Speedpanel technology was conceived by one of the company’s co-founders, who had a concreting and construction background and was running a successful form working company for many years. He specialised in complex circular stairways and large suspended slabs for high-rise and commercial buildings.
During his time working on these projects, he saw the need for a lightweight, user-friendly wall system for fire and acoustic protection. Existing solutions were predominantly heavyweight concrete and masonry walls which were not needed for the structure of the building, and as a consequence of their weight, required large and expensive foundations and structural supports.
Masonry walls are known to be slow to install and are considered a “wet” trade. These walls often monopolise large areas of a building site where no other trades can work alongside, and they bring time consuming clean-ups upon completion.
In the mid 90s our co-founder developed a modular wall system comprising of a steel outer shell filled with a lightweight, aerated concrete inner core. The Speedpanel System as it’s now known consists of individual panels that click together in a “tongue and groove” fashion.
In 1996 Nathan Scheuer joined the team. Nathan’s role was to provide seed capital and assist with the business startup and ongoing strategy, having had many years of business experience principally in the property development industry.
The manufacturing and warehousing facilities continued to grow with the business as Speedpanel moved from the initial factory in Colchester Road, Bayswater to another factory in nearby Bayswater, and then again in 2004 to Kilsyth.
The Speedpanel System had begun to gain attention from notable tier one builders and projects within Australia, including projects like The Eureka Tower built by Grocon, and Hisense Arena (originally known as Vodaphone Arena) built by Thiess.
Further investments into the research and development of manufacturing processes and product range saw the creation of the 51mm and 64mm Speedpanel in 2012, which produce different fire ratings to their older sibling, “the original”, 78mm Speedpanel.
Today, these three different panels cover a wide range of building applications within the high-rise commercial, domestic and industrial markets.
The company quickly moved from strength to strength, being used heavily throughout the largest building projects Australia has to offer. The years between 2012 and 2014 saw positive growth, and the 2015 financial year saw nearly a further 40% growth in just 12 months.
In late 2015, Speedpanel begun what would become a 16 month long building and relocation phase. The biggest facility yet was purchased in Dorset Road, Bayswater less than 5km from Speedpanel’s original factory in Colchester Road.
Procuring and building a property that could sustain the next decade of expected growth was important, as was ensuring that the now substantial employee base was retained. To this day several of the original employees are still with the company, having grown to take on new roles. We highly value their extensive knowledge which allows Speedpanel to offer such a personalised service.
The new facility was developed with refinement and automation in mind, but equally as important were socially responsible practices. The concrete batching plant now uses all of its own recycled water, and Speedpanel has installed photovoltaic panels and a rainwater catchment system with the viability to capture 600,000 litres of water per annum.
Priding itself on its ability to generate top quality work in-house, Speedpanel has invested in building highly effective teams specialising in several areas of business.
Departments operating out of the Melbourne headquarters include; sales, marketing, customer support, manufacturing, tooling, maintenance, warehousing, distribution and product development whilst further sales, customer support, warehousing and distribution also operate out of Brisbane, Sydney and the ACT.
Since inception, Speedpanel has undergone continuous development including testing and certification for a wide range of fire and acoustic applications, to the stage where Speedpanel is now one the most certified products in these markets within Australia.
Speedpanel continues to drive excellence throughout all aspects of manufacturing and product development with a focus on innovation and environmentally sustainable practices. This continued drive ensures Speedpanel plays an important role in enriching the built environment throughout Australia and the rest of the world.
We are built of a team who possess a passion for the industry and who strive to achieve success.
We don’t currently have any vacancies however we encourage expressions of interest.
If you feel you belong with us, send your Resume and Cover Letter to: careers@speedpanel.com.au
Our Project Portfolio is as extensive as our knowledge.
