Tasmanian manufacturer Kings Outdoor Living is expanding its use of aluminium as it develops locally made shade and shelter systems for schools, parks, sporting clubs, hospitality venues and homes, according to Capral Aluminium.
The Sorell-based business began in 2008 as a small shade sail operation before expanding into the design, manufacture and installation of products including umbrellas, balustrades and sunrooms.
In a LinkedIn post, Capral said the company has increasingly shifted towards local manufacturing to address freight, handling and supply challenges associated with sourcing products from mainland Australia.
“With the Bass Strait freight cost, and complexity, and timing, and damage, we thought, ‘We should probably start making some of this stuff,’” Kings co-owner Sam King said.
The business initially manufactured much of its locally made product in steel, but King said the weight of the material presented challenges for a company responsible for both manufacturing and installation.
“Once you’ve carried large steel pipe up flights of stairs with a few guys, you realise the advantages of aluminium,” he said.
Kings has since incorporated aluminium into modular systems, including shade sail posts and umbrellas. King said the material’s lighter weight has helped with handling and installation, particularly in coastal environments.
“Because we install what we make, our thought process is always really heavily orientated to how are they actually going to get that to that location,” he said.
According to Capral, Kings now employs about 17 people and uses CAD and 3D printing to develop and refine products before manufacture. The company also prefabricates components at its Sorell workshop to reduce installation work on site.
Capral has supported Kings with extrusion design, material selection and technical advice, as well as manufacturing components that the Tasmanian business does not produce in-house.
“Capral’s capability, especially talking you through extrusions, how they work, and the grades of aluminium was a bit of a learning curve for me,” King said.
He added that access to technical support had been important as the company developed its aluminium-based products.
“We’re after service, consistency and product knowledge, and I don’t think anyone covers that anywhere near as well as Capral,” King said.
Kings has also begun incorporating Capral’s LocAl lower-carbon aluminium into some of its products. Capral said the business is now looking beyond Tasmania after supplying products to northern New South Wales.
King said the company’s longer-term ambition was to expand its presence on the mainland while continuing to develop its manufacturing capabilities.
“I’d like to drive down a street unexpectedly somewhere on the mainland and go, ‘Oh, there’s an umbrella I didn’t know was even going to be there,’” he said.
