Pictured left to right: Alan Hill (ARDEX); His Worship the Mayor of Penrith, Councillor Todd Carney; Tanya Davies MP, Member for Badgerys Creek and Shadow Assistant Minister for Jobs and Small Business; Shalini Mudaliar (ARDEX); Alastair Wright (Barings), Fabian Morgan (ARDEX); Darrell Jefferies (ARDEX); Reini Otter (Frasers Industrial Property), Stephen O’Connor (Barings), Roland Martin and Ian Barter (Frasers Industrial Property, Raewyn Hughes, Chris Skiladellis and Rolf Offerhaus (ARDEX).
We are pleased to announce that on the 3 December 2024 ARDEX Oceania HQ was officially opened in the presence of dignitaries, honoured guests and property partners: Frasers Property Industrial, Barings and Aware Real Estate.
A smoking ceremony was a respectful and spiritual experience for staff as Graham Kirrpatja, Board Member of Deerubbin Local Aboriginal Land Council, shared an ancient song and its meaning before engaging in the entire audience to participate in the performance of the song. Guests were blessed with a eucalyptus branch brushed with the sacred smoke.
Dignitaries included His Worship the Mayor of Penrith, Councillor Todd Carney and Tanya Davies MP, Member for Badgerys Creek and Shadow Assistant Minister for Jobs and Small Business.
Special guests included Ian Forster and his wife Libby, Chris Ballauff and joint venture partners from Nexus and DTA Australia as well as interstate production and state sales managers. Neighbours from TheYards were also present. Over 200 people were present on the day, making this a record attendance for the site.
Fabian Morgan, ARDEX Regional Managing Director – Oceania gave an address which was a resounding success, expertly articulating the past five years of planning, implementation and collaboration for Oceania HQ. He not only told the story in an entertaining way but also gave due recognition to all whom were actively involved in the project.
The guided tours were the pièce de résistance of the day – with guests left speechless over the grandeur and attention to detail in the design.
The new $140 million targeted 6 green star manufacturing regional headquarters features a world-class 35-metre-high powder manufacturing tower used to vertically mix raw materials efficiently. Another new liquids manufacturing plant is an industry-first for its orientation and size and includes a 20-metre silo tower for storage and transfer of raw materials to the multi-level mixing plant.
According to Fabian Morgan, the new HQ brings certainty and stability to customers as well as new possibilities and partnerships for sustainable solutions like those required for offsite-built modular social housing.
“A typical challenge of off-site building methods for housing is the stresses acting on the elements due to transportation to the construction site and lifting operations. Building materials must be uniquely designed to ensure safety against cracks and detachments. ARDEX is globally aligned and well positioned to provide such high performing solutions. For these reasons, we support inclusion of uniform standards for manufactured homes constructed offsite, which the NSW Government is seeking from NSW Building Commission.
“Our expert local team include chemists, engineers, technicians and production operators who are highly trained and already producing new formulations and bespoke solutions for the industry.”
ARDEX HQ is also well positioned within the largest employment catchment area in Sydney with jobs expected to increase as the production towers speed manufacturing and outputs.
The new HQ location is strategic for an optimal national logistics network for the warehouse, located nearby the 24/7 Western Sydney International Airport and future Southern Link Road in the Western Sydney Aerotropolis, close to the M4 and M7, and within Greater Western Sydney’s sought-after industrial zone, alongside Microsoft and Amazon.
The site complements the other 9 manufacturing and 14 distribution centres around Australia and New Zealand.
