A major New Zealand shed supplier has deployed STEELbuilder to give it an advantage over rivals in the highly competitive Kiwi shed sector.

National company SPANTECH Buildings has deployed a customised version of the new shed design software from ESS to streamline its production systems as well as its supply chain with its major steel supplier Dimond. Dimond General Manager Brad Bridges said the ESS software was an important new phase of its partnership with SPANTECH Buildings. “SPANTECH is a key customer, so this is part of developing a mutually beneficial relationship,” he said.

“SPANTECH requires good shed design and management software to take their business to the next phase. We have invested in this software to support SPANTECH. In return, we get 100 per cent loyalty from their purchasing. It’s a win-win for both parties.”

SPANTECH Buildings specialises in the design, manufacture and erection of high-strength, low-cost, steel-framed buildings. Based in Hamilton, it distributes products nationally through a network of agents. Dimond is New Zealand’s largest manufacturer of steel roofing, cladding, structural and rainwater products. A part of the Fletchers Building group, the company creates products to meet the needs of residential, commercial, rural and industrial clients.

The steel-frame shed sector in New Zealand is growing at 20-40 per cent per year, with a major change occurring as customers move from selecting sheds from a pre-designed range to a design-and-build model.

“As the quality of buildings improves, more owners and developers will choose this approach,” said Mr. Bridges. “The ESS software will support SPANTECH’s growth by automating its business processes. All Dimond products will be loaded within the software, so we will read SPANTECH’s orders electronically and load data seamlessly into our system. We expect to get a payback within three years.”

Mr. Bridges said the key benefits of the ESS software included:

• • Automating processes
• • Removing sources of errors
• • Speeding up time from placement of order to council approval
• • Providing an accurate bill of materials for Dimond and other suppliers.

Speeds Up Work

“SPANTECH will gain visibility of work that is in the pipeline and the ability to manage the whole process,” he said. “You can’t underestimate how much benefit this will provide when moving from a largely manual system.”

ESS General Manager Tim Rankin said the New Zealand win leveraged the investment by ESS in developing a world-class shed design tool. “SPANTECH Buildings will have its own branded software based on the ESS product,” he said. “This lets them take advantage of the software’s infrastructure to obtain a quality product with more reliability in a quicker time.”

For more information about ESS STEELbuilder Shed Edition, call ESS on (08) 8241 0575, visit www.STEELbuilder.com.au or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .