International outdoor power tool company, STIHL, has moved into a new, larger distribution centre in an emerging industrial estate in the Brisbane/Gold Coast corridor, Yatala.

Built by MacNab Construction, the $8 million dollar office and warehouse replaced STIHL’s long-term distribution centre at Heathwood. The new building features 400 square metres of office and 4,000 square metres of warehouse space, plus an additional 3,000 square metres of overflow space for warehouse expansion.

Due to the enormous size of the warehouse and the large amount of stock, building safety was a key requirement. The construction did not only need to fulfil local building code requirements, but also needed to meet approval of FM Global, an internationally recognised commercial insurance regulatory body. FM Global assesses building components and their performance in protecting the assets inside. Non-combustible building panels were a must-have to meet approval, which would ensure safety of STIHL’s employees, the warehouse stock and provide immense cost savings on building insurance.

Following extensive research, the Kingspan Eurobond Rockspan wall panel was identified as the best product to meet all the requirements for this project. Eurobond Rockspan was chosen not only for its non-combustibility but also because of its colour palette, excellent thermal quality, air tightness, and noise reduction properties.

Kingspan Insulated Panels supplied 3,500m2 of Rockspan panels which formed the envelope of almost the entire facility. The Rockspan panels were prefinished in the colours Sirius and Orion, which match the STIHL branding, and were made to the exact length which eliminated the need for cutting on site.

Eurobond Rockspan panels have a white internal liner, which creates a unique atmosphere and aesthetic, and importantly meant the interior of the facility was very bright and reflected light. The warehouse includes many aisles of palette racking that extends 15 metres high. Internal light transmission was integral to provide safety and clear vision to the warehouse workers who will be moving products at such immense heights. The high thermal performance of the panels also ensured a very comfortable internal temperature, providing an ideal environment for the warehouse workers and delivering cost savings in energy consumption.

“Kingspan Eurobond Rockspan panels have low and limited combustibility, as well as many other benefits that made it fit for purpose. The super intendent of STIHL in Germany personally managed the specification to ensure the highest-quality products were chosen,” noted Mark Letica, Kingspan Insulated Panels area sales manager for Queensland and Northern Territory.

“We trained the installers, SBP Australia, on how to install the panels and McNab Construction also attended to ensure everyone fully understood how the system needed to be put together. The panels were very easy to install as they come delivered as a prefinished product.

“This is the largest Rockspan project in Queensland so far. The client and installers were very happy with the end-result and how it all came together. There was no need to order additional panels and there was also no over-ordering. I attended the site five times, there were no amendments, and the final inspection was a success,” noted Letica.