Soudal Solves Sticky Supply Chain Issue For High-End Queenstown Build
Queenstown is desperately short of residential homes so highly-respected property developers GibbonsCo are putting themselves – and the region’s building supply chain – to the ultimate test.
Their Five Mile Villas development in Frankton will see 226 standalone two-bedroom apartments built in just 10 months. Up to 150 tradesman are working on site and Project Manager Blair Pattinson is in charge of keeping everything on track.
“Because we’re trying to build this development at speed, we’re putting a lot of strain on the local supply chain right across the board,” he acknowledges. “We are installing finished Melteca panels on all of the interior walls instead of GIB. But we initially had trouble finding someone who could supply the sheer amount of glue we needed to fix all those panels onto the framing.”
Solving Supply Chain Challenges with Soudal Adhesives
GibbonsCo ultimately chose Matt Lay, of Wanaka-based Lays Fasteners, to supply Soudal products. Soudal’s 240FC (fast cure) is high-quality MS adhesive while their 940FC polyurethane-based adhesive was also available as a back-up product.
“Any little detail on this job will hold up the programme because we’re trying to move so fast,” Blair explains. “So having a backup product, and knowing that it’s going to be there, is pretty important.”
Soudal’s reliable delivery, customer support, education and training, and the products’ technical capabilities, are the main reasons why Lays Fasteners champions the brand over other rival products.
High Adhesive Strength Without Screws or Nails
An initial trial on site proved Soudal’s products could easily hold the weight required. Soudal has perfected its adhesive fixed system for finished interior linings over the past 15 years and the adhesive force for 240FC is in fact 300kg – more than enough to hold each 30kg Melteca panel in place. Not relying on screws and nails to fasten your wall panels creates a polished ‘floating’ look, and also helps prevent heat from escaping via metal fastenings which can create a thermal bridge between the home’s interior and exterior.
Why 240FC and 940FC Are Ideal for Interior Panel Installation
For this particular project, Soudal’s 240FC and 940FC are both available in economical 600ml sausages and come in black – a crucial factor given there’s a 3mm negative detail between each Melteca panel to help create a high-end luxury look.
“If any glue squirts out the side of the panel, it would obviously ruin the black negative detail,” Blair says. “So having the availability of black glues was actually a huge advantage.
“We also needed a glue that has elasticity. We couldn’t have a rigid glue because the framing will move as temperatures change, especially during winter. The glue has to do 99% of the actual adhesion so we’ve got to trust the product’s not going to fall off the wall or ceiling and cause headaches, literally and metaphorically, down the track.”
Safe, Easy-to-Use Construction Adhesives for Tight Spaces
Both 240FC and 940FC are easy to apply, and GibbonsCo’s building team found them easy to clean up thanks to their solvent-free formulation. “That’s a plus in terms of health and safety too because we’re working in tight quarters inside these apartments so there’s less fumes,” Blair says.
Disposing of 600ml sausage packaging is also easier and takes up less bin space than 310ml cartridges. The product can be used in its entirety, with nothing stuck in the bottom of a cartridge going to waste. But on a development of this size, Blair says cost is always the bottom line.
Lays Fasteners: Delivering Construction Adhesives at Scale
Lays Fasteners supplied Soudal products for Five Mile Villas, and owner Matt Lay says the brand is known for its quality and overall value.
“We used Soudal’s sealant calculator to work out exactly how much product they’d need to finish the job. They’d previously been using a runnier product and were using more of it because they were getting sag. But Soudal was a thicker product so they didn’t need as much.
“They were really impressed with the product’s tackiness and ease of use. The initial grab was strong, yet it still allowed them to make precise adjustments and achieve perfect alignment. The product offered a great balance between performance and practicality on site.”
Technical Training and Partnership Support
“We have a really good relationship with our Soudal rep, Neale. He’s probably the best rep I’ve ever experienced in the building industry in terms of a wholesale supplier. He’s very proactive.”
Soudal has also run multiple in-store trainings for Lays Fasteners’ staff to boost their technical product knowledge, which Matt is grateful for. “Soudal has products that you can pretty much do anything with. We’ve done lots of practical training on low expansion foams, flexible foams, fire rated foams, glues… It’s important our staff get to experience these products so they can offer our customers lots of solutions like we’ve done with GibbonsCo.”
Fast Delivery and Expert Support from Soudal
Lays Fasteners has been in business for less than 12 months but has already formed a solid relationship with Soudal, who are now the company’s preferred supplier for sealants, adhesives, foams and tapes. Matt had full confidence that Soudal could supply the huge volume of 240FC and 940FC required for Five Mile Villas thanks to their global supply network.
“As soon as we got the job, we placed an order with Soudal and they sent us 10 boxes overnight to get the site moving. Another 400 arrived early the following week, and another 1000 landed about a week later. As soon as their stock from Belgium lands in Hamilton, it’s straight out the door to us which is really impressive.
Building the future together
Thanks to the success of suppling Five Mile Villas, GibbonsCo has already awarded its next townhouse project on Frankton Road to Lays Fasteners, who will once again supply Soudal products.
“That’s going to be a big project for us,” Matt says. “Our relationship with Soudal has been massively beneficial because it’s allowed us to be competitive as a brand new business against long-standing, huge companies.
“Soudal has become a core part of our business in terms of quality and being able to make a margin out of the product. It’s allowing us to grow our staff and our stock holdings, and it’s a pretty faultless product.”
Blair from GibbonsCo shares the same sentiment. “At the end of the day, it’s been a fantastic product. We have quite a few projects coming up, and Soudal is a smart choice moving forward.”