Winstone Wallboards’ new Tauriko factory and distribution centre is rapidly taking shape.

On track to be producing GIB® plasterboard from mid-2023, a third of the main warehouse and half of the 6-storey high mill and formulation tower has already been erected - and the structure of the gypsum storage shed is hot on its heels. Able to hold a staggering 50,000 tonne of gypsum, this shed will be equipped with a fully automated material handling system to transfer gypsum from the truck dump through to the stockpile in the bulk shed. Excitement is already mounting for the first gypsum shipment, due to arrive late this year to support commissioning.

Meanwhile, under the cover of the roofed section of the warehouse, installation of machinery is well underway. The first cab off the rank? A state-of-the-art ultra-high energy-efficient plasterboard drier/kiln, which has all of the superstructure and panels already installed. Mill and formulation equipment is being installed floor-by-floor as the tower grows.

Once completed, the 12.7 hectare Tauriko development will be home to one of the largest plasterboard manufacturing facilities in Australasia. With 63,000sqm of buildings (that’s more than seven rugby fields!), the site will provide 1.5 times the manufacturing capacity of Winstone Wallboards’ existing Auckland plant with scope for further expansion. Not only that, but by providing facilities for compound manufacture, plasterboard manufacture and distribution all on the one site, this highly anticipated Tauriko development really will be in a class of its own.