James Hardie begins construction on new Melbourne facility

James Hardie, producer and marketer of high performance fibre cement and fibre gypsum building materials, has begun construction of their new manufacturing facility with a ground breaking ceremony in Truganina, Melbourne.

James Hardie said that it acknowledges the Kulin nation as the Traditional Owners and custodians of the land and pays respect to their Elders past and present.

According to the manufacturer, the first phase of this investment will add 36 per cent to its nameplate capacity in the Asia Pacific region.

It is the company’s fourth site in the APAC region.

“This investment is part of James Hardie’s global strategic capacity expansion program to build capacity and meet rising market demand,” said John Arneil, General Manager – APAC at James Hardie.

“The Melbourne Site will help build a sustainable community in Victoria through its local sourcing and job creation whilst directly delivering James Hardie’s high value products to key growth markets both locally and internationally,” Arneil said.

The new facility will be developed by logistics platform LOGOS, alongside industrial architectural designers Watson Young.

James Hardie said that the site is being designed and built to enable investment in future phases of expansion that will continue to increase their nameplate capacity in Asia Pacific. 

“James Hardie’s high value building products are relied upon throughout the world,” said Darren Searle, Head ANZ at LOGOS.

“We look forward to working with an iconic Australian manufacturer and delivering a state-of-the-art facility for the local and international market,” Searle said.

Upon completion, the new site is expected to generate up to 200 full-time jobs, with an average of 250 jobs per day during construction and up to 500 during peak construction activity.

The site is expected to be fully operational by 2025.

“We welcome James Hardie to the City of Melton,” said City of Melton Mayor Cr Goran Kesic. 

“As one of Australia’s fastest growing cities, it’s brands like this that will strengthen the local economy and help ensure more local families can find work close to home,” Mayor Kesic said.

“We look forward to seeing this business make the most of our skilled local workforce, and our unique position as a busy freight corridor for Victoria and Australia,” he concluded.