Duro Curlija joined MetecnoPIR as the new general manager in March this year at a particularly challenging time when the global COVID-19 pandemic forced a shutdown of businesses across Australia. MetecnoPIR is a part of the Bondor Metecno Group (Bondor), Australia’s leading manufacturer of insulated building wall, ceiling and roof panels.
Having joined the company in a senior executive role, Curlija seized the opportunity to make the most of a situation where social distancing prevailed and there was very little face-to-face interaction with the staff.
“When I joined MetecnoPIR the key challenge was keeping the business running and maintaining supply to our customers, whilst implementing social distancing and other recommended health practices across the business," Curlija said.
“I used this time with less than normal face to face interaction to immerse myself into understanding the production process, and reached out to the sales teams and customers via phone and video calls to stay connected.
“Finding new ways to do things has been forced on us by this crisis, but it's been a great catalyst to drive efficiency and innovation across the business, not just in remote working but in reducing waste and streamlining our production processes.”
Curlija joins MetecnoPIR with more than 15 years of experience in construction materials across Australia and Asia Pacific, having lived and worked in Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia for companies including Boral Construction Materials, USG Boral and Knauf.
Curlija also brings rich project experience to his new role, having been previously involved in the Elizabeth Quay project in Perth’s CBD, Ngurah Rai International Airport Bali, Putrajaya Government Precinct Kuala Lumpur and Marina Bay Sands Singapore.
Since joining MetecnoPIR, he has been focussed on strengthening partnerships with suppliers and clients, minimising waste and identifying new channels to market the company’s products.
“Historically a manufacturer of quality cool room panels, I see enormous growth potential for MetecnoPIR in roofing, external facades and wall and soffit insulation,” he said.
“We're an Australian manufacturer using Australian inputs. We offer an Australian made and Australian tested product. For customers that means we can offer both surety of supply and confidence in our products.
“We enjoy a strong partnership with BlueScope Steel and are actively supporting the livelihoods of Australians in our business.
“I want to turbo charge what is already a strong culture of innovation to continuously improve our existing portfolio while also developing new products. Our significant investment in capability over the past decade provides us with ample production capacity to meet growing market demand in both current and future segments.
“We can offer the construction sector significant productivity gains at a time when building productivity techniques including modular and prefabricated building methods are being adopted at pace.
“Composite products like ours reduce the need for traditional separately built-up systems, as insulation and sheeting are produced in one complete finished product at up to 20m lengths, which reduces installation times drastically.
“We are energised by today’s construction challenges as we have a range of solutions, and I am excited to lead our efforts to predict and meet future opportunities,” Curlija concluded.
