Future NT:NT company Arctic Installation strikes blow against cyclonic winds

Darwin’s Arctic Installations is benefiting from an advanced manufacturing grant. Read what it has done.

Darwin-based Arctic Installations has passed serviceability and wind pressure testing at James Cook University, paving the way for large-scale production of its structural panels designed to withstand demanding tropical environments.

The Darwin manufacturer is part-way through a $2.9m collaborative project with JCU, production machinery company MDI Systems and engineering service provider Rapid Engineering NT.

Supported through a $500,000 co-investment from the Northern Territory’s Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem Fund and administered by the Advanced Manufacturing Growth Centre, the project recently achieved a key milestone on the way to production.

Inside Arctic Installations East Arm workshop.

Gary Burns, managing director of Arctic Installations, said the development reached the second of three potential milestones with simulated cyclonic-wind testing of insulated panels, performed on steel sheets bonded to both sides of a polystyrene foam core, as well as serviceability tests.

He said the locally designed and manufactured panels could ultimately eliminate Chinese or interstate imports, while offering a superior product catering to the humidity, heat and cyclonic conditions present in northern Australia.

“This is an important step for us,” Gary said.

“We set up in 2015 and moved into a new East Arm property in 2021 and since then have been laser-focused on being a Northern Territory manufacturer as well as an installer of insulated panels.

“We have been hugely fortunate to have the support of our expert project partners as well as the NT government and AMGC.”

AMGC’s Jens Goennemann, Arctic’s Gary Burns and AMGC NT director Charmaine Phillips.

Wind load and serviceability tests were conducted in the airbox at JCU’s NATA-accredited Cyclone Testing Station laboratory in Townsville.

As a result of the successful testing, Arctic Installations has listed as a manufacturer with the Insulated Panel Council Australasia.

He said the project’s third and final milestone involved upskilling staff, an important factor in bringing a brand-new manufacturing capability to the Territory.

Mr Burns said after completion, the project was estimated to result in an additional 25 jobs at Arctic Installations, as well as $15 million in revenue over five years.

The Northern Territory government is developing an advanced manufacturing hub to support local businesses to adopt new technologies and enhance productivity.

The hub focuses on sectors such as renewable energy, agribusiness, and Defence-related manufacturing and aims to create a robust ecosystem for manufacturing industries, fostering innovation and increasing the competitiveness of local businesses.

The government’s $7.5m Advanced Manufacturing Ecosystem Fund is designed to support innovative projects and jobs growth across the Territory.

The fund aims to grow advanced manufacturing capabilities and increase investment in and output of advanced manufacturing activity in the Northern Territory.