Waikato Business News October/November 2022

“To achieve what Fosters did, within
budget and timeframe was exceptional.”
Mark Kennedy, Altus National Operations and Supply Chain Manager
Darren Marshall, Richard Bott & Mark Kennedy from Altus
Industrial aluminium and window system
manufacturer Altus have consolidated their two
Hamilton sites into one, recently moving into a new
aluminium extrusion plant on Maui Street.
Stage one of this two-stage project involved
demolishing an existing building and replacing it with
the new plant whilst the site was still operational.
Altus asked Fosters to tender for the project based
on Altus National Operations and Supply Chain
Manager Mark Kennedy’s recommendation – he had
worked with Fosters before.
“We underwent Early Contractor Involvement (ECI)
with four companies, Fosters proved to be the
most professional and proactive” says Altus Project
Manager Richard Bott. “We had highly specific
requirements; Fosters asked questions we didn’t
think of and made thoughtful suggestions around
building smarter. We were impressed.”
Altus Project Engineer Darren Marshall says that
going into the project, sustainability wasn’t a
key consideration. However, Fosters demolished
4,000sqm of building and managed a 96% recovery.
“We were blown away by that and really pleased
with the result” he says.
Timeline critical, the project had to be finished by
September 2022. The pandemic created many
unexpected challenges.
“To achieve what Fosters did, within budget and
timeframe was exceptional” says Mark. “Fosters
exceeded even my expectations. They kept
operations running through lockdowns, managed
material delays and significant design changes.”
During construction, Altus purchased a different
press which meant adjustments to plant layout,
foundations, and floor slabs. With very tight
tolerances for set-out, the team also had to achieve
alignment within 2-4mm in the critical areas.
“Fosters took all of this in their stride” continues Mark.
“They had a good understanding of what we wanted
to achieve, and they never lost sight of the end game.
“There were plenty of opportunities for delay and
extra cost, but Fosters were always solutionsfocused
and committed to the drop-dead date.
“We’re amazed at the finish, timing and quality of
this build and we’re pleased to have commenced our
next project already, working with much of the same
team.”
FOSTERS.CO.NZ . 07 849 3849