creative talents of all ACASPians — award winning or not.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 35

TRAINING Under TAFE guidance, students develop technical skills through focus and determination.

Whether a supplier, fabricator or trainer, young people are our future and without them, we don’t move forward. Raising our profile and image will assist all and sundry to survive and grow in the future.

The state(s) of training NSW based Lawrence De Paoli who provides training for industry students across many states of Australia presents a round-up of activities across the nation.

Queensland’s re-training It’s been 18 months since we commenced textile fabrication training in Queensland. We’ve met many fabricators in the industry and all have been very supportive of our involvement and efforts thus far.

Initially it was a bit overwhelming taking over from another RTO; the big problem was most of the students were enrolled in the old training package while Sydney Institute was offering the most upto- date qualification. We had to try and link old units with new ones for a massive RPL process.

Long story short — it’s worked with some guys having to make up a few units only; many students have now received their qualification.

Resource development was a huge project for us. A new 36 · CONNECTIONS

qualification meant developing resources that were valid and actually meet the requirements of industry and the training package. The workload for us in this project was huge and it involved more duties for one of our part-time trimming staff, Murat Hersli who developed resources and took them out to industry for validation. Murat has been a fantastic asset for our section and this whole process.

Businesses such as EH Brett’s and Nan’s Tarps as well as Barracouta Sails were involved in this process, and their feedback was essential and appreciated in this process. I’ve spoken to many employers throughout NSW and Queensland about our resources and assessment tasks; all are happy with what has been done so far. The trouble is,

I want more from them; I don’t want to sit back and say it’s done and OK. I have asked industry for feedback on everything we have produced. Why? Because if anything needs to be corrected, altered, adjusted or whatever, then industry needs to tell us so that we trainers keep improving and moving forward, thus always meeting industry standards.

Much of our work has been dealing with new businesses where workers don’t have a qualification. In this regard our Business Development consultant Mel Kane has been instrumental and has provided many employers with necessary information regarding RPL and government funding incentives.

Part of our obligation in training Queensland students is that we satisfy Department of Education guidelines. Both Mel and Murat have met with the DET QLD representatives to discuss our training models and processes and found they are extremely satisfied with our work and student record keeping processes, so much so that TAFE NSW/Sydney Institute is their preferred Textile Fabrication training provider.

Motor trimmers in Queensland have also been deprived of quality

training in recent years, and this presents us with further training opportunities. We’ve had enquiries from quite a few trimmers and presented training models to all concerned. Some have sent their employees to Sydney for block release training.

A useful note: DET QLD will pay return airfares from anywhere in Queensland and provide a small living-away-from-home allowance. This can be arranged by the employer through the Australian Apprenticeship Centre that the employee is registered with.

Courses We’re offering Certificate II and III in Textile Fabrication and Certificate II and III in Automotive Vehicle Body (Trimming). We also offer a 16-week specialised Marine Trimming program for those with basic skills in marking/cutting/ sewing etc who want to diversify their skills into manufacturing all types of covers for marine craft.

Steve Busuttil is our resident expert in this field. Our programs are offered on a block release basis for apprentices doing Cert III and weekly night classes for Cert II. The LMT30407 Training package (which Textile Fabrication is part of) has this year undergone a

review with some minor changes implemented. Introduced into the core units is an environmental unit which falls into line with all other training packages delivered throughout Australia.

The selection process for units of competency is now also a lot easier. In total, 19 units must be selected: nine being compulsory and 10 electives. There are also other units included as electives from other training packages i.e.

Certificate II and III in Automotive Vehicle Body (Trimming).

This is to allow for fabricators who work with manufacturing covers for machinery, trailers etc and those that delve into marine covers to select units that meet what they are currently doing in the workshops. I believe version 2 of the training package is quite good and certainly offers employers more selection on relevant units for their businesses.

During the past 18 months inmates at Sydney’s Long Bay Gaol complex have been receiving training with us in Certificate II Textile Fabrication. This enables inmates to develop skills that will help them gain employment upon release. Certificate II is only 12 months’ duration but in that time they have developed good marking

/cutting/sewing skills. So much so, the group that finished in June this year were able to manufacture a complete set of industry standard, removable covers for a fork lift (roof, rear window, front window and side curtains). The motivation and enjoyment of inmates made training for me a real pleasure and I was very proud of their efforts.

Students Simply put: without students we don’t exist. With them, we have the opportunity to mould the tradespersons of the future.The biggest problem facing employers is finding suitable young people.

We’ve tried to offer high schools between Gosford (north of Sydney) and Wollongong (south) the opportunity for HSC students to study units in Textile Fabrication, in particular aiming at the yacht sail making industry.

A lack of response prevented the program progressing.

Equipment I’ve been told many times that our workshop is the best in its field. The large room is fitted out with work stations (benches) that have sewing machines on each end. Over the years industry suppliers — Ricky Richards and Bradmill among

them — have very kindly donated seconds fabrics for training.

Nolan.UDA has also been a tremendous ongoing supporter of training at Sydney Institute and it’s only through such goodwill that our job is made that little bit easier.

Recently, we’ve purchased a new RF welder for our training purposes, replacing the pre-1978 model that became a liability in recent years due to OH&S issues, the costly replacement of parts and our inability to deliver some training programs due to the machine’s poor performance. We now look forward to working with the latest and greatest from C.J. Loftus! Part of our repertoire is a Triad wedge welder, kindly donated by Frank Sinclair in the USA. Students undertaking PVC welding training now have access to four styles of equipment: wedge, RF, motorised hot air and hand held hot air welders.

Challenges To conclude, there are many challenges facing us as trainers, among them: funding, human resources and equipment. We would benefit greatly if there were more persons willing to assist us in part-time teaching. We have two full-time staff and two part-time staff assisting us in our efforts.

Federal and State Government funding opportunities are rare, with restrictions placed upon our resources ensuring that careful management is needed to achieve our goals.

Since commencing training in Queensland, employers from far and wide have contacted us.

Together with Ana from ACASPA, we are negotiating visits to fabricators in South Australia.

Part of our obligation to DET QLD is that apprentices must be visited in the workshops twice a year to carry out training and workplace assessments etc and we suspect a similar scenario awaits us in SA. Another challenge facing training providers is creating a bigger profile of the industry within society. This would help entice young people into the industry, which is urgently needed.

Whether a supplier, fabricator or trainer, young people are our future and without them, we don’t move forward. Raising our profile and image will assist all and sundry to survive and grow in the future.

Lawrence De Paoli is Head Teacher – Autobody Repair, Refinish & Trimming at TAFE NSW Sydney Institute. edu.au www.sit.nsw.edu.au

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Phone Mobile

02 9804 1146 0418 270 291

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www.triax.com.au AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 37

AWARDS

for Excellence

Young gun Following on from last year, the special award category of Young Achievers was very generously sponsored by Ricky Richards. This award recognises the impressive achievements by the younger members of ACASPA’s community.

Images depict Robert Bull’s impressive project.

38 · CONNECTIONS

The Young Achiever category also aims to foster interest in the Young Leaders Group being developed

by ACASPA. This year the award attracted five grand entries and among them was a standout project delivered by Robert Bull of NSE based EH Brett and Sons.

The brief presented to Robert Bull of EH Brett was relatively straightforward: the design and delivery of a membrane structure at St Angela’s Catholic Primary School in Castle Hill, Sydney’s North West.

However, the project appeared to present a series of design challenges and complexities.

Fortunately these were not tough enough to deter the relatively youthful Robert, who was confident about managing all aspects to deliver a suitable structure.

The school sported an unusual problem: as part of the school BER programme, they had commissioned a new school hall adjacent to a COLA (covered outdoor learning area), with the idea that the COLA would provide overflow seating to the hall by way of huge vertically operated folding doors.

However during rainy days, the six-metre gap between the structures meant a wet seating area with the added risk of damage to the hall’s timber floors. To say

nothing of the OH&S risk presented by slippery wet floors.

The request was to come up with a membrane structure which would effectively join these two very different roofed structures not sited squarely next door to each other — one which created a large continuous auditorium protected from weather.

‘Young Achiever’ Robert handled the project from beginning to end; the design, fabrication and installation of a structure to join two different shaped roofs to provide a large continuous and more open waterproof area for the school students and hall.

Another key aspect was to minimise the potential OH&S issue of slippery floors by installing a 6.2m x 22m infill PVC membrane between the two existing structures Robert was able to successfully open up their outdoor under cover

Hard work pays off. If you just blend into the crowd and clock-in and clock-off you will not get too far.

area, so the school and its students can now enjoy the quadrangle and hall area in all weather conditions.

Joining two buildings was a complex task.

Dealing with complexities Devising a structural solution that was going to be functional and at the same time visually appealing was extremely challenging; the existing buildings were not square to the variances in degrees of the slopes in the skillion roof of the COLA to the hip roof of the hall.

The outcome is a unique membrane structure with varying radius curves, lengths and angles in steelwork that required the PVC membrane to fit like a glove.

None of these elements was exactly the same — not one piece of steel was the same length or bent to the same radius and not one seam on the membrane was straight or parallel to another member or seam.

To achieve this, Robert first surveyed the area to determine the final rafter properties — lengths, angles & curves; then ensured the eaves were clear of overhangs, but at the same time staying as close as possible to the roof to minimise any wind driven rain that may blow in the sides of the structure.

A professional surveyor examined the structure’s twisted shape and assessed the amount of steel required; there was no clear line of site to the Theodolite and therefore three different reference points had to be picked up to take all of the measurements. Data was then patterned and converted into a plot file for welding.

The structure was custom built on site with the aid of machinery to work at heights and also to lift materials into position.

The hall had a skillion with a pitch of 15 degrees, while the COLA had a hipped roof with open gable, with a pitch of 30 degrees. The client also had an OH&S requirement on this structure to incorporate digitally printed warning signs (‘Danger: do not walk on structure’) on the membrane.

Result!

Robert reputedly displayed excellent customer service skills.

This project demanded a series of site visits and concept drawings as well as quoting; final design; managing other trades, surveyors, and engineers; organising, overseeing and giving guidance to the work team on site, and the manufacture of the membrane.

Robert skilfully handled all of this along with design coordination and procurement of all materials and services.

Both Robert and the client are very pleased with the end result, with EH Brett, saying “As a business we are proud of the finished product which demonstrates the versatility of fabric in addressing a unique building challenge!”

Connections chatted to Robert Bull who described his Young Achiever award win as “Amazing — there is a lot of good work and strong competition out there and I hoped to be in the top three… but to win it!”

He went on to explain that following the initial inquiry in July 2010 it was a case of going “Backwards and forwards weekly between the Catholic Education Board and school to ensure the right product and materials would be used to meet all requirements.

“The actual work order was received by Brett’s just before Christmas last year and we aimed to complete the structure during the summer school holiday period.

Work involved steel fabrication and bending as well as transport of materials etc, so we anticipated finishing the job by late January or early February.

“The actual time on site one-anda-half weeks. But planning was stretched over a long time.”

THE GENESIS OF BRETT’S The origins of EH Brett & Sons are somewhat colourful: the business was founded in a rowing boat on Sydney Harbour more than a century ago by Edwin Henry Brett.

Over the decades Brett’s has been working with textiles and been witness to the evolution of the industry — the changes and developments in fabrics and methods and ways of working with them.

Robert clearly had the depth of experience to competently take on the project. Since leaving school ten years ago he has worked on shade sails and general canvas work and gained valuable building skills by pursuing carpentry qualifications.“Then I was lured back into this great industry!” he said.

“I started out sweeping floors and now I’m production manager which shows you can start at the bottom and work your way up.

My daily tasks involve working with floor staff to ensure proper standards, taking customer calls and arranging quotes; you could say I am wearing many hats.

“Hard work pays off. If you just blend into the crowd and clock-in and clock-off you will not get too far.

The team has adapted to embrace new fabrics, production techniques and ideas in all areas of fabrication.

What sorts of fabrics? Canvas sails for clippers to tension membranes for shade; truck tarps and side curtains, roll top tarping systems and prairie covers; also bunting and flags and enormous aerial heli-banners. www.brettproducts.com.au

“And I say customers are always right! I meet their needs and requirements which is necessary to prove you are the right person for the job. My general business skills, trade background and knowledge help us win tenders and complete tasks correctly and on time.”

Working closely with business owners and brothers Greg and Ross Penman has enabled Robert to hone his skills.

Currently he’s working on a dome canopy that involves digital printing and “lots of shaping, cutting and high frequency welding”. The masterpiece is destined for the snowfield launch of a new — and as yet unnamed — vehicle; all will be unveiled in due course.

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 39

TECHNICAL

Left: Taking tent design to futuristic new heights.

Above: Over the Top Tents and Events set up a 20-by-20 foot and a 10-by-20 foot tent for a wedding on ice. The tents by Warner Shelter Systems are a good choice for cold weather installations, Over the Top owner Shelby Johansen says. Photo by Sam Barber.

Extreme tented weddings Ice, sand dune, trees and more: Tent pros pull off extraordinary wedding installations, says Meleah Maynard of IFAI’s InTents magazine.

The word “extreme” means different things to different people.

But when brides and grooms demand the wedding of their dreams, regardless or unaware of the challenges, tents—and tent professionals—often can and do save the day. Read on to see how five tent companies made out-ofthe-ordinary weddings possible.

Wedding on ice Snow and ice are just part of the job for Eagle River, Alaska-based Over the Top Tents and Events. So when a young couple requested a tented, winter wedding on a frozen lake in Anchorage, owner Shelby Johansen didn’t hesitate to take the job.

“I’ve got a great crew and we run into these things all the time,” he says, adding that the biggest challenge was staking the tent down 40 · CONNECTIONS

without tearing up the surrounding ice, which was to be used as a skating rink during the celebration.

It’s not uncommon to have high winds at the base of the mountain where the event took place, so Johansen and his crew focused on how best to safely secure the tent to the ice. After careful consideration, they decided to use ice screws similar to those used by mountain climbers.

“We screwed them into the ice and then poured hot water over them to freeze them in so they wouldn’t move,” Johansen explains.

“It wasn’t a very big tent, but it was still about six or seven thousand pounds of fabric that needed to be held down in the wind.”

Installation only took about four hours because the crew planned the process well ahead of time, Johansen says. Everything the

installation team needed was hauled to the site in a truck and then offloaded onto a sled that they pulled with a snowmobile right up to the lake. “We were concerned about the wind the whole time, but the evening ended up being beautiful for a winter wedding,” Johansen says.

Accommodating mature trees The stone terrace at Graydon Hall Manor in Toronto, Canada, is home to seven large trees that needed to be accommodated in a tented structure for weddings and other special events. Fiesta Tents Ltd. of Quebec took on the project, which required the design and manufacture of a tent that could be taken down and reinstalled whenever functions were scheduled.

“It was complicated because each tree had between three and nine branches that needed to pass through the top of the tent,” says Fiesta international sales manager Alexandre Renaud. Another challenge was the fact that the top of the tent was clear vinyl, so any imperfections would be quick to show. Because the location’s main attraction is its spectacular gardens, the tent needed to provide shelter from the elements without compromising the view It was a team effort to create the tented structure, which fits over the entire stone terrace and incorporates four access points and two sets of stairs. Torontobased JJL Events Inc. designed the tent and came up with the plan for incorporating the branches while Fiesta manufactured the finished product. “We also custom built the frame so the components don’t interfere with the branching,” Renaud says.

Ongoing installation and removal of the tent is done by Toronto’s Regal Tent Productions Ltd. After preliminary discussions, it took about five weeks to complete the frame and tent. Each branch was measured to ensure the openings were the right size.

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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 41

TECHNICAL

The impressively designed light and airy wedding marquees bringing the outside in.

An extra flap of fabric that wraps around the branches on the outside of the roof line is held down with tensioning straps to keep rain from dripping into the tent.

“People like this because it doesn’t look like a typical rental flooring option,” Frost says. “It looks like something they would put in their own home.”

Creating an upscale vision

Perfecting a seaside perch

A wedding in the Hamptons with a white-on-white minimalist theme was the perfect opportunity for Stamford Tent & Event Services of Stamford, Connecticut, to show off a new wide plank flooring option.

But to make that happen, the budget needed to be the opposite of “minimal.”

Requested by decorators, event planners and others who want an upscale look for social and corporate events, the flooring can be cut to varying lengths and handfinished in pickled birch or English chestnut, says Stamford owner and manager Steve Frost.

For the Hamptons wedding, planned by Elizabeth K. Allen, the flooring required two things: a level sub floor and a generous budget, says Frost. Installation is timeconsuming, and the flooring must be covered during the process to protect it from scratching.

The flawless floor was so impressive that guests wondered aloud whether their host, an architect, planned to have it installed permanently somewhere.

When a hurricane swept away a house on the eastern end of Long Island, it left behind a 16-foot-tall sand dune with a breathtaking view of the ocean—the perfect spot for a tented wedding. After interviewing several companies, the groom chose Starr Tents of Mt. Vernon, New York, for the job. It was a challenging installation to be sure, says owner Christopher H. Starr, but it was not insurmountable.

“We’re often asked to do complicated projects and we don’t shy away from something even if we haven’t done it before,” he says.

Though a frame tent would have been easier to install, the event designer, David Stark Design, Brooklyn, New York requested a tension tent. So Starr and his team created a long staking system to secure the largest tent, which was used for the dinner, on the dune.

“We used special ratchet straps that were made to extend to the stakes down below,” Starr says.

Though the tent appeared to be sitting on land when viewed from the beach, it was actually

42 · CONNECTIONS

We’re often asked to do complicated projects and we don’t shy away from something even if we haven’t done it before

constructed atop an elaborate flooring system. Down the hill from the dinner tent, Starr’s team also installed a cocktail tent so guests could walk up from the beach after the ceremony for drinks before moving on to the larger tent for dinner.

“We built a long ramp that went all the way down to the beach, and then the dinner tent had a deck outside so people could walk around two sides of it,” Starr explains.

No room for error The castle-style estate in Florida chosen by rapper T. I. (Clifford Harris Jr.) and Tameka “Tiny” Cottle provided both the elegance and privacy they desired for their wedding reception—but it came with timeline and technical challenges for tent installer EventStar of Miami, Florida.

EventCouture LLC of Atlanta, Georgia produced the lavish event and called on longtime partner EventStar for tented options for the reception.

A lakeside design was chosen that ideally would have required five to six days to construct, says EventStar’s Gerry Melendez.

But because the daily rate for being on the site was cost prohibitive, the crew was given just three days for installation.

“We worked more than 12 hours a day for three days and we got it done on time,” Melendez says.

Because the terrain was uneven, EventStar had to level the site before flooring could be laid, and everything needed to be measured precisely so glass panels along the estate-facing side of the tent could be inserted.

“Those glass panels would never have worked if everything wasn’t perfectly level to within an eighth of an inch of tolerance,” EventStar president Alain Perez says. “We went out three times with lasers to survey the site to be sure we had the measurements right. No one knew we’d had to work so hard to do the levelling because ultimately the bottom of the tent was hidden by a white skirt.”

This article reproduced from InTents with kind permission from IFAI.

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AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 43

SPOTLIGHT The latest offerings from ASASPA members Shann’s new perspective on blinds and awnings Think of summer and invariably outdoor spaces to enjoy the warm weather come to mind, whether that’s relaxing at home, dining out or enjoying a cool drink at the local watering hole.

Protection from the sun is also important as the hot Australian summer takes its toll. Now, thanks to Shann, taking advantage of our great outdoors is easier, and more affordable than ever.

Launching their latest blind and awning range, Perspective

by Shann is purpose built to be affordable without compromising performance.

Featuring in the initial launch of the Perspective range are the: Cantina folding arm awning, Channel Blind system designed for alfresco living and dining areas, pergolas and verandas and VertiShade, aclever fully cassetted head box blind system designed for vertical drop sun blinds.

“With the domestic market continuing to follow commercial trends around café blinds and awnings, our new Perspective range offers our clients and their customer’s affordable and attractive options to enjoy outdoor living” explains Martin O’Shannassy, Marketing Director of Shann.

The Perspective range rivals expensive European products and delivers exceptional and stunning results. Sourced from respected suppliers using high quality materials which are further enhanced and re-engineered in Australia to suit Australian 44 · CONNECTIONS

conditions, the Perspective range create comprehensive and perfectly price pointed offering for a wide range of domestic and commercial applications.

Martin further explains, “The Perspective range is absolutely designed for commercial and hospitality applications as well as domestic situations. Because the products are so adaptable and engineered for performance they can be specified and installed with confidence”.

And true too that the benefits of the Perspective range carry through to the winter months, allowing outside areas to be an extension of the indoors regardless of inclement weather. With a further two new products due for launch into the range in September, the Perspective range really does offer

a complete and cost effective array of window solutions.

Backed by a full-service, highenergy sales and a comprehensive range of products from leading suppliers to a diverse range of industries. The company’s commitment to excellence and superior product sees its staff constantly travelling to trade shows and visiting suppliers to ensure continual product development and improvement.

The uncomplicated and reliable design of the Perspective Cantina folding arm awning makes it perfect for application in residential, commercial and hospitality settings. Available manual or motorised in a range of 15 beautiful Planosol® colours and designs, the Cantina folding arm awning is practical, stylish

and perfectly price pointed.

The Channel Blind system has been created for alfresco living areas, pergolas and verandas.

Designed without pull ropes or zip closures, the smooth crank operating mechanism of the Channel Blind is effective and easy to use.

VertiShade is a clever, fully cassetted head box system designed for vertical drop sunblinds. Installed recessed into the window frame, VertiShade creates a contemporary flush look to each façade.

For more information, quotes or images contact Melissa Vine, National Product Manager — Industrial Fabrics, Shann Australia on (03) 8480 0800.

E: melissav@shann.com.au www.shann.com.au

The Bricos Group — doing business since 1972 Established in 1972, the Bricos Group has a long and respected history in the internal window coverings industry providing fabricators and retail customers with outstanding sales support and a quality range of sales and marketing tools for expanding business opportunities in internal blind and curtain lining fabrics.

Mark Wood, National Sales Manager for the Bricos Group, says the company has plenty to offer ACASPA members. “We offer our counterparts in the external window covering industry and we’d like to partner with them, to help them grow their business in the internal side of the window furnishing market,” Mark said.

The Bricos Group’s display at Expo 2011 included three quality ranges of Blind Fabrics, including the Designer Collection, Sunshadow® mesh and the Roller, Roman &

Panel Glide Collection as well as examples of Curtain Linings from the quality Just Linings range.

“While displaying our fabrics at the Expo, with the main goal of showcasing the support and resources we have available for businesses, we were able to discuss the goals of business owners and how the Bricos business model can help to expand their product offering,” Mark explained.

Bricos’ partnering programme includes technical support, free educational training for fabricators and their customers, and retail point of sale material.

ACASPA members planning to expand can take advantage of the Bricos Group’s long standing expertise and access to resources which includes a specially designed Triple-Pack of fabric swatches in fashion colours and patterns suitable for every residential and commercial window covering requirement.

“Our Triple-Pack is a key resource that presents fabric sampling in an easy to manage format with specially designed lift out swatches that have been developed for ease of use when coordinating colours and fabric types,” Mark said.

“The Bricos Group is the Exclusive Distributor for several Blockout ranges along with the Designer Collection of decorative blind fabrics and Sunshadow® internal mesh in Australia and New Zealand providing Bricos customers with competitive

advantages on sought-after window covering products,” Mark said.

Other benefits include a fast turn-around Skins and Cut Length Services which offer a premium service that delivers economies in terms of time, and wastage and eliminates the need to purchase entire rolls for small jobs.

The Bricos Group has warehouses in Queensland and Victoria which store and despatch fabrics within 48 hours to major regional centres.

For more information contact Mark Wood on 0439 743 522.

& AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 45

SPOTLIGHT Absolute Trade Supplies (ATS)

of the art stentoring machine has come online.”

ATS’s architectural range of shade cloths have always been heat set or stentored. However it is clear that ATS is determined to continually make developments, and therefore has invested in the new machine in order to give their customers access to the best product possible. Product development manager Colin Covill explained.

“Any change made to our products is like fine tuning a high performance racing engine. Our products are technically excellent;

however we have never been quite satisfied with the degree of flatness and curl. This machine will not change the physical make up of our Shadecloth, however it gives us the ability to virtually eliminate curl and reduce shrinkage even further resulting in a stand out product at amazing prices. With the ability to micro manage temperature settings and the speed the fabric moves through the heating chamber, the end result will be a more consistent product across our entire architectural range.” www.absolutetradesupplies.com.au

Successful debut of new Durkopp Adler M-Type model: H867

Such is the quality of industry visitors to the ACASPA Expo, DASEC and Durkopp Adler chose that event to debut the prototype H867. Shown for the first time outside of Germany, and in its second only public viewing, the H867 drew comments and praise from visitors and industry delegates alike. It is modelled from the most successful mediumheavy duty industrial sewing machine in the world — the famous M-Type from Durkopp

Adler AG, Bielefeld in Germany.

After TexProcess the machine was returned to Durkopp Adler’s R+D department for final checking before being airfreighted to Sydney.

Designed and manufactured in Europe, H867 will go into production later in 2011 and ready for delivery from January 2012.

With features such as: new hook system with 3XL sewing hook, largest bobbin capacity; sewing speed up to 2000spm; robust

A change for Ferrari

The Australian launch of the new company name and distinctive logo coincided with the 2011 ACASPA Expo. In Australia the extensive range of Ferrari fabrics are available from Melbourne based Innova International.

Managing Director Ian Knox said “there is a new focus and excitement within the partnership network and we expect a continuous flow of product enhancements in this and future years. Ongoing

success will similarly be underpinned by Serge Ferrari’s commitment to producing superior quality textiles in their integrated manufacturing operations in France and Switzerland.”

Both Innova and Serge Ferrari credit their growth in Australia to their long standing partnership, R&D driven technological advances and genuinely sustainable practices. www.innnovaint.com.au

ATS proudly manufactures and distributes the high quality Abshade architectural shade fabrics. ATS is excited to announce an improvement in the manufacturing process of the Abshade product.

Sales Consultant Daniel Tonkin said “ATS has always been renowned for offering the lowest prices for quality shadecloth within the Australian market. We are now able to combine with a product second to none, as our new state

The world renowned Ferrari textiles brand recently changed the business name and brand to Serge Ferrari in honour of the company founder.

Launched in France 38 years ago

by Serge Ferrari, the company has developed into a global player in the manufacture and marketing of composite textiles, now exporting to more than 80 countries under the guiding hands of Serge’s sons Sebastien and Romain Ferrari.

BUSINESS FOR SALE

thread trimmer guarantees safe and clean cutting of extremely heavy sewing thread; full automatic lubrication system; self start bobbin winding system; powerful and effective triple feed system; modern, up-to-date construction and operator controls.

H867 brings sewing parameters previously unavailable in heavy duty sewing.

For more information on H867 contact DASEC on 02 9645 2500 or visit www.dasec.com.au

A MALAYSIAN COMPANY MARKET LEADER in Malaysia in shadesails & tension membrane structures with yearly profits is now for sale to Australians as the owner will be retiring. It is an opportunity for Australians to tap into Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Philippines.

If interested, kindly email to datojeffteoh@suncoolmalaysia.com.my or jeffteoh@tm.net.my to receive more information.

46 · CONNECTIONS

HVG continues push into fabrics market HVG Fabrics’ investment as a gold sponsor of the recent ACASPA Expo was the latest initiative in an ongoing campaign by the company to increase its profile and presence in the decorative and industrial fabrics market.

One of four gold sponsors for the expo, the brand also had a strong presence on the exhibition floor, showcasing its latest range of fabric solutions for the domestic and commercial shade, blind and awning, agricultural, marine and transport markets.

Expo-goers got a look at HVG Fabrics’ full range of industrial fabric solutions, including the Tarpee Polyfabric, a premium Japanese-woven PE fabric for grain, shelter and structure covers, dam liners, poultry curtains and tent flooring.

HVG Industrial Fabrics’ Business Manager, John Wood said the Tarpee Polyfabric, sourced from HVG’s long term partner Hagihara Industries in Japan, demonstrated the global connections of HVG. “With a global reach of suppliers and products, we do the leg work to find the right products for the right applications for our customers. We’re also confident in the quality of our product range and put our reputation on the line to back these products with a

The Buz about tablets PC tablets are now being released by everyone: Apple, Samsung,

broad range of warranty options,” John said.

Other product highlights at the ACASPA Expo included the Flex PVC for outdoor, agricultural, industrial and transport applications and the Extrablock Shadecloth for commercial and domestic shade sails.

HVG Fabrics’ eye-catching stand at Sydney Convention & Exhibition Centre also threw the spotlight on its range of decorative fabrics and films, including the Visiontex outdoor awning mesh, EASISLIP window films and Nautolex marinegrade vinyls.

A PVC coated, high tensile polyester, Visiontex is ideal for outdoor applications such as awnings, drop blinds, marine canopies, light weight sails and umbrellas.

EASISLIP is a high quality Japanese PVC suitable for both internal and external applications, while Nautolex is a patented seat vinyl with abrasion and stain resistant properties for outdoor marine and commercial seating.

“We’re in the midst of an ongoing campaign to increase our profile and presence in the fabrics market and the expo was a perfect platform to showcase our entire portfolio of fabric products under one roof,” said Daniel Gollan, Business Manager, HVG Decorative Fabrics and Films.

Motorola and Acer to name a few.

They are powered by different companies and not all of them will

While the expo was a terrific opportunity for HVG Fabrics to display its latest products to a who’s who of the industry, HVG CEO Bruce Rayment said the brand’s strengths also lay in its experienced staff, network of locations and extensive stock supplies.

“With a stable national team with 130-plus years of combined industry knowledge, HVG is an alliance partner with a technical and commercial instinct you can trust,” Bruce explained.

“Our national network of sales

specialists, six distribution centres around the country and large stock holdings also means we have the products where and when you need them.”

He added that Rayment said HVG Fabrics also had the marketing resources and advice to ensure the latest personalised sampling and marketing innovations and point of sale marketing packages to enhance customers’ company profile.

For more information on HVG Fabrics’ range of products visit www.hvgfabrics.com.au

suit your needs. We at BUZ Software have decided to design our software to work on all the tablets.

Buz Software has always offered online wholesale ordering on the internet, and this works well for our wholesale customers. Now we have enhanced this area and made it work for retail quoting on any tablet or portable computer, you can even do it on your phone if you are desperate!

Your retail sales reps will have access to their up-to-date diaries, be able to do their quoting with

discount options in real time at the customers home or office.

The orders will be saved to the office so the office can answer customer enquiries and be ready for production and invoicing within seconds of your customer giving the go ahead.

BUZ Software has a dedicated team that is prepared to listen and grow with your business, accessing new technologies to get the best results for your needs.

For more information about Buz visit www.buzsoftware.com.au

AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 · 47

48 路 CONNECTIONS

acaspa Australian Canvas and

Suite 201, 22 St Kilda Road, St Kilda VIC 3182 Phone 03 9521 2114 Local Call 1300 555 787 Fax 03 9521 2116 Email office@acaspa.com.au Web www.acaspa.com.au ABN 83 594 171 330

Synthetic Products Association Inc

Membership Application Form Current from 1st April 2011 to 31st March 2012 Company / Business Name ABN or ACN #

Please supply proof of business registration with this application

Does your business trade under any other name?

Yes

No

If yes, what is the other trading name

Address State

Postcode

Telephone (

)

Fax (

)

Mobile

E-mail

Web

Name of Business Owner

Position held in business

Name of second business contact/representative

Position held in business

Has this business or any other business owned by you (either now or previously) ever been reported to the ACCC? (Australian Competition and Consumer Commission) If yes, please provide details to accompany this application What area of the industry are you involved in?

Blinds and Awnings Marine Motor Trimmer Flags and /Banners Sailmaker GeoSynthetics

Shade Sails installer Shade Sail Fabricator

Yes

No

Supplier to the industry (specify) Other

What Products do you manufacture, design or supply?

Full Membership Category

n n

n n

FABRICATOR Construction/Manufacture from prepared components SuPPlIER Material/Component/Equipment /Services

Do you belong to any other Industry Association?

n Yes n No

ASSOCIATE Individuals interested in ACASPA objectives AFFIlIATE Organisations affiliated with ACASPA

If Yes, please list

Applicants are required to be proposed and seconded by an ACASPA Member â&#x20AC;&#x201C; If you do not know of any Members, please contact our Office for further assistance Proposed by

Company Name

Telephone

Seconded by

Company Name

Telephone

I, (name of business owner) agree to abide by the Statement of Purposes and Rules of the Association and its Code of Ethics. I understand that should at any time any of the information supplied by me is found to be false/incorrect, my membership will be immediately withdrawn from the Association.

Signature (of business owner)

Date

Payment Details

Tiered fee structure based on average number of employees (Prices are inclusive of GST) 1 to 5 Employees 6 to 15 Employees 16 or more employees Associate Affiliate

$510 $855 $1155 $160 $190

(pro-rata Rate applies July through to March plus $100 processing fee. This will be calculated by ACASPA office)

Amount $

EFT - Payments to NAB Account # 50 757 1523 BSB # 083 166 Cheque

Mastercard

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Name as it appears on card Signature

MAM8720

Annual Membership Fees

Date AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 ¡ 49

SPOTLIGHT Follow the Footprints…

Bright green footprints surrounding the Innova International display stand at ACASPA Expo 2011 proved intriguing for delegates.

What did they signify? Innova’s strong focus on reducing the company’s carbon footprint.

Innova International Managing Director, Ian Knox said “We have introduced the Remove-RecycleReplace concept to the market with the support of our partner Serge Ferrari of France. This activity linked to the patented Texyloop

process makes possible the responsible reduction of waste or end-of-life materials.”

He explained there have been many examples where fabric from tension membrane structures has been removed, cleaned and then delivered to Innova International in Melbourne. Fabrics are then stored until there is a sufficient quantity to fill a container which is then exported to Europe for recycling.

“Life cycle assessment (LCA) confirms that the creation of raw

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materials from recycling is a decisive factor that significantly reduces environmental impacts,” Ian said. “The Texyloop process enables recycling of 100% of the components of coated polyester textiles and can accommodate fabrics from various overseas mills, based on a certified assessment.”

As Expo delegates would attest, the super-sized Innova International stand provided a glamorous series of images covering the diverse range of Serge Ferrari products

Above: Bright green footprints’were a prominent feature of the Innova International display stand.

including their architectural fabrics, Soltis solar protection textiles and the Stamoid marine collection. Also featured was a striking montage of exhibition structures/buildings from the 2010 World Expo in Shanghai. In all, 14 individual country displays showcased Serge Ferrari materials.

Unit 12, 7-17 Geddes St. Mulgrave, VIC 3170 Tel: 03 9561 8779 | Fax: 03 9562 0017 Email: hiraoka@bigpond.net.au ABN 74 108 919 615 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2011 路 51

EVENTS REGISTERED TRAINING ORGANISATIONS

ACROSS THE GLOBE OCTOBER Conference on Collaborative Design and LSAA Design Awards Thursday 13 and Friday 14 October Novotel Sydney Olympic Park Workshop: Design of Tensioned Fabric and Shadecloth Structures Wednesday 12 October Novotel Sydney Olympic Park www.collaborativedesign.com.au www.lsaa.org IFAI Advanced Textiles Americas 2011 Monday October 24 to Tuesday October 25 Baltimore Convention Center in Baltimore, Maryland (As part of IFAI Expo Americas 2011) www.ifaiexpo.com/advanced_ textiles.cfm IFAI Expo Americas 2011 Tuesday October 25 to Wednesday October 27 Baltimore Convention Centre, Maryland, USA Leading the way in specialty fabrics: the largest specialty fabrics trade show in the Americas. www.ifaiexpo.com

NOVEMBER/ DECEMBER Canvas Products Association Zone 7 2011 Conference Wednesday November 30 to Friday December 2 Hilton Akron / Fairlawn Akron, Ohio, US. Zone 7 trade organisation comprises fabric product manufacturers and suppliers from US states Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, West Virginia, Western New York and Northern Kentucky. www.canvaszone7.com

2012

JANUARY 2012 MFA National Convention Friday January 20 to Sunday January 22, 2012 Hilton Hotel, 52 · CONNECTIONS

New Orleans, Louisiana, US Described as the premier convention for the marine fabrication industry, this event enables marine canvas delegates to enhance skills and make new business connections. www.marinecanvas.com

FEBRUARY Tent Conference 2012 Sunday February 26 to Tuesday February 28 New York, NY Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, Nevada Tent Conference 2012 is the marketplace for preparing for the future. New products, innovative ideas and networking opportunities during sessions will address clearspan installations, fall protection in tents, evacuation procedures and weather challenges. The conference also features The Idea Factory and Event Solutions/Catersource. www.tentexperts.org

MARCH IFAI Expo Canada 2012 Thursday March 29 to Friday March 30, 2012 Delta Meadowvale Resort and Conference Centre Mississauga, Ontario, Canada The annual IFAI Canada Expo brings together specialty fabrics manufacturers and businesses. The event features dedicated exposition hours on the exhibit floor, combined with a compelling and interactive program. www.ifaicanada.com

MAY ACASPA EXPO 2012 Saturday May 26 to Monday May 28, 2012 At the centrally located, premier events venue, Melbourne Exhibition Centre.

ACASPA Expo 2012 will feature

a two-day exhibition, business sessions and social events.

The very popular Awards for Excellence dinner takes place on Monday evening, May 28.

More details to come, visit www.acaspa.com.au

JUNE IFAI EXPO ASIA 2012 Tuesday June 26 to Thursday June 28 2012 Suntec Singapore International Convention and Exhibition Centre, Singapore A dynamic trade exhibition and conference dedicated to technical textiles in Asia Pacific.

See the pages of this magazine for more details or log on to: www.ifaiexpoasia.com

DISTRIBUTOR Looking for distributors or agents for the “Street Smart Umbrella” Lightweight, two part rectangular cantilevered umbrella for street dining.

This is a unique product and a great opportunity.

Please contact James at Yarra Shade Co on 03 9676 2476. jamesmcc@yarrashade.com.au

SALE/LEASE Rodda Tarpaulins — Bordertown Ideally situated within the transport hub of Adel-Melb, upper & lower SE a & Sthn Mallee. 38 year established with large reliable client base of freighters & agriculturists, roll tops, general tarps & assoc. canvas goods. Expansion available for blinds & shade sails with enthusiastic buyer.

Exc rural living c/w sporting schooling & medical facilities.

Owner to assist transition on sale. Interest invited.

Contact Ross Rodda on 0429 809 798

NSW & NT SYDNEY INSTITUTE OF TAFE Ph (02) 9217 4601 Fax (02) 9217 4963 Contact: Lawrence De Paoli lawrence.depaoli@tafensw.edu.au www.sit.nsw.edu.au/sailmaking

SOUTH AUSTRALIA LAWRENCE DE PAOLI Lawrence De Paoli Ph (02) 9217 4601 Fax (02) 9217 4963 lawrence.depaoli@tafensw.edu.au

TASMANIA TASMANIA INSTITUTE OF TAFE Ph 1300 655 307 Fax (03) 6233 7830 www.tafe.tas.edu.

VICTORIA RMIT UNIVERSITY Ph (03) 9925 9182 Fax (03) 9925 9129 Contact: Kent Williamson kent.williamson@rmit.edu.au www.rmit.edu.au 25 Dawson Street Brunswick Vic 3056

QUEENSLAND LAWRENCE DE PAOLI Lawrence De Paoli Ph (02) 9217 4601 Fax (02) 9217 4963 lawrence.depaoli@tafensw.edu.au

WESTERN AUSTRALIA TAFE WA Ph (08) 9207 4412 Fax (08) 9207 4399 Gary McCormick Swan College, Balga Campus Gate 1 Lockswood Road, Balga WA

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