Seventy-two people lost their lives in June 2017 in London’s Grenfell Tower disaster and the fire’s rapid spread has been attributed to the composite cladding on the building’s exterior.
As a result, a Tauranga company is entering the billion-dollar global cladding market with an exciting solution, launching a safe, non-combustible product, which is also competitively priced.
Len Helms, the owner of ZX Panel®, spent five years working on creating his break-through system. With 40 years of building industry experience, Len was frustrated by the high cost of aluminium claddings and had major safety concerns.
“We have spent thousands of hours dreaming, researching, debating, tinkering, assembling and testing our product. Our end goal has always been to help the person building a house or a medium-rise, to bring down the cost while offering a design look, ensure weather tightness and be non-combustible - and we have definitely achieved that,” says Helms.
Designed from the ground up, the ZX Panel® system is comprised of a 2mm thick powder coated aluminium panel that is clipped into specially engineered aluminium extrusions, creating a reliable, robust cladding system. Unlike most aluminium panels on the market, ZX Panel® panels feature negative detailing, delivering a sleek modern design look.
ZX Panel® is made of pure aluminium, meaning that it doesn’t contain any flammable composites. This contrasts with many New Zealand apartments and medium-rise buildings, which currently feature composite exterior claddings.
ZX Panel® comes in a combination of 400 colours and is approved for residential homes up to 10 metres high. Approval is pending for medium rises up to 25 metres.
ZX Panel® has passed all relevant independent tests to meet the highest safety requirements and National Manager Tony Longhurst notes that it is the only fire-resistant product of its kind in New Zealand. It is easy to install, has a world-wide design registration and pending global patents.
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