Arctic plans Darwin soffit-board production with AMEF backing

Local manufacturing for a tropical building product

Arctic Insulated Panels has secured support for an A$2.4 million project to develop soffit-board manufacturing in Darwin, Australia. The project is the sixteenth and final investment supported by the Northern Territory Government’s Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem Fund, administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre. An AMEF contribution of A$476,004 will accompany Arctic’s investment and in-kind support.

The Darwin manufacturer plans to establish an advanced polyisocyanurate, or PIR, insulation process for boards intended for the Northern Territory’s hot and humid climate. Soffit boards sit beneath roof eaves. The new initiative covers development and commercialisation of the insulation product for local and interstate markets. AMGC expects local production to reduce reliance on imported building materials. That is a planned outcome of the project; the funding announcement does not establish that the new manufacturing line has already entered commercial production.

Machinery, formulation and product testing

Arctic will design and commission custom-built PIR production machinery for its process. An in-house chemist will lead research and development, including work on a specialised chemical formulation and product quality. The planned work includes both production equipment and the material itself. Testing and accreditation support will accompany that manufacturing work.

Rapid Engineering NT, Gillard Engineering Services, James Cook University and CMI Certification are collaborating on the project. James Cook University’s Cyclone Testing Station will test the soffit board’s structural integrity and cyclone resistance, while CMI Certification will guide the CodeMark accreditation process. These are planned activities for the new product, separate from the company’s earlier work on cyclone-certified roof panels. The project’s main development tasks include:

• Developing the PIR formulation through in-house research and development.
• Designing and commissioning production machinery for Arctic’s process.
• Testing the board’s structural performance and pursuing accreditation.

Forecast outcomes and an earlier roof-panel project

AMGC projects 35 additional jobs and A$16.5 million in additional revenue over five years from the soffit-board initiative. The planned roles span technical work, production and quality control. Those figures describe expected outcomes rather than jobs already filled or revenue already earned. The wider A$7.5 million AMEF began in 2021 and has supported 16 advanced manufacturing projects with a combined project value of A$32.1 million. Arctic’s new investment closes that sequence of funded projects.

Arctic previously completed a separate A$2.9 million AMEF-supported project to commercialise cyclone-certified insulated roof panels. AMGC attributes a 150% revenue increase, expansion into Western Australia, Queensland and South Australia, and 25 new jobs at the company’s East Arm facility to that earlier project. Those reported results concern the roof-panel initiative. The new soffit-board project adds a different product-development and manufacturing programme, with its own equipment, testing work and five-year employment and revenue forecasts.