Leading Melbourne-based cladding manufacturers Architectural Cladding Suppliers say they are on a very good wicket with the new painted aluminium offering from BlueScope Distribution, which is proving to be much in demand among their boutique cladding customers and also highly popular on their own installation projects.

Enjoying a longstanding relationship with BlueScope Distribution through their sister company, Professional Plumbing Contractors (PPC), Architectural Cladding Suppliers (ACS) has grown phenomenally since they first began manufacturing architectural cladding in May 2016 to serve the needs of both PPC and the market.

To meet the demand for the quality cladding products they manufacture using products from BlueScope Distribution, the privately owned business, based in Carrum Downs in Melbourne’s South East, has recently moved into new purpose-built premises, acquired more equipment and is now operating 24/7 to satisfy the needs of not only their cladding customers but also the projects on which they both supply and install their premium cladding products.

Being leaders in their field and enjoying a strong partnership with BlueScope Distribution, ACS have enjoyed great success in bringing BlueScope innovations to their operations; first with the hugely popular new COLORBOND® steel Matt product which delivers a softer appearance and true matt finish in a range of contemporary colours, and now with BlueScope’s new painted aluminium product which is available in any custom colour required, as ACS’ Owner Daniel Bowman explained.

“ACS’ use of painted aluminium from BlueScope is a good option which benefits both our companies in the boutique cladding space which we are increasingly supplying,” Daniel Bowman said.

“Where you’re coming up against the likes of European zinc coils that come with such a big price tag, BlueScope can deliver a highly satisfactory alternative by colour coating the aluminium feed to produce the same aesthetic effect with a cost saving. And with the specialist cladding installers, everyone likes working with the aluminium because its flexibility allows you to create virtual art forms.

“It’s also extremely durable, non-corrosive and great in difficult environments, so we’re looking at several projects currently that are right on the water where the flexibility, durability and performance of aluminium will be invaluable.”

A recent project for which ACS has supplied and installed cladding is the $40.8 million Junction Oval Redevelopment in St Kilda, which is the exciting new home of cricket in Victoria. The state-of-the-art facility is a year-round elite training base for Victoria’s best cricketers and has been redesigned as a cricket-only facility to host domestic cricket, WBBL games and potentially international women’s T20s and will also be home to Cricket Victoria’s administrative offices. It was a project where ACS’ strong collaborative partnership with BlueScope Distribution certainly came to the fore, as Daniel Bowman explained.

“The client wanted a specific material and we were able to go to BlueScope and ask if they could colour match or paint an aluminium feed in the COLORBOND® steel colour Surfmist to service this project, because we needed to be able to curve material to certain radii which most people thought was unachievable. BlueScope procured aluminium feed in the gauge we knew our curving unit could service to achieve those radii, we put a minimum run on their paint line and produced the coil and colour the client wanted, did a few sample sections and it was all approved.

“We did a lot of curved, double lock Standing Seam cladding in the painted aluminium. We’d brought a curving unit back from Europe two or three years ago and had curved some projects for customers before, but never for ourselves until we rolled the cladding for that project and did a lot of curved facades which came up very well,” Daniel Bowman said

“The project also utilised weathering grade steel from BlueScope to create a lot of Interlocking panel around the building, which also looks very good. We did some sample sections and prepped it for a few months and watched the way the product reacted and changed colour and the client was happy and signed it off.

“We also produced a lot of Interlocking panel in standard COLORBOND® steel, so that job had pretty much a full book with a lot of our cladding, all produced with products from BlueScope, and it came up brilliantly with the help of BlueScope Distribution.”

Having worked with PPC since 2014, and now with ACS since 2016, Peter Tamvakis, BlueScope Distribution Sales Manager, is pleased to know ACS are enjoying such success with the new painted aluminium product.

“Through BlueScope’s worldwide business network we are able to bring in quality aluminium coil from trusted overseas suppliers, and through our industry-leading experience in colour coating technology we are now able to supply it in any custom colour a client wants,” Peter Tamvakis said.

“It’s a particularly valuable product for the specialist cladders that ACS supply, and also for ACS themselves on the projects they are servicing. They are a great business partner and we’re very proud to know BlueScope’s service, solutions and quality products are benefitting yet another Australian manufacturing success story.”

For more information visit www.acladding.com.au