PDF - Pryda New Zealand

DECEMBER 2011
A message from the GM
New Pryda Australia website!
As 2011 draws to a close we reflect
upon a challenging year of change
for Pryda and its customers. The
introduction of the new Building
Code of Australia in May 2011
effectively brought an end to the
old Pryda Roof software, and meant
that our Australian customers had
no excuse but to dive head first into
Pryda Build i.
Pryda is excited to announce the launch of it’s new and improved website.
Much like throwing away a pair
of comfortable old boots and
trying on those brand new shoes,
the initial stages of changing
software programs can be a little
uncomfortable until you ‘wear them
in’.
At Pryda we learnt a lot about
effective training and software
support during this transitional
period. The new help documentation,
the structured training sessions, the
webinars, and the responsiveness
of our help desk team proved to
be successful. We also listened to
customers and continued to make
changes to the software to make the
transition easier. We think that most
have now climbed the learning curve
(with a few more remaining in NZ)
and can now enjoy an integrated
software platform that will deliver
some amazing, time saving features
in 2012.
We thank you for your support in
2011 and your ongoing business and
wish you and your families a safe
and merry Christmas.
Sept 11.indd 1
Designed with a fresh innovative appearance, the website has been
constructed to enable quick and easy navigation.
There are sections specific to truss and frame fabricators, architects, builders,
designers and engineers and the DIY warrior. In addition, visitors to the site
can quickly access product information direct from the home page.
When in the product information section of the website, the customer has
access to product selection tools, detailed product information plus technical
guides and drawings. Pryda plans to build upon this information and be
recognised by the specifying community as the preferred website for timber
connection and engineered timber information.
The truss and frame manufacturers’ area has a huge array of information
on equipment and equipment service offer. There is also a log in area which
will provide access to software downloads, software support, marketing and
technical resources. If you have not yet received your log in details, please
contact Michelle Twite on 1800 810 741.
Throughout the website visitors can click on a link that takes them to an area
where they can search for their preferred truss and frame manufacturer and
hardware merchant. The search also includes Google Maps functionality.
Pryda’s objective is to have the website rank high on Google when customers
are searching for information on truss and frame and timber connectors. The
more visitors to the Pryda website will result in increased enquiries to our truss
and frame manufacturers and hardware merchants.
Please feel free to check out the new website www.pryda.com.au. A new
Pryda New
Zealand website
will be launched in
2012.
The new &
improved website
is quick and easy
to navigate
12/12/2011 10:45:13 PM
Fabricator Profiles
Drouin West Timber & Truss - celebrating 30 years
The team at Drouin West Timber & Truss celebrate
30 years and tell us about their business....
Drouin West Timber & Truss Pty Ltd (DWTT) is a
leading manufacturer of prefabricated roof trusses,
floor trusses and wall frames. DWTT have been
servicing the construction industry for 30 years
throughout Gippsland and Melbourne with a
business philosophy to supply quality products,
superior technical advice and back up service.
Their reputation in the marketplace is one that
speaks for itself, with the small builder to the
volume project builder providing many testimonials
to support this.
Peter Ward, managing director, has a long family
history in Drouin West and today his fabrication and
timber sales business is located on property once owned
by his grandfather. The business started as a sawmill, and
progressed towards a truss plant as a means to an end.
“We set it up initially because it was difficult to sell
anything shorter than ‘eight foot’ hardwood studs”
recalled Peter, “we had to do something with the ‘shorts’
so we put them into webs and noggins and things like
that.”
“That has a double table roller line and has given us
well over 100 percent in capacity increase,” explained
Peter, “We’re geared up for the future. At the moment,
business has tightened and you need volume to make
money; we’re poised to take advantage of any increase in
production.”
In 2005, Peter constructed a purpose built factory to
relocate the fabrication plant from the town centre, “We’d
outgrown it anyway and we have plenty of land here (at
the old sawmill site) so this is a natural fit. We’ve grown
the business 140 percent since we moved here”.
DWTT believe in supplying a competitively priced, high
quality product that will be delivered on time and within
budget. They have a dedicated crane truck used for
deliveries and every effort is made to ensure the job
will be positioned where the site supervisor or installing
carpenter requires it.
DWTT continued to invest heavily in leading edge
technology and are looking towards the future with
continued growth in mind. In addition to their existing
Hundegger saw, they have recently commissioned a
We at Pryda Australia are proud of our 30 year history
and ongoing relationship with Drouin West Timber &
Truss, and congratulate them on their 30 year milestone.
We look forward to many more years working together.
Pryda Quiz
Sept 11.indd 2
Mango Tech automated wall framing system and an
Alpine AutoSet C4 table press.
1. Which female detective partners Fox Mulder in The
X-Files?
11.With which sport do you associate the NBA?
12.With which sport do you associate the MCC?
2. Which detective did Clint Eastwood play?
13.What sort of illness does a paediatrician treat?
3. Which fictional 19th century detective was killed by
14.What does a taxidermist do?
his creator but resurrected by popular demand?
4. Where is Dixie?
15.Which language very nearly became the official language
of the USA?
5. What is a Pecan?
16.Is the Suez Canal longer than the Panama Canal?
6. Which nut is named after a South American country?
17.Which metal provides fuel for nuclear power stations?
7. Which popular children’s entertainment features
18.Which American actress played the part of a gangster’s
a crocodile, a baby, a policeman, and a string of
sausages?
8. In which country is a country home called a Dacha?
9. What would you do with a glockenspiel?
10.What are timpani?
girlfriend when she was only 12 years old?
19.What caused the Titanic to sink?
20.In which long-running TV show did Lisa Bonet appear as
a teenage daughter?
(Answers on page 8)
12/12/2011 10:45:14 PM
Wiri Pacific - Resisting the cyclones
With the predictions of cyclones in the South Pacific growing in ferocity, the homes in the islands are under increasing
threat, leading to Wiri Pacific Managing Director Lance Worthington setting up Timbertech in Rarotonga alongside local
business man Grant Priest of Cook Island Steel.
When Cyclone Pat tore through the Cook Islands last year, Wiri Pacific Managing Director Lance Worthington was invited
to inspect the damage. The difference between the level of destruction among the dwellings shocked him…initially.
“One house was only a few months old, the owner had spent more than $300K to build it and it looked stunning…before
the cyclone. After it, all that remained was the concrete pad it was built on,” he recalls.
“Not far away was another place that had cost less than $100K to build, yet it remained intact, apart from a broken
window.”
The difference? The expensive house had roof battens fastened to rafters only with nails. The roof battens were
anchored to the top plates with only nails. The lack of galvanised brackets and roof trusses meant the roof had little
chance of staying on during a cyclone. And once the roof was ripped off the remaining structure was blown away with it.
He compares the damage Pat caused in relation to Cyclone Yasi in North Queensland in February this year.
Yasi was a Category 5 cyclone (the most extreme) which reached speeds of 295km/h and at its most severe lasted more
than three hours in many towns. While there was plenty of destruction the vast majority of houses stayed intact. Pat was
a Category 3, peaking at 155km/h over Aitutaki and severely damaged or destroying 90% of all homes.
Having worked in the Pacific for almost quarter of a century, Lance has been striving to lift some of the building
standards. He says that the messages are finally starting to get through.
“But cyclones do happen, they are seasonal and they cause major damage. A few thousand dollars spent getting the
structure secure and fastened with nailplates, ties and proper roof trusses that are compliant to the conditions will save
tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in the long-term.”
He’s invested further in his conviction by partnering with Grant Priest of Cook
Islands Steel to set up Timbertech, with a new factory in Rarotonga. Timbertech is
the sole license fabricator in the Cook Islands for Pryda.
Worthington says that a lot of the damage can be prevented by designing,
fabricating and building to suit the environment. For example the Christchurch
earthquake was a wake-up call to the importance of building structures to meet
the standards of the environment they’re in. He adds, however, New Zealand
standards are generally strong, hence the relatively low casualty rate compared
to the Haiti earthquake of similar size the year before which killed quarter of a
million people as most of their buildings collapsed.
“When you look at the ferocity of some of the cyclones that have struck the South
Pacific, you’d be foolish to guarantee a structure as ‘cyclone-proof.’ But what we
do offer is certainly cyclone resistant,” he says.
“The least we can do is ensure New Zealand standards of compliance are met in
the islands. It will not only save a lot of money in rebuilding, but it will save a lot of
heartache and lives.”
Top Right: The prenail ‘bed’ in the new Wiri Pacific Truss and Frame factory in
Rarotonga
Centre Right: Roof trusses designed with PrydaBuild software are setup on the
jig and ClawPlates are pressed with an overhead gantry system.
Bottom Right: An example of how to apply Pryda Timber Connections to roof
and framing components were on display on Opening Day.
Sept 11.indd 3
12/12/2011 10:45:17 PM
Software News
Pryda Build i views hospital in 3D
Being able to view a three dimensional prefabricated timber roof truss plans for an
aged care hospital and multi-storey units complex at Redcliff in Brisbane, has been
of enormous help in project coordination to the designers and builders involved,
according to Southport Timbers head detailer Alex Lee.
“This is one of the advantages the latest version of Pryda Build i has given us,” he
said. “Not only can they see the project in a 3D landscape, it helps to ensure that
enough space is left for mechanical services like air conditioning ducts, plumbing
and electrical services.”
Called Azure Blue, the Redcliff complex will have a
hospital for high care retirees and three, four-storey aged
care facilities with eight units on each floor. The buildings
require careful coordination of steel and reinforced
concrete with complex roof truss configurations.
“We are designing the roof trusses so they match with
steel portal frames and posts or reinforced concrete
columns,” Alex said. “These hold up parallel chord trusses
which, in turn, support trusses holding the roof.”
The largest parallel chord trusses are up to 8 metres long,
while the supporting roof trusses are up to 16 metres long.
While Southport Timbers has commercially been using
Pryda Build i for about seven months, it has been trialling
the software as a detailing tool since early this year.
“We tend to be used as a beta tester for Pryda,” said Alex,
who has been nothing but impressed with Pryda Build i.
Greg Hay, Pryda’s Product manager for Detailing and
Estimating Systems said, “Pryda Build i combines the
popular Pryda Build V2 and Pryda Build-Wall programs
with a new intuitive floor layout, greatly increasing detailer
efficiency with roof, floor and wall detailing carried out from
a single master plan.”
“Detailers now work in a true interactive model, whereas in
the past they had to close one program to open another.
Critical changes in one module are reflected in real time in
others. In a whole of house implementation, each detailer
can simultaneously access the job, while the program still
caters for a single user environment.”
of Turb-O-Webs; developed originally to improve the
efficiency and speed of truss construction.
“In cases where we are out of stock of a particular turbo
web length, I can simply click on the web and slide it along
the chord until it snaps to the next available Turb-O-Web
stock length,” Alex said.
With the current downturn in the commercial and
residential building market, it is difficult to measure the
full impact of Pryda Build i on Southport Timbers output.
However, Alex said the capacity for the program to
design an entire house can only have a positive effect on
prefabricated building trends.
Despite the uncertain economic outlook, Southport
Timbers has continued to attract work. Owned by J.H.
Williams, the company (which started as a timber yard in
1876) has been a Pryda fabricator for 20 years and has
about 90 employees. They are situated at Southport on
the Gold Coast and supply prefabricated trusses and wall
frames for projects from Newcastle in New South Wales to
Bundaberg in Queensland’s north.
For further information contact Pryda Australia on
1800 810 741.
Below: Being able to view the hospital’s truss layout in
3D has been an enormous help in project co-ordination
according to Alex Lee. Above: Alex Lee uses the 3D
feature to view all elements of the job and any changes he
makes can be witnessed instantly.
Alex said, “I use the 3D feature to view all elements of the
job and any changes I make can be witnessed instantly.”
“Unlike the older programs, which required more manual
input, Pryda Build i is much simpler to use. All we need to
do is point and click the mouse on the application and it is
taken care of. For example when trimming a truss you can
click on that truss and trim up against any object within the
layout component.”
One of the advantages in the design section of Pryda
Build i is its ability to manipulate and change the lengths
Sept 11.indd 4
12/12/2011 10:45:19 PM
Pryda Build i training sessions presented online
Pryda has launched online training
sessions for its new Pryda Build i
software to better educate users
about the advanced and more
sophisticated features of the
program.
“Each training session is in bite
sized portions of 30 minutes
duration. The first four training
sessions were delivered in October
on the subjects of phantom planes,
advanced perimeter lines, 3D planes
and advanced component editing,”
explained Dave Clayton, Pryda’s
Software Support Representative.
“In coming months, Pryda plans
to hold 13 training sessions on
different aspects of the program
at fortnightly intervals, a total
package that can then be repeated
as needed.
Throughout the session attendees have the opportunity to ask questions via a
chat dialogue. These queries will be answered on the fly by a secondary Pryda
Representative logged into the conference
The remote training programs are aimed at licensed
Pryda estimators and detailers throughout Australia
and New Zealand. We hope to expose all of them to the
sophisticated merits of the new Pryda Build i software over
a period of time.”
Dave reveals that, “Gaining access to the remote training
sessions is simple. Pryda sends an email invitation to each
fabricator, listing time, date and subject matter for each
training session with a link that enables them to log on
once they have registered with the webinar website.
Attendees can then sit in front of their computer and watch
as the Pryda Software Support Representative presents a
live training session.
Throughout the session attendees have the opportunity to
ask questions via a chat dialogue. These queries will be
answered on the fly by a secondary Pryda Representative
logged into the conference. At the end of the training,
there is an opportunity for fabricators to ask questions by
phone conferencing.
Pryda also records the sessions so customers can refer
to specific details later by downloading the file from the
Pryda website.”
“They might wish to apply the knowledge they have
gained to a particular project of their own or an example
that we provide, while it is still fresh in their memory,” Dave
explained.
Sept 11.indd 5
Dave added, “The response to the initial sessions has
been excellent with more than 60 people signing up for
each one.
We survey participants on how to improve the sessions
and cater even more specifically to market demands with
topics they would like training on.”
“By exposing fabricators to more sophisticated sections
of the Pryda Build i software, Pryda was able to save
detailers hours of work.
For example, a detailer told me that when designing a roof
that uses multiple polygons at different or split-levels, in
the past, it would take at least half a day to design each
one by manually adding critical measurements. Now it can
be completed in 10 minutes as the software calculates and
absorbs the planes,” highlighted Dave.
In closing Dave said, “The remote training sessions are
perfect for the busy detailer who can put ½ hour of their
time aside once a fortnight to learn an advanced feature
on Pryda Build i that could potentially save them hours of
work down the track.”
For further information please contact Pryda on
1300 8324 737.
12/12/2011 10:50:23 PM
Software News
Tips from the Software Support Team
Here are some festive tips and tricks from the Software
Support Team to help you get through your jobs in time
for Christmas.
• Get the truss shape right from layout. There should
be no need to adjust the truss shape in the Roof
Trusses module.
Deck the walls
Twas the night before Christmas...
Deck the walls with boughs of holly, fa la la la la la la la
And you’re still stuck in the office. Try these shortcuts:
Get your walls in without any folly, fa la la la la la la la
To save time getting your walls into Master Plan, use
these tips:
• Hide dimensions that you don’t need when using
the sketch to dimensions method. It reduces clutter
and makes it easier to select the correct intersection.
From the Edit menu, select Hide Object and click all
of the dimensions you don’t need.
• Copy walls to upper level: often you can copy most
of the upper storey walls from the lower level, saving
time and effort! From the Walls menu, select Copy
to Level.
• Lost your steel beams? You must have Master Plan
Beam Ancillaries turned on (Tools -> Options) and
use a sketch method to input steel beams.
Wrap up your box gutters
Get your box gutters wrapped up before Christmas with
our time saving tips:
• Change perimeter height NOT the plumb depth to
achieve a box gutter.
• Check your side planes to avoid doing manual work.
•In Job Housekeeping, double click a job in the Jobs
tab to back it up. In the Backup tab, double click a
job to restore it.
•In Data Location Setup, right click any of the data
locations, and you’ll get an option to open the folder.
(Great for getting quick access to your backup files
for example!).
Jingle help
Jingle help, jingle help, jingle all the way. Oh what fun it is
to find more tips like these, hey!
From the Help menu, select Help topics. Or, if Santa’s
not far away – just press F1.
For help achieving specific roof shapes (like box gutters)
go to: Help contents -> Set up the roof layout ->
Creating specific roof shapes.
You can also contact the three wise men in
Software Support (Aaron, Dave & Des) via:
1300 TECHREP or techrep@pryda.com.au.
Happy holidays from the Software Support
Team!
Online training
Starting this month, Pryda has self paced training available at Pryda’s Learning
Portal. This training is available at any time and currently covers the following
topics, with more coming soon:
•
Advanced roof functions (roof layout)
- manual planes
- phantom planes (single)
- combination phantom planes
• Advanced wall detailing functions (wall detailer):
- Sloping and stepping plates
- Using custom components
• Beginner concepts:
- Roofs
- Walls
If you would like to access the self paced training and don’t have an account yet, please send an e-mail to techrep@
pryda.com.au including your first and last name, fabricator, e-mail address, and whether you detail roofs, floors or walls.
Sept 11.indd 6
12/12/2011 10:50:25 PM
Equipment News
Alpine Linear Saw cuts waste
In response to the decline in the domestic building market,
many fabricators have turned to new technology to help
cut costs and keep work flowing through the door.
One of these is Wingfield Timber/Trussfab SA who
installed an ALS 286 Alpine Linear Saw. The Adelaidebased company that employs a combined staff of about
70 people and supplies timber materials, trusses and wall
frames to project homes and units throughout the city, has
been a Pryda fabricator for 23 years.
According to operations manager Rob Jesser, while
Wingfield/Trussfab has been obliged to “tighten their
belts”, installing the saw has enabled them to produce
more trusses.
“Using the new saw has enabled us to drastically cut
waste,” he said. “Under the old system of Omni and
manual pull saws we were filling two semi-trailers a week.
Now it is only one every eight days.”
The advent of the new saw has also meant a rationalisation
of stock held at the plant.
“We now only carry three lengths – 4.8, 5.4 and 6.0
metres,” Rob said. “In September, we trialed even shorter
lengths of 4.8, 4.5 and 4.2 metres.”
This has meant instead of employing two people just to
pull the required lengths from the timber stack to feed the
company’s older saw process, it now only needs two to
complete the entire job of cutting and stacking.
“As a result, turnaround times from design to delivery have
dropped from five days to two for urgent projects,” Rob
said.
Pryda Fabricator Systems Manager, Ian Currie said the
Alpine Linear Saw could cut all standard truss parts from
any timber width from 70mm up to 300mm.
“It can easily process multiple cut webs, off centreline
parts, extremely short pieces, regular components and
multiple cut scissor bottom chords,” he said. “The saw
also can cut mitres from 90 to 20 degrees in one simple
The new ALS286 Alpine Linear Saw cuts waste dramatically.
process along with extremely long scarf cuts (1500mm+).
It allows for optimisation and nesting of cuts to minimize
waste.”
“This is possible because, like a conventional pull saw, the
ALS passes timber through lengthwise in a linear motion
– rather than sideways like a component cutter. The heavy
duty servo motors (without which the saw could not
perform its function) are designed for high speed set and
cutting with precision accuracy. All the cuts are made with
a single blade,” Ian said.
“Set ups are generally carried out in less than a second
and cuts are precise to one millimetre.”
“At the same time, it uses ink jet to mark all components
and recovers “standard pieces” from waste without
operator intervention.”
“The saw is fully enclosed with an interlocked access door
for maximum operator safety and CE safety compliance,”
Ian said in closing.
For further information, brochure or DVD on the ALS 286
Alpine Linear Saw, please contact your local Pryda office
on 1800 810 741.
GOLD MAJOR SPONSOR – FRAME AUSTRALIA 2012
We are pleased to advise that Pryda will be a gold major sponsor
at Frame Australia 2012. The conference will focus on a number
of informative topics including advances in software contributing
to improved data exchange between builders and fabricators, and
the emerging building industry acceptance of prefabricated timber
systems outside of the residential sector.
Sept 11.indd 7
12/12/2011 10:50:27 PM
Quiz Answers
Staff News
1. Dana Scully
24 months LTI free!
2. Dirty Harry
3. Sherlock Holmes
4. It is the name sometimes
given to the southern states
of the USA
5. A type of nut
6. A Brazil
7. Punch & Judy
8. Russia
9. Play it: it is a musical instrument
10.Drums
11.Basketball; it is the National
Basketball Association
12.Cricket; it stands for Melbourne Cricket Club
13.Children’s diseases
14.Stuff dead animals
15.German
16.Yes; it’s twice as long
17.Uranium
A well done and congratulations to the Operations crew at 29 Healey Road and
the warehouse crew at Nina Link who have worked 24 months with no Lost
Time Injury!
In today’s industrial climate with a massive focus on OH&S, coupled with the
industry we operate in, this is a terrific achievement.
Over the past 3 years, the OH&S committee have formalised over 20 policies
and procedures which are the back bone of the safety systems under which
the Operations team operate.
Couple this with ‘STOP’, 5S and the attitude to which everyone approaches
their own and fellow employees’ safety and well being, and the outcome is a
safe and clean environment to work in.
To celebrate this milestone, the crew were treated to a day out with a visit to
the Dahlsens’ Craigieburn site; Pryda’s largest installation of automated truss
manufacturing equipment.
Dahlsens management took the crew on a guided tour of the facility and joined
them for a morning tea of hot beverages and muffins.
Then it was off to the Melbourne Aquarium where everyone had a chance to
relax and take in the sights before lunch in the restaurant, prior to their return
to Healey Road.
A fantastic day out and reward to everyone involved in Operations!
18.Jodie Foster
19.It struck an iceberg
20.The Cosby show
Seasons Greetings from
the Management
& Staff at Pryda
Pryda Australia A Division of ITW Australia Pty Ltd
2 - 10 Nina Link, Dandenong South, Vic 3175
Offices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.
Representatives in all States.
Sept 11.indd 8
Website: www.pryda.com.au
Email: pryda@pryda.com.au
Tel: (03) 9554 7001 Fax: (03) 9554 7000
12/12/2011 10:50:29 PM