FEATURE Left: Damian Lee demonstrates the ease of deploying the EHS Hoarding system.
“What we’ve done is to create a new telescopic anchoring bracket which uses precast 28kg blocks which are packaged into standardised plastic shells.
Damian Lee one of the second group of titular Lee brothers of Lee Brother’s Fencing – the original Lee brothers are his uncles, who founded the business way back in 1948. Damian came into the business in the 1980s, and has been at the forefront of engineering advances in temporary fencing ever since.
HOARDING INNOVATION Lee Brothers Fencing Group / Preston / www.leebrosfencing.com.au Incredibly clever innovations often seems obvious in retrospect. When wheels were first added to luggage in 1972, humanity had already landed on the moon, which actually means that it was easier to figure out advanced rocket dynamics – and how to safely strap three human beings to the top of one – than it was for someone to think: “Golly, these suitcases would be easier to move if they could roll!” To find out more about the nature of innovation and how it can affect a business, we met with Damian Lee of Lee Brother’s Fencing, who has recently experienced great success by innovating a new product called EHS Hoarding. “Traditional hoarding – that’s the temporary plywood fencing that goes THE BUSINESS CONNECTION
up around construction sites or sporting events – hasn’t really changed since our business was founded,” explains Damian. “The wooden fence is supported by a stack of concrete blocks over a steel frame on the rear, which often need metal rods sunk into the ground to secure it in place. To say the least, things can go really wrong with that.” Inspired by the tragic and fatal collapsed wall collapse which occurred on Swanston Street in March 2013, Damian realised there had to be a better way. Recruiting the services of local manufacturers and designers, he laid out a bold plan to dramatically improve both the safety of hoarding while making it easier to install in locations where anchoring into the earth isn’t practical.
“What we’ve done is to create a new telescopic anchoring bracket which uses precast 28kg blocks which are packaged into standardised plastic shells,” he explains. “The advantages are numerous. On the one hand, the standardisation makes it easy and quick to erect, and the increased effectiveness afforded by the bracket’s leverage means it can be safely used on concrete without sinking anchors.” Not content with just making a safer and easier to use product, sustainability and cost effectiveness were also considered throughout the design process. EHS Hoarding is currently offered for rent as a premium product, necessitating a highquality finish. “We have begun to scale up the manufacturing as demand for the improved hoardings increases,” said Damian. “So we use brand new plywood for the EHS deployments, which are typically rented to high-end construction projects and sporting events – at the moment we’re gearing up to install the temporary fencing for The Australian Open. We’ll then recycle that into our regular line of hoarding, which are perfectly suitable for smaller or regional projects.” When just looking at the product, it’s hard to see why it took so long to be invented – but when Damian demonstrates the flexibility and ease of assembly, the innovative modular approach becomes clear. “We have now worked with 3D printers to do a scale model of the system,” explains Damian while constructing the demonstration unit, “So we can put the model onto a meeting table and demonstrate how the system works.”
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