Fabricators put on notice that supply will be restricted to those following RCS guidelines.
NZ Panels Group will replace its entire engineered stone range, marketed under the Prime Stone brand, with a low silica alternative by early next year.
Respiratory silicosis has become a growing issue for workers in the stone industry and NZ Panels Group was a founding member of the NZ Engineered Stone Advisory Group, supported by ACC and Worksafe which created safe practice guidelines for stone fabricators.
NZ Panels Group Chief Executive, Lou Cadman, said the company was going a step further and would not supply fabricators who did not adhere to the RCS guidelines.
“We are giving notice that from 1 July this year, if any fabricators are not registered and participating in the RCS Accreditation programme, then they will not be able to buy from us. And if they have not received either silver or gold level accreditation by 31 December 2023 then we will no longer supply them.
“If fabricators adhere to those RCS guidelines – which means wet-cutting of stone with the appropriate PPE and dust extraction systems in place - then it should mean they are operating within the safe exposure guidelines set by Worksafe,” he said.
“End consumers should have no cause for concern as engineered stone is inert once it is cut and installed – provided there is no cutting done on site -which it never should be.”
“The major ingredient in our new range is recycled glass, he said. “That forms more than 50% of the benchtop slab, with the silica content under 30% for all our key ranges which account for most of our sales. A small handful of designs will be under 40% for the extra-large slabs offered on our jumbo range.
“Our low silica range will then be comparable to other natural stone products such as granite which can have silica levels as high as 40%.
Lou Cadman said the company had always had a strong and proactive safety culture and wanted to be supporting fabricators to operate as safely as possible.
“It’s absolutely the right thing to be doing. We expect all fabricators to adhere to the NZESAG guidelines and participate as registered RCS members working towards gold status.”
The new low-silica product would be introduced into the Prime Stone range from the last quarter of 2023 as top-selling existing designs transitioned over to the new recycled glass formulation, and new designs were added.
Prime Acrylic decorative panels will now be known as Ultraglaze acrylic panels. With both brands owned by NZ Panels Group and using the same high quality acrylic from Senosan in Austria, it made sense to combine them under one name.
All Prime Acrylic colours are available in the Ultraglaze range, along with two additional ones - a matt metallic called Nickel and a Soft Grey gloss acrylic.
New and more cost-effective panel options also come with this change. Along with the premium double-sided panels Prime Acrylic offered, Ultraglaze has a premium face/standard back option for gloss colours. An even more budget-focused offer is Panelglaze - a standard face with matched melamine back. Panelglaze is available on a select range of five colours. 1mm laser or standard edging is available for all colours.
The removal of Prime Acrylic as a brand in the market mainly impacts designers and architects who have Prime Acrylic samples and keychains. To avoid wastage, Prime Acrylic samples will be retained in the short term but the Ultraglaze website has the Prime Acrylic colour listed underneath to avoid any confusion.
Due to flooding through the Home Ideas Centre in Parnell last month, our showrooms are closed until further notice. This affects Prime Panels, Bestwood and Dezignatek. Note that we no longer have showroom facilities at our East Tamaki site.
We feel for the Home Ideas Centre showroom team who have had to deal with 300-400mm of water and silt throughout the whole area and our fellow exhibitors who are all facing varying levels of damage.
However, to keep things in perspective, no-one was harmed and it is all repairable in time.
We are working hard to get things back up and running as soon as possible. However, if you are needing samples for Prime Panels, Bestwood and Dezignatek, we would ask that you order these online from the appropriate website - just go direct to the colours page for any product you wish to order. For non-standard sampling, please contact your usual specification or sales manager. You can also order samples direct online for Wilsonart HPL and for Durasein solid surface acrylic.
Seven stunning new colours have been introduced to the Prime Melamine range, using a cohesive palette that blends soft pastels with a clean-grained oak, a smoky Eucalyptus and an oxidised metallic effect in grey tonings.
The four solid colours feature close matches to two popular Resene colours – Quarter Lemongrass and Triple Duck Egg Blue, along with a soft Grey Pearl and a mossy green called Atmoss.
Devon Oak has already received rave reviews for its clean-grained structure and mid-tones that make it a versatile woodgrain to pair with both dark and light colours. Our deeply textured Timberland plate is the recommended finish and is what samples are produced in.
The soft tones within Smoked Eucalyptus make it a true chameleon, that appears to take on the hues of any solid colour that is paired with it. From pinks, to dark or pastel blues, any shade of green and the crispness of black or white, it works with them all. It’s also shown off to best effect using our Timberland finish.
Lunar, is an interesting mix of shades that can be viewed as having either an oxidised metal or distressed concrete effect. It pairs beautifully with all our new solid colours, plus dark greens and blues. With a more industrial vibe it provides a new option for commercial projects and a more interesting alternative for internal cabinetry as it goes well with the dark anthracite hardware.
The updated Prime Melamine range now offers 62 colours, with a choice of five finish plates. Affordable, family-friendly and highly durable, and with a 20 year reputation for quality, Prime Melamine is an easy choice to make for interior joinery, furniture and more.
When pressed on our fire-rated Black MDF FR Prime Melamine achieves a Group 1-S making it a perfect option for decorative wall linings in commercial buildings.
Dezignatek has opened its first ever showroom in the Home Ideas Centre in Parnell, Auckland.
Designed primarily to help architects and designers work with their clients, the showroom features top selling door profiles, the entire thermoform vinyl colour range and large format doors and drawers to show what's possible.
The concept design was carefully crafted by Melanie Sa'u from Yellowfox with joinery assistance from Custom Kitchens and Stirling Kitchens.
The showroom is broken into three areas, each displaying a different use of door profiles and colours. The feature wall includes 12 of Dezignatek's latest or most popular door profiles, 3 different drawer packs and the thermoform vinyl colour range.
The second area comprises an island unit and digital screen, displaying inspiring imagery of how Dezignatek doors and drawers have been used by NZ designers and joiners in a wide range of kitchen and bathroom projects.
The island unit is finished in Kombu Green thermoform with drawer fronts in the recently launched Berlin profile. A boxed end is also featured on this island unit. Prime Panels supplied the engineered stone benchtop in Finelli - Polished from their Elements Collection, with fabrication by Architectural Stone.
The third element is a full height cabinetry unit which features full-length Lyon doors with statement resin handles from the Arc Dept. The open shelving unit includes the popular Prague profile in Ranfurly Oak as inserts combined with Pistachio in a matt finish. Limestone cabinetry using the Milan Square profile with a scallop handle complete the look for the under-bench drawers.
The showroom is open seven days a week with plenty of free parking and coffee! It's adjacent to the NZ Panels Group main showroom at the front of the Home Ideas Centre.
The Auckland-based Dezignatek reps and NZPG Specification Team will be working out of the showroom by appointment with designers. Contact them here.
Small changes are helping to make a big impact on waste as Dezignatek and its parent company NZ Panels Group work towards a sustainability target of becoming carbon-negative.
Dezignatek is reducing waste in its production area by making door samples using spare vinyl space on its thermoform presses when it makes client orders. They've also swapped their plastic wrapping for one made from sugar cane.
While the door sample may now vary from the standard Satin White, depending what is on the press at the time, designers and joiners will receive the exact door profile they need and can use a colour chip to help match with other decor surfaces or interior finishes. Any waste vinyl left over from pressing is sent off to be recycled into gumboots, hoses mudflaps and plumbing pipes.
Colour samples are available in chip form and can be ordered via the website at no charge to anyone. Given the size and cost of door samples, these are only made available to designers and joiners. Thermoformed A5 colour blocks are also available on top selling or newer colours.
Another project on our sustainability list has been to swap out the plastic wrap used across the site for a more environmentally friendly option. This type of wrap is needed to protect door panels from the elements but Dezignatek is now using Purewrap made from sugar cane which is carbon positive - removing 2.80 tonnes of CO2 per ton. By comparison, plastic emits 1.66 tonnes of CO2. Handily, it can also be recycled with other soft plastics.
New Zealand Panels Group has bought Christchurch-based Acero, a company that manufactures and distributes Mercer sinks and stainless benchtops along with a range of tapware and accessories. Acero is also the distributor of WilsonArt high-pressure laminates (HPL) for benchtops and Durasein acrylic solid surfaces.
NZ Panels Group Chief Executive Lou Cadman said the Acero business, with its high profile brands and the biggest market share in sinks in the country, was an ideal complement to the company’s existing stone and HPL benchtop business which targets the same joinery and fabrication customers.
Acero has 33 staff based in Christchurch, operating from a manufacturing and showroom site in Lunns Rd. The company will remain at its current location and work is beginning to integrate the Acero products into the national joinery distribution network owned by NZ Panels Group.
“This acquisition will improve service levels to the joinery industry and makes NZ Panels Group a one stop shop, offering everything joiners and fabricators need, including the kitchen sink", he said.
NZ Panels Group is putting both financial and people resources behind two ecosystem restoration projects on the West Coast of the South Island, in a bid to help reduce pollution and support threatened species.
This summer, Sustainability Manager, Zyran Scharf, will be working alongside the Department of Conservation, the Canterbury School of Forestry and local students on two key projects.
The first is focused on a logged and drained wetland forest near Hokitika. Zy will be joined by a Canterbury Forestry Student to investigate what plants and animals are already local to the area so the correct plant species can be re-introduced. The results will form the basis for her university thesis.
The aim of re-joining forest remnants is to offer trees better protection and create a thriving ecosystem full of life, with a focus on endangered species. It also involves working with DOC and local farmers to rebuild fences to keep cattle out of the forest and waterways, reducing river pollution and protecting what is planted in perpetuity.
Local schools are also involved, planting and eco-sourcing the seeds which will help maintain the unique local characteristics of these native trees.
The second project involves setting up a 20-foot greenhouse in Maruia to support a Kowhai Restoration Project. The greenhouse will be used by local school students to grow kowhai and other natives for planting along the waterways on farmers land. The greenhouse will be a welcome step up from the current method of growing them in old school desks.
Riparian planting also provides shelter and habitat for fish, birds, lizards and bugs. The kowhai trees are also a great food resource for native birds such as the threatened kakariki, endangered kaka and the critically threatened long-tailed bat (who cheekily won the 2021 bird of the year).
Zy says research has shown New Zealand to have the highest proportion of threatened indigenous species in the world and river quality in both rural and urban areas had been seriously degraded. "We don't just need to care, we need to act." he said.
The projects are ongoing and will evolve over the coming years.
With the appointment of Zyran Scharf as full-time Sustainability Manager in 2020, NZ Panels Group has been on a mission to reduce its environmental footprint.
The aim is to become carbon negative, says Zyran, and reducing energy consumption is a big help while renewable sources of energy are investigated.
“The energy project is just one of a myriad of sustainability projects currently underway and we’re also excited to be working on a number of ‘give back’ environmental projects that will be announced in the coming months.
“We have stepped up our initiatives to reduce waste and increase recycling, with the goal of ultimately having no waste going to landfill.”
One of the foundation projects has been an energy audit supported by EECA that identified changes to lighting and improvements to energy efficiency estimated to save more than 200,000 kg of carbon emissions a year.
The audit covered two of the company’s three sites – the Kopine particleboard plant at Kopu and the Eastfield site in Auckland which has two melamine presses and a veneer press. The findings were then translated to the Nelson melamine plant.
Changes now complete include the replacement of the main highbay factory lights with more modern, energy-efficient, LED sensor lights which dim or turn off when enough natural light comes in through skylights or no motion is detected. It’s estimated this will save around 47,000 kg of CO2 each year.
Sensors were also added into the temperature-controlled melamine paper room – not only does this save power on lights but also the air conditioning with far less heat is being generated from the lights.
Insulation is another area that is estimated to save around 160,000 kg of Co2 each year. Fibreglass blanket wraps have been added around each of the melamine presses (two in Auckland and two in Nelson) along with the veneer press in Auckland. This will soon include the particleboard production line and veneer dryer at Kopu. This has resulted in a reduction of heat loss and subsequently lower energy consumption to run.
Prime Panels has launched a new hand-crafted veneer range that emulates the look of solid timber but uses around 20 times less resource than solid timber would.
The Prime Toitū range uses mis-matched leaves in a stunning planked effect and includes six NZ Native timber options along with American White Oak, Macrocarpa and American Walnut. Click to view the whole range.
The name Toitū was chosen to represent the sustainability inherent in these mis-matched veneer panels and the fact that two-thirds of the species offered are homegrown. One cubic metre of solid timber yields 900 square metres of veneer and with no need for matching leaves or panels, the irregularities, knots and beauty of natural timber are brought to the forefront.
The best effect is achieved on large-scale cabinetry and for wall and ceiling panels where the look of solid timber is desired, but with more sustainability and affordability than solid timber.
The added advantage of using NZ Native Toitū veneer is the ability to track back to the trees they came from with NZ Panels Group's world-leading Track my Tree initiative.