As we celebrated Pryda’s 60th birthday this year, we’ve enjoyed reflecting on the people and milestones that have shaped the business into what it is today. 

In the Season 3 finale of the Pryda Pod, we're taking a look back at Pryda’s 60 year journey with Chris Rogers, one of Pryda’s earliest employees. 

Chris is a living encyclopedia of Pryda so if you’ve ever wondered about the origin of the name Pryda or why we decided to adopt the colour red, we hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane. 

Chris began his journey with Pryda in 1975 as a Chief Engineer, going on to become General Manager and Managing Director. During his tenure Chris witnessed and contributed to many of Pryda’s pivotal moments, from the development of the first design software, introducing the first automated machinery and overseeing the company’s expansion across Southeast Asia. 

If you liked our podcast, please remember to like, share and subscribe. Thanks for listening. The Pryda Pod will return in 2025 

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In 2023, Vanuatu was hit by two major cyclones causing severe damage to hundreds of people’s homes and livelihoods.  

Responding to a call for help from New Zealand-based REACT Charitable Trust, Pryda donated a variety of building materials including screws, timber connectors and nailplates, aiming to rebuild 100 homes for families in need, strengthening these simple island-style homes against further cyclone damage.  

REACT Charitable Trust is an organisation helping communities rebuild after devastating natural disasters, providing essential materials, volunteers and connecting other grassroots organisations to support those in need.  

In this episode, we are pleased to welcome REACT Charitable Trust Chairman Wade Gadsby. For more than a decade Wade has been supporting disaster relief efforts, most notably in south east Asia and the Pacific Islands, focusing on assembling building crews, sourcing quality materials and equipping locals with knowledge and skills for long-term resilience. 

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In a competitive construction materials market where supply outweighs demand, manufacturers and suppliers are looking for opportunities to reduce costs through productivity and efficiency.  

How do you measure performance? What are the cost levers outside raw materials? How do you create an environment that engages your people to want to get better? 

In this episode, host Adam talks to Peter Robinson, Pryda’s Fabrication Solutions Manager for Australia and New Zealand, whose career has spanned many facets of construction and operations. 

Peter is passionate about productivity, which extends from running his own factory operations to helping customers optimise their business. He shares his philosophy, tools and tips to enhance productivity in the workplace. 

Show notes and further reading:
LEAN Manufacturing
5S
8 Wastes

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In this episode, we're pleased to welcome Joe Gattas, the Associate Professor at the University of Queensland’s School of Civil Engineering. With expertise in Structural Engineering, Joe also specialises in Computational Building Design, which harnesses digital tools to enhance design and fabrication processes. 

In a recent research, Joe and his team have found improving timber production efficiencies by just 5% could unlock supply for an extra 8,000 homes to be built in Australia each year.

We explore some of the opportunities arising from his research and tools to track the future timber needs of the construction industry.

Show notes and further reading:
Joe’s research on timber efficiency
Timber Tracker

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One of the notable changes in the timber supply market recent years is the increased availability of low-density species imported into Australia.

In the first episode of the Season 3 Pryda Pod, we're pleased to have Kurt Schrammel, the Managing Director of Vida Wood Australia to talk about the range of imported timber available in Australia – predominantly European species and Canadian species - and understand how the materials are ranked and perform, to ensure the timber of your choice is compliant and meets the same engineering performance specifications of local timber. 

With 25 years of expertise in timber industry across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia, Kurt has served in a wide range of roles, from Sales Administration, International Sales, Mill Management to now the Managing Director at Vida Wood Australia, a global supplier of structural timber products.

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As we head into the holiday season, we wanted to make sure our listeners didn’t get rusty and forget the fundamentals of timber frame and truss design.   

For an end of year special, we handed the Pryda Pod reigns over to the comedy duo: AKA guest engineers: Jerry Roberts & Martin Chrysalis. These guys are masters at breaking down engineering concepts, and they’ve given the truss and frame industry their best shot. 

Thank you for your support during season 2 of the Pryda Pod. This year we explored a broader range of topics including safety, sustainability and the emergence of AI & robotics. If you missed any episodes, now is the perfect time to catch up over the break. 

The Pryda team wish our listeners a safe and happy festive season. See you in 2024 for season 3 of the Pryda Pod.

About today’s guests
Alasdair Tremblay-Birchall and Andy Matthews have been joke writers for TV shows such as Shaun Micallef's Mad as Hell and Talking bout Your Generation and have been doing the 'Two in the Think Tank' podcast for over ten years.

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Send us an email: [email protected] 

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The Resilient Timber Homes Design Competition is run by WoodSolutions, with an aim to attract new home designs across Australia that best showcase the positive aspects of building with timber, in particular the ability to withstand adverse weather events.

As the competition has been wrapped up, we are bringing you an exclusive conversation with Paolo Lavisci, the Program Manager of the competition.

Paolo shares highlights and the winning designs that stood out in the ability to withstand either riverine floodwaters or the severe tropical cyclones.

Show notes and further reading:
Resilient Timber Homes Design Competition 2023
Designs by the competition winners

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At Pryda and ITW Construction Asia Pacific, a safety-first culture is a fundamental part of how we work. Ensuring a safe environment enables us to show up every day at work and play to our full potential. Being safe is not only for our benefit but for our workmates and our loved ones.

In this episode, we delve into what safety-first culture really means and how it’s embedded in a company with a strong safety culture. We’re pleased to have the conversation with Mark Cooper, General Manager of Dahlsens’ Building Centre. 

Since Joining Dahlsens in 2019, Mark has been instrumental in improving the company’s logistics service for trade customers. His current responsibilities include managing manufacturing and store operations, logistics, sales, marketing, finance and safety. Throughout his career, one constant has been Mark’s passion about safety, leading by example and developing strong and lasting safety programs wherever he’s been.

Show notes and further reading:
Dahlsens Builder's Blog: Safety is a shared responsibility

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In this episode, we have an enthralling conversation with Anton Engelmayer, a visionary builder who has a fiery passion for sustainable building.

With a carpentry background and over four decades of experience in the industry, Anton has been passionate about renovation and extension to make the most of existing assets. Sustainable building practices have been a driving force throughout his career. 

He is the founder of Calm Living Homes, with a mission to help homeowners create residence not only beautiful but healthy to live in. For Anton, a well-built green home is not only superior in every way to a conventional home but with the ability to age gracefully.

His designs showcase the great potential within sustainable home construction and have won several awards, including the MBAV Best Sustainable Energy Homes and Melbourne Rain Garden Competition.


Show notes and further reading:
Calm Living Homes

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Have you ever heard of the circular economy? In this episode, we are diving deep into this fascinating realm of how the circular economy can make a significant impact on the construction industry, and especially how it can be translated into actions within Frame and Truss construction. 

This episode is hosted by Pryda Marketing and Engineering Manager Adam Dawson, and joining him is Spencer Morris, a Structural Engineer from ITW sister company, Reid Construction Systems.

Spencer is a passionate advocate for sustainability both inside and outside work; he is part of the SEAT team, a platform-wide initiative at ITW undertaking sustainability projects to minimise the company’s environmental impact.

In their conversation, the two engineers draw from their experience in the field to unpack the concept of circular economy, with examples of how this concept has been adopted in various building projects.
 
Show notes and further reading:
Australian Circular Economy Hub
FTMA Carbon Warrior
Episode with  MB PreFab Big River Group on recycling wasted timber 

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