Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, some great innovations are taking place in the manufacturing sector, like Holloway Group, forging new partnerships to produce a new product for the building industry.
Based in Minto, NSW, Holloway Group is one of the few Australian-based plastic injection moulding companies that can produce large goods. So when its Managing Director and owner Matthew Holloway saw a concrete void filler product that was being imported from China, he contacted the owner to see if they could do business.
“As a growing organisation, we are always looking for new opportunities to expand into new industries and to form new business partnerships,” says Holloway. “I read about Biax Foundations’ concrete void filler product in an article on LinkedIn and knew straight away that it was something we could manufacture.”
Up until that point, Biax was manufacturing its product in China and importing it into Australia. The freight costs and lead times made this difficult to sustain.
“Not only are we manufacturing the Biax product, but we’ve assisted with the improved design of the void filler, and will be assisting with their supply chain and distribution,” Holloway adds. “Our engineers and industrial designers assisted with a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) and were able to simulate the product using CAD and produce real-time data. The second series design that will be supplied from Holloway Group is a much more innovative product, lighter and stronger than the incumbent design.
“The larger of the two moulds for the Biax product weighs eight tonnes and is 1m x 1m x 900mm, which gives an idea of the scope of this product. That mould, which has just been commissioned, will be used in our largest injection moulding machine to produce the void fillers.”
The Biax system is a new product that provides a framework and fills a void for concrete slabs in the construction industry. Made from polypropylene, it is connected using the keystone clips that form a grid. Products made from polystyrene have been used in a similar way in the construction industry for many years.
“The Biax system has several advantages over its polystyrene competitors, including its compact nesting ability for freight and storage, and it is not as lightweight so does not blow around on building sites,” Holloway explains. “When foam is cut on site it also ends up in waterways and waste streams and the Biax system eliminates this issue.”
Environmental sustainability is a key focus of Holloway Group . The Biax product is made of 100% recycled plastic. Using a void filler also ensures that less concrete is used in the construction process. It also easily nests together for transport, cutting down on transport costs. Each pod weighs less than 3kg.