Cusp to invest in a new facility to increase production by 100%

It started with a bold idea. It progressed because of an unwavering belief that it could be done. And in June 2021, the newly branded Cusp Building Solutions launched the first certified plantation hardwood CLT in the world. From a resource traditionally used for woodchips, Cusp now creates a range of mass timber elements for the built environment. Cusp is now set to relocate to a larger manufacturing facility to enable an immediate increase in production of 100%, with further increases planned for the medium and long term.

“Having proven our capability and established market demand, Cusp Building Solutions is now ready to scale,” said Founder Ron Goldschlager.

“Up until now, Cusp has been a start-up. The start-up phase was hampered in no small part by the global pandemic. Still, we are excited to begin the commercialisation process of significantly increasing our manufacturing capacity,” he said.

In the start-up phase, Cusp has exceeded expectations, proving its R&D capability with a series of both world and national firsts, including:

• The first certified plantation hardwood Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) in the world.
• The strongest CLT in the world.
• The only CLT certified by the Engineered Wood Products Association of Australasia (EWPAA) in Australasia.
• The first and only 120-minute Fire Certification
• The world’s thinnest CLT
• The largest Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) beam capacity in Australia
• The only curved GLT manufacturer in Australia.

The company will now strategically invest in people, machinery, and facilities to meet market demand and price expectations and has invited expressions of interest from investors who want to partner with Cusp to accelerate growth.

The 100% increase in production is our immediate target, but by late 2024, we expect to be manufacturing four times our current monthly throughput with further increases planned beyond that time.

Ron Goldschlager, Founder

To facilitate the expansion, Cusp is working towards relocation to a larger facility at Deep Creek in Tasmania. The facility is designed for both GLT and CLT production volumes. It is anticipated that this will be the new home of Cusp for the medium term.

“We’ll increase staff by 25-30%, including floor staff, skilled machinists and trainees,” said Ron, “and diversify our mix of timbers.”

While Eucalyptus Nitens is the plantation timber that Cusp was founded on, the company also produces products from other plantation sources, including Grandis, a eucalypt from Urofor, and Spruce, a plantation-grown European softwood.

“The Hermal Group have invested heavily through the start-up phase because we strongly believe in the future of Cusp Building Solutions and the need for mass timber in the built environment,” said Ron. 
 
“We know that mass timber is part of the solution to climate change, and I’m proud that this business can do its part. Most construction materials store little to no carbon and are emission-intensive to create. 
 
“Building with mass timber, on the other hand, can replace emission-intensive construction materials, like steel and concrete, and create a carbon store.
 
“To substantially reduce global carbon emissions, we must both lower our carbon output and create carbon sinks to counteract the unavoidable emissions we produce and those that have already been emitted.”

Reach out to discuss utilising Cusp mass timber in your next project.