Author: Offsite Team

We welcomed Ross Campbell, Managing Director and Elisabeth Kattenborn, Service Manager Oceania of HOMAG Australia, to our Welshpool facility today.

This visit was timed to coincide with the commissioning of the two HOMAG Weinmann lines.

HOMAG’s advanced manufacturing systems for timber construction have been key to OFFSITE’s ability to dial up the benefits from scaled offsite manufacturing: precision, quality, speed, repeatability.

We appreciate HOMAG’s ongoing support as a strategic O.E.M. partner of OFFSITE, bringing global technology to Western Australia.

We were pleased to welcome the Wesbeam management team to our Welshpool facility this morning, following our visit to their Neerabup manufacturing site 10 months ago.

It is always great to connect with Wesbeam, a strategic supply-chain partner. We have common ground, including shared values, and both companies are committed to advocating the use of timber in construction in Western Australia.

We took the opportunity to exchange insights and knowledge on a wide range of topics, including industry, production and design efficiencies, and innovation.

The visit also included a tour of our facility and the Hundegger saw in action.

It was a pleasure to welcome the Monash University Future Building Initiative team to OFFSITE.

As Australia’s leading research group for industrialised building, the Future Building Initiative team is conducting a national study on Modern Methods of Construction (MMC), exploring skills development and training needs in collaboration with BuildSkills, Skills Insight, and the Manufacturing Industry Skills Alliance.

During their visit, we were pleased to contribute to discussions on global MMC methods, training, and technical systems and the WA experience.

We’re proud to be part of an ecosystem that supports research in this sector.

The OFFSITE team was warmly welcomed by Chris Ong and Patrick Wahba at SYNC Bathrooms’ Laverton North facility in late September.

We had the chance to see firsthand how innovation and excellence are driven through an integrated DfMA process. The scale and efficiency of the facility in producing modular bathroom pods at volume were truly impressive.

OFFSITE looks forward to exploring future collaboration opportunities with SYNC Bathrooms.

Last week, we were pleased to welcome Hon John Carey MLA: Minister for Planning; Lands; Housing; Works and Health Infrastructure, to OFFSITE for a tour of our production facility.

We had a great discussion about how the Government can lead the way in modernising procurement pathways to better support scalable housing delivery models, like ours.

Reform in this space is key to facilitating increased housing delivery at scale. By enabling direct engagement with OFFSITE through Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DfMA)-aligned contracts, we can bring projects to market faster, more efficiently, and at greater scale, and deliver high-quality housing projects for both government and the private sector.

Thank you to Minister Carey for taking the time to engage with us on this critical topic. We’re excited about the opportunity to help shape a system that supports faster, smarter, and more sustainable housing delivery.

Yesterday we had the pleasure of welcoming the MiTek Australia (Asia Pacific region) team to our facility – including David Oliver, Steven Pasialis, Scott Bradley, Brad Ridolfi and their colleagues.

It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase how our partnership with MiTek is evolving since becoming a licensed MiTek fabricator. This collaboration has enabled us to partially in-source the production of roof trusses and floor cassettes, significantly enhancing our capability to service larger, more complex projects and deliver comprehensive, bundled solutions to our clients.

Thank you to the MiTek team for your ongoing support and for sharing in the vision of smarter construction methods.

We’re excited to announce a major leap forward for OFFSITE and the entire WA timber building industry with our new Hundegger SC480 Speed Cut Saw. As the only machine of its kind in Western Australia and one of just two across the country, the SC480 represents a significant leap forward in OFFSITE’s mission to modernise and fast-track how buildings are delivered.

The saw is now fully operational at OFFSITE’s manufacturing facility, where it cuts all timber components for our prefabricated floor systems, wall frames and roof products. This machine is seriously fast. As a test during commissioning, it completed a live job six times faster compared to previous cutting methods. We expect this speed to increase even further as our team optimise their workflows.

A Smarter, More Efficient Way to Fabricate

One of the most immediate benefits of the SC480 is its ability to reduce timber waste to almost zero. Its advanced software precisely calculates and optimises every cut, ensuring we get the most out of our materials and produce minimal offcuts. The machine also significantly boosts efficiency by cutting two timber pieces at once, a process known as “stacking”, and by drilling floor cassettes.

The Hundegger has also transformed the way our carpentry team works. It has not only sped up timber cutting processes but also significantly reduced the margin for human error. Importantly, the technology has not replaced our skilled workforce. Instead, their work is more efficient, more accurate, and far less physically demanding.

The Future of Design and Construction in WA

From a design perspective, the new saw has opened up new possibilities by enabling construction techniques that would be too difficult or time-consuming to do manually. Our in-house design team can now export designs directly from 3D CAD/CAM software to the Hundegger software, eliminating the need to produce “shop files” required for manual cutting. The team can even see the entire job in 3D, before a single piece of timber is cut.

This investment is a natural step in OFFSITE’s long-term vision to redefine how homes and buildings are manufactured and installed in WA. With a focus on Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA), we’re committed to delivering smarter, faster, and more scalable solutions to meet the growing demands of the local construction sector.

As the pressure on WA’s housing and construction industries continues to grow, OFFSITE is positioning itself as a key player in providing sustainable, high-efficiency solutions. The Hundegger SC480 is not just a machine; it’s where innovation and purpose come together to enhance manufacturing and production capabilities. It has truly turbocharged our manufacturing process, extending the possibilities for prefabricated timber built-form manufacturing in WA.

Thank you to Keystart CEO Mark Tomasz and his team for recently visiting OFFSITE.

It was an extremely productive visit where we discussed Keystart’s new products and initiatives, in particular their Modular Construction Home Loan Product, shared ownership and the Built to Rent Kickstart Fund.

We also shared information about some of our own initiatives, including a single-storey house design that would be delivered under $500,000, designed to be eligible for the First Home Buyer Scheme, the $10,000 First Home Owner Grant and stamp duty exemptions. More details to come on this!

The Keystart team shared our enthusiasm for a faster, more affordable house & land solution – that delivers quicker to market without compromising design and quality.

We’re excited about the possibilities ahead and look forward to creating new pathways to affordable home ownership in WA.

Last week’s Urban Development Institute of Australia (WA) Industry Breakfast brought together key voices to discuss how we can deliver more homes faster, something all West Australians deserve.

With the Department of Housing and Works now re-established and Keystart operating as a Government Trading Enterprise, the foundations are being laid. The Hon. John Carey MLA reaffirmed the State Government’s commitment to regulatory reform and housing delivery, and our Executive Chairman Norm Roberts joined Leon McIvor, Mark Tomasz, and Grant Shepherd for a panel discussion on how innovation can accelerate progress.

One of the clearest opportunities is the adoption of modular and prefabricated construction. These modern methods are already delivering homes that are faster to build, more cost-effective, and higher in quality – and they’re ready to scale up.

To truly meet the government’s housing targets, we must now:

• Streamline planning and environmental approvals
• Reform procurement to support offsite delivery models
• Embrace cultural change for outcomes-based decision making

At OFFSITE, we’re committed to helping WA meet its housing goals. We’re ready to build. Let’s turn policy into progress and ensure every West Australian has access to safe, affordable housing – sooner.