New Zealand’s first hot-dip galvanised bird-proof rafter was on display at NZ National Agricultural Fieldays 2016.
The annual four-day Fieldays event at Hamilton’s Mystery Creek is a great opportunity to see the latest innovations and new products helping shape the agribusiness landscape in New Zealand. One of the innovations launched this year was Alpine Buildings’ Hot-Box Rafters – New Zealand’s first hot-dip galvanised bird-proof rafter.
New Zealand-owned and -operated, Alpine Buildings supplies the fastest and easiest to install kitset sheds on the market. Established in the early 1990s, Alpine was the first company in New Zealand to supply complete kitset sheds.
Cutting the ribbon at the launch was Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy.
“Alpine Buildings has a proud history in New Zealand. They’ve got a great innovation here which is going to be of serious interest to farmers looking to invest in their future,” he says.
With more than 20 years in the industry, Alpine Buildings has always focused on continuous improvement and looking for ways to do things better. It was this focus which led to the development of the Hot-Box Rafter.
“The Zero-Bird-Perch design eliminates perching surfaces and nesting cavities,” says sales manager Almanzo Boakes.
“This means there’s minimal risk of acidic bird droppings damaging equipment or of birds spreading disease and lice.”
Builder Regan Holm says the bird-proof aspect of the rafter is very popular with his clients.
“There’s absolutely nowhere for the birds to perch, which means no mess on expensive machinery. And that’s a very big benefit.”
The result of more than 10 years of research and development, the Hot-Box uses hot-dip galvanisation which is two-and-a-half times stronger than any other steel protection coating available. As a result, the Alpine steel rafter system is a breakthrough toward stronger, better looking and longer lasting sheds.
Hot-dip galvanisation is widely known to be the most reliable and predictable finish with the tidiest long-term result. The rafters are dipped in molten zinc, providing a superior overall coating both inside and out. Hot-dip also provides better rust protection, which means less maintenance is required.
Alpine Buildings design each build for the unique environmental conditions of each site including wind and snow loadings. Their in-house design team work with site owners to customise a shed to suit – from implement and storage sheds through to workshops, hangars and animal shelters.
Alpine offers three different construction options – Gable Steel Rafter, Lean-to Steel Rafter and Tidyspan Steel Portal. Each uses the highest quality components and includes a 50-year building consent – the longest available in the industry. All timber is H3.2 tanalised or greater and poles are H5 treated.
Holm has been specialising in kitset farm buildings for the past six years and says Alpine’s kitsets offer everything he wishes others had provided years ago.
“One of the biggest benefits is in how much time I save on each build. I’m saving on average around two days or more. That’s because the brackets are all welded on in the factory, so there’s no need to spend time screwing them on. There are no worries about brackets being put on in the wrong place, because they’re all checked in the factory and arrive on-site ready to go.”
Alpine timber roof purlins are strip-stacked to dry before packing into a kitset which means they’re lighter and straighter, as well as being easier and safer to build. Timber purlins give you a building that breathes, is temperature controlled and quiet to work in. “We’ve had a lot of excellent feedback from builders using our kitsets,” says Boakes. “They love how simple they are build, how much time they can save and how easy and hassle-free the whole process is, from design to delivery.”
Award-winning display
Alpine Buildings picked up the Fieldays Jubilee Award this year. The Jubilee Award is awarded to an exhibitor who fully embraces the spirit of Fieldays including having friendly and welcoming staff, clear signage and branding, prioritising health and safety and creating an appealing display of their own building product.
“This year’s Fieldays was a very busy time, and also very enjoyable,” says marketing manager Becca Forrest. “The team had a full-on four days meeting hundreds of new faces and catching up with a few familiar ones too.
“We’re pretty stoked with our Jubilee Award and want to thank everyone who helped make it happen. The event far exceeded our expectations and we’re now working our way through the flood of enquiries and quotes from the event.”
Optimistic outlook at Fieldays
This year’s Fieldays was one of the busiest yet, attracting over 130,000 visitors including 500 international guests from 42 countries. The largest agricultural expo in the Southern Hemisphere, Fieldays is worth $140m to the Waikato economy and around $400m to the New Zealand economy.
Minister for Primary Industries Nathan Guy says the Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries 2016, which was released in mid-June, reflects the general sense of optimism at Fieldays.
“The situation outlook confirms the primary sector is in very good heart and has grown by a $1 billion in the past 12 months. We’ve had a very good year considering the volatility with the global milk price. If you look out a couple of years, I’d say horticulture is going to continue to go gang busters and dairy will be hitting its stride again.