Moddex “take the fear out of compliance challenges”, says company Sales Director Joe Rowland.
Joe describes Moddex as Australasia's leading and pioneering manufacturer of modular, no-weld handrail, guardrail, balustrade and barrier systems that are pre-configured and pre-engineered for structural integrity.
He says navigating compliance in the sector can be a real minefield so Moddex has “tried to really dumb it down, simplify it and make it easy to get it right”.
“The biggest challenge we see with ramps is they’re not designed with the compliance of the handrail system. The base structure is inadequate for the load once you put the handrail on,” he explains.
This is what led Moddex to modularise the actual ramp substrate itself with a goal to have modular ramps delivered in 3 to 5 days anywhere in Australia.
Joe explains that Moddex systems are easy to specify, quick to install and are in high demand with 900 to 1000 metres of hand railing systems going out a day across Australia and New Zealand.
The modular system also lends itself well to a circular economy; something that is particularly noteworthy given that balustrades and handrails are often specified for shorter-term projects.
“There is a real opportunity that’s created with a modular system to bring those castings and bring those systems back in and reuse them. With a traditional welded or fabricated system you’re talking about cutting it up with an angle grinder or oxy torch. It’s a messy process and it’s a lot of scrap steel that can’t be easily reused,” he says.
The modular system, on the other hand, can be pulled apart the same way as it is put together and then reused in another application.
Some iconic projects Moddex has been involved in recently include several rail and infrastructure projects such as the rail Level Crossing Removal Project in Victoria which will see 110 dangerous level crossings removed across Melbourne by 2030.
“They’re going through taking out the old level crossings that are dangerous and taking the rail either above the road or under the road and with that there is a lot of infrastructure, concrete, pathways and handrails and barriers,” Joe says.
Right now Moddex is working on installing systems as part of the major MELconnx and METConnx projects in Western Australia involving lifting rail lines above the road and constructing the METRONET rail line circling Perth.
“We are really are custodians of public safety,” he says.
Looking forward Joe says Moddex is looking to extend what they’ve created Down Under and take it to other parts of the world. They’re also committed to investing heavily in technology within the business. This includes both systems and platforms they use inside the business to be efficient and deliver quickly. They are also investing in platforms that can extend outside the business to users of the product, allowing them to interact and go as far as designing certain elements of their projects.
If you want to know more about using steel in the non-residential and civil/ infrastructure sectors, listen to the whole episode of the podcast here.
